brain gym exercises for kids & adults

8/11/2019 Brain Gym Exercises For Kids & Adults

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BRAIN GYMA simple series of exercises could help your brainfunction better, making you sharper, smarter andfar more confident. Brain Gym comprises veryeasy body movements which have been designedto coax the two hemispheres of the brain to workin synchronisation.

Apparently when our brains become balanced,our whole bodies respond, revitalising our naturalhealing mechanisms, restoring health andharmony. Brain Gym can do everything fromspeeding up your reading to boosting self-esteem.It can improve your eyesight and even increaseyour creativity. It gives you a cutting edge bothin the office and in your personal life, improvingcommunication skills, helping you make betterdecisions and even giving you a boost when

youre facing rejectio n or disappointment.

Brain Gym is the practical self-help side ofEducational Kinesiology, a system whichdeveloped out of work with dyslexia and learningdisabilities in children. Researcher Dr PaulDennison found that very simple body movementscould help to improve brain function. KayMcCarroll, whose dyslexia ruined her schooldays, now teaches and promotes the system in theUK. She says, It changed my life, quite literally;I cant put it strongly enough. At school I wasalways being told to try harder but I literallycouldnt work any harder. I was trying my level

best. Educational Kinesiology changedeverything. Now I have even written a book.

However Kay stresses that Brain Gym is not justfor children with learning difficulties; it can helpeveryone, Even those who think they have

perfectly normal brain function will find theexercises will help them perform even better.Brain Gym can help everyone get more out oftheir brains and more out of life.

USING BRAIN GYM: THE EXERCISES.The following are examples of key Brain Gymexercises. They are all very simple and each onlytakes

a few minutes at most. The more you use them,the more your brain will respond. However there

is one other important tip for improving your performance w hich doesnt even require performing an exercise. Drink masses of water,says Kay McCarroll. Apparently water isessential for the development of the nerve network

during learning. So keep a bottle of water onyour desk and sip it throughout the day.

BELLY BREATHING:

Place your hands on your abdomen.Exhale through your mouth in short little puffs, asif you are keeping a feather in the air, until yourlungs feel empty.

Now inhale deeply, filling yourself like a balloon beneath your hand. (By arching your backslightly you can take in even more air.)

Then slowly and fully exhale. Repeat thisinhalation and exhalation, establishing a naturalrhythm, during the course of three or more

breaths.

** This improves the supply of oxygen to theentire body. It relaxes the central nervous systemwhile

increasing your energy levels. It can help improve both reading and speaking abilities.

BRAIN BUTTONS:Rest one hand over your navel.With the thumb and fingers ofthe other hand, feel for the twohollow areas under thecollarbone, about one inch out

from the centre of the chest.Rub these areas vigorously for30 seconds to one minutes, asyou look from left to right.


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** This stimulates the carotid arteries whichsupply freshly oxygenated blood to the brain.They help re-establish directional messages from

parts of the body to the brain, improving reading,writing, speaking and the ability to followdirections.

THE CALF PUMP:

Stand arms length away from a wall and placeyour hands shoulder-width apart against it.

Extend your left leg straight out behind you, sothe ball of your foot is on the floor and your heelis off the floor. Your body is slanted at a 45degree angle.

Exhale, leaning forward against the wall, whilealso bending your right knee and pressing yourleft heel against the floor. Inhale andraiseyourself back up, while relaxing and raisingthe left heel.

Repeat three or more times. Then alternate to theother leg and repeat.

** Improves concentration, attention,comprehension and allows you to join in activitiesmore fully.

COOKS HOOK -UPS:Start by sitting in a chair, resting your left ankleon top of your right knee.

Grasp your left ankle with your right hand and the ball of your right foot with your right hand.

As you inhale, place your tongue flat against theroof of your mouth, about one-quarter of an inch

behind your front teeth. Relax your tongue as youexhale. Close your eyes and rest in this posturefor four to eight complete breaths.

Now uncross your legs, placing your feet flat onthe floor. Lightly steeple the fingertips of bothhands together, as if you were enclosing a ball.

Keep your eyes closed as you continue to lift yourtongue on the inhalation and lower it on theexhalation, relaxing in this position during thecourse of four to eight complete breaths.** This exercise connects the two hemispheres ofthe brain and strengthens the bodys electricalenergy, particularly in stressful environments suchas offices. Reported benefits are increased vitalityand improved self-esteem.

CROSS-CRAWL:Standing up, march in

place, alternately

touching each hand tothe opposite knee.

Continue during thecourse of four to eightcomplete, relaxed

breaths.

** This exercise iswonderful forimproving reading,

listening, writing and memory. It co-ordinates thewhole brain.


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EARTH BUTTONS:Rest two fingers ofone hand under yourlower lip. Place theheel of the other handon yournavel, with fingers

pointing downwards.Breathe deeply as youlook at the floor.Moving only youreyes, look graduallyfrom the floor to the

ceiling, then down again. Repeat this for three ormore breaths, as you entire body and eyes relax.

** This stimulates the brain and relieves mental

fatigue. It also helps to enhance your ability tofocus on near objects.

THE ENERGISER:Sit on a chair in frontof a table, resting yourforehead between yourhands on the table top.Exhale fully.

Now, while slowly

lifting your head,inhale deeply, breathing into the base

of your spine.Your torso andshoulders should stay relaxed. As you exhale,tuck your chin down onto your chest and beginmoving your head down toward the table, whilelengthening the back of your neck. Rest yourhead on the table as you relax and

breathe deeply. Repeat three or more times.

** This keeps the back muscles toned and thespine supple, flexible and relaxed. It improves

posture and concentration and isvery useful for those who workat desks and computers.

