When we choose a subject or a project or a presentation it’s important to choose a subject which you care about. I choose mine for two reasons. The first one is because i am leaving with a ADHD child. My son is now 17 years old and since the kindergarden I had received from the gardian comments on his way of leaving, he is listenning the consigne, distrub and makes laugh everyone. You can imagine when the school had start. We did try a lot of strategy to help him and infortunatly I was not in my yoga moon so ùhe had to take the medicine. So my second reason for this subject is that I want to help other parents with my experince and my yoga class. For my children are what is the most important and when you see you children craying because he will like to be liking the other. If I can help one child, one family it’ll be a balsam in the heart.
ADHD – Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHD is a chronic condition with a pesistent inattention, hyperactivity and sometime impulsivity. It’s begins in childhood and can last into adult.The symptoms is different from one person to the other, we are talking about problems concentrating, forgetfulness, hyperactivity and an inability to finish tasks.
Children with ADHD often have problem functionning at home, kindergarden, school and it may be difficut of making friend. Lately the number of children getting diagnosed and treated for ADHD has increase. Why more? For one reason that now we are more allert to diagnostic it. The medicine tells if you have one child with the ADHD it may be genetic so the mother or the father can be too so the other child of the family.
The difficulties of attention turn out a real problem for a child of school age because they interfere with the requirements of the school. The searches for the last years concerning the loss-making disorder of the attention demonstrated the link between the problems of attention and the disorders of the learning as well as the increase of the number of children presenting symptoms of inattention. early screening, frame assured by the teacher from the preschool within the framework of systematic programs of intervention and the programs of prevention with the child are factors which can contribute to decrease the risks of developing difficulties and of increasing the yield of And increase the school yield.
To this end, several authors underline the importance to intervene from the young age to warn the worsening of the symptoms of inattention and to improve the potential attentionnel of the young child. The yoga attracts more and more followers so much for its virtues physical as mental, but little is interested in his use with children of the preschool and even less in the link between the yoga and the cognitive faculties.
There is no curative treatment at this time. The doctor will prescribe medicament for reduce the effect of it. It will help the children to be able to go normally at school, do his homework, to get him a better estim of him and be able to live in society. There is a lot of type of medicine to control the ADHD (Methylphenidate). These medicine can help the child to have a ‘’better’ life but there are bad effect. On the other hand, these medications are psychostimulants with many potential side effects: insomnia, headaches, abdominal pain, weight loss, and depression.
Research on the long-term effects of these drugs is insufficient, but in 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings about side effects such as stunted growth and psychiatric problems. When taking the pill it’s harder to get sleeping at night. The child will have a significant decrease of appetit, headache, dizziness and vomiting. It’s can take few month before the child is able to deal with his médicine and it’s can change his psycology too.
From a point of view, chemical overstimulation of the nervous system isn’t healthy. Fortunately, there are many natural treatments that are effective both alone and in conjunction with drug therapy.
For several years, researchers have been particularly interested into the concept of attention. The expansions of cognitive neuroscience foster a better understanding of attentional functions as well as their deficits. Attention problems are a real problem a school age child since they interfere with the school’s requirements. This problem is identified in Attention Deficit Disorder with or without hyperactivity, one of the most common childhoods developmental disorders diagnosed
Children with ADHD are drawn to new activities, adventure, and change. Yet they’re balanced by the opposite: activities that are calming, relaxing, and nurturing. The ADHD child need to fellow a routine, they need to be encadre more then other children, they usely need more time to do homework or examen because they can stay long sittings.
YOGA
Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual pratice or discipline which originated from India. It’s mean ‘’to add’’ ‘’ to join in it’’ is more common sense.
The goal of Yoga is liberation.
The method of yoga developed by Swami Sivananda, doctor born in 1887, is based on 5 big principles: the control of the breath, the postures, the nutrition, the positive thinking and meditation… or the kids, the meditation is replace by some concentrations exercises. A yoga session is always ending by a relaxation time.
The yoga offer a multitude of exercises for the polarity: right/left, up/down, front/back, interior/periphery. The movement of the vertebral column that we find in the yoga is split in 4 big categories:
1) Forward flexing
2) Backward flexing
3) Lateral flexing
4) Twisting
In fact, all yoga exercises are based on the same principles; stretching, rest, deep breathing, concentration, deep breathing, concentration, which would result in increased the flow..
The Breathe control (Pranayama)
The breath control or pranayama is one of the most important exercises of all the form of yoga. With the pranayama, we learn to inspire slowing, smoothly, to keep our breath; to expire during a long time. Retention of the breath ensures the distribution of energy throughout the body Concentration exercise;
This type of exercise refers to increased concentration on a single object and can be of several orders. It is most often a physical image Trataka, a meditative exercise used in yoga, is a technique of visual concentration.
Frequently, the subject is asked to fix an object ora concrete, often geometrical pattern, such as a square or a circle. The Trataka promotes establishment in a calm and meditative.
Let’s see the yoga approached for ADHD children (can apply for adults too) and the way it’ll help them.
