Mind-Body Conditioning Course for University Dance Students

Mindfulness in Motion (MIM) is an eight-week evidenced based program designed specifically to help participants learn practical stress reduction, burnout and resiliency building techniques. Content includes didactic instruction, community-building group discussion, mindfulness practices, and gentle yoga. Weekly themes include Willingness to Daily Practice, Mindful Sleep, Vision of Self, Supported by the Breath, Mindful Eating and Yoga, Movement Through Balance, Awareness of Sensation, Clarity and Release, and Staying Grounded and Moving Forward. An Ohio State University endorsed, ADA compliant companion smartphone app reinforces weekly content and offers a variety of individual mind-body and mediations practices. The evidence-based MIM content has been tailored to meet the physical, mental, and emotional needs of student Dance majors at The Ohio State University and integrated into the Dance 2802 course content as Mind-Body Conditioning for second year students. Over the course of the second year student's fall semester, this study will evaluate the effectiveness of this integrated course content on students' perceived stress, burnout, resilience, musculoskeletal injury and discomfort, and weekly respiratory rates. After the semester long course is completed, the students will also assess how well the Mind-Body Conditioning course content was integrated into the required first year seminar for University Dance majors.

Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age or older * Ability to understand and read English * Second year OSU Dance majors enrolled in Dance 2802 for Fall 2025 semester * Third year OSU Dance majors who completed Dance 2802 during the 2024-2025 academic year. * Access to personal smartphone, either iOS or Android, with sufficient memory to install the Mindfulness in Motion smartphone app, and WiFi (OSU eduroam while in class or on campus and LTE or personal WiFi off campus) Exclusion Criteria: * OSU student with a minor in Dance.