Title : Polyvagal-informed embodied mindfulness™: Safer contemplative practice for high adversity populations
Abstract:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mindfulness facilitators were challenged to adapt contemplative practices for virtual delivery while supporting individuals experiencing unprecedented stress. Healthcare students and faculty in higher education, in particular, reported increased burnout, isolation, and physiological overwhelm. In response, I developed Polyvagal-Informed Embodied Mindfulness™ (PIEM™), an eight-week curriculum created as part of my Master's thesis at Lesley University.
This poster presents a curriculum that integrates embodied mindfulness with principles from Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, positioning physiological state as foundational to contemplative practice. The curriculum incorporates nervous system literacy, autonomic state awareness, orienting, interoceptive awareness, movement, breathwork, reflective practices, and structured choice-making to enhance accessibility and support individuals experiencing chronic stress and adversity.
Organized as a structured 31-step embodied learning protocol, PIEM™ is designed to promote physiological stability and autonomic flexibility while reducing meditation-related challenges. The poster describes the theoretical foundations of the curriculum, the influence of the autonomic hierarchy on meditation experiences, and Polyvagal-informed instructional design elements that support safe and sustainable contemplative practice.
Initially implemented at The College of New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic, the curriculum has since been implemented in a behavioral health practice setting as an adjunct to psychotherapy and therapeutic group programming. As part of practice-based implementation, participant-reported measures of perceived stress, embodied awareness, motivation to engage in practice, and perceived vitality are collected before and after each session.
This work invites meditation educators, clinicians, and researchers to consider physiological stability and autonomic flexibility as foundational mechanisms for contemplative practice.
Integrating embodied awareness with nervous system-informed instructional design may reduce meditation-related challenges, expand accessibility, enhance participant safety, and better support high-adversity populations while maintaining fidelity to contemplative traditions.
