Mindful Embodied Movement: Study Protocol for a 12-Week Modern Dance-Mindfulness Intervention and Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial in Recreational Adult Dancers
Aglaia Zafeiroudi, Ioannis Tsartsapakis, Charilaos Kouthouris
Methods and Protocols March 3, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/mps9020037 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Recreational adults |
| Intervention | Integrated dance-mindfulness intervention |
| Duration | 12-week intervention, with qualitative assessments at Weeks 8 and 12 |
| Measures | Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Leisure Involvement Scale (LIS) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The protocol proposes a 12-week integrated dance-mindfulness intervention embedded in the ISTD modern dance syllabus, combining nervous system regulation, motor learning, and creative expression. The authors expect intervention participants to show significantly greater improvements than controls on well-being, distress, mindfulness, happiness, and leisure involvement, and to establish evidence-based practice standards for recreational dance. |
Abstract
Recreational dance offers significant psychological well-being potential. However, traditional instruction emphasizes technique while limiting attention to nervous system development and embodied meaning-making. Despite empirical support for polyvagal theory, motor learning science, somatic education, and phenomenology, their systematic integration into unified structures is not clearly established in recreational dance contexts. This protocol integrates nervous system regulation, motor learning, and creative expression within structured Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) modern dance syllabus for recreational adults. It presents a 12-week integrated dance-mindfulness intervention addressing this gap through a three-phase structure grounded in neuroscience and embodied pedagogy. The intervention comprises eight standardized components delivered weekly. The randomized controlled trial evaluates intervention effects using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and the Leisure Involvement Scale (LIS). Qualitative assessment via semi-structured phenomenological interviews (Weeks 8 and 12) and weekly journaling captures somatic awareness, nervous system resilience, technical confidence, creative expression, relational and social belonging, and embodied meaning-making. Intervention participants are expected to show significantly greater improvements compared to controls. Results will establish evidence-based practice standards for recreational dance and demonstrate neuroscience integration's efficacy for psychological wellbeing and embodied meaning-making.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Investigating the "Flow" Experience: Key Conceptual and Operational Issues. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- An interpersonal neurobiology perspective on the mind and mental health: personal, public, and planetary well-being Annals of General Psychiatry February 3, 2023
- Dancing Mindfulness: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Emerging Practice. Explore 2015
- Embodied Mindfulness Through Movement: A Scoping Review of Dance-Based Interventions for Mental Well-Being in Recreational Populations. Healthcare September 5, 2025
- Reflection in motion: an embodied approach to reflection on practice March 4, 2021
and 2 more in the library