Yoga helps reduce stress, anxiety in students, find US researchers

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Girl practicing yoga
Girl practicing yoga

India has been an avid proponent of Yoga; it was prime minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to observe June 21 as International Day of Yoga

As academic stress increases and student suicides spike, the answer may lie in yoga, US researchers have found.

Researchers from Tulane University worked with a public school to add mindfulness and yoga to the school’s existing empathy-based programming. It was found to reduce stress and anxiety in children, leading to their emotional well-being.

Third graders were randomly assigned into two groups. A control group of 32 students received care as usual. This included counselling and other activities led by a school social worker. The intervention group of 20 students participated in small group yoga/mindfulness activities for eight weeks using a Yoga Ed curriculum.

Students attended the small group activities at the beginning of the school day. The sessions included breathing exercises, relaxation and some traditional yoga poses.

Researchers targeted third grade because it is a crucial time of transition for elementary students, when academic expectations increase.

The study was published in the journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management. The researchers concluded: “The intervention (yoga) was associated with a significant improvement in emotional and psychosocial quality of life in the intervention group when compared to the control group, suggesting that yoga/mindfulness interventions may improve symptoms of anxiety among students. Yoga/mindfulness activities may facilitate stress management among elementary school students and may be added as a complement to social and emotional learning activities.”

“The intervention improved psychosocial and emotional quality of life scores for students, as compared to their peers who received standard care,” said Alessandra Bazzano, associate professor at Tulane University.

“We also heard from teachers about the benefits of using yoga in the classroom, and they reported using yoga more often each week, and throughout each day in class, following the professional development component of intervention,” Bazzano said.

Researchers targeted third grade because it is a crucial time of transition for elementary students, when academic expectations increase.

2 COMMENTS

  1. If students get the opportunity to learn yoga in their class, they can get more benefited. In a class, they will learn the workouts in a group and they will be able to share their experiences with their friends. They will become more concentrated, focused and stable and it will help them to make better result in their study. due to extra pressure of study, different exams and competitions, many students get tired and become less interested in study but if they do some yoga workouts and meditations, they will not be bored or tired rather will enjoy their study. This discipline will help them in their entire life.

    Nayeema
    http://www.anamayaresort.com

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