How Yoga Can Help Children with ADHD
How Yoga Can Help Children with ADHD by ShareLove.Fund’s Rainbow Women Social Enterprise endeavor and sponsored by your generous donations.
At a quick glance, yoga for children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) seems very counterintuitive. Children with this neurobiological condition tend to be either unable to focus or hyperfocused and may be hyperactive and/or impulsive. This can result in various issues such as problems with social skills, academic skills and relationships especially those with immediate family.
Yoga, on the other hand is about breathing deep, slowing down, stretching, holding poses and, most importantly, focusing. No wonder a knee-jerk reaction would be, “No way can the two work together.” However, research has shown something very different. There are several benefits to regularly practicing yoga for children with ADHD. Here are some of the ways in which yoga can help children with ADHD
A Sense of Control– Feeling out of control is a near constant state for children who have ADHD. The breath control that yoga teaches helps them feel in charge of their bodies and brains. This is vital for a child with ADHD. Normally human beings tend to take shallow breaths. Yoga helps us take deep breaths and focus on them. The increased intake of oxygen provides a good spurt of energy, helps lower anxiety levels and makes children less irritable.
Ability to Concentrate –Focus or the lack thereof is a major part of the struggle that children with ADHD face on a daily basis. Yoga helps improve their attention span and concentration, all the while teaching them to focus. When children feel a stretch in their body or focus on their breath, they learn to be aware of their bodies. Through this practice, they learn how to focus their minds and learn self-control. The focus spills over from yoga to their school and home activities. The stress from losing focus is greatly reduced and they don’t have to worry as much about forgetting things or losing track of possessions.
Growth in Self-Confidence – The disruptive behaviors that ADHD brings with it can play havoc with a child’s self-esteem. Through yoga, not only do children learn self-control and focus, but also the ability to be aware of their emotions and regulate them. In addition, they also learn about how to relax properly and how to manage stress and their emotions in stressful situations. Through partner and group poses, they also learn social skills. All of these together can really boost a child’s self-confidence. After all, they are learning new skills and how to utilize the new skills to deal with areas that are normally problematic.
Increase in Calm -The routine of practicing the same posture over and over and becoming better at it with practice imparts a certain sense of calm to children with ADHD. As we discussed earlier, proficiency in the poses helps to increase self-confidence. That gives them a sense of steadiness that the routine of yoga reinforces.
Yoga is not a miracle cure. However, more and more research is revealing the same trends – that children with ADHD who practice yoga twice or thrice a week see a lot of emotional, mental and behavioral improvement.