Where ADHD Brains
Thrive
Through Movement & Play!
Brain-based learning for wrigglers, creatives and rebels who think differently. Build focus and cultivate calm with practices designed for your ADHD brain.
Photography Lisa Tse
How we manage ADHD symptoms with Mindfulness
A practical, lived approach to mindfulness and emotional regulation. This isn’t about sitting still or following rigid rules, it’s about finding what works for you, in your real life. To live a life of peace and joy, learning to love your ADHD, train your brain and soothe your emotions is essential. Our holistic approach combines mindfulness and compassion, delivered in ADHD brain friendly ways.
Movement-Based
Not everyone learns by sitting still. We integrate movement, creativity, and embodied practice, because your body is part of your mind.
Brain-Informed
Grounded in neuroscience and psychology, our practices are designed to work with how your brain actually functions.
Practical & Lived
This isn't theory, it's mindfulness as it's lived. Practices that fit into real life, for people navigating the complexities of the modern world.
Take advantage of Dr Tamara Russell’s clinical psychology and neuroscience expertise, as well as others who bring years of experience in therapy, mindfulness and practically applied neuroscience.
Featured Course
Mindfulness for ADHD Wrigglers, Creatives & Rebels
With Dr Tamara Russell
This course introduces mindfulness practices designed specifically for ADHD minds, creatives, and those who find traditional meditation difficult. Rather than focusing solely on stillness, it works with attention through the moving body, making the practices more accessible and practical.
The course draws on Dr Tamara Russell’s 25 years of clinical experience and explores how attention, focus, and awareness can be developed in ways that support everyday life, relationships, and emotional regulation.
ADHD-Friendly
Therapy Essentials & Movement practices
Science-Backed
Neuroscience informed
Further Learning with The Dragon Academy
The Dragon Academy offers brain-based learning resources for ADHD, creatives, and neurodivergent thinkers. Find practical ways to build focus, emotional regulation, and wellbeing that actually work for you.
Dragons Under the Moon Gatherings
Being Mindful with ADHD and Menopause
World Tai Chi Day - Move Mindfully with Us
What Our Past Students Have to Say
Things We Should
Have Been Taught at School
The Dragon Academy was born from a simple question: What if mindfulness could be accessible to everyone, not just those who fit a particular mould?
Founded by Dr Tamara Russell, someone with ADHD who found traditional practices frustrating and inaccessible. This approach is different by design. It’s for the wrigglers, the creatives, the people who need to move to think, and for anyone who’s ever felt like mindfulness wasn’t for them.
Explore Courses
View Events
Featured Books
Dr Tamara Russell’s books on movement and neuroscience based mindfulness approach. Great for minds that think differently. Practical, brain-friendly approaches to focus and wellbeing.
Mindfulness in Motion
A science-informed guide to movement-based mindfulness, explaining how and why working with the body can help develop present-moment awareness, especially for those who struggle with traditional seated meditation.
What Is Mindfulness?
A clear introduction to mindfulness that separates fact from myth, explaining how and why it supports mental health and awareness, grounded in science and clinical practice.
Trusted By
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about how things work? Find answers about our learning platform, account setup, accessibility, and how to get the most from your Dragon Academy experience.
Who are these courses and programs for?
We offer these courses to anyone who wants the benefits of mindfulness (better attention, focus and emotion regulation) but who has struggled with the typical ways of teaching. This tends to be the ADHD Wrigglers, those with creative “galaxy” minds, and mindfulness rebels who just want to do things differently. The courses and offerings arose from Dr. Tamara’s work sharing her Body in Mind Training approach with individuals from many different backgrounds, those who can’t, won’t or don’t want to sit on a cushion to train. This includes those with speedy minds, strong emotions, busy carers/parents, health professionals and leaders.
What is Body in Mind Training?
Body in Mind Training (BMT) is a movement based mindfulness training that integrates training in executive functioning (attention, inhibition etc) with emotion regulation. It is a “next generation” mindfulness based intervention that incorporates insights from neuroscience, creativity and transpersonal psychology. This means a holistic approach that covers the bio, psycho, social and spiritual domains. Context sensitive and highly flexible, the principles of BMT forms the basis of all of Dr. Tamara’s clinical work.
Why train with Us?
Dr. Tamara is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who faced her own challenges trying to do mindfulness the “usual” way (still, on a cushion). She understands from a personal and professional perspective how hard it is (at first) to train and tame a busy mind in a body that feels emotions deeply and intensely. With a neuroscience background, she was able to determine which brain networks to train to support executive functioning and emotion regulation. She is a fearless mindfulness innovator and creative who has worked over decades “Doing Mindfulness Differently”. Her mission is to share the tools and techniques she offers in her individual work to as wide an audience as possible.
What symptoms of ADHD does mindfulness help with?
When you work with the moving body you are training the brain’s braking system (impulsivity). The moving body offers a simple, concrete anchor to support the brain’s attention networks and train your focus. Creative ways to engage with strong emotions support the development of emotional intelligence. Development of self-compassion through conscious movement and care of the body supports the development of compassion for other wounded parts. ADHD is a blend of executive functioning and emotional challenges. Mindfulness, with adaptations, allows us to really get to know our bodies and minds so we can take care, thrive and be free to be our true unapologetic selves.
What learning platform do you use?
We are using a platform called Sutra. We chose this platform as it was designed by people who are passionate about transformational learning and community. We also love the name!
Do I actually have to sign up and make an account?
If you just wish to browse the open spaces there is no need. To register for free community events and access the interactive features (like saving events to your calendar and contributing to community chats) you will need to sign up. For anything paid, like courses or membership, you will need to sign up.
Is the learning platform easy to use?
The platform is relatively easy to use. Like any new environment, it may take a bit of time to get familiar with all the features. The more you use it the easier it gets. Once you are inside the Dragon Academy Sutra “Space” as it is called there is lots of support in the form of videos and more specific FAQs about profile set up, settings and navigation etc. Sutra also has easy to follow guides and support for participants. You can also always reach out at any time and ask for help.
Can I use the platform on my phone?
Sutra does have a phone app option which you can find in the Google Play or Apple stores. Please note however, that it was originally designed for laptops, so occasionally we find there might be some features that may glitch a bit. If you notice anything not working, do let us know as the Sutra team are super responsive and always try to help and upgrade things that come to their attention.
Does the platform use passwords and logins?
You will need to create a username and login to access Sutra. But if you forget your passwords do not worry! They have a magic link option to quickly give you access.
Does Sutra have its own Privacy Policy?
Yes it does – you can find their Privacy Policy here. You can also read their Terms of Service here.