As avid lovers of yoga, we are constantly aware of the fact that yoga is a great way to start our days and relieve stress after it’s been a long one. Naturally, this decreases the amount of anxiety that we have in our everyday lives, which is essential in an age where anxiety and depression have reached the point of epidemic.
With this in mind, it only makes sense that societies of the world are proactive in minimising these cases. Earlier this week, Forbes reported on the fact that US schools are now starting to implement yoga in their curriculums in the hopes of reducing the number of anxiety and depression cases among their students, one of the most affected demographics.
This stems from a new study that was released by Tulane University earlier this year. Within the study, a randomized group of third-graders who were suffering some degree of anxiety were given yoga and meditation practices over the course of eight weeks.
Named ‘Yoga Ed’, the group had 10x 40-minute sessions that took place before the school day had started. One group practised this in the Spring term, whereas another group practised in the autumn.
During the sessions, the class practised breathing exercises, several Vinyasa and Ashtanga poses that were specially selected for third-graders and guided relaxation. On the other hand, students in another control group received the normal care they would normally receive, which involved social-worker activities and interactions.
Students from both control groups then filled out custom questionnaires that asked them about their personal opinions on their quality of life and their overall life satisfaction levels using a range of different variables. These were designed so the third graders could answer them naturally without being confused.
The results?
The group who studied yoga and mindfulness training had a dramatic improvement when it came to their overall quality of life, including improvements in their psychosocial and emotional aspects of life, confirming that yoga and meditation are beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety, even in people as young as third-grade.
The team explained that they picked third-grade students for the research trial because this was the year when academic pressure is turned up, and stress is much more likely to occur and the subjects they are learning about become more complex.
However, this isn’t the first-time studies have found that mindfulness training can help children. Past studies have shown that mindfulness can have a very positive effect on children suffering from ADHD. Others showed a dramatic increase in children’s general happiness and their overall wellbeing.
So, while these results are hugely surprising, it’s yet another step forward into implementing mindfulness practices into schools, overall improving the current well-being and conditions of our younger generations during the stressful times in their lives.
