Impact of structured yoga an meditation practices on mental health and academic performance/motivation of the school students: An experimental study

Achievement motivation and mental health play a significant role in the success of students and their general growth. Students are under the pressure of constant competition in the educational environment, have anxiety and emotional imbalance, which can adversely impact their performance and well-being nowadays. Yoga and meditation are believed to be effective methods of enhancing body health, mental stability and emotional equilibrium. This research was meant to test how yoga and meditation methods can influence the mental well-being and achievement motivation of school students. The research design adopted was an experimental form of research. The sample size was determined as 80 students in XI standard in the academic year 2021-2022 using a random sampling method and will be divided into two i.e. a control group (40 students) and experimental group (40 students). The experimental group was exposed to twelve weeks of structured twelve weeks of yoga and meditation training program, three days a week whereas the control group was not exposed to any intervention. The measurement of mental health was done on the basis of Trier Personality Inventory (TPI) created by Peter Becker and achievement motivation on the basis of Mukta Rani Rastogi Achievement Motivation Scale. Mean, standard deviation, and t-test were used to examine the collected data. The results had shown great improvement in mental health and achievement motivation in the students who have practiced yoga and meditation as compared to the control sample.