Healing Ground: Yoga, Climate, and Community Recovery

Lisa Freire is a Global Health Intern with the Wellness Impact Lab who recently had the opportunity to present their research poster at the Undergraduate Health Research Exploration Academic Conference. Lisa's poster presented a literature review exploring the applications of yoga as an intervention to help mitigate climate distress in post-disaster settings.

Her review examined how yoga-based practices might support individuals experiencing psychological distress in the aftermath of climate-related disasters. The research considered a range of outcomes, from reduced anxiety and improved emotional regulation to a renewed sense of connection to the natural environment, a dimension of healing that is often overlooked in traditional disaster response frameworks. As climate events grow more frequent and severe, the populations most affected are often those with the least access to conventional mental health support, making low-cost, adaptable interventions like yoga an increasingly important area of study.

Presenting at the UHRE conference gave Lisa the opportunity to engage with peers, faculty, and practitioners, and to situate her findings within broader conversations about how the health research community can respond meaningfully to the climate crisis.

Lisa stated that this experience challenged her to think critically, grow as a researcher, and envision the role that health research can play in building healthier and more resilient communities.