Yoga in school settings: a research review

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Child and Adolescent Health
• Mind-Body Interventions

Background:

• Yoga research in schools is a growing field.
• Previous studies indicate potential benefits for mental, emotional, physical, and behavioral health.
• School settings offer a unique environment for health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of research on school-based yoga interventions.
• To identify trends and characteristics of published studies.
• To assess the current state of research on yoga's efficacy in schools.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of peer-reviewed publications on school-based yoga.
• Bibliometric analysis of 47 identified publications.
• Analysis of study characteristics including location, timeframe, school level, curriculum integration, and intervention details.

Main Results:

• Most studies (n=47) were published since 2005, primarily from the US (n=30) and India (n=15).
• Research predominantly focused on elementary schools, integrated yoga into the curriculum (85%), and implemented formal programs (62%).
• Significant variability existed in intervention design; many studies were preliminary with limitations like small sample sizes and weaker designs (57% RCTs).

Conclusions:

• School-based yoga is a viable strategy for enhancing child and adolescent health.
• Despite methodological limitations, findings suggest yoga's potential efficacy in educational settings.
• Continued research is warranted to further explore and validate school yoga interventions.