Research report: A Study Evaluating the Feasibility of a Self-compassion Meditation on Body Image in Retired Athletes

A three-week, self-guided self-compassion meditation program appears feasible and acceptable for retired athletes with body-image concerns, according to a randomized mixed-methods feasibility trial involving 37 adults who had competed at collegiate, provincial, or national levels. Retention was 76%, while qualitative responses indicated increased body awareness, positive shifts in self-perception, and strong acceptability. The researchers said the findings support progression to a fully powered randomized controlled trial.

The study focused on retired athletes because retirement from sport can involve changes in athletic identity, self-worth, and body-image concerns. Although self-compassion meditation has improved self-compassion and body appreciation and reduced body shame and appearance-based self-worth in other populations, it had not previously been studied with retired athletes. The trial therefore tested whether a brief online intervention could be delivered, accepted, and sustained in this group, rather than establishing whether it is an effective treatment.

Participants were randomized to the meditation program or a waitlist control group. The intervention lasted 21 days and consisted of three audio-based self-compassion practices delivered online. It was self-guided, allowing participants to complete the exercises independently.

Researchers assessed acceptability through thematic analysis of open-ended responses, measured retention as the proportion who completed the intervention, and tracked recruitment as enrollment over time. Retention was considered appropriate at 76%, and qualitative findings suggested that participants found the program acceptable. They described greater awareness of their bodies and more positive shifts in how they perceived themselves.

Recruitment, however, was modest at 10 participants per month. The study was not preregistered, and its sample of 37 retired athletes limits the strength of conclusions about the intervention’s effects. Secondary outcomes included self-compassion, body dissatisfaction, body shame, body appreciation, and appearance-contingent self-worth.

ANCOVAs controlling for baseline values were used to examine these measures. Participants who completed the program showed signs of improvement in body appreciation and self-compassion, along with potential reductions in body dissatisfaction, body shame, and appearance-based self-worth. These are preliminary signals from a feasibility trial, not definitive evidence that the program caused lasting psychological changes or provided clinical benefit.

Overall, the findings indicate that a short, self-guided meditation program can engage many retired athletes who are concerned about their body image. The strongest evidence concerns feasibility and acceptability: most enrolled participants completed the program, and their comments described positive experiences and stronger body awareness. The results also identify recruitment as a practical constraint.

The authors concluded that self-compassion may be a promising approach for supporting body image and psychological adaptation during retirement from sport, and that the next step is a larger, fully powered randomized controlled trial.

Subject of Research: Feasibility of online self-compassion meditation for body-image concerns among retired athletes

Article Title: A Study Evaluating the Feasibility of a Self-compassion Meditation on Body Image in Retired Athletes

Article References: Hough, S. B. E., Smart, C. M., & Rhodes, R. E. (2026). A Study Evaluating the Feasibility of a Self-compassion Meditation on Body Image in Retired Athletes. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-026-02999-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02999-0

Keywords: self-compassion, meditation, retired athletes, body image, mindfulness, feasibility trial, online intervention, psychological adaptation, randomized trial, Evaluating, Feasibility, Body