I came to yoga long before my diagnosis but now realise that it was largely my ADHD mind that was so soothed when I started to practise regularly and that that was what kept me coming back for more.
I first started attending a regular class when travelling in Australia in my early 20s. I was travelling alone and loved the novelty of it but definitely felt at sea at times being so far from home. The weekly yoga class held in a dimly lit studio in Broome helped to soothe my nervous system and helped me to feel more grounded. I noticed that I felt ‘in’ my body almost for the first time. The effects often lasted at least a couple of days and started to build over time. When I returned home I came in and out of my practice for years. In my late 20s I found my way back to a more regular practice. I was doing a masters degree which had my brain a little frazzled and I found the more I did yoga the more I was able to focus and stay calm. Since then yoga has been a huge support for me. I love learning about different styles and different pranayama/breath-work that can give me a reset where needed. I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until a couple of years ago following the birth of my son but I realise now how much yoga has helped me to regulate over the years. I wish I had found it sooner which is what motivates me to teach it to younger people.
Yoga tends to be very regulating for neurodiverse people and there is research to back up the positive effects it can have over time. Some theorise that ADHD is in fact a trauma response and whether you go along with that or not, it stands to reason that the mind-body connection that yoga can provide can be very healing.
I plan to run some workshops in the next few months where I share what yoga practices I find most useful as somebody who both has ADHD and has taught many people who have also have ADHD.