ADHD are normally hyperactive so they need to move. In the occidental part of the world, we know that at school time they don’t have plenty of time for running, jumping and take off all the energy. So the suggestion is to take 15 minutes in morning and another 15 minutes before night time to do some yoga parents/children. By the way the parents are the best to help the child to get improve, doing activity with the children. This is what the child needs the most and will remember later the sharing moment, sharing time is a Chakra Yoga.
PRATICE
Introduction the Principe of balance: To help them to find the balance in life, do some balance in yoga. They need to focus, setting the attention. Need to find the strenght, have the courage and accept the outcome. Before doing the pose they have to choose an affirmation (a positif phrase)
POSE
Yoga balance:
Tree pose/Focus: fix one point with your eyes, set the intention of being balanced and find the stillness.
Eagle Pose/ Inner strengths: Draw on your inner strenght and with the inward force feel yourself rise and grow.
Warrior 3/ courage:
Half moon/acceptance:
The children pose: relaxing
Here’s other pose you can do with the children:
So let’s look at the Move to Calm strategy. Depending on the age and needs of the child, you might practice only one yoga pose (like Child’s Pose) and count down from five while in that pose. But let’s say your child is ready to choose five yoga poses. They could make up her own sequence by looking at our Yoga Poses for Kids page for inspiration or by following this yoga flow sequence.
“I am strong.” Pretend to be a surfer.
To do Warrior 2 Pose: From standing position, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outwards. Take your arms up in parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward. Pretend to be a surfer and use your strength to catch tricky waves.
“I am brave.” Pretend to be a skier.
To do Chair Pose: Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and keep a straight spine. Hold your hands out in front of you, pretending to grasp ski poles as you fly down a ski run like a brave and fearless skier.
“I am friendly.” Pretend to be a dog.
To do Downward-Facing Dog Pose: Bend down and place your palms flat on the ground.
Step your feet back to create an upside-down V shape with your buttocks high in the air. Straighten your legs, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs. Think of being an eager and friendly dog.
“I am wise.” Pretend to be an owl.
To do Hero Pose: Drop your knees to the ground and come down to rest upright on your heels. Then pretend to be a wise owl perched on a tree. Twist your upper body one way and then the other.
Start slowly and focus on the child’s success. If the child doesn’t click with using movement as a calming down strategy, don’t push it. Leave it for a while, and then try again. Just like every strategy, nothing is a one-size-fits-all solution, so feel free to adapt and change the yoga method to suit the child’s interests and needs. Introducing the idea of using movement and breath to help their brains to re-boot and re-focus is what’s important.
BREATHING
The breathing exercises of yoga can also help us to pay more attention to our bodies and physical states. “Box breathing.” We had to breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, and then exhale for four counts, and then hold for four counts. It sounds easy but it is not. I had a hard time with this. It was hard for me to slow down and have discipline over my breaths. Mainly I think it was because I had to pay attention to them. I found it an excellent way to force myself to concentrate. I found that all other thoughts left my mind as I focused on each breath.
RELAXATION
Do a 5- to 10-minute relaxation with the kid at least once a day. Lie down on the floor or in bed in shavasana (corpse pose), supporting your heads with a pillow and covering up with a blanket to stay warm. Then ask your child to feel his body from head to toe. Turn the practice into a game; together, pretend you are a scoop of ice cream melting in the sun, or that you’re sinking into a huge feather pillow. Imagine breath is like the waves of the ocean—or ask your child to instruct you. The idea is to get your child to relax and deepen his breath, which helps his CNS switch from a sympathetic mode, which is a “fight-or-flight” state, to a parasympathetic mode, which is a nourishing and restorative state. The parenttry this when the child comes home from school, or before supper or bedtime; these are times when the kids can be most overstimulated. Here’s a example of a text you can read during the relaxion: short one:
You are perfect just the way you are. Right now you don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to think anything. You don’t need to be anywhere…but here. “
Here’s an example of a text you can read during the relaxion: long one
Get ready to relax. You can sit in a chair or lie down on a bed. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath in…. now breathe out. Breathe in…. and breathe out. Keep breathing slowly like this.
Feel how it relaxes you to breathe deeply. Now squeeze your hands closed into fists. Pretend that you are squeezing a ball in each hand… gripping tighter…. squeeze even tighter…. Right now, your muscles are tense. And now relax.
Let your hands go limp. Now your hands feel relaxed. See how relaxed your hands feel. See how tense feels different from relaxed.
Relaxation is a way to make your whole body feel relaxed like your hands are now. One way to relax your body is by breathing deeply.
Imagine that your body is like a balloon. When you breathe in, feel your chest and sides expanding, like a balloon filling with air. When you breathe out, imagine your body is like a balloon shrinking with the air being let out.
Breathe in like a balloon being blown up. Now breathe out, like the air is being let out of a balloon. Let the air out by blowing the air through your mouth.Breathe in through your nose, imagining your body expanding like a balloon…. and now imagine letting the end of the balloon go, and the air rushing out as you breathe out through your mouth.
