The Feasibility of a Chair Yoga Intervention to Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing for Adults With Learning Disabilities: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Background Yoga has been shown to have physical benefits for people with learning disabilities. It is unclear whether the mental health and wellbeing benefits of yoga found in other populations are apparent in people with learning disabilities. This study was a pilot. Method The study comprised three stages. In the first stage, focus groups took place to understand how classes should be run. In the second stage, 10 adults with learning disabilities attended chair yoga classes for 6 weeks, completing quantitative questionnaires. Lastly, a focus group was held to discuss the classes. Findings Researchers developed a better understanding of what accessibility means in a yoga context and developed a protocol based on this. There are many feasibility outcomes around practical considerations for larger scale research in the future. The focus groups highlighted that the atmosphere of the environment, where the yoga took place, was important and that people wished to continue with yoga. Other benefits of yoga were discussed and could be explored further in future research. Conclusions The findings indicated that yoga is an acceptable and accessible form of intervention. This research provides a grounding for larger scale work. The findings, both quantitative and qualitative, were limited by low participant numbers but suggest that there may be some benefits for the mental health of this group. How these findings can be applied to future research is discussed.