Yoga as a Support for the Psychological Well-being of Children with Special Needs: A Conceptual Study

Yoga is increasingly recognized as a holistic mind-body intervention that supports the physical, physiological, and psychological well-being of children with special needs. Children with special needs often experience stress along with behavioral challenges and emotional dysregulation, which adversely affect their psychological well-being and impact their quality of life. Although yoga is viewed as a holistic intervention to enhance psychological well-being, understanding of its benefits for children with special needs remains limited. The conceptual study examines several evidence-based studies on yoga for children with special needs using Braun and Clarke?s thematic analysis. Five overarching themes emerged: Behavioral Management, Cognitive Skills, Emotional Regulation, Social Responsiveness, and Physical Health. The study integrates 45 studies from the current literature to propose yoga as a holistic intervention to support the psychological well-being of children with special needs. Findings revealed that Yoga for Behavioral Management was the most frequently reported outcome (n=25, 55%), primarily in children with special needs. However, significant gaps were observed for Yoga for Social Responsiveness (n=11, 24%) and Emotional Regulation (n=10, 22%), which emerged as minor themes and suggest a need for further empirical studies to explore their role in supporting the psychological well-being of children with special needs. The study relies on published studies; the themes are not mutually exclusive and do not establish causal relationships. The empirical findings thus suggest yoga's holistic role as a multifaceted intervention supporting the psychological well-being of children with special needs.