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Mind-body interventions: mindful movement practices

Guest Editors:
Marcelo Demarzo: The Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.
Linda Zhong: School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.


BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies called for submissions to our Collection on mind-body interventions: mindful movement practices. 
Albeit more commonly associated with meditation and relaxation, mindfulness practice exists in many forms, including mindful movements. Movement is a fundamental aspect to human life and has been used as a form of both physical and mental therapy since the beginning of time. Mindful movement practices have repeatedly been shown to result in significant health benefits. This includes improved joint and bone function, improved brain and mental health, pain management, cardiovascular conditioning, prevention of injuries, improvement in respiratory functions. As a mindfulness practice, mindful movement-based therapies promote relaxation, increased awareness and improved emotional regulation. 

Meet the Guest Editors

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Marcelo Demarzo: The Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.

Marcelo Demarzo is Associate Professor of the Escola Paulista de Medicina (São Paulo School of Medicine), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), and M.D., Ph.D., and Family doctor specialized in Mindfulness, Family and Community Medicine, and in Sports Medicine and Exercise. He is permanent Advisor in the Master's Program and Doctorate in Population Health of UNIFESP, Senior Fellow of the International Primary Care Research Leadership Program (Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford) since 2012, and Senior Fellow of the International Complementary & Integrative Medicine Research Leadership and Capacity Building Program since 2021. Dr. Demarzo is also Coordinator of the Mente Aberta ("Mind Open") - Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion.


Linda Zhong: School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Linda Zhong  is currently Associate Professor and Director of Chinese Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr. Zhong has worked in Chinese Medicine education, research, and service for more than 20 years. Her research focuses mainly on integrative medicine and globalization of Chinese Medicine. She is also a Visiting Professor of Integrative Medicine Centre, the University of Toronto, and Visiting Fellow of Australian Research Centre for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, the University of Technology Sydney. She serves as the Vice President of Hong Kong Association for Integration of Chinese-Western Medicine. In 2020, she was awarded a Qi Huang Young Scholar by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in recognition of her excellence in clinical practice and studies of Chinese medicine.



 



About the collection

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies is calling for submissions to our Collection on Mind-body Interventions: Mindful Movement Practices. 

Albeit more commonly associated with meditation and relaxation, mindfulness practice exists in many forms, including mindful movements. Movement is a fundamental aspect to human life and has been used as a form of both physical and mental therapy since the beginning of time. Mindful Movement practices have repeatedly been shown to result in significant health benefits. This includes improved joint and bone function, improved brain and mental health, pain management, cardiovascular conditioning, prevention of injuries, improvement in respiratory functions. As a mindfulness practice, mindful movement-based therapies promote relaxation, increased awareness and improved emotional regulation. 

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies has launched this collection calling for research on all aspects relating to broad movement practices as therapy, including but not limited to, mindfulness-based programs, dance therapy, yoga, qigong, martial arts, tai chi, moving and walking meditation, and restorative movement. We welcome clinical studies, basic research, study protocols, studies on patterns of use, knowledge and prevalence, systematic reviews, and studies addressing implementation science. 

In support of UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies has launched this collection calling for research on all aspects relating to broad movement practices as therapy, including but not limited to, mindfulness-based programs, dance therapy, yoga, qigong, martial arts, tai chi, moving and walking meditation, and restorative movement. We welcome clinical studies, basic research, study protocols, studies on patterns of use, knowledge and prevalence, systematic reviews, and studies addressing implementation science. 

This collection is a part of the “Mind-body interventions” collection series by BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. Other collections in the series include: Mind-body interventions: mindfulness and meditation and Mind-body interventions: creative art practices.


Image credit:  Thao LEE / Unsplash

  1. In light of the mounting prevalence of stress in contemporary society and the growing interest in stress reduction methods, this review investigates the potential of taiji as a viable strategy for alleviating ...

    Authors: Jana Kraft, Paula J. Waibl and Karin Meissner
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:210
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Globally medical students reported high level of stress sensitivity, stress intensity and depression or anxiety. Yoga is proven to be a one of the most effective anxiolytic tools. The current study specificall...

    Authors: Shalini Chauhan, Ann Mary Babu, Dahabo Adi Galgalo, Csaba Melczer, Viktória Prémusz and István Karsai
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:203
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Daoyin therapy (DT), an ancient therapeutic approach with a history spanning thousands of years, has traditionally been employed to address musculoskeletal pain and psychosomatic disorders. However, the applic...

