Brain Gym: 13 exercises that facilitate learning

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Brain Gym 13 exercises that facilitate learning
These simple physical exercises are “gymnastics for the brain.” They teach children and adults to calm down to gain mental effectiveness and overcome small fears.
Brain Gym 13 exercises that facilitate learning

Life is a continuous learning that should be joyful, but sometimes there are difficulties to adapt to new situations and acquire skills. Then attention is directed to the mind, as if the problem were hiding in some corner of the brain.

The brain gym (“brain gymnastics”) proposes to use movement to enhance learning capacity, as certain gestures improve coordination between the cerebral hemispheres, the circulation of vital energy and the harmonious integration of emotions and thoughts.

Brain gym techniques have their origin in knowledge developed by different disciplines, such as kinesiology, the Feldenkrais method, the Alexander technique and jin shin jyutsu. It collects theories of learning by psychologist Jean Piaget and educator Maria Montessori, as well as discoveries from optometry and neuroscience.

With them Paul and Gail Dennison delved into the so-called educational kinesiology, which studies the links between learning and movement.

BRAIN GYMNASTICS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Children especially benefit from brain gym techniques, which can be part of their study, relaxation and play habits. The effects are seen in skills needed to learn effectively, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, speaking, memorization, self-control and positive attitude.

Adults can improve their ability to function safely and effectively in activities or situations that presented them with difficulty.

On the other hand, people who spend too many hours in front of the computer helps them compensate for certain muscle tensions and stress on sight and the nervous system. Both children and adults perform the same exercises.

1. SWITCHING OFF I: MASSAGE ON THE COLLARBONES

The sessions begin by drinking a glass of water, among other things because it is essential for neuron communication. Daily stress causes information from the nervous system not to circulate properly, which generates problems of confusion and fatigue.

In kinesiology, this imbalance is called switching off. To solve it, the following three-step correction exercise can be carried out, which favors the flow of information through the three axes: left-right, up-down, and forward-backward. Spend about half a minute on each of them.

Place the fingers of one hand around the navel and exert light pressure. This hand that is around the navel remains still, while the other moves and with it we massage each time at a different point.

Start, while exerting that pressure around the navel, performing with the other hand a massage in and out under the collarbones: place the index and middle fingers under one of the clavicles and the thumb under the other.

For a matter of body polarity, it is advisable to repeat changing hands in each exercise.

2. SWITCHING OFF II: LIP MASSAGE

Keeping one hand on the navel, with the other rub then slightly above and below the lips.

Remember to repeat changing hands.

3. SWITCHING OFF III: COCCYX MASSAGE

Finally, in the third step of switching off, massage the coccyx with your knuckles up and down.

Repeat changed hands.

4. NEUROLYMPHATIC MASSAGE

With the tips of the fingers of the right hand massage the sternum, and with those of the left hand, the lower part of the ribs. This stimulates the kidney and spleen meridians, important for intellectual functions.

The massage lasts about 30 seconds. Attention: hands are not changed, that is, no massage is done on the right side.

5. CRANIOSACRAL DYNAMICS

This exercise acts on blood microcirculation to promote the arrival of nutrients and oxygen. Place your fingers on either side of the sagittal suture, at the top of your head. With firm pressure, move your hands away as if you wanted to separate into two parts. It is repeated 5 times.

6. CROSS MARCH

As if you were walking in place, alternate flexion and crossing hands and arms, so that they cross the lateral axis and the anterior-posterior (as in the image).

This exercise allows to integrate the two cerebral hemispheres, activating the neurons of the corpus callosumIn addition, being dynamic, it contributes to maintaining physical fitness.

7. CROSS MARCH II

In a session it is usual to perform different cross marches to reinforce the connection of hemispheres. At each step the knee is raised and crossed in front of the other leg, while the opposite arm is brought back, towards the hip of the leg that is raised.

8. HEART MERIDIAN

Exert gentle pressure by massaging into the center of the chest with one hand, and at the base of the skull with the other. This technique prepares the heart meridian for learning. Hold the pressure for 30 seconds.

9. HEART MERIDIAN II

The fingertips contact slightly with the highest point of the head. To find it, extend your palm by supporting the base above the eyebrows until you touch the end where the tip of your middle finger reaches. Then raise your palm as in the photo.

This exercise provides energy to the brain.

10. COOK ANCHOR I

Cross your arms and interlace your fingers (we can bring your hands to your chest), at the same time you cross your legs. The feet should be next to each other in parallel. With the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth we concentrate on breathing for two or three minutes.

Some visualization can also be performed.

11. COOK ANCHOR II

Uncross the legs so that the feet are parallel. Put in contact the tips of the fingers of the hands and remain so for about three minutes, breathing slowly and deeply, also with the tongue on the roof of the mouth. The trunk should not go backwards, the shoulders remain low and relaxed.

12. RELEASE OF EMOTIONAL TENSION

The purpose of this simple technique is to enhance the energy of the anterior part of the brain – the most rational – so as not to respond with the basic patterns of fear, anchored at the base of the brain.

Rest your head resting loosely on the other person’s legs and let them gently put their hands on your forehead. You should both concentrate on relaxed, deep breathing. It should be kept like this for four minutes.

The technique, which helps to integrate emotions, can also be applied on oneself in any relaxed position. While doing it, you can visualize what you intend to do well, whether it is an exam, a public talk or any other activity that the person has in mind.

13. DRINK WATER

The brain gym sessions end as they begin: calmly drinking a glass of water, an element necessary for the optimal functioning of the organism and symbol of “flow”: we want information and emotions to flow.

Brain gym instructors draw attention to the importance of performing exercises with intention and focused on breathing. The environment should be serene. Moreover, it is necessary to feed correctly. In this sense, it is generally advised, for example, to moderate the intake of sugars.

HOW BRAIN GYM EXERCISES WORK ON THE BRAIN

Paul Dennison wrote in 1986 his first book on brain gym, a technique that is applied today in more than 80 countries by specialized therapists, in order to introduce it into educational practice, sports, companies or health and personal development centers. As do Emilia Ferraris and Vicenç Claveria, who have consultations in Vilanova i la Geltrú and Barcelona.

Vicenç, who combines his work as a kinesiologist, mathematics teacher in secondary schools and teacher trainer, explains that he uses brain gym techniques both in the classroom and in individual therapy. It has been proven that they serve to improve concentration and to free yourself from emotional tensions.

Proof of their effectiveness is that students make them their own and put them into practice themselves when they need them. Children who come to his office because of their difficulties in following classes usually improve test results, as well as their self-esteem and their ability to express themselves.

“Every teaching context involves stress, because we feel judged,” explains Vicenç. The consequence is that one may feel blocked or incapable. The brain gym allows you to undo the blockage or difficulty through movement.

Dennison designed 26 simple exercises, many playful, suitable for children from 4 years of age and adults of all ages, which favor effective communication between different areas of the brain and the sensorimotor system. To do this, the exercises act on the three planes or axes where all action takes place:

  • Laterality works the connection between the right and left cerebral hemispheres. This communication is fundamental for the integration of visual and auditory fields, and for the ability to access rational thought.
  • Centering refers to the relationship between the upper and lower part of the body, which has to do with communication between the limbic system – the instinctive brain – and the neocortex, which plays important roles in functions such as the generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought and language.
  • The focus, on which the relationship between the front and back of the body depends, is decisive to maintain a posture that reflects confidence and openness to what happens in the environment.

WHY DOES IT WORK?

The effect of the techniques is explained by the existence of a body brain, formed by the network of nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems, which could have some link with the muscular system and the energy meridians described by traditional Chinese medicine. By stimulating this network, the exercises not only act on intellectual skills, but also on aspects such as managing emotions, stress or relationships with others.

The repetition of intentional movements causes the body’s response to become unconscious, so that, without knowing how, the person feels more competent in situations that previously caused insecurity.

One of Emilia’s patients, after a few sessions, dared to drive along one of the access roads to the city of Barcelona, an experience that until then caused her dread. Now, before getting into the car he switches Ng on (see exercise number 2) and anchors Cook (number 8) … and starts.

Dr. Carla Hannaford explains why brain gym exercises are effective. From research on child development, physiology and neuroscience, sensory experiences related to movement have been proven to affect memorization in the short and long term.

Therefore, he proposes that educators place less emphasis on intellectual routines and devote more attention to experimentation, physical movement and artistic expression.

The great virtue of brain gym is that it is an affordable and friendly technique, very suitable for doing it in a group or as a family, which can help you function better, with joy and security, in any circumstance.

A PERSONALIZED THERAPY

The brain gym offers each person the possibility of developing their full potential, respecting their rhythm and their unique characteristics. “Through kinesiological tests of muscle response, the instructor can choose the exercises that suit each person,” explains Emilia, which allows individualized and effective treatments.

These reflex tests allow the emotional or unconscious causes of the problems that lead the person to the consultation to surface. Therefore, in addition to the physical exercises, in the sessions there is an awareness that is reinforced with the realization of visualizations.

The technique was created to help children and adults with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but is currently a resource available to all types of professionals in sectors such as art, business, sports or personal development.

Vicenç explains the case of a dance teacher who incorporates the exercises into her classes. Emilia mentions other professionals, such as drawing teachers or sports coaches, and highlights the simplicity of the exercises, which can be performed in any place and circumstance, as well as the speed of the results.

Anyone interested in brain gym, without previous training, can take the basic course, taught by instructors certified by an international foundation represented in our country by the Spanish Association of Educational Kinesiology Brain Gym. This course lasts 32 hours and is the first of the four levels of teaching. Emilia and Vicenç recommend the basic course to parents and teachers. They can apply the techniques with their children, students or themselves.

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