Making Mindfulness Meditation a Healthy Habit

Viewing mindfulness meditation as a health behavior, rather than only a technique, can help people develop and sustain a long-term practice. The Sussex Mindfulness MEDitation (SuMMed) model synthesizes health behavior theories with research on mindfulness to describe the stages people go through as they build a meditation habit and the processes that help them move from one stage to the next. The model highlights the need to support individuals to continue practicing after formal instruction ends and suggests how maintaining a meditation habit can be facilitated, offering a roadmap for future research and practical suggestions tailored to different stages of behavior change.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The benefits of mindfulness meditation can only be achieved if it is practiced, but health behavior research tells us that initiating and maintaining long-term behavior change is difficult. We propose that mindfulness meditation can be usefully viewed as a health behavior and that this perspective generates insights into how individuals can be supported to develop a healthy habit of mindfulness practice. Method We synthesize health behavior models with research on mindfulness practice and with mindfulness curricula to develop the Sussex Mindfulness MEDitation (SuMMed) model. This new theoretical model of mindfulness meditation as a health behavior outlines the stages individuals progress through as they develop a sustained habit of meditation and the processes that facilitate transition between these stages. We contextualize these processes within existing curricula and outline how they could be further supported. Results Our model generates a roadmap for future research as well as practical suggestions tailored to individuals at different stages of behavior change. In particular, our model highlights the need to support individuals to continue practice beyond formal instruction, and suggests how maintenance of a meditation habit could be facilitated. Conclusions Mindfulness meditation can be viewed as a health behavior, and understanding mindfulness practice through this lens can help bridge the challenges associated with developing and sustaining mindfulness practice.