Research summary · Sport psychology
Mindfulness, body awareness and heart-rate variability
Forty-six athletes were randomized to eight weeks of mindfulness training or a waitlist. Researchers assessed awareness of bodily sensations, cognitive inhibition, heart-rate variability, lung function and flexibility before and after the intervention.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Preliminary randomized controlled trial
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Population / context
- Athletes across sports
What the publication reports
Body-awareness scores and one heart-rate-variability measure, SDNN, improved relative to the waitlist. RMSSD, lung-function measures and flexibility did not show clear between-group changes. Competitive performance was not demonstrated to improve.
Limits and interpretation
The small preliminary trial used a waitlist rather than an active comparison, leaving attention and expectation effects unresolved. These intermediate outcomes do not establish better sporting results. The publisher records minor corrections that it states do not alter the scientific content.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Mind-body effects of mindfulness-based training in athletes: a preliminary randomized controlled trial
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41822416DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1755043Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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