The primary aim of this study was to understand if and how people used meditation and other contemplative practices to cope with stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether this practice was related to better mental and physical health outcomes. Our objective was to learn about the difficulties and stressors faced by individuals during the pandemic, as well as the ways they found strength and support. We assessed changes in life stressors, coping mechanisms, psychological well-being, and telomere length—a biological marker of cellular aging—over a one year period. To better understand participants' pandemic experiences within the broader contexts of their lives, we also measured prior life challenges and adversities. 

The pandemic's disparate impacts on communities cannot be ignored. Our research aims to understand how these inequities may have influenced the varying consequences of the pandemic as well as the role of contemplative practices for different communities as they navigated the unfolding circumstances of the pandemic. This commitment motivated our efforts to recruit a diverse participant sample to include a broad representation of experiences. Scientific research has often excluded non-white communities and been used to perpetuate harm against black, indigenous, and other marginalized groups. Meditation research has similarly focused on economically-advantaged white participants, while largely ignoring many other practice communities. Our goal has been to engage in more equitable and just scientific practices, starting by including and listening to groups who have historically been excluded, harmed, or underrepresented. 

Our research team strives to cultivate a research environment that values participants’ perspectives and a research experience that is empowering for them. We deeply value their dedication and contributions. To acknowledge these efforts, we are returning individualized data reports to participants who request them. We hope that these reports offer participants an opportunity to learn from their own data in ways that might support their continued well-being. 

We also aim to disseminate our research findings beyond traditional academic outlets to make our findings more accessible. To this end, we have developed an interactive data-visualization dashboard, so that a variety of stakeholders might explore our results. 
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Our aspiration is that this research and its outcomes will be used to promote individual and collective well-being post-pandemic.