    Authors: Xiangxu Chen, Mingze Zhu, Wei Li, Daan Wang and Jing Liu
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:123
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  4. Although Tai Chi (TC) is an evidence-based fall prevention training for older adults, its effective movements remain unclear, which may limit the practice of TC. The purpose of this study was to compare the ef...

    Authors: Min Mao, Vicki S. Mercer, Fuzhong Li, Michael T. Gross, Troy Blackburn and Bing Yu
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:112
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) adversely affects both young and old and is a growing public health concern. The common functional, psychological, and cognitive changes associated with TBI and recent trends in it...

    Authors: Nicole Alexandra Laskosky, Patricia Huston, Wai Ching Lam, Charlotte Anderson and Linda L. D. Zhong
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:78
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Exercise has shown positive effects on fatigue, exhaustion, neuropathy, and quality of life in cancer patients. While on-land exercises have been studied, the aquatic environment offers unique advantages. Wate...

    Authors: Michal Nissim, Yakir Rottenberg, Naama Karniel and Navah Z. Ratzon
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2024 24:74
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  7. Physical exercise training is the central component of pulmonary rehabilitation. This study aimed to further investigate the rehabilitative effects of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise (PQE) in stable patients w...

    Authors: Linhong Jiang, Peijun Li, Jiacheng Shi, Yidie Bao, Zhenwei Wang, Weibing Wu and Xiaodan Liu
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:418
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Tai Chi, a mind–body movement therapy originating from China, on depression in middle-aged and older adults.

    Authors: Lijuan Zeng, Xueyang Zhao, Yiqing Yu, Ting Hu, Chaoyang Li, Man Wu and Fen Yang
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:382
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Older stroke survivors usually experience various psychology disorders, such as post-stroke depression (PSD), which may be associated with high experiential avoidance (EA) and can seriously affect their qualit...

    Authors: Furong Chen, Qiao Zhou, Junqi Wu and Xianghua Xu
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:353
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  10. Lack of exercise is often a major cause of chronic disease. Osteoporosis (OP) is a chronic disease with multifactorial co-morbidity. Baduanjin (BDJ) exercise may be a powerful tool for modifying risk factors. ...

    Authors: Chuanrui Sun, Ming Chen, Xiaoyang Wang, Baoyu Qi, He Yin, Yingxia Ji, Na Yuan, Shangquan Wang, Liguo Zhu and Xu Wei
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:325
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  11. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after trauma. While PTSD management strategies include first-line pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, mind–body therapies, such as yoga, are applied in the PTSD po...

    Authors: Nina Laplaud, Anaïck Perrochon, Matthieu Gallou-Guyot, Maarten Moens, Lisa Goudman, Romain David, Philippe Rigoard and Maxime Billot
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:258
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common public health problem and a leading cause of long-term pain, decreased muscle strength, and even disability. Tai Chi has been proved effective and highly recommended for K...

    Authors: Hongyu Yue, Yang Li, Jianwen Ma, Chaoqun Xie, Fangfang Xie, Junhao Cai, Min Fang and Fei Yao
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:256
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  13. Falls are a global public problem and may be an important cause of death in older adults. However, older adults with mild cognitive impairment(MCI) are more likely to fall and suffer more damage than older adu...

    Authors: Ziyi Wu, Yuxing Kuang, Yiwen Wan, Jiao Shi, Shuqian Li, Rui Xia, Mingyue Wan and Shangjie Chen
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:233
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  14. Chemotherapy is associated with a wide range of physical and psychological side effects, so complementary and alternative therapies may be practiced as an independent treatment or combined with the standard on...

    Authors: Mohammad Namazinia, Seyyed Reza Mazlum, Samira Mohajer and Violeta Lopez
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:192
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. In this study, we will combine the traditional Baduanjin with Yijin Jing and Wuqinxi to create an optimized Baduanjin exercise program with three different forms (vertical, sitting, and horizontal) to adapt to...

    Authors: Zenan Wu, Zehao Hu, Shiwen Ke, Lisha Mo, Mingliang Qiu, Guoshuang Zhu, Wei Zhu and Liangji Liu
    Citation: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 2023 23:155
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Mind-body Interventions: Mindful Movement Practices" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.