Brain Gym: An important tool for the students

Health is a state of complete harmony of body, mind and soul. We do exercises to keep our body fit and active. We do meditation to keep our spirit high. Have you ever think about your mind? We can do anything if we can convince our mind. So to activate the mind some exercises are needed. Brain gym is that exercise which keep the brain active and alert. It not only useful to schools and colleges but also very beneficial to students with disability, mental health centre, dyslexia and learning centre, business organisation, sports field, therapy centres.

Paul and Gail Dennison developed the concept Brain Gym. It is a program made up of 26 activities along with several other movement based techniques that help address balance, posture and coordination skill.

Benefits of Brain Gym

• Improve focus and memory
• Self confidence and motivation
• Improve reading, writing and listening skill
• Processing information quickly
• Able to complete task on time

In this article we will discuss few brain gym techniques which is helpful to increase concentration, improve analytical skill and balance the hand-eye coordination. It can boost brain function and make the kid sharper, smarter and more confident. The Brain Gym activities are based on the idea that with simple movement the brain will be activated by seamless blood flow which make the brain alert, ready for the learning process. When child is physically and mentally ready, the learning outcome will be satisfactory. These techniques are helpful to students.

Brain Gym techniques

1. The Thinking Cap

The thinking cap is an effective exercise for kids which improve learning speed, mood and attention span among them.

Steps:

•  Sit on a chair. Place your index finger and thumb on your ear.
•  Massage the top of the ear and gradually come down to the auricle.
•  Massage back up to the top of your ear. Do this slowly 15 times.

2. Belly Breathing

   This technique improve reading and speaking ability and help you to relax.

Steps:

•  Stand or sit. Place your right hand on your tummy and left hand on your chest.
•  Breathe in slowly; let your belly rise.
•  Purse your lips and breathe out slowly.
•  Repeat this for 30 times.

3. Positives points

 It boost memory and mood.

Steps:

• Gently touch the points above the eyes, halfway in between the eyebrows and the hairline using your fingertips.
• Close your eyes.
• Breathe deeply and slowly for 10 seconds.
• Repeat this 3 times.

4. L-5 Technique

Show L in left hand and 5 in right hand at the same time. Repeat it for 30 minutes. Alternate in both hands.

5. Some more techniques

   i. Say alphabet in reverse order.

   ii. Brush your hand in left hand if you are right-handed.

   iii. Attempt to spell your name backward.

   iv. Use your non dominant hand to do daily chores.

   v. Solve puzzle and Sudoku

Conclusion:

All the above brain gym techniques are easy to follow. So follow it and improve your brain stamina. For more information you can go through the book “Brain Gym®: Simple Activities for Whole-Brain Learning” by Paul Dennison, PhD & Gail Dennison