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Many public school teachers face formidable challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, limited administrative resources, and high numbers of students with behavioral and emotional problems. Mindfulness-based strategies are a potentially promising means of reducing teachers stress and enhancing their ability to handle job demands effectively. This pilot randomized study assessed the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a 6-session yoga and mindfulness program for teachers developed by the Holistic Life Foundation, a local nonprofit organization. Seven urban public schools were randomly assigned either to receive the intervention or to a no- intervention control condition. A volunteer sample of teachers within those schools participated in the study, with 21 teachers attending the intervention and 22 teachers in the control arm. Intervention feasibility was assessed by examining recruitment response and intervention attendance and by gathering qualitative feedback from intervention instructors and participants. Participants also completed self-report measures of stress and burnout at baseline and post-test to provide preliminary information about intervention effects. Findings suggest the intervention may be beneficial for some teachers, but our recruitment response also highlighted feasibility challenges. Recommendations are presented for enhancing program feasibility and for advancing research on the use of yoga and mindfulness with teachers.
Many public school teachers face formidable challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, limited administrative resources, and high numbers of students with behavioral and emotional problems. Mindfulness-based strategies are a potentially promising means of reducing teachers’ stress and enhancing their ability to handle job demands effectively. This pilot randomized study assessed the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a 6-session yoga and mindfulness program for teachers developed by the Holistic Life Foundation, a local nonprofit organization. Seven urban public schools were randomly assigned either to receive the intervention or to a no- intervention control condition. A volunteer sample of teachers within those schools participated in the study, with 21 teachers attending the intervention and 22 teachers in the control arm. Intervention feasibility was assessed by examining recruitment response and intervention attendance and by gathering qualitative feedback from intervention instructors and participants. Participants also completed self-report measures of stress and burnout at baseline and post-test to provide preliminary information about intervention effects. Findings suggest the intervention may be beneficial for some teachers, but our recruitment response also highlighted feasibility challenges. Recommendations are presented for enhancing program feasibility and for advancing research on the use of yoga and mindfulness with teachers.
CONTEXT: School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. OBJECTIVE: This study answers the following research questions: How do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during stress experiences? DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: To explore youths' own perspectives on stress, stressors in youths' lives, and perceived changes in responses to stress post-intervention, we conducted focus group discussions with 22 middle school students from low-income urban communities following a 16-week mindful yoga intervention. RESULTS: Using thematic analysis, the following three themes emerged: (1) youth conflated stress with negative emotions; (2) peer and family conflicts were common stressors; and (3) youth reported improved impulse control and emotional regulation following the intervention. Study findings have implications for refining intervention content (e.g., discussions of stress), as well as informing the selection and development of quantitative measures for future research on stress and stress responses in urban youth.
CONTEXT: School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. OBJECTIVE: This study answers the following research questions: How do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during stress experiences? DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: To explore youths' own perspectives on stress, stressors in youths' lives, and perceived changes in responses to stress post-intervention, we conducted focus group discussions with 22 middle school students from low-income urban communities following a 16-week mindful yoga intervention. RESULTS: Using thematic analysis, the following three themes emerged: (1) youth conflated stress with negative emotions; (2) peer and family conflicts were common stressors; and (3) youth reported improved impulse control and emotional regulation following the intervention. Study findings have implications for refining intervention content (e.g., discussions of stress), as well as informing the selection and development of quantitative measures for future research on stress and stress responses in urban youth.
Previous studies on school-based mindfulness and yoga programs have focused primarily on quantitative measurement of program outcomes. This study used qualitative data to investigate program content and skills that students remembered and applied in their daily lives. Data were gathered following a 16-week mindfulness and yoga intervention delivered at three urban schools by a community non-profit organization. We conducted focus groups and interviews with nine classroom teachers who did not participate in the program and held six focus groups with 22 fifth and sixth grade program participants. This study addresses two primary research questions: (1) What skills did students learn, retain, and utilize outside the program? and (2) What changes did classroom teachers expect and observe among program recipients? Four major themes related to skill learning and application emerged as follows: (1) youths retained and utilized program skills involving breath work and poses; (2) knowledge about health benefits of these techniques promoted self-utilization and sharing of skills; (3) youths developed keener emotional appraisal that, coupled with new and improved emotional regulation skills, helped de-escalate negative emotions, promote calm, and reduce stress; and (4) youths and teachers reported realistic and optimistic expectations for future impact of acquired program skills. We discuss implications of these findings for guiding future research and practice.
Identifying factors relevant for successful implementation of school‐based interventions is essential to ensure that programs are provided in an effective and engaging manner. The perspectives of two key stakeholders critical for identifying implementation barriers and facilitators—students and their classroom teachers—merit attention in this context and have rarely been explored using qualitative methods. This article reports the results of a study on the qualitative perspectives of fifth‐ and sixth‐grade participants and their teachers of a 16‐week school‐based mindfulness and yoga program in three public schools serving low‐income urban communities. Four themes related to program implementation barriers and facilitators emerged: program delivery factors, program buy‐in, implementer communication with teachers, and instructor qualities. Feedback from students and teachers is discussed in the context of informing implementation, adaptation, and future development of school‐based mindfulness and yoga programming in urban settings.