Take Your Brain to the Gym

From The Aquarian, Spring 1998 by KRISTI DORIAN

It's time to wake up your brain with "Brain Gym," a series of simple, relaxing, natural - and fun - exercises that get the mind "warmed up" for work.

The originator of Brain Gym, California educator Paul Dennison, Ph.D., began his observations and research in 1969, mostly on children with learning disabilities. In an effort to help them learn more easily, he explored applied kinesiology, yoga and a variety of other disciplines. His research led him to develop a discipline he calls educational kinesiology and the exercises he calls "Brain Gym." Dennison found these movements helped people of all ages, not just special needs kids.

Brain Gym is based upon three simple premises:

• Learning is a natural, joyous activity that continues throughout life.
• Learning blocks are simply an inability to move through the stress and uncertainty of a new task.
• We are all learning-blocked to the extent that we have been conditioned to inhibit our movements.

Dennison believes that when we become stressed or frustrated, areas of our brain tend to ‘‘shut down." His 26 Brain Gym exercises are devised to clear those emotional blocks. When the brain, thus unblocked, uses all its parts together, we learn faster and easier, stay creative and focused longer, are more alert (yet relaxed), and just plain feel better about ourselves.

Dennison’s work has been accepted and used all over the world. Here in Winnipeg, the Educational Kinesiology Learning Centre is operated by Paul Ruta and Margaret Heath. [Editors's update, 2003: Margaret Heath is no longer with the EKLC. She has moved on to BrainGym International.] The two educational kinesiologists (certified by Dennison) have presented Brain Gym workshops across Canada and the United States. They also offer training sessions and workshops locally, as well as individual evaluations and "balances." A balance involves choosing a goal or area in your life that you want to develop and then finding the Brain Gym movements that will help you achieve it.

Both Ruta and Heath have seen many examples of positive change in the lives of children and adults. For example, teachers and parents in Ste. Adolphe, Manitoba, decided to use Brain Gym in their school after attending a presentation by Ruta and Heath. The teachers found that the students’ memory and attention spans improved, and so did their math, reading and writing skills. This was true for all grade levels.

I learned about Brain Gym in June, 1997, when I attended Summer Art Sedona, a camp primarily for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. An-Ra-Nae Meders, a Brain Gym specialist was invited to the camp to teach the staff a three-day intensive workshop in Brain Gym activities. Right away I was intrigued by the concept and wanted to absorb as much as possible. Doing the movements was very awkward for me at first—a signal that I was unaligned and weak in some areas. I also felt rather silly doing them in a group.

I persevered, though, and reaped the benefits of increased alertness, improved balance, more flexibility, and feeling happier. We had many, many laughs!

At first, the kids thought it would be a waste of time to do these "exercises" before breakfast. They wanted to sleep instead. (That’s camp for you.) But after they learned what Brain Gym is really about, they proved eager to come and try it.

An-Ra-Nae also had us hum to the movements. This made it much more effective for me. The vibrations seemed to echo throughout my whole body. When you’re in a group and everyone is humming. you are totally immersed in that peaceful feeling of being energised inside and out.

I find that after an hour or two of sign language interpreting (my job when not working for The Aquarian), my body and mind can get bogged down with all the information I am processing. For relief when there’s a break in my work, I often will do Brain Buttons, the Neck Roll, Balance Buttons, or the Thinking Cap (see sidebar). These inconspicuous exercises effectively centre, focus, and relax my mind and body. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Brain Gym, go to www.braingym.org.za or www.braingym.org

To become a successful "brain gymnast," all you have to do is practise regularly, listen to your body and adjust the movements as necessary, experiment, create, and have fun! 

See also: