Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Built a Published Cancer Study on the Grounded Kids Curriculum
A peer-reviewed study in Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics tested whether yoga is feasible for children and adolescents undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) — one of the most intensive treatments in pediatric cancer care.
The research team came from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, and Emory University. The yoga they tested was ours.
“The study utilized Grounded Kids Yoga which incorporates the principles and practices found in Hatha Yoga.”
“Grounded Kids provides 84 poses which served as the foundation for the yoga intervention sessions.”
Every child enrolled in the study received Grounded Kids pose cards and a handbook of yoga and mindfulness strategies to use on the unit.
What the study found
A gentle, choice-based yoga intervention was safe and appropriate for children in active transplant care. It helped them stay connected to their bodies, regulate their emotions, and cope with a high-stress medical experience.
The researchers pointed to four things that made it work:
- Sensory-sensitive movement and slow transitions
- Visuals and sequencing tools
- Patient-led adaptations for energy and pain levels
- Teachers trained in trauma-informed kids yoga
Why this matters
A children’s hospital needed a yoga curriculum it could safely put in front of immunocompromised children in active treatment. It chose this one. That is a different kind of credential than a testimonial.
Train in the method the study used
Step 1 of our training pathway covers:
- Child development through the lens of the chakra system
- Tools for self-regulation, grounding, and energy balance
- Our trauma-aware sequencing system
- Visual and sensory tools for accessibility
- Ethical, culturally informed ways to teach real yoga to children
Whether you’re a yoga teacher, occupational therapist, social worker, or school counselor, our programs are built for your work with children and teens.
Explore the full training certification
Read the study
Feasibility of a Yoga Intervention for Children and Adolescents Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplant — the full published article
Easley, T., Haight, A., Hall, T., Palmer, K., Konter, J., Hayes, R., Nelson, J. L., & Cherven, B. (2025). Feasibility of a Yoga Intervention for Children and Adolescents Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplant. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 45(5), 729–744.
More evidence-based resources for educators and professionals: Research & Resources
As Earth Day approaches this year, I am struck by what it means to truly foster Peace on this planet. I remember as a child, learning about anti-nuclear protestors who chained themselves to fences and were forcibly removed and jailed. These brave souls became my heroines and heroes in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. I was moved to tears singing Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” and hearing stories of civil disobedience and the message of non-violent resistance. Later in the 1990’s, when I danced barefoot on my very first Earth Day, a lump would form in my throat when I celebrated each small victory (and the Gigantic Hearts) of environmental protestors who sacrificed so much to save a single tree and worked to preserve open space for our children’s children. Peace.
