Impact of yoga on the flexibility of third-grade students in basic general education

Abstract

Holistic development in early ages involves a balance between academic growth, physical well-being, and emotional health. Here, bodily flexibility is a fundamental component for physical progress, as it allows for daily activities, prevents injuries, and contributes to overall well-being. In contrast, increasing sedentarism in childhood, fueled by this technological era, has limited children's physical activity, negatively impacting their flexibility. Based on the foregoing, the present study projects the implementation of yoga as a pedagogical strategy within the Physical Education curriculum to improve flexibility in third-grade basic general education students. The adopted methodology was a mixed approach, with a non-experimental transversal design, using flexibility tests (Wells and Dillon test; and Krauss-Weber test) to evaluate the impact of the yoga program. The results showed a significant improvement in students' flexibility, evidenced by the increase in Wells and Dillon test percentiles and the transition from negative to positive values in the Kraus-Weber test. Furthermore, the t-test confirmed a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-intervention results (p<0.05). Similarly, teacher interviews corroborated these findings, highlighting a notable improvement in students' flexibility, body awareness, concentration, and calmness. It was concluded that the implementation of yoga in the Physical Education curriculum was an effective pedagogical strategy to improve flexibility in third-grade EGB students.