Perspectives on Benefits of Classroom Yoga and the Need for Innovation and Adaptation

Abstract

Scholarship on the use of contemplative practices in educational settings is overwhelmingly positive: Theoretical and philosophical pieces tout the benefits of meditation, while research reveals many positive outcomes. Based on their practice of classroom yoga, the authors found that yoga, as a contemplative mind-body practice, helped students transition from busy lives to focus on the learning process and develop an academic mindset. Additionally, they observed that successfully offering yoga in the classroom requires a responsive and iterative approach that flexibly adapts to conditions and environments that are continuously in flux.