Meditation in Motion: Sport Type and Meditation Level Shape Gut Microbiota Profiles in Aikido and Tai Chi Practitioners
Tehreema Ghaffar, Veronica Volpini, Francesca Ubaldi, Vincenzo Romano Spica, Federica Valeriani
Microorganisms January 24, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms14020275 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Regular adult practitioners of Tai Chi or Aikido |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Exploratory research Association psychology Diversity politics Gut flora Happiness Clinical psychology Psycinfo |
| Key findings | Meditation depth and type of meditative movement practice are associated with distinct gut microbiota compositional patterns, though alpha diversity did not differ significantly. |
Abstract
Mind–body practices integrating movement and meditation, such as Tai Chi and Aikido, have been proposed to influence the gut–brain axis through combined physiological and psychological pathways. However, evidence regarding their association with gut microbiota composition remains limited. This study explored gut microbiota diversity and taxonomic profiles in regular practitioners of Tai Chi and Aikido across different levels of meditation depth. Forty-two adults practicing Tai Chi or Aikido provided fecal samples for 16S rRNA sequencing, and meditation depth was assessed using the Meditation Depth Questionnaire (MEDEQ). Alpha diversity did not differ significantly between groups, although a descriptive trend toward higher diversity with increasing meditation depth was observed. Beta-diversity analyses suggested compositional differences associated with meditation level (ANOSIM R = 0.191, p = 0.035), along with an exploratory interaction signal between practice type and meditation depth (ANOSIM R = 0.296, p = 0.001). Taxonomic profiling highlighted distinct microbial patterns associated with both practice type and meditation depth. Short-chain fatty acid-associated genera, including Faecalibacterium and Roseburia, were relatively more abundant in Aikido practitioners with higher meditation scores, whereas Tai Chi practitioners showed higher relative abundances of Prevotella and Collinsella. Overall, these findings indicate that meditative movement practices are associated with distinct gut microbiota compositional patterns within this cohort. Given the exploratory and cross-sectional design, these results should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. Future longitudinal studies incorporating functional and clinical outcomes are needed to clarify underlying mechanisms.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study Scientific Reports October 24, 2025
- Heartfulness meditation alters neuroendocrine profiles: A randomized controlled trial on hormones of stress and well-being. Medicine November 21, 2025
- Alteration of faecal microbiota balance related to long-term deep meditation. General Psychiatry January 3, 2023
- Possible Roles of Cyclic Meditation in Regulation of the Gut-Brain Axis Frontiers in Psychology December 22, 2021
- The Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Program on Quality of Life in Cancer Outpatients: An Exploratory Study Integrative Cancer Therapies October 23, 2021
and 3 more in the library