Effects of yoga at school on the psychosocial behavior of schoolchildren: a randomized controlled study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 12 weeks of a yoga-based practice, carried out within the school, on the psychosocial behavior of elementary school students. Before and after the intervention, parents and teachers responded to the SWAN Scale, whose categorical data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon (intra-group) and Mann-Witney (between-groups) approach. According to the parents, there was an improvement only in the Opposition-Defying Disorder (ODD) variable in the Yoga Group (p-value = 0.001), which did not occur in the Control Group (p-value = 0.07). Based on the results, it can be concluded that the practice of Yoga for 12 weeks did not bring significant changes in the psychosocial aspects studied in the children participating in the study.