Research
THE EVIDENCE
Though the experiential evidence is convincing, there is a lack of large scale research evidence around the benefits of yoga for adolescents.
One of the key aims of the Teen Yoga Foundation is to address this and since our inception we have been working with universities to support research in this area.
We do this by helping research students and guiding them towards topics that need further investigation and through collaboration on projects. We also curate and review relevant current research.
We also conduct our surveys and research autonomously, and have recently conducted surveys together with Westminster university on the current state of yoga across the UK.
Collaborators include Leeds University Psychology Dept, Salamanca University, The National Technological University of Norway, Anna Freud Centre, Sheffield University, Westminster University and Imperial College London.
THE HIPPOCAMPUS PROJECT
This 2 year project, funded by the EU, designed and tested a teen yoga programme for disadvantaged young people in 5 countries.
750 young people and 100 staff took part in a 10-week yoga programme in 5 countries.
The results showed important reductions in stress for both staff and students, and significant improvements in sleep quality and overall well-being.constitues one of the largest sample sizes in a research project into yoga for young people.
TEEN YOGA FEEDBACK SURVEY
The work done in our research projects has generated a questionnaire, that teen yoga teachers can use with their classes to measure the effects of the yoga.
This is an online survey devised during the Hippocampus project.
The results can show the success of specific classes, but also the cumulative results help to generate more evidence of the benefits of yoga.