Adding explicit mindfulness instruction to standard Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) training improves beginners' mental and physical health more than TCC alone. In a randomized trial with 119 healthy college students new to TCC, those who received a 10-week Mindfulness-enhanced Tai Chi Chuan (MTCC) program showed significantly greater gains in mindfulness, lower anxiety and stress, and better health- and skill-related physical fitness compared with a standard TCC group. No difference in depression was found between the two groups. The findings suggest that MTCC offers additional mental health benefits while also improving physical fitness, making it a useful intervention for beginners.
A 4-week study with 65 employees tested daily online self-compassion meditation delivered via smartphone. After a control week, two intervention weeks of daily meditation improved daily self-compassion and reduced perceived stress and emotional exhaustion. Self-compassion and stress did not change during the control week, then improved during the intervention weeks and remained stable during the follow-up week. Emotional exhaustion declined during the control week and stayed stable afterward. The intervention worked equally well regardless of participants' baseline trait self-compassion. The authors conclude that daily online self-compassion meditation is effective and suggest the method can be applied to test other daily online interventions.