Practicing Yoga and Mindfulness Strategies with Students Who are Visually Impaired

Abstract

Students with visual impairment often have limitations with physical and self-regulation abilities. Participating in yoga and mindfulness can improve physical and mental health by decreasing stress and improving mood and well-being. This capstone project took place at a school for students who are visually impaired, many of whom have difficulty with mobility and body awareness, tend toward being sedentary, and would benefit from strategies for managing stress and anxiety. This project’s purpose was to develop and implement a yoga and mindfulness program with and for the students to improve their body awareness and self-regulation, assess the program’s impact on participants’ classroom performance, evaluate the participants’ program experience, analyze facilitators and barriers to program implementation, and explore program sustainability. Yoga participants included 77 middle and high school students and students from 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades. Nine middle school students also participated in a mindfulness practice during their science or math class. The participants’ experience and the program’s implementation were evaluated with qualitative data collection methods including field notes, participant observation, open-ended interviews, and focus groups. Students positively received yoga, with 84% reporting they enjoyed it. Students described benefits including improved mobility, math participation, and mood. The mindfulness practice was appreciated by 56% of the participating students. Those students reported mindfulness helped with focus and behavior. Faculty noted positive benefits to participating students including increased focus and behavior in class, improved understanding of and ability to engage in yoga activities, and acquiring strategies for classroom stress and anxiety management.