![]() ![]() This often has to be carried out in stages: Make it more fun by having the client clap while moving around the figure of eight in time to music.įor added motor integration, combine the cross crawl with the Lazy 8. Varying the space between the hoops elongates or enlarges the figure eight. I love to use two hoops placed side by side on the floor to provide a visual cue. ![]() The Lazy 8 can also be carried out as a motor activity, having the client walk, skip, or run around a figure eight. It can be used in several different formats – using the eyes, drawing the figure of 8 in the appropriate orientation, and in motion, as we shall see shortly. The repeated action of the Lazy 8 is also very calming. It can be used to improve ocular motor function, which assists with reading, and crossing the mid-line improves integration between the two hemispheres of the brain. In Brain Gym terms, the Lazy 8 turns on or activates the eyes while also crossing the mid-line. One that I use a lot is the Lazy 8 – a figure eight that lies on its side like the infinity sign. Although there is a specific process to follow, many of the exercises are both beneficial and transferable into a regular OT session. I began with Brain Gym I and II and loved the fact that the two trainers in South Africa were experienced occupational therapists trained in both SI and NDT.īrain Gym is wonderful for assisting with goal setting, whole brain learning, stress release, and re-patterning. Little did I know that it would become an integral part of much of my OT practice. This all leads to easier and more pleasurable learning.Īccording to the Brain Gym website, Brain Gym exercises recall the movements naturally done during the first years of life when learning to coordinate the eyes, ears, hands and whole body.I came across Educational Kinesiology in the early 1990s when searching for tools or techniques to help healing from a chronic illness. By doing these movements, and holding or rubbing specific points of the body (the so-called ‘energy points’), you’ll get your energy flowing again – and blockages and tension in the body as well as in the mind will disappear as stress is reduced. They’re all activities and movements that help coordinate the right and left sides of the brain, so the two sides can work together in a balanced way.ĭennison understood that when the right and left sides of the brain and body aren’t coordinated, people might suffer from learning difficulties, poor concentration, dyslexia and ADHD.īrain Gym is helpful to improve coordination and release learning and energy blockages. They include crawling, drawing, tracing symbols in the air, yawning and breathing. Some exercises are for centering, some are for focusing, and some are to correct laterality (right/left) problems. On the premise that learning isn’t an isolated brain function, and that our bodies are as much a part of the learning process as the brain, he concludes, “movement the door to learning”.īrain Gym is a set of 26 simple, powerful activities designed to make it easier for people to relax, focus, practice attentiveness to their surroundings, and control impulses while strengthening the neural connections throughout the entire brain. He calls this experience being ‘switched off’, and created Brain Gym exercises to switch the brain back on and get it working in an integrated way again. Dennsion worked as a public school teacher and reading specialist until he discovered a trend - when children or adults are under stress, certain parts of their brains become less active. The word ‘kinesiology’ means movement and educational kinesiology simply means “learning through movement.”īrain Gym was created in the 1980’s by Dr. “Educational Kinesiology” (or Brain Gym) might be one way to jumpstart your innate curiosity and your natural tendency to learn. So if learning doesn’t feel as effortless for you - maybe it’s time to rediscover the joyride (especially since it’s a process that continues throughout life!). When we get a little older, we can start to forget the joy inherent in learning something new. Observe any infant or toddler and you will be amazed at how quickly and effortlessly they can absorb so much. Is there such a thing as enjoyable learning? We often believe yes, but only sometimes and only for some people.īut shouldn’t learning be always learning fun and easy? After all, it’s a process we take to naturally. ![]()
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