Wind response study

Are specified actions during energy work followed by repeatable changes in recorded local wind speed?

Denis describes wind strengthening or weakening in connection with his posture, hand movements and internal release of tension. We are preparing a small outdoor study that would record wind speed at one fixed point and compare specified actions with maintaining their starting state.

Preliminary wind study is already underway and will help inform this separately budgeted study.

The question

At moments Denis identifies as suitable, does a specified action produce a different change in recorded wind speed from maintaining its starting state? We would test two comparisons: a visible movement against holding the starting position, and an internal release of muscle tension against maintaining that tension with approximately the same outward posture. Each comparison would have its own prediction and analysis.

How we would compare

Denis would practise freely between the short comparisons. To begin a comparison, he could make an agreed preparatory action, return to the starting state and signal readiness. Only then would he receive a randomly chosen instruction to perform the selected action or maintain its starting state.

The wind readings before and after the instruction would be compared across these two conditions. All assigned attempts, missed actions and recording problems would remain in the study record, with their treatment agreed in advance. The preparatory action would be identified as preparation in that record.

What we would measure

One wind meter at a fixed point would log local wind speed. Video and timed cues would record what Denis does and when, alongside notes about the surroundings.

Preparation would check whether the instrument can capture the expected change reliably. Its orientation, how it averages readings and its timing affect what can be inferred. The measurement setup would leave room for practice. Controls would assess ordinary causes of a change in the reading, including natural gusts, air displaced or redirected by the body, breathing and equipment effects. Separate control data would test whether that assessment reliably covers the conditions used in the study.

Where the work stands

The first preparation stage would define the comparisons, identify ordinary physical causes that could affect the readings, establish equipment and recording requirements, and clarify the review and permissions needed.

The following stages develop and check the equipment and physical controls, using separate measurements and independent review. A pilot would then help settle a comfortable pace, measurement timing and the number of comparisons needed for a useful result.

The planned route is to submit a Registered Report to PLOS ONE: the journal would review the question, methods and analysis plan before the main test. We would use the pilot to refine that plan. Fresh measurements to test the agreed prediction would start after the journal accepts it. Preparation for that submission is part of the work ahead.

We welcome scientific input during preparation. For the later stages, we are developing the procedures and bringing together the people, equipment and funding to carry them out.

The milestones page shows its place in the funding order. The wind-study initiative sets out its full budget, stages and ways to contribute.

What we could learn

For each comparison, we want to learn whether the wind readings differ between the two instructions and how large and consistent any difference is. The precision of the measurements helps show what the study can resolve.

We would interpret each comparison in the context of Denis’s action, the measurement point and the conditions at the time. Independently validated physical controls, with their uncertainty included, would help assess whether the ordinary causes covered by the study can together account for a measured difference.

We intend to share the methods and full findings, explaining what the measurements tell us and which questions they open. Supporting material would be available under the agreed data and consent arrangements.

Help develop the study

We welcome collaborators who can help define the comparisons, check the wind measurements and physical controls, prepare the pilot and develop the analysis. Experience with experimental methods, airflow measurement or statistics would be especially useful.

Funding for the study, access to a wind meter or a suitable place for recordings, and practical help with recording or analysis can also move the study forward.

Contact us about collaboration or funding for the wind study. Please name the wind study and describe the expertise, resources or financial support you could contribute.

Follow project updates as the work develops.