Yoga classes have positive psychological effects for high-school students, according to a pilot study in the April Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Since mental health disorders commonly develop in the teenage years, “Yoga may serve a preventive role in adolescent mental health,” according to the new study, led by Jessica Noggle, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Pilot Study Shows Improvements in Some Psychosocial Outcomes Fifty-one 11th- and 12th-grade students registered for physical education (PE) at a Massachusetts high school were randomly assigned to yoga or regular PE classes. (Two-thirds were assigned to yoga.) Based on Kripalu yoga, the classes consisted of physical yoga postures together with breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation. Students in the comparison group received regular PE classes.
Students completed a battery of psychosocial tests before and after the ten-week yoga program. In addition to tests of mood and tension/anxiety, both groups completed tests assessing the development of self-regulatory skills — such as resilience, control of anger expression, and mindfulness — thought to protect against the development of mental health problems.
Teens taking yoga classes had better scores on several of the psychological tests. Specifically, while students in regular PE classes tended to have increased scores for mood problems and anxiety, those taking yoga classes stayed the same or showed improvement. Negative emotions also worsened in students taking regular PE, while improving in those taking yoga. (There was no difference in a test of positive emotions.)
However, the tests of self-regulatory skills were not significantly different between groups. Although attendance was only moderate, the students rated yoga fairly high — nearly three-fourths said they would like to continue taking yoga classes.
Could Yoga for Teens Help Prevent Mental Health Problems? Adolescence is an important time for the development of mental health, including healthy coping responses to stress. Several types of school-based stress management and wellness programs have been developed with the goal of encouraging healthy coping strategies and resilience among teens.
One promising approach is yoga, which combines strength and flexibility exercise with relaxation and meditation/mindfulness techniques. Studies have shown benefits of yoga in a wide range of mental and physical health problems, including a growing body of evidence showing positive effects in children and teens.
Although limited by its small size, the study suggests some positive psychological effects of Kripalu yoga for high school students. The results are “generally consistent” with the few previous studies of yoga in school settings. Dr Noggle and coauthors call for larger studies including multiple schools and tracking teens for several years into adulthood. These larger studies will be needed to clarify the psychological and other health benefits of yoga for adolescents — including the possible preventive benefit on development of mental health problems.
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Studies have shown benefits of yoga in a wide range of mental and physical health problems, including a growing body of evidence showing positive effects in children and teens.
During puberty and the later teen years, immense changes are taking place in the body’s chemistry and physiology. The chakras are also developing and becoming more active at this time. Imbalances of the chakras, body chemistry, and physiology often show up in rebellion and mood swings. The regular practice of yoga can help you maintain balance in the different chakras and keep the spirit and soul strong and healthy, thereby benefiting both the body and mind.
Yes, I agree with you, Yoga promotes unification of body and mind, and as you practice, it will increase your awareness and your ability to look within, think for yourself, and trust yourself. The result is that you will feel more peaceful and self-confident during a period of rapid change and be able to engage the world with a more positive outlook
Yoga poses tone and balance the sex glands, while improving energy During the teen years, most boys and girls become self-conscious about the changes in their bodies that go with sexual maturing…
Throughout adolescence, when the body is still growing, and bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are changing, stress injuries are common. A quick or energetic body movement can sometimes cause a stress injury to any of these areas. Athletes who do not stretch enough in warming up experience injuries that often could be avoided-such as pulled hamstrings, knee injuries from tight tendons and ligaments, and shoulder, wrist, and ankle injuries from weakness in these areas. By offering a complete body workout, yoga balances out the stresses of any sport and helps correct tightness or weakness.
amazing article about Yoga! I enjoy reading this type of stuff!!!
Aside from the physical benefits, yoga teaches teens techniques for coping with the unique issues they’re faced with everyday—insecurity about their changing bodies, the enormous pressure to fit in, stressful schedules, and uncertainty about their beliefs and their futures
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Excellent article! I have teenage at home, and I am sure, that Yoga can help him prevent mental health problems
If he doesn’t know an answer, he simply takes a few seconds to breathe deeply and focus a technique he learned from practicing yoga 
Guys who practice yoga say that it reduces anxiety and stress, improves mental clarity, and even helps them sleep better