Brain Gym!!!!!!

What is Brain Gym?

Brain Gym is made of simple and fun kinesthetic activities that enhance the overall learning experience of any individual by stimulating and activating specific pathways in the brain. In other words, it's a workout for your brain. Which also means that the more you do it, the more you will improve your overall performance as a learner and as a thinking individual.

I practice Brain Gym with my students and teach them how to use the exercises for when they need to prepare themselves for specific tasks. For example, there are activities to stimulate your brain for writing before a test; or prepare your brain to focus on a problem; or prepare your brain to listen to important information during a class/lesson. Different activities and movements have different effects on your brain.

I also use these activities to set the mood in my classroom. First period of the day, students might be sleepy and some of these activities are aimed to wake your brain up and prepare you for active learning. It raises the attention level. A class might also come in with too much energy. If students are "hyper", they can't focus on their work. In this case, I use Relaxation and Deep Breathing activities to help them calm down quickly so we can get to work!

These activities and techniques allow me to create the mood and the state of mind I need students to be in in order to learn efficiently the skills I'm helping them develop/acquire. Spending 2-3 minutes of class time practicing these activities actually allow them to give their full attention to the material they are learning. They do notice a difference!!!!! They see the difference it makes in the way they feel!!!! I now see students getting ready to go in someone else's class for a test and practice the Brain Gym exercises I taught them before they go in.

Brain Gym is a tool they learn to master and use for their own benefit. Once they know how to do it, they are in charge of it!!!!!

In addition to Brain Gym, I add Relaxation and Meditation techniques to the activities I practice with students. Nowadays life is busy, demanding and stressful! In order for the brain to function at its best, it is essential to calm your body and focus your mind. Stress reduces intellectual performance and leads to exhaustion and depression!
Relaxation, Meditation and Brain Gym, with a healthy diet and lifestyle, leads to higher self-esteem, higher performance in every aspect of one's life, well being and happiness!

I truly believe in these techniques and the positive effect they have on any individual who practices them regularly. I would love to tell you more about it!

But first............. What do you think??

Related articles:
Brain Gym:
http://www.braingym.org/
http://esl.about.com/od/englishlessonplans/a/braingym.htm
http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/adhd/pederson.htm

Meditation and learning:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/14/opinion/rmed.php

http://www.tm.org/discover/benefits/students.html

http://media.www.wilkesbeacon.com/media/storage/paper533/news/2008/09/30/Lifestyles/Campus.Meditation.Options.Aim.To.Relieve.Student.Stress-3455966.shtml

http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=12290