Yoga Exercises Improve Brain Functioning for Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

One way to activate the neurochemistry to improve functioning of the frontal lobe is with medication. However, you will find that physicians and school psychologists who were casually prescribing psychiatric medications for children with ADHD ten years ago have learned that the medications have to be constantly adjusted; patients become unresponsive to psychiatric medications, necessitating drug changes and combinations which may jeopardize the liver, kidneys, brain, and other organs. Additionally, families are more reluctant to medicate for ADHD and are searching for ways to modify the environment and lifestyle of the affected child.

The most-researched, non-chemical method to stimulate the frontal lobe, basal ganglia, and interior gyrus, has been exercise. Studies show that exercise releases endorphines that result in emotional satisfaction and confidence, exercise also stimulates the frontal lobe, resulting in greater executive planning and self-control. Exercise brings oxygen to all areas of the brain and uses motor-planning and memory located in the basal ganglia, the region responsible for elementary movements of the body. Yoga activates the basal ganglia as children cross the midline, practice balance and bilateral coordination, and lengthen the spine in backbends, twists, mild inversions, and more. Yoga is a simple exercise that teachers, therapists, and families can incorporate into weekly routines to activate the ADHD brain. Yoga, unlike sports exercise, is aerobic without feeling fast; a yoga routine designed for children, available at www.kidslearnyoga.com, always includes concentrated deep breathing to nourish brain chemistry. The SMILY (Sensory Motor Integration and Learning with Yoga) routines can help a child with ADHD increase their focus and self control because they control their own bodies in stretching, strengthening poses throughout the routine. There is no "opponent" trying to steal the ball from them, and no points to fixate on, making it an ideal individual fitness program. Exercise then, is a great place to address the impact of ADHD and yoga can be practiced in a short amount of time in any setting, led by anyone using the expertly-designed classes available from kidslearnyoga.com.