Yoga as an Indian Knowledge System for Holistic Education: A Critical Review of Physical Health, Mental Well-Being, and Learning Outcomes
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Holistic education seeks to support learners’ physical, cognitive, emotional, social, ethical, and reflective development rather than treating academic attainment as its sole purpose. Yoga, understood as a diverse Indian knowledge tradition and not merely a collection of postures, offers one possible framework for connecting these dimensions. This critical review examines the philosophical and educational foundations of yoga and evaluates contemporary research concerning physical health, mental well-being, attention, self-regulation, and learning-related outcomes. A narrative, critical approach was used to bring together classical yoga literature, education policy documents, public-health guidance, systematic reviews, and selected intervention studies relevant to school and higher-education settings. The literature suggests that appropriately adapted yoga programmes may contribute to flexibility, balance, body awareness, stress management, emotional regulation, and some aspects of attention and psychological well-being. Nevertheless, the evidence is heterogeneous: programmes differ in content, duration, instructor preparation, comparison conditions, outcome measures, and methodological quality. Evidence that yoga independently improves grades or broad academic achievement is less conclusive than evidence for selected psychosocial outcomes. The article argues that yoga can support holistic education when it is taught inclusively, safely, developmentally, and in a culturally informed manner; when it complements rather than replaces physical education, counselling, medical care, and active learning; and when its effects are evaluated transparently. Practical recommendations are proposed for curriculum design, teacher preparation, safeguarding, assessment, and future research. The central conclusion is that yoga’s educational value lies not in promises of universal transformation, but in the careful integration of embodied practice, attention, reflection, ethical inquiry, and evidence-informed pedagogy. Keywords: learning outcomes; Indian Knowledge Systems; Yoga; Mental Well-being; holistic education; physical health; school education; evidence-informed pedagogy
Author: Vikas Kundu
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7225015663