How to Calm Your Child’s ADHD Brain With Yoga

Every parent raising a child with ADHD knows that the struggle isn’t for lack of trying. The bursts of energy and inability to concentrate stem from differences in how the brain processes focus, stimulation, and self-control.

Fortunately, yoga for ADHD offers a fun, simple, everyday solution that can help your child channel their boundless energy into focused action. In this article, we’ll explore how playful poses and targeted movement can replace your child’s frustration with body awareness and inner peace.

How Yoga Helps Kids With ADHD

Movement through yoga helps children with ADHD release excess energy by burning calories, regulating body chemistry, and managing stress. It also offers psychological benefits, including healthy cognitive development, behavioral regulation, and emotional well-being [*].

Breathing plays a significant role in yoga practice. It calms the nervous system by enhancing parasympathetic activity, thereby reducing the production of stress hormones and modulating brain function [*].

These mind-body benefits are supported by years of research. At a glance, studies have proven that activities like yoga can strengthen the immune system, promote healthy aging, enhance physical health, and improve mood.

Oftentimes, yoga is a better alternative for children simply because kids need to move. They are naturally energetic, and yoga provides an excellent opportunity to establish a mind-body connection.

Recommended Yoga Types and Poses

Yoga for kids should be fun, imaginative, and focused on finding constructive ways to release energy. Here are some recommended yoga types and poses for children.

Tree Pose: Vrksasana

The tree pose is a foundational balancing pose that involves standing tall and strong like a tree. For a child with ADHD, this pose can directly target issues with concentration and balance. It requires the child to get into a drishti or fixed spot while maintaining single-point attention to keep their legs steady.

How to do it:

1. Stand tall like a mountain, with your child’s feet side-by-side.
2. Shift the weight onto the right foot while bending the opposite knee.
3. Place the sole of the right foot onto the inner ankle, calf, or thigh of the standing leg.
4. Bring the palms together in front of the chest as if in prayer.
5. Stare at the wall or floor and take a few deep breaths.

Cow/Cat Pose: Bitilasana/Majaryasana

This fun, animal-centric pose provides a gentle, rhythmic flow that involves arching the spine and coordinating movement with the breath. It teaches children with ADHD a breath-to-movement connection, which can be grounding and therapeutic.

How to do it:

1. Have your child start in a tabletop position—on their hands and knees, with the hands parallel to the shoulders and the knees aligned with the hips.
2. Ask your child to inhale deeply and drop their belly toward the floor. Lift the head and tailbone to look up like a happy cow.
3. Exhale slowly, then round the back up toward the ceiling like a cat hissing. Tuck the chin to the chest and pull the belly button toward the spine.
4. Repeat several times and make sure your child focuses on the breath and movement happening simultaneously.

Child’s Pose: Balasana

Child’s pose is the ultimate restful and self-soothing pose. It puts your child in a comforting shape that provides gentle pressure and sensory input. It’s a fantastic pose for children with ADHD, as it gives immediate de-escalation from stressful or triggering situations and allows them to self-regulate.

How to do it:

1. Ask your child to kneel on the floor with their knees together and their hips back onto their heels.
2. Fold the torso forward and let the chest rest on the thighs.
3. Gently rest the forehead on the floor and stretch the arms forward or rest them back alongside the body.
4. Take a few deep breaths in and out.

Downward-Facing Dog Pose: Adho Mukha Svanasana

This inverted V-shape pose makes for a really good stretch and strengthening exercise. It’s appropriate for children with ADHD because it provides calming sensory input. The mild inversion increases blood flow to the head, which promotes alertness and improves concentration.

How to do it:

1. Put your child in the tabletop position—on their hands and knees.
2. Tuck their toes under and lift the hips straight up toward the ceiling to make an inverted V shape with the body.
3. Keep a slight bend in the knees and press firmly into the hands while keeping the fingers spread wide. Let the head relax between the arms.

Eagle Pose: Garudasana

If your child is ready for a more complex pose, try the eagle pose. This pose requires wrapping the arms and legs to create intense concentration and internal focus. The act of wrapping forces the brain and body to communicate and coordinate.

How to do it:

1. Start standing, then bend the knees slightly as if about to sit in a chair.
2. Ask your child to shift their weight onto one foot while lifting the other foot to cross it over the standing leg. Wrap the raised foot around the calf of the standing leg.
3. Bring the arms straight out and cross the arm opposite the top leg over the other arm. Bend the elbows and wrap the forearms around each other so the palms touch.
4. Lift the wrapped elbows up and away from the chest. Find a fixed gazing spot and hold the squeeze for a few breaths.

Best Times to Use Yoga for ADHD Kids

We’ve established that yoga can do wonders for children with ADHD—but when is the best time to use it?

One of the best times for your child to practice yoga is before school starts. They can use it for 5 to 10 minutes immediately after waking up or before heading out the door. A short sequence of standing poses, like the tree or warrior pose, can make them alert and ready.

They can also use yoga after school to manage overstimulation. If they’ve had a long, tiring day, they can use yoga to release pent-up energy or “shake off” the stress.

Yoga is also a welcome practice before your child starts their homework. Children with ADHD often struggle with shifting mental gears. When they get home from school, a short yoga session focusing on balancing poses and repetitive movements can help “reboot” their brain.

Finally, another good time to use yoga for children with ADHD is before bedtime. Kids with ADHD have a notoriously difficult time turning the brain off after a day full of activity. Floor-based restorative poses, like the child’s pose, can help your child calm the nervous system and feel more relaxed for bed.

Tips for Making Yoga Engaging for Kids With ADHD

Yoga shouldn’t feel like a chore to your child. Instead, it should feel like a natural part of their day or a helpful way to calm down when feeling stressed. Below are some tips for making yoga sessions effective, fun, and consistent.

Model the practice as a parent

When parents practice yoga alongside their children, it takes a ton of pressure off! Your child won’t feel like they’re performing. Instead, it’ll turn into a shared bonding experience. Doing yoga with your child communicates to them that you value this activity as much as they should.

Keep sessions short and playful

Children with ADHD already struggle with focus and attention. Keep yoga sessions short and playful. Limit core practices to 5-15 minutes. If your child appears engaged, you can always ask them if they want to try one more pose.

Use visuals

If your child is a visual learner, extensive, colorful flashcards or posters with pictures of the poses can be helpful. You can also follow a guided video on yoga for kids. These also help your child learn poses with less assistance from an adult. It’ll give them a sense of autonomy and control.

Allow movement breaks

Sometimes your child gets distracted—but that doesn’t mean you have to stop the session! Instead, have movement breaks in between poses. You can ask your child to do a few jumping jacks or shake their entire body for a few seconds before starting the next pose.

Celebrate small wins

After every yoga session, give your child specific praise. For example, you might say, “You did a great job with that new pose! You’ve really worked on your balance and concentration.” You can also encourage your child by presenting non-verbal rewards, such as letting them choose the next pose or background music. Remember to put the focus on their efforts—not the outcome!

The Bottom Line

While yoga isn’t a “cure” for ADHD, it can be a fun and accessible tool for self-regulation. It doesn’t “dull” the energetic nature of a child with ADHD. Instead, it focuses that energy toward learning healthy habits.

Want to discover other ways to help your child cope with ADHD? Explore our ADHD worksheets to find activities that work for them.

Sources:

1. Lubans, D., Morgan, P., Cliff, D., Barnett, L., & Okely, A. “Fundamental Movement Skills in Children and Adolescents.” Sports Medicine, 2010.
2. A. Zaccaro et al. "How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018.