Effect of a Twelve-Week Yoga Asana and Yoga Nidra Intervention on Overall ADHD Symptoms in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood, and concern about the adverse effects of stimulant medication has increased interest in non-pharmacological options such as yoga. Whether physical postures (Yoga Asana) and guided relaxation (Yoga Nidra) differ in their effect on ADHD symptoms is not well established.

Objective: To compare the effect of a twelve-week Yoga Asana and a twelve-week Yoga Nidra programme on the overall symptom burden of children with ADHD, relative to a control group.

Methods: From 56 children identified with ADHD on the ADHD Behaviour Rating Scale (ADHD-BR), 50 aged 7–12 years were enrolled and randomly allocated, in a pre-specified 2:2:1 ratio using computer-generated random numbers, to a Yoga Asana group (n = 20), a Yoga Nidra group (n = 20) or a waitlist control group (n = 10). Overall symptoms were measured by the ADHD Total Score (the sum of the inattention and hyperactivity–impulsiveness subscales) before and after the twelve-week programme. Forty-six children completed the study. A 3 (group) × 2 (gender) analysis of covariance was applied, with the pre-test score as covariate.

Results: The group effect was significant, F(2, 39) = 13.93, p < .001, ηp² = .42. Both the Yoga Nidra group (p < .001) and the Yoga Asana group (p = .001) had significantly lower adjusted total scores than the control group, while the two intervention groups did not differ from each other (p = .31). Gender and the group-by-gender interaction were non-significant.

Conclusion: Both yogic practices significantly reduced overall ADHD symptoms and were comparably effective. Yoga offers a promising, low-cost, school-compatible support for children with ADHD.