Research on the Benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness on Teen Mental Health and Well-being

Emotional, Mental, Social, Community, and Physical Benefits of the KYIS Curriculum - Qualitative Research Results (Click to collapse)

Emotional Benefits

Decreases emotional reactivity
Curbs negative emotions and increases positive emotions
Increases general optimism

Mental Benefits

Increases focus
Increases concentration

Social Benefits

Helps break down social barriers
Enhances peer-to-peer relationships
Provides a noncompetitive atmosphere
De-emphasizes stereotypes

Community Benefits

Encourages students to perform better in school and enjoy school more
Encourages students to stay in school longer and attend more frequently
Cultivates community oneness through volunteer and community involvement

Physical Benefits

Improves quality and duration of sleep
Increases ease in falling asleep
Reduces stress
Improves athletic performance
Increases bodily awareness
Increases flexibility, alignment, and core strength
Increases confidence in physical abilities

“Qualitative evaluation of a high school yoga program during physical education,” Noggle, J. J.; Frey, J.; and Conboy, L., 2011, September, poster presented at the IAYT Symposium on Yoga Research, Stockbridge, MA.

Scoping Review of Yoga in Schools: Mental Health and Cognitive Outcomes in Both Neurotypical and Neurodiverse Youth Populations (Hart , Fawkner , Niven , Booth, 2022)

Findings: Substantial evidence to support the use of school-based yoga programmes for the improvement of anxiety, self-concept, resilience, depression, self-esteem, subjective and psychological well-being, executive function, inhibition, working memory, attention and academic performance in neurotypical populations was found. Evidence to support school-based yoga programmes in neurodiverse populations with improvements in self-concept, subjective well-being, executive function, academic performance and attention was also found.

The Science and Research on Yoga for Schools (Khalsa, 2022)

Effect of yoga or physical exercise on physical, cognitive and emotional measures in children: a randomized controlled trial. (Telles, Singh, Bhardwaj, Kumar, Balkrishna, 2013)

Findings: Total, general, and parental self-esteem improved in the yoga group.

Evaluation of the mental health benefits of yoga in a secondary school: a preliminary randomized controlled trial (Khalsa, Hickey-Schultz, Cohen, Steiner, Cope, 2012)

Findings: Yoga participants showed statistically significant differences over time relative to controls on measures of anger control and fatigue/inertia. Most outcome measures exhibited a pattern of worsening in the control group over time, whereas changes in the yoga group over time were either minimal or showed slight improvements. These preliminary results suggest that implementation of yoga is acceptable and feasible in a secondary school setting and has the potential of playing a protective or preventive role in maintaining mental health.

In the graph above, pink represents the yoga group outcomes over an 11 week ( 2-3 times per week ) yoga class. The blue represents the control group who did not receive the yoga class and instead participated in a regular physical education program. The blue shows a degradation of mental health over the 11 weeks, while the pink shows improvement or prevention of degradation of mental health.

Effects of a Kundalini Yoga Program on Elementary and Middle School Students' Stress, Affect, and Resilience (Sarkissian, Trent , Huchting, Khalsa, 2018)

Findings: The quantitative results of this study indicated that the yoga program significantly improved students stress (p < 0.05), positive affect (p < 0.05), and resilience (p < 0.001). The qualitative results indicated that students, school teachers, and yoga teachers all found the program to be beneficial for students' well-being.

A non-randomized trial of kundalini yoga for emotion regulation within an after-school program for adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Advance online publication. (McMahon, K., Berger, M., Khalsa, K. K., Harden, E., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2021).

Findings: A sample of 119 students, ages 11–14, was recruited through after-school programs for middle school students in the North Carolina school system. Within four public schools, participants participated in 6 weeks of either the Y4Y after-school program (n = 52), or an alternate activity (n = 66) and completed self-report measures of emotion dysregulation, anxiety, depression, stress and mindfulness before and after the 6 weeks. Results from this study suggest that the students who participated in the Y4Y program reported significant decreases in emotion dysregulation over the 6-week program. They also reported significant decreases in anger, depression and fatigue over one yoga session.

An Evaluation of Yoga and Meditation to Improve Attention, Hyperactivity, and Stress in High School Students (Saxena, Verrico, Kurian, Alexander, Kahlon, Arvind, Goldberg, DeVito, Baig, Grieb, Bakhshaie, Simonetti, Storch, Williams,& Gillan, 2020)

Findings: There were no significant differences in baseline levels of inattention (p = 0.86), hyperactivity (p = 0.25), and perceived stress (p = 0.28) between the YG and CG. Regarding inattention scores, there was a significant interaction of group and time (b = −1.09, standard error [SE] = 0.30, p < 0.001). Pairwise t-tests showed a significant reduction in inattention for the YG (d = 0.27) but a significant increase in inattention for the CG. Regarding hyperactivity, there was no significant interaction of group and time (b = −0.43, SE = 0.26, p = 0.1). Pairwise t-tests demonstrated a significant reduction in hyperactivity for the YG (d = 0.22), but not the CG. The interaction of group and time was not significant in predicting the slope of change in perceived distress (b = −0.93, SE = 1.19, p = 0.43). Pairwise t-tests did not show a significant reduction in perceived distress for either group.

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