Can you give me some suggestions on a style of practice that would be most suitable for ADHD High School yoga students IE flow, kundalini, etc.?

rozearle wrote:
Can you give me some suggestions on a style of practice that would be most suitable for ADHD High School yoga students IE flow, kundalini, etc.?

This from a non-teacher, but my intuition says get them moving, at least at first. Avoid any attempt at getting them to meditate at first.

Were I a teacher, I would go right into the most intense vinyasa flow workout. Most kids will appreciate the movement and then be able to recognize their individual level of improvement.

If any of them eventually show an interest in trying to focus, only then would I attempt to teach them meditation. But even if you never showed them meditation per se, they will still benefit.

This is a very interesting concept! I wonder if it would help ADHD children calm down rather than to resort to the old medicinal solution...

Hello,

I am a yoga instructor and a mom of an ADHD teen. We take a weekly yoga class together and I also instruct her at home.

I can tell you that yoga has helped my daughter immensely! Her ability to pay attention, calm herself down, and her self image have improved dramatically over the past couple of years.

If I were to structure a class for her I would start with some basic Pranayama like Ujjaya & Dirga and I would spend about 5 minutes here. Spend a few classes just doing these basic breathing techniques, once they students have mastered that move on to some of the other types of Pranayama. The breathing is very helpful to children/teens with ADHD. It helps them learn to focus the mind. In addition, often ADHD is accompanied by anxiety and the breathing can REALLY help there.

As far as sequencing and format, it's a fine balance. You do want to get them moving, however when they are first learning you don't want to move too fast through the postures because they WILL miss directions. Avoid moving too quickly through vinyasas, rather hold some of the postures. This will also help the ADHD child/teen to learn focus, etc.

She also truly enjoys a nice long savasana at the end.

I hope this helps! :-)

Namaste