Local students spent the morning at AWCIM's Cantor Building last spring learning basic yoga and mindfulness techniques.

Tucson, Ariz. — The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (AWCIM) is expanding its collaborative Yoga for Youth program, bringing evidence-informed wellness practices and an introduction to integrative health to more students across Southern Arizona.

Developed in partnership with the Sunnyside Unified School District, the program gives elementary and middle-school students an opportunity to explore practical approaches to health and well-being—including yoga, breathing and mindfulness exercises, emotional regulation, healthy eating and the role of everyday choices in supporting whole-person health. The program is hosted at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, where students participate in hands-on activities and experience the Center's approach to integrative well-being.

The Spring 2026 program provided 10 field trips for students from Sunnyside’s Rivera and Drexel elementary schools. Over six weeks, 279 students, teachers, parents, counselors and other school staff participated. Among 220 students surveyed, 65% had never practiced yoga before, giving many their first opportunity to experience a mind-body practice in an educational setting.

Students began their visits with an introduction to integrative medicine, explored medicinal plants in the University of Arizona community garden, participated in a roughly 35-minute yoga session, enjoyed a healthy snack and toured the AWCIM building before concluding with a question-and-answer session.

The experience also demonstrated meaningful immediate benefits. Across the two participating schools, students reported increases in feelings of calm, relaxation and concentration following yoga. 89% said they felt calmer after the session, with themes of calmness, enjoyment, breathing and mindfulness appearing consistently in their comments.

The next phase of Yoga for Youth is being made possible through an endowment from Jolita Leonas-Arzbaecher, matched by the Greer Foundation, for a total of $120,000. This investment will allow AWCIM and its partners to expand the program over the next five years, with the goal of reaching thousands more Southern Arizona students with opportunities to experience integrative health through movement.

“Yoga for Youth demonstrates what is possible when young people are introduced to practical, evidence-informed tools for health and well-being,” said Elsa Loya, MPH, CHES, senior health educator at the University of Arizona Zuckerman Family Center for Prevention and Health Promotion. “This generous investment gives us the opportunity to build on that success and bring these experiences to many more students in our community.”

Through Yoga for Youth, AWCIM and its community partners are helping young people discover that good health can begin with simple, everyday practices and that they have an active role to play in their own well-being.