Body Matters: Exploration of the Human Body as a Resource for the Design of Technologies for Meditation
Claudia Daudén Roquet, Corina Sas
Conference on Designing Interactive Systems April 9, 2020 DOI: 10.1145/3357236.3395499 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Experts in meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Recreating mindful physical sensations during mind-wandering, using embodied metaphors and haptic feedback tailored to key transitions, can support attention regulation in meditation. |
Abstract
Much research on meditation has shown its significant benefits for wellbeing. In turn, there has been growing HCI interest for the design of novel interactive technologies intended to facilitate meditation in real-time. In many of these systems, physiological signals have been mapped onto creative audiovisual feedback, however, there has been limited attention to the experiential qualities of meditation and the specific role that the body may play in them. In this paper, we report on workshops with 24 experts exploring the bodily sensations that emerge during meditation. Through material speculation, participants shared their lived experience of meditation and identified key stages during which they may benefit from additional aid, often multimodal. Findings emphasize the importance of recreating mindful physical sensations during moments of mind-wandering; in particular for supporting the regulation of attention through a range of embodied metaphors and haptic feedback, tailored to key transitions in the meditation process.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Interoceptive Interaction: An Embodied Metaphor Inspired Approach to Designing for Meditation May 6, 2021
- Exploring Anima: a brain–computer interface for peripheral materialization of mindfulness states during mandala coloring Human-Computer Interaction November 16, 2021
- 留白 (Liubai) at a Hushed Sanctuary: Layered Reflections on an Artist Residency International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 13, 2026
- Meditating Together: Practices, Benefits and Challenges of Meditation on Social Virtual Reality International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 25, 2025
- RunMe: An Adaptive Sound System for Running Meditation ACM Trans. Comput. Hum. Interact. February 17, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 16
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- Interoception, contemplative practice, and health Frontiers in Psychology June 9, 2015
- Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 11, 2012
and 11 more in the library