Implementing yoga within the school curriculum: a scientific rationale for improving social-emotional learning and positive student outcomes

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:368933 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise research evidence and propose a theoretical model suggesting that school-based yoga programs may be an effective way to promote socialemotional learning (SEL) and positive student outcomes. Design/methodology/approach -This paper is a literature review focusing on: the current state of research on school-based yoga interventions; a preliminary theoretical model outlining the potential mechanisms and effects of school-based yoga; similarities, differences and possibilities for integrating school-based SEL, yoga and meditation; practical implications for researching and implementing yoga in schools. Findings -Research suggests that providing yoga within the school curriculum may be an effective way to help students develop self-regulation, mind-body awareness and physical fitness, which may, in turn, foster additional SEL competencies and positive student outcomes such as improved behaviours, mental state, health and performance. Research limitations/implications -Given that research on school-based yoga is in its infancy, most existing studies are preliminary and are of low to moderate methodological quality. It will be important for future research to employ more rigorous study designs. Practical implications -It is possible, pending additional high-quality research, that yoga could become a well-accepted component of school curricula. It will be particularly important for future research to examine possibilities around integrating school-based yoga and meditation with SEL programs at the individual, group and school-wide levels. Originality/value -This paper is the first to describe a theoretical model specifically focused on schoolbased yoga interventions, as well as a discussion of the similarities and differences between school-based yoga, SEL and meditation. Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction programEffect of seated trunk posture on eye blink startle and subjective experience: ...

Evaluation of Yoga for Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Risk Factors in a Middle School Setting: A Preliminary Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Yoga is a comprehensive system of practices for physical and psychological health and well-being that typically incorporates four techniques: physical postures/exercises to promote strength and flexibility, breathing exercises to enhance respiratory functioning, relaxation strategies that focus on reducing tension and stress, and meditation/mindfulness practices to enhance mind–body awareness and improve attention and emotion regulation skills (Butzer et al 2016). As a common component of yoga practices, mindfulness techniques typically involve cultivating a non-judgmental and non-reactive state of awareness by continually bringing one's attention to the present moment (Carim-Todd et al 2013).…”

“…Similarly, in a qualitative study of a school-based yoga intervention, Conboy et al (2013) found that students often reported health behavior changes resulting from the intervention, despite the fact that the intervention did not provide specific recommendations regarding health behavior. It is possible that these behavioral changes occurred as a result of increased mind–body awareness, which may have caused participants to gravitate toward healthy behaviors and away from unhealthy behaviors, based on an increased awareness of how these behaviors make the individual feel (Butzer et al 2016). Accordingly, a number of substance abuse treatment programs have incorporated yoga or meditation as contributing therapies, and there is some research demonstrating efficacy of such treatments for adults (Carim-Todd et al 2013; Hallgren et al 2014).…”

“…Yoga is being increasingly taught in school settings as a strategy to enhance student health, well-being, and performance (Butzer et al 2015), with systematic analyses (Ferreira-Vorkapic et al 2015; Serwacki and Cook-Cottone 2012) and narrative reviews (Butzer et al 2016; Khalsa and Butzer 2016) revealing preliminary evidence for the benefits of yoga in schools. For example, Khalsa and Butzer (2016) conducted a bibliometric analysis of research on school-based yoga programs and identified 47 studies, most of which reported beneficial effects of school-based yoga on student outcomes such as psychological well-being, academic performance, and health-related measures.…”

A qualitative examination of yoga for middle school adolescents

“…It is important to specifically investigate student perceptions of school-based yoga given that, in addition to incorporating aspects of mindfulness and/or meditation, yoga differs from conventional mindfulness-based programs in that yoga also includes physical postures and breathing exercises (Butzer, Bury, Telles & Khalsa, 2016). In addition, the majority of qualitative studies of school-based yoga have been conducted on high school students (Conboy et al, 2013; Miller et al, 2014; Wang & Hagins, 2016) and elementary school students (Case-Smith et al, 2010; Dariotis et al, 2016a; Dariotis et al, 2016b; Dariotis et al, 2017; Finnan, 2015).…”

Impact of Yoga on Exercise and Blood Pressure in Adolescents

“…Previous studies [6] have been limited by lack of objective measurement and randomization, factors which may be limited in generalizability and acceptance. Schools present a lucrative opportunity for yoga intervention programs [7], and schools can implement changes that affect physical education and the acceptability of healthy behaviors. Results suggest that schoolbased yoga programs may be appropriate for promoting healthy behaviors [8].…”