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Using Yoga to Manage ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder

Yoga offers both physical benefits and mental ones...
Exercise is a powerful tool for ADD management. Medical professionals recommend that all adults get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (such as running or biking) 3-5 times per week to improve their general health. For ADDers, this type of exercise is particularly beneficial. Such exercise can balance the production of neurotransmitters and reduce stress levels.

Another form of exercise that ADDers are finding valuable is yoga. Practiced regularly, yoga offers numerous health benefits - increased strength and flexibility, and decreased blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Equally of value to those who practice yoga are arguably the psychological benefits. Yoga combines physical activity with self-awareness, which promotes a mind-body connection that many ADDers lack.

When ADDers report challenges with impulsivity and hyperactivity, they often describe a feeling of not having control over their own bodies. They find themselves speaking before thinking their thoughts through, and often regret their words. They constantly fidget, unaware of the disruptive effect their bubbling energy is having on others in work and social situations. And often they feel that they simply cannot stop the whirlwind of thoughts spinning in their heads.

Yoga can help ADDers learn how to forge a mind-body connection that promotes self-awareness and self-control. Yoga practitioners are taught deep breathing and relaxation techniques that help center the mind in the present moment. Yoga students are also guided into holding different postures, called asanas. Asanas are often held for an extended period of time. Ths allows the practitioner to focus on holding the best posture that they can, while breathing calmly and deeply. The asanas promote stretching, strengthening, and balancing, while the deep breathing promotes relaxation and mental awareness.

yoga and ADD
Discover a nutritional approach to ADHD.

Yoga is not a competitive sport and is not meant to be stressful or taxing on the body. Yoga students are encouraged to concentrate only on themselves and not the others in the class. Practitioners of yoga challenge themselves, do not need to go beyond their own zone of comfort. A practitioner should never feel pressured to perform.

If an ADDer finds him/herself at a yoga class that moves too quickly, or focuses heavily on strength training, they may find themselves overwhelmed and miss out on the intended benefits. But there is a class for any ADDer. The best place to find yoga instruction is at a yoga center, where the instructors practice yoga as a way of life, and teach both the physical and psychological components.

Yoga can help ADDers feel calm, centered, in control, and in touch with their bodies. Practiced regularly, ADDers will find that yoga is a powerful mental and physical refresher that they can retreat to when feeling out of control or overwhelmed.

About the author:  Jennifer Koretsky is a Professional ADD Management Coach who helps adults manage their ADD and move forward in life. She encourages clients to increase self-awareness, focus on strengths and talents, and create realistic action plans. She offers a 90-day intensive skill-building program, workshops, and private coaching. Her work has been featured in numerous media, including The New York Times Magazine and The Times (UK). To subscribe to Jennifer's free email newsletter, The ADD Management Guide, please visit www.addmanagement.com/e-newsletter.htm

Publisher's Note: Along with Yoga, I recommend that you research two other areas that can help one deal with ADD in their life. To investigate the nutrional approach to controlling ADD, visit ADD to C3 Kids. To discover the advantages of having ADD or ADHD in your life, visit Take Control Of your ADHD.



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News about Yoga and ADHD


Reinhardt: To overcome my yoga ADHD, I vow … is that a snack cake?
Asheville Citizen-Times
I fidget, unable to sit still and enter the zone of yoga's powerful promise of peace and serenity. It's as if I have yoga ADHD. But I do the classes anyway, ...

and more »


Parents and kids: March 17
Wicked Local Plymouth
·May 12: “Sensory Integration: How Sensory Issues Impact Behavior in ADHD Children,” Tracey Goodwin, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist for South Shore Therapies ...

and more »


Parents and kids: March 10
Wicked Local Plymouth
·March 12: “Building on Your Child's Strengths: Techniques to Engage the Creative Mind of Your ADHD Child,” by Jeff Brody, LMHC, ATR-BC, Licensed Mental ...



Parents and kids: March 3
Wicked Local Plymouth
·March 12: “Building on Your Child's Strengths: Techniques to Engage the Creative Mind of Your ADHD Child,” by Jeff Brody, LMHC, ATR-BC, Licensed Mental ...

and more »


Globe and Mail

Are we overmedicating our kids - or undermedicating them?
Globe and Mail
How do you explain the skyrocketing rates of ADHD, autism and bipolar disorder in recent decades? We didn't have these diagnoses before, or not as such. ...

and more »


Executive Profile: Alex Wortman, life coach and founder of A. Alex Wortman ...
AnnArbor.com
However, over time, he realized he wanted to help people move beyond their problems and beyond the diagnosis - whether it was depression or ADHD - and learn ...



How Kelly Osbourne Dropped 42 Pounds
That's Fit
"A friend told me to take Adderall [an ADHD drug that suppresses appetite] a couple years ago," she told "Us Weekly." "Or I'd take diet pills. ...

and more »


Sleep And Rhythm: How To Live In Accordance With Your Natural Cycles
Huffington Post (blog)
Do some breathing exercises, restorative yoga or meditation. These will calm the mind and reduce the fears and worries that trigger the stress. ...

and more »


Community calendar
Daily Comet
Janet Buescher, a licensed clinical social worker, will present “Diagnosing and Treating Women with ADHD.” For information, call 872-0945 or e-mail ...

and more »


Relax (Don't Do It)
The European
Mein Vorschlag: Yoga als (Wahl-)Pflichtfach an die Schulen. Aus eigener Erfahrung weiß ich, dass Yoga gegen Stress wirkt, Konzentration und Gesundheit ...


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ClearMinded Children's Program



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