PSYCHIATRY REVIEW ARTICLE published: 02 April 2014 doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00035 Yoga for children and young people’s mental health and well-being: research review and reflections on the mental health potentials of yoga Ingunn Hagen 1 * and Usha S. Nayar 2 1 Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science andTechnology, NTNU,Trondheim, Norway 2 New School University, NewYork, USA Edited by: ShirleyTelles, Patanjali Research Foundation, India Reviewed by: Tariq Munshi, Queen’s University, Canada Casimiro Cabrera Abreu, Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University and Providence Care, Canada *Correspondence: Ingunn Hagen, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science andTechnology, NTNU, 7491Trondheim, Norway e-mail: ingunn.hagen@svt.ntnu.no This article discusses yoga as a potential tool for children to deal with stress and regulate themselves.Yoga provides training of mind and body to bring emotional balance. We argue that children and young people need such tools to listen inward to their bodies, feelings, and ideas.Yoga may assist them in developing in sound ways, to strengthen themselves, and be contributing social beings. First, we address how children and young people in today’s world face numerous expectations and constant stimulation through the Internet and other media and communication technologies. One reason why children experience stress and mental health challenges is that globalization exposes the youth all over the world to var- ious new demands, standards, and options. There is also increased pressure to succeed in school, partly due to increased competition but also a diverse range of options available for young people in contemporary times than in the past. Our argument also partially rests on the fact that modern society offers plenty of distractions and unwelcome attractions, especially linked to new media technologies.The dominant presence of multimedia devices and the time spent on them by children are clear indicators of the shift in lifestyles and priorities of our new generation. While these media technologies are valuable resources in children and young people’s lives for communication, learning, and entertainment, they also result in constant competition for youngster’s attention. A main concept in our article is that yoga may help children and young people cope with stress and thus, contribute positively to balance in life, well-being, and mental health. We present research literature suggesting that yoga improves children’s physical and mental well-being. Similarly, yoga in schools helps students improve resilience, mood, and self-regulation skills pertaining to emotions and stress. Keywords: children, young people, mental health, well-being, yoga INTRODUCTION Globalization exposes children and young people all over the world to various new standards and options. Now children not only have new resources in their lives, but are also expected to perform well. Different institutions in children and adolescents’ lives, such as family, school, and the media, constantly provide stimulation as well as expectations. This exposure to new expectations and demands has the potential to create stress in young people’s lives, especially related to evaluation of their performances. Recent research shows that the most stressed-out generation is the current young adults (1). For example, the 2012 online survey “Stress in America” reported an average stress level of 5.4 out of 10 among 2,020 respondents in the US who were 18–33 years old. The researchers considered a stress level of three to six to be healthy (2). The survey has found that millennials (18–33 years of age) are more stressed than any other current living generation. Respon- dents in the millennial generation were also less likely to give their healthcare an A grade. Almost half of them acknowledged not It is common knowledge that stress can have serious health consequences. If unaddressed consistently, a high stress level could become a chronic condition, which could result in a range of health problems, including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. Research indicates that stress can even contribute to the development of major illnesses such as heart disease, depression, and obesity or exacerbate exist- ing health issues (1). When such young adults are responsible for child care, they may tend to transmit their tensions to their chil- dren; thus, the situation becomes doubly alarming and worrisome for their families. Children learn to internalize the stresses. Their self-imposed expectations to meet the standards set by their care- givers, schools, and society may cause them anxiety. Moreover, internalization of self-expectation may become non-malleable for young people. We have observed that children are quite good at hiding their distress and emotional stress from their parents, since they do not want their parents to worry on their account. They desire to please their parents by their “appropriate” and “socially right” behaviors. Children dislike upsetting their parents and being the reason for adding to existing parental stress. According to a constructivist approach, children actively participate in their own development www.frontiersin.org April 2014 |Volume 5 | Article 35 | 1