As you breathe in this time, raise your arms above your head. When you breathe out, lower your arms.Breathe in.
Reach your hands above your head, stretching high up… stretching…. and now lower your arms to your sides and relax. Breathe out.
Raise your arms and breathe in…. lower your arms and breathe out….
Now relax and keep your arms at your sides, while you continue breathing slowly and deeply.Remember the difference between tense and relaxed.
Tighten your leg muscles to make both of your legs tense. Squeeze tighter…. tighter… and now relax.
Let your legs become very relaxed. Each leg is as floppy as a piece of string.Your legs feel heavy. The muscles are loose.Now tense your arms. Make the muscles very tight and tense. Tighter…. and now relax.
Your arms are relaxed, limp and loose as pieces of string.See how it feels to be relaxed. Your legs and arms are relaxed.
Now let your whole body become relaxed. See how relaxed you can make your body…. loosening every muscle…. no tension at all…..
Your body feels heavy and relaxed. Relax even more by noticing your breathing again. See how calm your breathing is.
In…. and out…..
In…. and out…..
Keep breathing and simply relax. There is nothing you need to do right now except relax quietly. (pause)
See how calm and relaxed you feel. It feels good to relax.Your relaxation time is finished now, and it is time to return to your usual activities.
Keep your eyes closed for a little longer while you wake up your body and your mind by wiggling your fingers and toes….. Moving your arms and legs…..
Sit still now for a moment, and open your eyes to look around the room.When you are ready, get up and return to your usual activities, feeling awake, but still feeling relaxed and calm.
Mantra
For beggenning the OM mantra will be the easier but we can insert a new mantra and use put the music for the to learn if the child is interest by the music Hindu Mantras for focus
- Om SahMaatraaNaham
- Om KshipSwaha
English one:
- “I am here and now”–This focusses your mind on the present moment creating concentration.
- “I am mindful and in the moment” — This creates mindfulness and the state of being present and in the moment.
- “I put my thoughts aside for the present moment” — This one is great if you are being distracted by certain thoughts and feelings.
TRATAKA
Trataka is an ideal meditation technique. With continuous practice, you will witness an increase in your alertness, confidence level, stability in thoughts, and an ability to control situations that were previously difficult
Light a candle or ghee lamp in your meditation room or wherever you are comfortable. Sit in an upright position in a chair, or on the floor cross legged, or in Padmasana (Full Lotus Pose) to ensure that the spine stays erect and that inner energy can flow easily through the subtle channels of the body.
It is recommended that the flame be kept about twelve to twenty-four inches from the face, and at eye level. Begin by taking a few deep breaths. Focus your eyes on the flame and keep your gaze without blinking for as long as you can. You may start to feel tears develop in the eyes. Producing tears is said to have many beneficial effects. Keep your eyes focused. Gaze gently at the flame, not the candle or ghee lamp. Let your vision stay with the flame. If thoughts arise, simply acknowledge them and let them go.
When tears flow, close your eyes. You will see the after-effect of the flame. Keep the eyes closed and see the “flame” glow with closed eyes. Focus on the flame’s “image” with closed eyes and notice how it may be changing. It may glow very brightly and then grow dim, only to glow brightly again. It may change colors and size. Bring your attention to the space between and just above the eyebrows to the Ajna Chakra, the third eye. You may feel deep peace and distance from your body. Allow that feeling to permeate your entire being.
The practice of Trataka will bring greater awareness of the visual realm, a relaxed state of mind, enhanced brain wave function, and a deeper knowledge of the Self, all leading to the path to Enlightenment.
It is attributed a multitude of benefits including decreased blood pressure and respiratory rate, decreased heart rate and physiological signs of stress, improved balance and flexibility, a significant increase in gross motor skills, improved sleep, decreased anxiety.
CONCLUSION
The results of doing yoga have revealed that the symptoms major cause of ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity have decreased significantly as a result of the program. At school the children seemed moreable to concentrate and live less conflict with peers. Moreover,they even reported that they felt calmer, less panicked and more relaxed.Some symptoms associated with ADHD have also decreased such as anxiety andlow self-confidence.A multitude of benefits are attributed to yoga including a decrease inblood pressure, respiratory and cardiac rhythm, reduced signsphysiological stress, improved balance and flexibility, a significant increase in gross motor skills, decreased symptoms related to improved sleep, decreased tension and respiratory pulse.
So if the children can start doing some yoga every day for 30 minutes, they can choose the poses and make it a game with, don’t forget they need to enjoy. All the exercises done with love will help them to be peaceful. An important thing to consider too is the alimentation of the child. More healthy meals, vegetables, fruits and less sweet. So doing exercises, rest and a good alimentation will help the child with ADHD.
Presently in Quebec, Canada, yoga is not taught or even accepted in schools. Yoga has a connotation to religion. It is therefore important that parents are involved in the mental health of their child. As mentioned above, when a child has ADHD, there is a good chance that one of the parents is also affected. I am the one!
Yoga “…increases concentration, promotes physical discipline, and induces confidence.”
|| Thank You ||