Yoga Increases Self-regulation In Incarcerated Youth

April 12, 2010 - PRLog -- Mindfulness practices are being discussed everywhere from the floor of the US Senate, where Dr. Dean Ornish presented the value of meditation as a part of preventive medicine, to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center where mind/body programs have just been initiated, to impacts of Niroga TLS programs, in an era of health care reform that calls for innovation and cost-effectiveness.

Niroga conducted a comprehensive program evaluation with 30 TLS classes weekly for over 500 youth, in 4 Units in Alameda County Juvenile Hall for the last 18 months. A small national research committee comprised of experts in public health, neurobiology, educational psychology, criminal justice and youth development, were advisers in research design and methodology. Data analysis was done independently by Rebecca Matthew, MPH, MSW, who found statistically significant increase in self-control as a direct result of practicing TLS. Additionally, Matthew recorded overwhelmingly positive qualitative feedback from incarcerated youth and institutional staff.

Alex Briscoe, Director of Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, said, “These results are very exciting. We are interested in seeing the systemic effects of TLS on societal health and well-being when pervasively applied across an entire community, reaching children and youth who are at high risk of dropping out of high school and with the co-morbidity of substance abuse, homelessness and chronic exposure to crime and violence.”

Niroga Executive Director, Bidyut Bose said, “Chronic stress is endemic, especially in our most vulnerable communities, and neuroscience shows that it disrupts our ability to regulate our emotions, which in turn affects everything we do! These results provide compelling evidence of the effectiveness of transformative practices to change our internal environments, and have significant implications for prevention policy in public safety, health care and education.”

Dr. Tony Iton, Senior Vice President at The California Endowment, said, “This innovative program is a cost-effective front-line strategy for prevention and early intervention, addressing a fundamental healing need in many of our most challenged children.” When asked what he would change in the program at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, Superintendent Herb Robinson said, “I have witnessed the positive changes in youth and institutional staff through this yoga program. I would like to see this program expanded to all 12 Units in the Hall.” One incarcerated youth in Juvenile Hall said after a yoga class, “Wow, if everyone did yoga, there would not be so much violence in the world!”

For more information on the Niroga Institute, please go to:  www.niroga.org