Effects of Taiji Practice on Mindfulness and Self-Compassion in Healthy Participants—A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Taiji is regarded as a mind-body practice that is characterized by gentle and mindful body movements. In contrast to the continuously growing evidence base supporting the beneficial effects of Taiji on physical and mental well-being, studies investigating its underlying mechanisms are still scarce. The aim of our study was to examine the impact of Taiji practice on self-attribution of mindfulness and self-compassion, two potential components well known for their health promoting effects. Seventy healthy participants (age range: 23-50 years) were randomly assigned either to the intervention group or to a wait list control group. The intervention group attended Taiji classes twice a week for 3 months. Before, shortly after and 2 months after the intervention, we measured the degree of selfattributed mindfulness and self-compassion in all study participants by using self-report questionnaires. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly higher increase scores in self-attributed mindfulness after the intervention that persisted 2 months later. Increases in self-attributed self-compassion were also higher in Taiji practitioners, with significant group differences from preintervention to follow-up assessment. Our findings suggest that Taiji practice can effectively enhance self-attribution of mindfulness and is likely to have beneficial effects on self-compassion in healthy participants. The role of mindfulness as a mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of Taiji practice warrants further research.

Effects of Tai Chi versus Physical Therapy on Mindfulness in Knee Osteoarthritis

“…In contrast to our findings, two prior studies found that mindfulness significantly increased after Tai Chi intervention (Caldwell et al, 2011; Nedeljkovic et al, 2012). Because these studies included participants of healthy volunteers, mindfulness may not have increased among our participants due to negative modulation from the underlying chronic pain of their OA.…”

“…Furthermore, our sensitivity analysis, which did not find substantial difference between mindfulness change at 12 and 24 weeks, supports the internal validity of our results and that the effects of the error were not complex. While we cannot rule out a lack of power as a confounder of our results, our sample size is similar to those reported from comparable studies (Morone, Greco, & Weiner, 2008; Nedeljkovic et al, 2012). Importantly, the amount of average change in total mindfulness or mindfulness facets from Tai Chi was small (ranged from worsening by 1 point to improving by 1.8 points).…”

“…A study among college students found that a Tai Chi course increased mindfulness more than a course of physical recreation but was limited by its non-randomized study design (Caldwell, Emery, Harrison, & Greeson, 2011). A randomized clinical trial among healthy adults found that Tai Chi improved mindfulness compared to a wait-list control but was limited by the absence of an active comparison group (Nedeljkovic, Wirtz, & Ausfeld-Hafter, 2012). To date, no study has examined the effect of Tai Chi on mindfulness in a randomized design with an active comparator.…”

Investigating short- and long-term transfer effects of a Taiji beginner course in participants' daily life

“…This in turn might build a variety of consequential personal resources (e.g., increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support), potentially having a strong and lasting impact on participants' daily life [22] . The fact that we have found persistently increased values in selfreported self-compassion, mindfulness and general selfefficacy, as well as decreased values in perceived stress in Taiji course participants two months after course completion [23,24] supports the assumption that long-term effects of a Taiji intervention on participants' daily life might be reported one year after course completion.…”

Taiji - Ressourcenaktivierung und Stressprotektion durch Ruhe in Bewegung

“…Dabei wurde im Vergleich zur Warteliste-Kontrollgruppe (n = 31) in der Taiji-Kursgruppe (n = 28) ein überzufällig höherer Anstieg der Werte für erwartete allgemeine Selbstwirksamkeit und Achtsamkeit - sowohl unmittelbar als auch 2 Monate nach Kursende - beobachtet. Ebenfalls signifikant höher fielen die Anstiegswerte für Self-Compassion der Taiji-Kursabsolventen 2 Monate nach Kursabschluss aus [10,11]. Diese Studienergebnisse weisen auf eine nachhaltig ressourcenaktivierende Wirkung von Taiji bei gesunden, überwiegend erwerbstätigen männlichen und weiblichen Studienteilnehmern hin.…”