August 25, 2009 – A daily 20-minute meditation session would help office workers counter the negative effects of stress. This is what the results of a preliminary clinical trial indicate1 conducted with 42 Ohio University employees in the United States.
The subjects, who were all in good health, were randomly placed in a meditation practice group or on a waiting list (control group). For 6 weeks, active subjects participated in a weekly 60-minute mindfulness meditation session and they were invited to practice this technique 20 minutes per day, sitting at their desks.
The researchers report that after 6 weeks, the meditators had reduced their stress levels by 11% compared to the results obtained at the start of the study. A reduction of only 2.3% was observed in the control group.
This is not the first time that the approach called “mindfulness meditation” has proven effective in helping to counter the effects of stress. According to the results of a review of clinical trials2 published in 2008, this technique would effectively reduce stress and anxiety. This would occur in both healthy people and those with chronic illnesses.
The particular interest of the present study lies in the fact that the meditation technique employed is an abbreviated formula of the classical approach. It takes less time than usual practice (20 minutes per day instead of 45 or 60 minutes) and extends over a reduced period of time (6 weeks instead of 8).
The researchers provided participants with a CD containing voice instructions for a 20-minute meditation session that included breathing and relaxation exercises and a few yoga-like positions and movements that could be practiced while sitting at a desk.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to United Press International (UPI).
1. Klatt MD, Buckworth J, Malarkey WB. Effects of low-dose mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR-ld) on working adults. Health Educ Behav. 2009 Jun; 36 (3): 601-14.
2. Praissman S. Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a literature review and clinician’s guide. J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 2008 Apr; 20 (4): 212-6.
