Stress and Yoga in Children

Francine C Jellesma

Abstract

Many children experience stress-related physical symptoms, such as fatigue, headache or abdominal complaints. This paper deals with the physical consequences of psychological stress and the possibility of reducing stress by yoga in childhood. The literature on this topic is presented. It is concluded that the usefulness of yoga is theoretically supported. Some empirical support is also listed, but available research on this topic is still limited. The need for studies that take social and cultural factors into consideration is stressed.