The effectiveness of a Mindful Yoga and Common Yoga intervention on emotion regulation and well-being of adolescents; A nonrandomized quasi-experimental study

OBJECTIVES: Yoga programs have gained wide attention in school settings to promote adolescent mental health. However, comparative evaluations of distinct yoga-based approaches are limited. This study examined the effectiveness of a Mindful Yoga and Meditation (MYM) program and the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) in reducing psychological distress and enhancing mindfulness, emotion regulation, and overall well-being among secondary school students in India. METHODS: The study employed a quasi-experimental design. A total of 147 students were assigned to three groups: MYM, CYP, and waitlist-control. Both interventions were conducted over 21 days, with assessments at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and 3-month follow-up (T3). The outcome measures included psychological distress (K10), mindfulness (CAMM), emotion regulation (ERQ-CA), and well-being (WHO-5). A linear mixed model was employed to examine the main effects of group and time, as well as the group × time interaction, across all outcome measures. RESULTS: Both the MYM and CYP groups showed significant improvements compared to the control group. The MYM participants demonstrated greater and more sustained gains in mindfulness (p < .001), cognitive reappraisal (p = .026), and well-being (p < .001), along with larger reductions in distress (p < .001) and expressive suppression (p < .001). While CYP was effective, its benefits were comparatively smaller and less durable when compared to MYM. No significant changes were observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: The findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of brief school-based yoga interventions in promoting adolescent mental health. Importantly, integrating mindfulness into yoga practices (as in MYM) yielded superior outcomes, emphasizing the added value of mindful components.