Yoga for children with adhd
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There are many alternative treatments to ADHD, such as acupuncture and acupressure, neurofeedback, tae kwon do, and yoga. Yoga stood out to me the most so I decided to investigate it a bit more. Mary Alice Askew is a hypnotherapist at Haller's Behavioral Arts and Research Center,which is stationed in New York. Askew said that yoga benefits people with hyperactive minds in three ways:''it fosters self-awareness...it provides structure by encouraging the child to develop a systematic pattern of movement that can help organize the brain, [and] it improves coordination and physical fitness which improves self-esteem and an overall sense of well-being." (Yoga and ADHD: How an Ancient Discipline Develops the Brain") This article also states that yoga helps develop the prefrontal center which is linked with control and concentration. Yoga also requires the person to focus on their body and through this body learning, their brain function is bettered. Yoga is very systematic, and because of this it helps the child develop a sense of order. (""Yoga and ADHD: How an Ancient Discipline Develops the Brain"')
Another article written by a mother, Stacey Turis,a yoga instructor, wrote about how yoga affected her children as well. One of the first things that she says is that when people do the ''om" in yoga, it is not a useless action. By "'om-ing.'' the vagus nerve is vibrated and the nervous system is calmed. The breathing techniques also help her kids, especially when they have temper tantrums. It also reduces anxiety and reduces irritability. Yoga also greatly improves concentration. While doing yoga, the child must focus on his or her body, which teaches them to keep their mind in one place instead of multiple. Yoga also calms children; if the child repeats the same posture multiple times, it usually calms the down. Stacey Turis actually uses the yoga techniques that she talks about with her own kids and has seen improvement in temper tantrums and in concentration as well.
In Germany and Australia, studies have been done to see the affect of yoga on children with ADHD. The study found that yoga did in fact increase concentration, promote discipline, and also raised the children's self-esteem. The study also stated that parents reported that 8 to 13 year old boys who practiced yoga once a week for five months had a decrease in hyperactivity. The researchers, however, did not conclude that yoga could replace medicinal treatment. They have stated though that yoga and medicinal treatment is a very good combination. (Andews)
I am a little skeptical about yoga being so beneficial for children with ADHD, but I do believe that it would have an affect on them. I can see that phsyical activity would most likely calm them down, especially an activity like yoga. I do believe that it may be hard, though, having the kids want to do yoga or even to participate because they might be too hyper to focus and even try to do it. I think if that big potential problem is overcome, yoga would help them concentrate a bit more and possibly burn off a bit of the energy they have. I agree with the research done in Germany and Australia that yoga would most likely not be able to replace medicinal treatment, but in conjunction with medicine, I do believe it could have a significant effect. As much as I hate saying that medicine might be necessary, I must say that I do not believe that yoga would be able to better ADHD in a child as well as medicine could.
Works Cited:
Andrews, Jenny. "Focus on ADHD." Yoga Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2569>.
Turis, Stacey. "Say Yes to Yoga for Kids with Attention Deficit." ADHD Parents:. ADDitude Magazine, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/11/9723.html>.
"Yoga and ADHD: How an Ancient Discipline Develops the Brain." Help Your Child with Anger. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.help-your-child-with-anger.com/yoga-and-adhd.html>.
Image URLs:
http://soul-sanctuaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kids_yoga1.jpg
http://health.kerals.com/beauty/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Kids-Yoga.jpg
Another article written by a mother, Stacey Turis,a yoga instructor, wrote about how yoga affected her children as well. One of the first things that she says is that when people do the ''om" in yoga, it is not a useless action. By "'om-ing.'' the vagus nerve is vibrated and the nervous system is calmed. The breathing techniques also help her kids, especially when they have temper tantrums. It also reduces anxiety and reduces irritability. Yoga also greatly improves concentration. While doing yoga, the child must focus on his or her body, which teaches them to keep their mind in one place instead of multiple. Yoga also calms children; if the child repeats the same posture multiple times, it usually calms the down. Stacey Turis actually uses the yoga techniques that she talks about with her own kids and has seen improvement in temper tantrums and in concentration as well.
In Germany and Australia, studies have been done to see the affect of yoga on children with ADHD. The study found that yoga did in fact increase concentration, promote discipline, and also raised the children's self-esteem. The study also stated that parents reported that 8 to 13 year old boys who practiced yoga once a week for five months had a decrease in hyperactivity. The researchers, however, did not conclude that yoga could replace medicinal treatment. They have stated though that yoga and medicinal treatment is a very good combination. (Andews)
I am a little skeptical about yoga being so beneficial for children with ADHD, but I do believe that it would have an affect on them. I can see that phsyical activity would most likely calm them down, especially an activity like yoga. I do believe that it may be hard, though, having the kids want to do yoga or even to participate because they might be too hyper to focus and even try to do it. I think if that big potential problem is overcome, yoga would help them concentrate a bit more and possibly burn off a bit of the energy they have. I agree with the research done in Germany and Australia that yoga would most likely not be able to replace medicinal treatment, but in conjunction with medicine, I do believe it could have a significant effect. As much as I hate saying that medicine might be necessary, I must say that I do not believe that yoga would be able to better ADHD in a child as well as medicine could.
Works Cited:
Andrews, Jenny. "Focus on ADHD." Yoga Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2569>.
Turis, Stacey. "Say Yes to Yoga for Kids with Attention Deficit." ADHD Parents:. ADDitude Magazine, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/11/9723.html>.
"Yoga and ADHD: How an Ancient Discipline Develops the Brain." Help Your Child with Anger. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.help-your-child-with-anger.com/yoga-and-adhd.html>.
Image URLs:
http://soul-sanctuaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kids_yoga1.jpg
http://health.kerals.com/beauty/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Kids-Yoga.jpg