A qualitative examination of yoga for middle school adolescents

Abstract

The present study was part of a group randomized controlled trial in which 7th grade students were assigned to a yoga intervention or physical-education-as-usual. Sixteen students were randomly selected from the yoga condition to participate in one-on-one interviews. Qualitative analyses revealed 13 themes that were organized into two categories: Usability (student perceptions of the usefulness, learnability, and convenience of the yoga intervention) and Effect (student perceptions of the direct results of the yoga intervention). Students reported both positive and negative opinions of yoga, especially when making direct comparisons between yoga and physical education. Students had particularly positive opinions regarding the beneficial effects of yoga on stress, sleep, and relaxation. Student opinions regarding the effects of yoga on self-regulation, social interaction, substance use, and academic performance were also generally positive, although somewhat mixed. Results suggest that qualitative research shows promise for providing an in-depth perspective on the impact of mind-body interventions in schools.

Keywords:

• Yoga
• school
• meditation
• mindfulness
• children

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Sunny Shin for his guidance with the parent RCT upon which the current qualitative study is based. We are thankful to the KYIS intervention teachers and program mentors: Janna Delgado, Iona Smith, Jordan Grinstein, Renee Merrill, Lucie Kasova, Monica Laitner-Laserna, Cara Masullo, Katherine Olson, and Mikki Pugh. We also acknowledge the headmaster, assistant headmasters, school staff, physical education teachers, and students at the school who facilitated and/or participated in the project.