In 2019, Yoga 4 Change received funding from the Florida Blue Foundation to conduct a three-year study on the impact Yoga 4 Change programming has on the substance use community and the opioid epidemic. The study expanded the organization into three additional regions, which were chosen based on research designating them to be high in opioid-related overdoses and/or opioid-related deaths: Tampa Bay, South Florida, and Central Florida. Each class was evaluated through quantitative and qualitative data to provide the impact of every class on students involved in the program. The data collected was analyzed through a partnership with Boston University, and the results show that adding Yoga 4 Change’s proprietary curriculum to individual’s treatment plans can provide strength-based tools for physical and mental wellbeing.
Upon securing funding in late 2018, Yoga 4 Change was able to develop a research-based, trauma-informed curriculum known as ‘Yoga 4 Recovery’ with goals to support current opioid use treatment, help reduce addictive behavior, support strategies for prevention, and offer former students opportunities for yoga teacher training and employment. Curriculum development was unique in that it incorporated a co-creative process, including a team of clinicians, yoga practitioners, and people in recovery. Yoga 4 Recovery’s methodology, data collection, and curriculum was then taught to approximately 40-50 contracted yoga teachers and offered to individuals treated in recovery centers including rehabilitation clinics, detox clinics, substance abuse programs, and halfway houses. “Being able to prove the impact of the curriculum we created in collaboration with former students, researchers, yoga teachers, and community leaders led to a highly innovative process rooted in both experiential and empirical knowledge, ” stated Yoga 4 Change’s Director of Research, Dr. Danielle Rousseau.
Data was self-reported by participants and measured both before and after individual classes and before and after participation in the curriculum ( six weeks of programming). Average change after one class included an 18% increased change in mood, a 27% decrease in stress, and an 18% decrease in pain with all changes being statistically significant. These changes are also clinically meaningful given that participants report using substances because of their low mood, high stress, and high (many times chronic) pain. In addition, the program was evaluated at the end of the six week curriculum and was found to result in significant increases in measures of emotional awareness, emotional regulation, posttraumatic growth, self-compassion, optimism, purpose, mindfulness, and social connectedness.
“Because of funding opportunities like this, Yoga 4 Change can truly focus on empowering individuals, and increasing the impact of our programming,” says Executive Director, Michelle LeClair, “Our students are able to better focus on their recovery because of our programming, and we have the data results to back that statement up. Funding from Florida Blue has led to innovative collaborations, and I am excited to see the long-term impact of this grant in the future.” Yoga 4 Change is honored to be given the opportunity to take part in the larger sector, championing to decrease relapses, increase mental wellness, and eventually decrease overdoses in our community.
