Yoga for adhd

How yoga can heal symptoms of ADHD

Yoga for ADHD | Today, millions of people are taking part in the physical practice of yoga and even online yoga training, the science and art which has been around for centuries.

In essence, the yoga postures, or poses, help you increase your strength, posture, balance and flexibility.

But yoga for ADHD?

How can yoga be beneficial to those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? 

Well, aside from the above mentioned yoga benefits, this practice is also a great way to improve focus, mood, relaxation and attention — the very components with which ADHD sufferers struggle.

The Biology of Yoga

From a biological standpoint, yoga can help balance the production of neurotransmitters in the brain and reduce stress levels.

This ancient activity combines self-awareness with physical exertion (exercise), and it also promotes a mind-body connection that many people with a diagnosis of ADHD lack.

Sounds a bit “new-age,” it’s true, but millions would argue that yoga is the only thing they know that helps with their ADHD.

According to a few experts in the field, the ability to be able to focus and concentrate emerges from restraining mental distractions in a process neurologists call “neural inhibition.”

This helps with quieting the mind of its distractions and compulsions.

Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters– which include epinephrine, dopamine and norepinephrine (our “feel-good” hormones)– creates a calming feeling, and studies that looked at how adults felt after yoga class often cited that people described themselves as being in a better mood, more content, calm and relaxed.

Additionally, yoga has been shown to increase lung capacity and improve oxygen levels, brought on by learning how to breath deeply.

Yoga masters refer to this as the “breath of life.”

Deep breathing techniques deliver more oxygen to the brain, which in turn deliver a number of benefits, not the least of which are cardio and mental health.

A combination of these factors seem to indicate why yoga can help folks with attention problems control their impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Yoga can also help to lessen the need to fidget and helps release the pent-up energy in people, which tends to be disruptive in the lives of those with adult ADHD

Below is a list of yoga benefits for ADHD sufferers:

  • Decreased pent-up energy and impulsivity (Fidgeting)
  • Promotes the connection between body, mind and spirit
  • Improved Focus • Improved levels of flexibility
  • Increase strength and muscle mass
  • More balanced metabolism and digestion
  • Relaxation and quieting of the mind
  • Promote empathy for others
  • Decreasing stress and anxiety
  • Improved lung capacity, energy level and respiration
  • Prevents disease

While there is significant evidence that yoga can drastically reduce the symptoms of ADHD, studies also suggest it has a positive impact on disorders such as arthritis, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, asthma, depression and heart disease.

This may be due to the fact that yoga helps maintain healthy physical, mental and emotional levels, as well as improve organ function.

To depart

If you suffer from ADHD, and you want to try yoga, by all means, get yourself to your nearest fitness club or yoga studio. 

If you can’t do that, there are tons of beginning virtual online yoga classes available, you can try in the comfort of your own home at a low cost.