Teens’ perspectives on yoga as a treatment for stress and depression

Objective To understand adolescents’ experiences and attitudes toward yoga, with a particular focus on acceptability and feasibility of a yoga intervention for depressed adolescents. Design Qualitative analysis of data from three focus groups and eight individual interviews, for a total of 22 teen participants. Setting Outpatient setting in a psychiatric hospital in the U.S. Main outcome measures Teens were asked about their own and their peers’ attitudes toward, and experiences with, hatha yoga; reactions to a study-created yoga video; and opinions on class logistics. Results Teens had both positive and negative attitudes toward, and experiences with, hatha yoga. They commented on “who does yoga;” many responses suggested a limited group (e.g., moms; people with money and time). Participants agreed that yoga could be potentially beneficial for depressed or stressed teens. Self-consciousness while being in a yoga class was a major concern. Overall, teens reacted favorably to the study-created yoga video. Teens had varied opinions about class logistics including class duration and size. Teens cited barriers to class, such as transportation, as well as barriers to home yoga practice. Conclusions Key points for developing a yoga class that might be appealing to depressed or stressed teens include: creating a class with variety that teens will find interesting; taking concrete steps to decrease teen self-consciousness; incorporating messages relevant for teens and consistent with yoga philosophy; and actively countering stereotypes about who practices yoga. Limitations of this study include the lack of data from male teens.