From Desks To Zen: Impacts of Chair Yoga on Elementary Students’ Attention, Anxiety, and Self-Compassion

Abstract

Yoga has been found to improve people’s lives in many ways. However, there is limited research on using chair yoga instead of mat yoga, especially with children in school settings. The current quasi-experimental study explored whether participating in eight sessions of chair yoga at school improved fourth-grade students’ (n=42) self-reports of their attention, anxiety symptoms, and levels of self-compassion. After the yoga intervention, analyses revealed that students reported significantly fewer generalized anxiety symptoms. Interestingly, their ratings of their mindfulness levels (part of the self-compassion scale) decreased significantly, indicating that they were less mindful at the time of completing the post-test measures. However, this study supports that children participating in chair yoga at school may report reduced anxiety symptoms.