Recruiting

Daoist Zhanzhuang

Sponsor:

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Code:

NCT06573034

Conditions

Stress, Physiological

Stress, Psychological

Inflammatory Response

Well-Being, Psychological

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 25

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Daoist Zhanzhuang

Sham Wall Squat

Study Details

Brief summary:

This project investigates the impact of Daoist Zhanzhuang (sometimes spelled as Chan Chuang) on human flourishing, and explores the physiological, psychological, and spiritual mechanisms. This study will be a two-arm randomized controlled trial, with mixed-methods and repeated-measures assessment of outcome variables. The two arms will include an active control condition (i.e., sham wall squat) and the Daoist Zhanzhuang condition. Outcome variables will include physiological measures of heart rate variability and inflammatory biomarkers, psychological scales of human flourishing variables, phenomenological interviews of mystical experiences, and daily ecological momentary assessment of human flourishing and mysticism. Randomly assigned into two conditions, 120 participants will complete a three-week intensive practice phase with 9 in-person sessions, followed by a nine-week self-guided practice phase with 4 in-person check-in sessions, and 3 follow-up practice and assessment sessions. Complete assessment (physiological measures, psychological scales, and phenomenological interviews) will be administered at five time points: T1 at about two weeks before the intervention, T2 at the end of the three-week intensive practice, T3 at the end of the 3-month intervention, T4 at the 6-month follow-up, and T5 at the 12-month follow-up. In addition, daily ecological momentary assessment of flourishing variables and practice-induced experiences will be administered daily after the practice for the entire 3-month intervention period.

Conditions

Stress, Physiological

Stress, Psychological

Inflammatory Response

Well-Being, Psychological

Study ID

NCT06573034

Start date

Aug 29, 2024

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jul, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 25

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. young adults aged between 18 and 25 years old when they enroll;
2. be willing and available (e.g., intend to remain in Charlotte or the surrounding area or willing to travel to UNCC campus for in person visits) to participate to 12 month study;
3. able to stand for 30 minutes;
4. scoring above 18 on the Perceived Stress Scale (moderate stress); and
5. able to read, speak and understand English.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. experience of qigong-related practice in the past 5 years;
2. reporting regular medication use that directly modulates immune system functioning (e.g., steroids, cytokine inhibitors, high levels of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, chemotherapy, etc.) or sedates the nervous system (e.g., benzodiazepines, anti-epileptics, tranquilizers, etc.) or alters heart rate (e.g., beta blockers, calcium channel blocker, stimulants, etc.);
3. self-reported illicit drug use in the past 3 months or substance dependence over the past month (e.g., alcohol binge drinking 2+ days/week, using tobacco or nicotine products 5+ days/week, cannabis and related products 2+ days/week, etc.);
4. physical impairment that does not allow them to stand for 30 mins (e.g., severe obesity, need wheel-chair or equipment to assist with walking, recent injury that limits standing, etc.), and
5. severe mental health conditions that could prevent regular practice (e.g., hospitalized in the past 12 months for mental health condition).

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Daoist Zhanzhuang

Individuals in this condition will learn and maintain the Zhanzhuang posture, endorsed by this study's religious practitioner and validated by two independent Daoist experts. The core posture involves: a) Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and toes pointed forward; b) Opening the hips slightly to the side as if holding a ball between the legs; c) Sitting slightly back and tucking in the abdomen and tailbone; d) Keeping the back straight while holding in the chest; e) Raising the arms to a height over the chest but under the shoulders as if embracing a tree trunk; f) Facing palms toward the body with fingers apart as if holding a ball; g) Relaxing the shoulders and lowering the elbows in a stationary stance; h) Pointing the head upward as if balancing an object on top of the head; i) Tucking in the chin; j) Breathing naturally, with a focus on the lower abdominal area.

active comparator: Sham Wall Squat

Individuals in this condition will be directed to perform a sham wall squat, essentially a prescribed way to stand straight leaning against the wall. Key instructions include: a) Standing tall with the head and back resting against the wall; b) Positioning feet shoulder-width apart and a foot away from the wall; c) Slightly bending and engaging leg muscles; d) Relaxing hands on the side of the body; e) Concentrating on the balance of weight.

Interventions

Daoist Zhanzhuang

Each session of practice will last 30 minutes, and participants are expected to participate every day for 3 months. During the initial 3 weeks, participants will engage in in-person sessions 3 times a week. On non-session days, they can choose to either attend a Zoom practice session with the coach or submit a recording of their individual practice for fidelity check. In Week 4, participants will attend an in-person session for both practice and assessment. Over the subsequent 8 weeks, participants will either attend in-person or Zoom sessions, with a total of 3 check-in sessions.

Sham Wall Squat

Same as the Zhanzhuang group.

Primary outcome measure

  • Increased heart rate variability [ Time Frame: Day 1 in-person session, baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Decreased inflammatory biomarker CRP [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Decreased perceived stress [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Increased resilience [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Decreased fatigue [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Increased vitality [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Increased mystical experiences [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]
  • Increased overall human flourishing [ Time Frame: baseline T1 (before the intervention), the end of three-week intensive practice (T2), the end of the 3-month intervention (T3), the 6-month follow-up (T4), and the 12-month follow-up (T5). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Zhuo Job Chen, PhD

7046877966job.chen@charlotte.edu

Jeanette Bennett, PhD

7046871966Jeanette.Bennett@uncc.edu

Locations

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Recruiting

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, 28223

Contacts

Zhuo Job Chen, PhD

7046877966job.chen@charlotte.edu

Principal Investigator:

Zhuo Job Chen, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Last update posted

May 1, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • Human Flourishing
  • Daoist Zhanzhuang (Chan Chuang)
  • Heart Rate Variability
  • Immune Function
  • Mysticism

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of North Carolina, Charlotte on 2026-05-01.