Butzer, Bethany and Day, Danielle and Potts, Adam and Coulombe, Sarah and Ryan, Connor and Davies, Brandie and Weidknecht, Kimberly and Ebert, Marina and Flynn, Lisa and Khalsa, Sat Bir (2015) Effects of a classroom-based yoga intervention on cortisol and behavior in second- and third-grade students : A pilot study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 20 (1). pp. 41-49. ISSN 2156-5899
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
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.