Brain gym exercises are used as a way to stimulate learning and concentration, through the mental-physical link that exists between the brain and entire body’s nervous system. By stimulating physical aspects of the body, brain activity is stimulated, enhancing the learning experience. Brain gym exercises have been used in classroom settings and there have been studies done on the correlation between physical movements and brain activity.
As we age, some of the body’s neural pathways need reinforcement or new ones need to be developed, for proper brain fitness. As one of your body’s most important components, it needs to be exercised, in order to stay fit, just like other parts of your body. When you are a baby, these natural learning pathways exist, but as you get older, the links may become weak or disconnected. It’s believed that Alzheimer’s disease or other mental decline and memory loss can be postponed, if your brain power is boosted.
Brain gym exercises are believed to enhance your ability to learn, along with giving your brain a “workout”, using the physical aspects involved with mental stimulation. Several components included are proper hydration, oxygen flow, blood flow and stimulation, just like regular physical workouts require. In the case of brain gym exercises, the physical nerves throughout the body are used to enhance the entire nervous system, resulting in stimulation of the brain and offering increased memory or learning ability.
The various classifications of the 26 brain gym exercises can be categorized by several physical aspects. One classification is “Lengthening” activities, which reset the muscles to make lasting changes in posture and restores the muscles to their natural length. Since natural reflexes to danger or stress include contraction of muscles, this is an important “reset” of the brain’s activities, too. Arm activation, foot flex, calf pump, “gravity glider” and “the grounder”, are brain gym exercises in this classification.
Energy exercises support the neural connections between the body and brain. Brain gym exercises include pressing certain “buttons”, to facilitate focus, through fine motor skills. Brain buttons includes stimulating the soft tissue under the collar bone, to the left and right of the breastbone or the area over the navel, for example. Balance buttons are located just above the indentation where the skull rests over the neck and massaging this area can lead to better balance. Positive points are above each eye, halfway between the hairline and eyebrows. By applying light pressure or gently massaging, stress and tension can be released.
Brain gym exercises also include Midline movements, which focus on the left and right sides of the brain. To maximize learning, both hemispheres of the brain are stimulated for a couple of minutes, prior to a learning experience. Through the integration of the left and right brains, enhanced hearing and vision, breathing and stamina or improved left/right coordination, result. “Cross crawl” or belly breathing are examples of this category of brain gym exercises.
For those that want to keep their mind active and youthful, the proper workout is required. Brain gym exercises provide physical stimulation, which results in enhanced mental capabilities. When concentration, focus or memory enhancement is needed, it’s possible to give your brain the “workout” it needs to facilitate better function, learning and retention.