ADD/ADHD

Meditation and relaxation can help children with ADD and ADHD

Here are some simple breathing exercises and a great calming down exercise.

Peace Breaths
Take in a deep breath and as you breathe in, feel as if you are breathing in peace. Feel your whole body filling up with this wonderful feeling of peace. Now, breathe out and send this feeling of peace into the room. Repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times. (Try this with love, gentleness, happiness, etc)


Balloon Exercises

Imagine you are blowing up a balloon. Take in a deep breath, and steadily and slowly blow up your huge balloon. See the balloon getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Now close your eyes and imagine the balloon floating into the air. As you stand there, feel yourself becoming very quiet and peaceful. Repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times.
(Blow up the balloon, fill it with cross thoughts, put it on the floor and stamp on it.)

ROBOT

Close your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are a robot. Your whole body is made of metal. Your body is very stiff and strong. There are lights on your arms and legs and stomach which are flashing brightly. The robot also makes all sorts of beeping and bleeping noises. It is a
very noisy robot. Now you are going to see if you can switch the robot off and make every part of your body completely still. Start with your right leg: bring
all your attention to your right leg. Can you see the light flashing on your right leg? See if you can switch it off with your mind and watch as the light goes off.
Your right leg becomes totally still and goes to sleep. Now switch off the light on your left leg and feel your left leg going to sleep and becoming totally still. Can you see the light on your tummy flashing? Switch off this light
and make it very very still inside. Bring all your attention to the flashing light on your chest. Switch it off with your mind and let your chest go to sleep. Now do the same to your arms. Turn off the light on your right arm, and let that arm become still and go to sleep. Turn off the light on your left arm, and let that arm become still and go to sleep.Finally, turn off the switch on your forehead and let it go to sleep. Switch off your mouth, switch off your nose and switch off your eyes. Feel your eyelids becoming heavier and heavier and heavier as they relax and fall asleep. Your whole body has fallen asleep. You should feel very still now. See
how still you can make your robot body. Don't forget that if you move anything the lights will go back on - so stay as still as you can. Repeat to yourself I am still I am still I am still.

Extract from The Wishing Star book and Quiet Spaces CD