Teaching Tai Chi with mindfulness-based stress reduction to middle school children in the inner city: a review of the literature and approaches.
Medicine and sport science 2008 DOI: 10.1159/000134297 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that combining Tai Chi with MBSR may be an effective approach for teaching these practices to children and adolescents, potentially yielding synergistic benefits. The author proposes a course design based on two projects for ages 11-14 in inner-city Boston. |
Abstract
Tai Chi (TC) is the focus of a growing body of literature both qualitative and empirical. Yet there is a paucity of literature on teaching TC to either adolescents or children ages 10-13 presumably because of the level of attention and concentration TC requires. In the pediatric setting, TC appears best combined with other practice activities like mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) that complement the practice of TC, sustain interest and synergistically enhance the benefits TC has been shown to produce in older populations. The literature on the effects of (MBSR) practices with children and teens are also limited. However, the corpus of TC studies suggests significant benefits could be transgenerational if presented in novel ways and taught in developmentally appropriate approaches to children. This chapter explores combining MBSR exercises with TC as one practice that can potentially accomplish this synergy. The chapter includes recommendations for a course design based on two projects created by the author integrating TC and MBSR for ages 11-14 in the inner city of Boston, Mass., USA.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Designing, Prototyping and Evaluating Digital Mindfulness Applications: A Case Study of Mindful Breathing for Stress Reduction Journal of Medical Internet Research June 14, 2017
- Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Meditation Practices for Pediatric Health Pediatrics in Review December 1, 2010
- Investigating the long-term impact of a programme of mindfulness combined with exercise delivered online (MOVE) on individuals living with chronic pain-an exploratory one-year follow-up of a feasibility randomised control trial. PLoS One September 30, 2025
- An adolescent's subjective experiences of mindfulness. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health December 1, 2009
Cites 6
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
- Treating Anxiety With Mindfulness: An Open Trial of Mindfulness Training for Anxious Children Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy October 1, 2005
- Tai Chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction in a Boston Public Middle School. Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners 2005
and 1 more in the library