Our Study
Yoga 4 Classrooms has partnered with a University of Massachusetts-Lowell Department of Exercise Physiology research team, led by Danielle Day, Ph.D. The UMass research team is working to conduct a research study to determine the effects of a classroom yoga and mindfulness program on academic performance, mood and behavior, attention/focus, stress, immune function, and wellness lifestyle choices (TV watching time, sleep habits, outdoor playtime).
Improving academic performance and educational outcome for children in elementary and secondary schools has become a major area of focus for decision makers at the state and federal levels. Even more pressure has been put on teachers to improve test scores including the state aptitude test since the passing of the NO Child Left Behind Act in 2002. This act was designed to accomplish four main goals: to expand local control and flexibility of education, to do what works based on scientific research, to have accountability for results, and to have more options for parents. The goal of the proposed research study is to provide sound scientific data on a systematic program (utilizing components of Yoga 4 Classrooms) that may facilitate these goals.
Studies show that exercise facilitates children's executive function (i.e., processes required to select, organize, and properly initiate goal-directed actions) by increasing activation in the prefrontal cortex and serotonergic system. Because of the integration of physical movement with breathing exercises and mental focus practice, yoga may prove to be an ideal form of exercise to enhance those aspects of children's mental functioning central to cognitive development. The anecdotal benefits of yoga reported by practitioners are well known, however, carefully-controlled scientific research on these benefits is limited, especially in children. The present study will examine the effects of a yoga program on academic performance and mental focus. A secondary aim of this study is to examine physiological changes that may occur as a result of the yoga intervention. Exercise has also been shown to improve immune function, however, there are limited data on the effects of yoga, specifically, on immune function, and no studies of children. Thus the present study will also measure markers of immune function and stress. Finally, we will also assess teachers’ perceptions of the yoga program’s effects on students’ social skills and emotional learning via subjective questionnaires.
