Introducing children to yoga is becoming more common across individual families and wider educational institutions throughout the world. Evidence suggests that we may see the benefits of this trend play out in a variety of ways, with yoga for children associated with improvements to wellbeing and academic performance that can serve them well across a lifetime.
From an adult’s viewpoint, the lives of children appear to be largely worry-free, and children themselves resilient and able to bounce back from setbacks. But by thinking back to our own childhood and puberty, we can be reminded that young people can have their own particular preoccupations and concerns, and that things that may appear trivial to adults can be a source of real unease in a child’s mind.
Learning about their bodies, emotions and reactions through the practice of yoga can be a truly valuable experience for children and teenagers, giving them the space to develop both their self-knowledge and confidence. In a world where young people are facing increasing pressure from sources it would have been hard to imagine even twenty years ago, offering a source of support and means of self care could make their path to adulthood an enjoyable one, which ultimately allows them to thrive.
Yoga Therapy for Children
“We have to start to share practises that change the nervous system and bring regulation and calm for both the children and the adults around them. As a parent of a child with additional needs, I know just how much my state matters.”
– Jyoti Manuel, pioneer and expert in therapeutic yoga practices for children and the founder of Special Yoga
Children facing mental or physical health problems (and their carers) can benefit from working with a yoga therapist in a similar way to adults. Children who live with pain or physical problems, sensory processing issues or who simply interpret and interact with the world around them a little differently from others can find day-to-day life more stressful than their peers.
Yoga therapists who work with young people facing health challenges are highly trained professionals, who understand which modifications to make to yoga in order to make it accessible for each individual child – helping them to access it’s full therapeutic potential.
More generally, yoga can be helpful for all children, and applied effectively in a school setting in order to reach children from a wide range of backgrounds.
Supporting Evidence for the Benefits of Yoga for Young People
“Mindful yoga has a profoundly positive effect on all pupils academically, emotionally and socially”
– Charlotta Martinus, founder of UK-based Teen Yoga
When adapted to be age-appropriate, children can find yoga engaging, interesting and fun. This alone would be reason enough to add it into their routine, especially when you consider the physical benefits of helping to develop their balance and flexibility. But when we take into account the initial research into the emotional and academic benefits of yoga, the case to introduce it to young people becomes even more compelling.
Studies suggest that yoga could help to contribute to:
Less challenging behaviour: Bullying and disruptive classroom behaviour is a well known difficulty in educational institutions across the globe, and one that can affect the academic performance of both the children enacting that behaviour and those affected by it.
One study, which measured self-reported results of 7 to 10 year olds, (1) found that a ten week yoga program encouraged children (at least by their own estimation) to bully each other less. More broadly, another study which implemented a term-long, yoga-based social-emotional wellness program several days per week, led to a reduction in unexplained absences, fewer detentions and greater classroom engagement. (2)
School-based yoga might also improve students’ academic work. For example, one study (3) in the US randomly assigned 112 high school students to participate in either yoga or PE twice per week for 45 minutes across the entire academic year. Among students who had high levels of participation, the yoga group ended up with a significantly higher grade point average (GPA) than the PE group.
Emotional balance: Yoga appears to help children and teenagers with emotional regulation – a process by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express their feelings. This is a useful tool to have as we grow into adulthood and beyond, making us less reactive and better able to manage our emotional landscape.
This effect has been seen in a randomised control trial of 37 high school students. This study found that after taking part in a 40 minute yoga class three times per week for 16 weeks, they had significantly improved their ability to regulate their emotions, compared to participating in a standard physical education class. (4)
Another study that included 142 11-12 year olds compared the effect when students performed four minutes of mindful yoga at the beginning of one of their classes over an entire school year, as opposed to simply discussing mindfulness a few times over this time period. The results showed that those who took part in the mindful yoga program experienced increases in self-regulation, according to self-reported results. (5)
Better mental wellbeing:
One randomized controlled trial (6) of 97 fourth- and fifth-graders assigned some students to participate in a mindful yoga program that met four days per week for 45 minutes. Compared to attending school as usual, 12 weeks of mindful yoga led to significant reductions in students’ problematic responses to stress, such as experiencing repetitive negative thoughts and strong, intrusive emotions.
School-based yoga may also help students cope with negative life events which can lead to feelings of anxiety or stress, like troubles at home or getting a low score in an important test. For example, a randomized controlled trial (7) of 155 fourth- and fifth-graders assigned some students to participate in an eight-week mindful yoga program that met for one hour per week. The study found that the yoga program helped students cope better with difficult life events, compared to regular schooling.
Heather Mason is the founder and director of The Minded Institute. She holds MAs in Buddhist Studies and Psychotherapy and an MSc in Medical Physiology, and in 2008 became the first person in the UK to train in trauma-sensitive yoga with the Boston Trauma Center. She is a founding trustee of the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance and co-editor of Yoga for Mental Health.
References
(1) Centeio, E. E., Whalen, L., Thomas, E., Kulik, N., & McCaughtry, N. (2017). Using yoga to reduce stress and bullying behaviors among urban youth.
(2) Frank, J. L., Kohler, K., Peal, A., & Bose, B. (2017). Effectiveness of a school-based yoga program on adolescent mental health and school performance: Findings from a randomized controlled trial. Mindfulness, 8, 544-553.
(3) Hagins, M., & Rundle, A. (2016). Yoga improves academic performance in urban high school students compared to physical education: a randomized controlled trial. Mind, Brain, and Education, 10(2), 105-116.
(4) Mendelson, T., Greenberg, M. T., Dariotis, J. K., Gould, L. F., Rhoades, B. L., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a school-based mindfulness intervention for urban youth. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 38, 985-994.
(5) Daly, L. A., Haden, S. C., Hagins, M., Papouchis, N., & Ramirez, P. M. (2015). Yoga and emotion regulation in high school students: A randomized controlled trial. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2015.
(6) Bergen-Cico, D., Razza, R., & Timmins, A. (2015). Fostering self-regulation through curriculum infusion of mindful yoga: A pilot study of efficacy and feasibility. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 3448-3461.
(7) White, L. S. (2012). Reducing stress in school-age girls through mindful yoga. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 26(1), 45-56.