The Walking Meditation Mat: Leveraging Targeted Heat Sensation to Guide Attention Inward

Tamar Dublin; Oren Zuckerman

doi:10.1145/3706598.3713208

The Walking Meditation Mat: Leveraging Targeted Heat Sensation to Guide Attention Inward

Tamar Dublin, Oren Zuckerman

International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 25, 2025 DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3713208 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population	Meditators
Topics	Meditation
Key findings	Visual signifiers were associated with outward attention, dizziness, and imbalance, whereas targeted heat affordances were associated with attention to bodily sensations, calmness, grounding, and reflection.

Abstract

We present the walking meditation mat research, leveraging targeted heat to help meditators focus attention inward. The mat, measuring three meters in length, is designed with 10 visual signifiers and 10 corresponding heater pads arranged in a step-by-step pattern. Walking meditation is challenging, as it requires both inward and outward attention. In a qualitative study we studied the walking meditation experience with or without heat, evaluating the impact of the mat’s visual signifiers and the gentle feet-focused targeted heat during the walking experience. Our findings reveal the tension participants experience between external design factors and their internal meditation process. Visual signifiers were more commonly associated with outward attention, dizziness and imbalance, while targeted heat affordances were more commonly associated with attention to bodily sensations, calmness, grounding, and reflection. We conclude with insights regarding the role of targeted heat in balancing inward and outward attention in walking meditation and introspective processes.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

Citations in the library

Cited by 1

Breathing Inward: A Targeted-heat Wearable Designed to Deepen the Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 13, 2026

Cites 12

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