Effects of a Classroom-Based Yoga Intervention on Cortisol and Behavior in Second- and Third-Grade Students: A Pilot Study.
Author: Butzer B1, Day D2, Potts A2, Ryan C2, Coulombe S2, Davies B2, Weidknecht K2, Ebert M3, Flynn L4, Khalsa SB5.
Affiliation:
1Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA butzer@research.bwh.harvard.edu. 2University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA. 3Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. 4ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, Dover, NH, USA. 5Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Conference/Journal: J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med.
Date published: 2014 Nov 19
Other:
Word Count: 161
This uncontrolled pilot study examined the effects of a classroom-based yoga intervention on cortisol concentrations and perceived behavior in children. A 10-week Yoga 4 Classrooms intervention was implemented in one second-grade and one third-grade classroom. Students' salivary cortisol responses were assessed at 3 time points. Classroom teachers also documented their perceptions of the effects of the intervention on students' cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Second, but not third, graders showed a significant decrease in baseline cortisol from before to after the intervention. Second and third graders both showed significant decreases in cortisol from before to after a cognitive task, but neither grade showed additional decreases from before to after a single yoga class. The second-grade teacher perceived significant improvements in several aspects his/her students' behavior. The third-grade teacher perceived some, but fewer, improvements in his/her students' behavior. Results suggest that school-based yoga may be advantageous for stress management and behavior.
© The Author(s) 2014.
KEYWORDS:
behavior; cortisol; school; stress; yoga; children
PMID: 25412616
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