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Morning yoga as an embodied regulatory practice: longitudinal changes in children's self-esteem and gratitude
Shoichi Shiota1, Takahiro Ohitokata2, Hiroshi Harada3
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of General Education, Aomori University of Health and Welfare, Aomori, Japan.
Background:
Self-esteem and gratitude are important psychological constructs associated with children's socio-emotional development and well-being. Previous studies have suggested that yoga may be associated with emotional regulation, attentional stability, and prosocial functioning. However, few studies have examined whether participation in school-based yoga programs is associated with changes in both self-esteem and gratitude among children. The present study aimed to examine longitudinal changes in self-esteem and gratitude following participation in a structured yoga program incorporating loving-kindness meditation in elementary school settings.
Methods:
This pilot study was conducted in seven public elementary schools in Kitakyushu City, Japan, as part of the regular school curriculum. A total of 401 children participated in a structured "Asa (morning) yoga" program conducted once weekly for 15 min from September 2025 to February 2026. The intervention included physical postures (asana), breathing techniques, attention-focused meditation, and loving-kindness meditation. Self-esteem was assessed using the Self-esteem Scale by Rosenberg for Elementary and Junior High School Students, and gratitude was assessed using the Interpersonal Gratitude Scale for Children. Pre-post changes were analyzed using paired t-tests.
Results:
Self-esteem scores were significantly higher at post-intervention than at pre-intervention. Gratitude scores were also significantly higher at post-intervention than at pre-intervention.
Conclusion:
Participation in a brief, structured school-based yoga program was associated with positive pre-post changes in self-esteem and gratitude over the study period. These findings suggest that participation in school-based yoga programs may be associated with positive changes in selected socio-emotional outcomes in children. However, given the absence of a control group, causal interpretations should be made with caution, and future controlled studies are needed to clarify the nature of these relationships.
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