Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing among Young People through Yoga

Project summary

One of the key challenges in effective work with young people is their frequent lack of engagement, a characteristic that many of those who spend time with adolescents (youth workers, parents, teachers) can attest to. Proposed solutions frequently fail to address core issues relating to the intrinsic motivation of the individual, which is directly related to well-being. Many young people suffer from chronic stress and other issues that inhibit the functioning (and indeed the development) of the prefrontal cortex, and this also affects their intrinsic motivation to engage in any activity. In short, unless their well-being is addressed, they cannot engage effectively. The HIPPOCAMPUS project aims to address these issues by promoting the well-being of young people through the practice of a range of techniques derived from yoga. This ancient practice, which has been extensively misunderstood in the West, can be described as a “technology of wellbeing”. Derived from a confluence of traditions, it provides a series of techniques for enhancing well-being and promoting a healthy body and mind. It does this through a bottom-up approach, working through the body and mind to create wellness. To be specific, what yoga techniques do is shift the body and mind from the “fight or flight” state of stress, to the “rest and digest” state of calm, with attendant decreases in cortisol levels and heartbeat. Neuroimaging research shows that these practices (also found to some degree in mindfulness) lead to changes in the areas of the brain responsible for emotional regulation and perspective taking. Moreover, the physical postures, breath regulation and relaxation techniques practised in yoga are especially relevant and effective in young people. Studies have shown regular sessions of yoga help young people to increase body confidence and health and provide an effective and safe method of dealing with stress, which increases their emotional well-being, with attendant benefits in variety of aspects of their lives, including social interaction and participation and learning. Yoga has been indicated to be particularly effective for disadvantaged young people, who frequently exhibit higher than average levels of stress and ill health. Though the benefits of yoga have been researched extensively, and in some places these practices are used with young people, they are not always accessible to all sectors of society. Disadvantaged young people particularly are less able to participate, for a variety of financial and other reasons. The Hippocampus programme, though it is available to all, focuses especially on the needs and requirements of these groups. The project aims to reach around 650 people in diverse youth organisations in five countries (ES, IT, BE NO, UK) during the finance period, and many more after. The activities involved are organised into various phases. The initial phase involves the design and development of the programme and the supporting app. The programme will include descriptions and sequences of yoga-based activities, advice and guidelines, especially for staff who will incorporate yoga-based practices into their work, and advice and resources such as infographics for implementing the programme in different youth contexts. The development phase is then followed by an implementation phase which occupies the larger part of the three years because the implementation is in “cascade” to ensure reach to all the organisation and benefits for all the disadvantaged young participants. Initial roll out is to staff who first learn the practices and then later how to integrate them into their own activities. Then the practices are introduced in dedicated sessions with one group of young people, before being integrated into all their activities by the staff. At the end of the process the staff and young people will be self-sufficient with regard to these practices. In a final extension phase the process is repeated for the rest of the organisation, who by then will have witnessed the benefits and are expected to be receptive to it. Throughout the implementation there will be impact monitoring and evaluation of the results. In the final year through dissemination and exploitation activities we will raise awareness of the activities and roll the programme out to other youth organisations. The consortium has extensive expertise and experience in working with disadvantaged young people, yoga-based practices, social media design and development and projects of this kind. They have access to diverse contexts for implementation including youth organisations, cultural centres for migrants, municipal organisations, and schools contexts. The quality and relevance of the consortium, and prior experience in related programmes of several partners indicates that the Hippocampus project has strong potential for extensive and transformative impacts on the lives of disadvantaged young people across Europe.