I began meditating last year after stumbling on the FitMind app. It has been life changing, helping me to stay more centered especially in the face of daily life/work stress. This state of mind is something I’ve been searching for decades, but haven’t quite found it until now. I’ve tried Meditation before and found it only modestly helpful, but the teaching techniques in Fitmind are very approachable, comprehensive, and effective.
I have introduced my two children, one of whom has ADHD, to the Foundation I and II program and the sleep modules. However, for a child (or an adult) with ADHD the breath focus techniques are very challenging, as is meditation overall. I’m seeking guided meditation techniques that can help in this situation - and ones that can help my child see the value and gain benefit in meditation, even if only just planting a seed to continue the journey.
I’ve started trying mixing in practices from the “Being Integrated” youtube channel with Fitmind sessions to see if I can find something that will stick. Any suggestions from the community would be appreciated.
Jake
Hi Jake, welcome! I’m with you on the part about searching for this kind of thing for decades and finally feeling like something clicked. I can 100% relate to that!
It’s also really wonderful that you’re introducing your children to meditation. How old are they? If you don’t mind me asking.
I think your instinct about breath focus is right. For some people, especially folks with ADHD or very active minds, starting with the breath can feel frustrating or overly effortful. That doesn’t mean meditation isn’t a fit for them, just that a different doorway may work better. Personally, I don’t have ADHD, but I just didn’t like breath focus. The FitMind app really clicked for me when we got to natural awareness. I was reading Eckhart Tolle at the time and his teach focuses on being present. That’s what natural awareness felt like to me in practice.
I’ve also noticed that more sensory or body-based practices can sometimes be a better point of focus. Things involving movement, sound, visualization, or external anchors often seem easier to engage with initially than “sit still and follow the breath.” Even walking meditations or practices that encourage curiosity and exploration can help meditation feel more “interesting”.
I’ve heard from quite a few adults with ADHD who eventually came to love meditation once they found a style that matched their nervous system better. In the Foundations modules on the app, it’s bit like a smorasboard of different styles. Maybe go through those again (skipping the breath-based ones) and see if anything feels better to you/them to pursue more deeply.
And last but not least, if you haven’t given the 30 Days of Bliss modules a try, I’d highly recommend them. It goes deep into metta, a “feel-good” style of meditation, that can very seamlessly be brought into everyday life.
I don’t have ADHD myself, but one thing that helped me stick with meditation was letting go of the idea that it had to look a certain way or that I even had to be sitting formally for a certain amount of time.
For a while I thought a “real” meditation session meant sitting perfectly still and focused the whole time. Once I stopped measuring it like that, things got easier and more interesting.
With kids especially, I think consistency matters more than depth early on. Even five minutes where they feel a little more settled, aware, or connected might be planting the seed you’re talking about.
I also think there’s value in letting them see the effects in you rather than trying to convince them directly. Kids pick up on that stuff more than we realize. It’s great you’re introducing them to it.