THE ENERGY YAWN:As you begin to yawn, lightly

press the fingertips of each handagainst any tight spots you feelwhere your cheeks cover yourupper and lower molars.

Make a deep, relaxed, yawning sound while

gently stroking away any tension.Repeat three or more times.

** This relaxes the jaw, releasing tension and alsostimulates and relaxes the eyes. It is said to evenimprove creativity, as there is a relationship

between ease of jaw motion and ease ofexpression.

THE GROUNDER:Stand with your legs a little less than one leg-length apart. Point your left foot straight ahead ofyou; point your right foot towards the right.

Now bend your right knee as you exhale, keepingthe left knee straight. Your body should facesquarely to the front. Do the movement over threeor more complete breaths, then repeat facing theopposite direction.

** This increases comprehension, short-termmemory, self-expression and organisational skills.

LAZY EIGHTS:Extend one armstraight out infront of you,with the thumb

pointing towardthe ceiling. In

the air, smoothlyand slowly tracethe shape of a

large figure 8 on its side.

As you draw the 8, focus your eyes on yourthumb, keeping your head upright, facing forwardand moving only slightly. Start tracing your 8 by

beginning at eye level. Move your arm up andover to the left, around and back to centre, then tothe right.

Do three full 8s with one hand, then three with theother and finally three with both hands claspedtogether.

** This integrates both visual fields, improving balance and co-ordination. Many people report better vision after this exercise.

NECK ROLLS:While breathing deeply, relax your shoulders anddrop your head forward. Close your eyes whileslowly and easily rolling your head from side toside.
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At any point of tension,relax your head whilemaking small circles withyour nose and breathingfully. Do three or morecomplete side to sidemotions.

** Improves breathing,relaxation of vocal cords (formore resonant speech).Helps all kinds of

verbalising or thinking.

POSITIVE POINTS:Above the centre of each eyebrow and halfway tothe hairline, you will find a slight indentation.Lightly place three fingers of each hand on each

of these indentations.

Close your eyes and hold the points lightly, pulling the forehead slightly taut, during thecourse of six to ten slow complete breaths.

** These points diffuse the fight or flight reflex,releasing emotional stress. Touching these pointsallows a more rational response to stressfulsituations.

THE ROCKER: Sit on a padded

surface (usea mat ortowels) onthe floorwith yourknees bentand your

feettogether in

front of you.

Lean back, with your weight on your hands andhips. Rock yourself in small circles, or back andforth, as you focus on melting away tension inyour hips and back of legs.

** This increases the flow of cerebrospinal fluidto the brain, thus improving the ability to focus,concentrate and comprehend.

SPACE BUTTONS:Rest two fingers above yourupper lip. Place your other hand,

pointing downward, on yourlower back, with your fingertipstouching the tailbone.

Breathe deeply as you look up atthe ceiling. Gradually lower

your gaze to the floor, then look up at the ceilingagain. Repeat three or more times as your eyesand the rest of your body relax.

** Holding these points improves attention, focus,motivation and intuition for decision-making.

THINK OF AN X:Close your eyes and

visualise the letter X. Notice how your vision islike the X your eyes co-ordinate to connect left,right, upper and lowervisual fields around a pointof focus.

Also notice the X-likesymmetry and organisation

within your own body, as each hip co-ordinates

with each shoulder.

** The X reinforces whole-brain and whole-bodyco-ordination for ease of thought, communicationand performance.

THE THINKING CAP:

With one hand at the top of each ear, gently

unroll the curved parts of the outer edges of both ears at the same time. Continue all the wayto the bottom of the ears. Repeat three or moretimes.


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** This helps you tune out distracting noises, itincreases listening ability, short-term memory andabstract thinking skills.

THE SEVEN-MINUTE TUNE-UP.This is a simple series of Brain Gym activitieswhich should be performed every morning. Bydoing the tune-up every day before work, you willfeel better and function better than you ever have

before, says Paul Dennison.

You can also use the tune-up anytime during theday when you need an energy boost or wheneveryou need to feel at your absolute best. Use theseexercises: Belly breathing; Brain buttons; Cookshook-ups; Positive points; Cross-crawl.

GIVE YOUR BRAIN A BOOST.

We all have times during the day when we needsome extra help. Use the brain gym exercisessuggested below for those tricky times.

STAYING CALM: Earth buttons; Cooks hook -ups; Positive points.

PROBLEM SOLVING: Cross-crawl; Balance buttons; Neck rolls; Positive points.

KEEPING POSITIVE: Positive points; Cooks

hook-ups, Balance buttons.

GOAL-SETTING: Brain buttons; Cross-crawl;Cooks hoo k-ups.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: The energy yawn; theThinking cap; Cross- crawl; Cooks hook -ups;Positive points.

BEING ASSERTIVE: Positive points; Cookshook-ups; Balance buttons.

BEFORE DRIVING: Balance buttons; Lazy 8s;Cooks hook -ups; Positive points.

BOOSTING SELF-ESTEEM: Positive points;Cooks hook -ups; Balance buttons.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY: Positive points;Think of an X; Belly breathing.

DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: Positive points; Cooks hook -ups.

KEEPING A SENSE OF HUMOUR; TheRocker; Thin king cap; Energy yawn; Cooks

hook-ups.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY: Calf pump; Lazy 8s; Energy yawn.KEEPING ENTHUSIASTIC: Cooks hook -ups;Calf pump.

SPEED READING: Calf pump; Cross-crawl;Lazy 8s; Think of an X.

HANDLING REJECTION: Belly breathing; Neck rolls; Energy yawn; Positive points; Cookshook-ups.

brain gym exercises for kids & adults

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