Have You Heard of Brain GymŪ?
By Cecilia (Freeman) Koester
Brain Gym is a system that uses simple movements to stimulate
brain function. That is, it uses quick, easy-to-do
developmental movements to wake up the brain without stress
or injury. Children naturally explore these movements as they
grow and mature. However, under tension, children learn to
rely too much on one cerebral hemisphere of the brain alone,
instead of two sides together, placing unnecessary and
stressful demands upon the whole physiology. Educator Paul E.
Dennison, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of learning through
movement and the creator of the Brain Gym program calls this
the "switched off" state.
Children who have special needs "switch off" more frequently
than the average child. Perhaps the stress from neurological
damage or simply a more sensitive nervous system creates a
need for movements, such as Brain Gym, as well as skills of
coordination. The intention behind the Brain Gym is to
stimulate the brain so that the child has equal access to all
dimensions of the brain. The Brain Gym activities address
three specific dimensions of physical movement that correlate
with three areas of the brain. Each dimension is described by
a key word or function and by viewing postural and behavioral
correlates. This means that by observing the child’s
behavior or how he/she holds his/her body in space, we are
lead to the appropriate Brain Gym movements and activities.
Other information that would lead to knowledge about which
Brain Gym movements or which activities to choose can be
gathered by observing or noticing neurological soft signs.
These can be eye or head movements, hand or foot movements.
Also, if the child is able to move his/her shoulders and
simultaneously move the hips, or, if the child can move in a
contralateral way, though uses only one side of the body at a
time, then we are able to gather information about the
neurological system. They are called "soft signs" because
there is no hard evidence from an EEG or a CAT scan; rather
we are relying on the cues from the body to surmise how the
neurological system is responding. The three dimensions and
corresponding information are as follows:
|
Dimension
|
Key Word
|
Brain Gym
Movements
|
|
Focus
|
Comprehension
|
Lengthening Activities
|
|
Centering
|
Organization
|
Energy Exercises
|
|
Laterality
|
Communication
|
Midline Movements
|
An example of a Brain Gym movement from the Energy Exercises
is called the "thinking cap." Prior to doing it, however, I
invite you (right now) to turn your head to the left and see
how far you can look and notice if there is any tension in
your neck. Now turn your head to the right and notice how far
you can look and if there’s any tension in your neck.
Massage your ears by unrolling the fold of them by beginning
at the top and going all the way to the bottom. Do this three
times. (In Brain Gym, we call this the "thinking cap.") Now,
turn your head to the left and notice how far you can look
and if there is any tension in your neck; and repeat with
your head towards the right. Most of you (98%) will notice a
very positive difference in your ability to turn your head.
You’ve just relaxed your mind/body system so that you
are better able to organize yourself as witnessed by your
body’s ability to subconsciously organize itself so
that turning your head is easier. This is how simple, yet
profound the Brain Gym movements are. As we experience this
gentle, non-invasive techniques for stimulating the brain,
imagine how the child might feel.
If you were to do some Lengthening Activities with your
child, the brain will respond and he/she will become more
able to focus. For example, in Brain Gym we have a movement
called the "calf pump." It is similar to the "runners’
stretch." Extend your right leg behind you and as the heel is
touching the floor, hold it down for approximately 8 seconds
and release. Repeat 7-8 times and then repeat with the other
leg. This should take about one minute on each leg. This
movement stimulates the brain by using the body and
subsequently the neurological flow increases and we are able
to comprehend our task with greater ease.
To improve communication between one side of the body and the
other (or one person and another), we can do a Midline
Movement. For example, we can do a cross crawl. This movement
is done standing, sitting or lying down by taking your left
arm and crossing over the midline of your body to touch your
right knee, and vice versa. Do this for approximately one
minute, as slowly as possible, because the more slowly we go,
the more the brain is able to absorb or use the information.
When we do this movement, the hemispheres of the brain are
activated and we are better able to communicate. After doing
these movements and activities, the brain is stimulated and
the rest of the body is more relaxed. Through this
preparatory experience, we are then able to engage in the
learning that is at hand. For example, if we would like our
child to eat with a spoon, drink from a cup, reduce seizure
activity, learn to walk, ride a bike or read with greater
ease, we might do two or three minutes of Brain Gym designed
to stimulate related areas of the brain, and then move into
the learning that we intend to accomplish. The Brain Gym
activities are best spread out during the day, just as we
divide our meals throughout the day. Brain Gym is not a
cure-all; it is however a very powerful tool to have as a
methods/techniques intervention.
I have seen miraculous improvement in both children and
adults who have used Brain Gym. In fact, three children with
whom I’ve worked have gone from blindness to sight. One
child began to walk independently at age five and, now seven
and a half years old, has never returned to his wheelchair. A
nine year old boy diagnosed as autistic, who previously used
two words to express himself, began using functional speech
after just three months of using Brain Gym. One five-year-old
boy who was having intense and frequent seizures (about three
times a week) decreased his seizure activity to twice a
month, and the intensity was also significantly diminished.
A more in-depth understanding of how to use Movement
Based Learning for children of all abilities can be learned
by:
• Attending a 3-day
workshop taught by Cecilia Koester
• Attending a
teacher-in-service taught by Cecilia
Koester
• Scheduling a private
consultation with Cecilia Koester
• Scheduling a phone
consult with Cecilia Koester
• Scheduling a video
consult with Cecilia Koester