Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a yoga and mindfulness intervention for school teachers

Abstract

Many public school teachers face formidable challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, limited administrative resources, and high numbers of students with behavioral and emotional problems. Mindfulness-based strategies are a potentially promising means of reducing teachers' stress and enhancing their ability to handle job demands effectively. This pilot randomized study assessed the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a 6-session yoga and mindfulness program for teachers developed by the Holistic Life Foundation, a local nonprofit organization. Seven urban public schools were randomly assigned either to receive the intervention or to a no-intervention control condition. A volunteer sample of teachers within those schools participated in the study, with 21 teachers attending the intervention and 22 teachers in the control arm. Intervention feasibility was assessed by examining recruitment response and intervention attendance and by gathering qualitative feedback from intervention instructors and participants. Participants also completed self-report measures of stress and burnout at baseline and post-test to provide preliminary information about intervention effects. Findings suggest the intervention may be beneficial for some teachers, but our recruitment response also highlighted feasibility challenges. Recommendations are presented for enhancing program feasibility and for advancing research on the use of yoga and mindfulness with teachers.

Keywords::

• mindfulness
• yoga
• teachers
• stress
• burnout
• emotional exhaustion

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez of the Holistic Life Foundation for developing and implementing this intervention. Their expertise in working with urban youth and communities is invaluable. We would also like to thank all of the participating teachers and principals for their assistance, flexibility, and participation. Lastly, we would like to thank Justin Buckingham, Ph.D., for his input and contributions to this study.