Exploring associations between meditation, being green and perceived quality of life

Abstract

Introduction: Meditation has been recently studied in the context of pro-environmental behaviour and perceived quality of life (PQoL). It has been found to have a favourable association with nature connectedness, PQoL and pro-environmental behaviour. The present research investigated the association of meditation experience and trait mindfulness with PQoL and per capita carbon footprint (CF), among 25 skilled meditators. Methods: Self-reported validated questionnaires in a sinhala-speaking context were used in collecting data on meditation experience (duration of practice of meditation, average time duration of a meditation session, perception on Impact of Meditation on Daily life (IMD), five facets of mindfulness (observing facet, acting with awareness, describing facet, non-judging of inner experiences, non-reactivity to experience) and PQoL. To collect CF data, a self-reported data collection booklet was also used. Each participant had to record CF data for 14 days within four domains: food and beverage consumption, electricity consumption at residence, travelling and solid waste disposal at residence.