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Interbeing Wellness Series: Participant Feedback Survey
- wellnessimpactto
- Aug 22
- 3 min read
The Wellness Impact Lab is happy to offer the Interbeing Wellness Series as an accessible online wellness space. The series, run by Dr. Harvey Skinner and Susan Harris, MSW, aims to bring meaningful movement and meditation practices into the daily lives of university students and community members through 8- to 10-week themed series throughout the year.
A survey was conducted to solicit feedback from participants on the impact of the Interbeing Wellness Series on levels of stress, mindfulness, emotional balance, and their sense of connection. A total of 32 participants responded, with an age range between 19 and 84, and a mean age of 67.3. The majority of participants identified as women and as white.
Participant Experience
At the time of the survey, most participants had attended 1 to 3 sessions or more. When asked how they had discovered the Interbeing Wellness Series, the majority of participants indicated that they had found the program through a friend or family member.
At the time of the survey, approximately 79.42% of participants reported having some familiarity with mindfulness prior to beginning the interbeing wellness series, with 11.76% of participants self-categorizing as "highly experienced." While 50% of participants reported at least some experience with qi gong. This indicates a lower level of familiarity with this form of mindful movement compared to the meditative component of this program.
Regarding the mode of delivery, participants indicated an equal preference for both live and recorded sessions. However, when examining themes gathered from open-ended feedback, some participants indicated they would prefer variation in the times and session lengths provided in the future.
Participant Goals
We were interested in investigating the goals that participants pursued as part of their participation in the Interbeing Wellness Series. Participants were asked to rate the relevance of six goals to their personal practice on a scale of 1 to 5.
In the case of qi gong, participants provided an overall satisfaction rating of 4.11/5, with all but one goal receiving a rating over 4.0/5. This aspect of the program was particularly strong in improving physical fitness, with a difference of 0.19.
Mindfulness revealed an overall satisfaction rating of 3.97/5, with only two out of six variables dipping below a rating of 4.0/5. The mindfulness aspect of the program was slightly more effective in managing distress, with an overall rating of 4.17, representing a 0.17-point difference.
The overall connection with the community received the lowest rating (qi gong: 3.75, meditation: 3.71), suggesting an opportunity for more interactive and social components to be incorporated into the program in the future.
Goal Fulfillment Outcomes
Participant Feedback
Additional session formats
Variety of session times and lengths (including shorter sessions)
Alternative session structures
Integration of qi gong and meditation program components
Analysis and Conclusions
After reviewing the feedback provided by participants, we found that the majority of respondents reported a positive experience with the Interbeing Wellness Series. Participants rated both the qi gong and mindfulness meditation components of the program as beneficial for relieving day-to-day stress, improving emotional balance, and improving general well-being.
We were pleased to discover that participants enjoyed engaging with both live and recorded sessions. However, we also heard that several respondents are seeking more flexibility in event scheduling and session length. Interestingly, some participants also requested a greater variety in session formats, including the integration of qi gong and meditation practices.
In comparing surveys completed in fall 2024 against those completed in winter 2025, we found a similar number of participants had experience with mindfulness meditation. However, the number of participants who had not previously tried qi gong rose significantly (to 50%), indicating an influx of new members to this component of the program.
When comparing the outcome of participant goals between the fall and winter semesters, we found the following:
Cultivating mindfulness increased by 7.1% from fall to winter
Connecting with nature/life increased by 10.4%
Community connection increased by 8.5%
Emotional balance decreased by -9.0%
Other variables stayed relatively stable
If you're interested in participating in our interbeing wellness series, join our newsletter, and we'll let you know as soon as the next series is scheduled!
Analysis Conducted By:
Sophia Bryan-Carbonell, Specialized Honours Psychology, York University
Lab Coordinator & Research Assistant, Wellness Impact Lab
Contact: sophiabc@my.yorku.ca
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