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BRAIN GYM A HOLISTIC APPROACH TOWARDS EFFECTIVE LEARNING Effective learning at your own PACE
PACE is an excellent way to start the day on a positive note. It is refreshingly effective for children and adults. What is PACE?
P (Positive - Hooks Up) Hooks-up eases the central nervous system. Standing or sitting, cross your legs at the ankle. Stretch your arms out in front of you, palms facing out. Cross one arm over to the other ( the arm from the same side of the body as the leg that crosses over the other). Interlink the fingers of both hands, then bring your linked hands up towards the chin and rest them on your chest. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathe. Finish by uncrossing legs, hands and arms, and place finger and thumb tips together for 10 seconds. Hooks up enhance concentration, verbal skills, learning and thinking through awakening our senses.
A (Active - Cross Crawl)
Do this by alternating left hand to right thigh, right hand to left thigh for two to three minutes. Variations are left leg kicking up behind for right hand to touch left ankle and vice versa: left leg out to the left, right arm up and out to the right, and vice versa. It's really fun. To make it more challenging, try left hand on the nose, right on left ear, then switch. This activates both the left and right brain hemispheres.
C (Clear - Brain Buttons)
Where are our brain buttons? Try touching just below your collarbone, about halfway along and roughly below the line of your ears, and you will find a hollow. These are the brain buttons. These buttons are located above the carotid arteries which supply freshly oxygenated blood to the brain.
How can we tune up our brains?
To activate these brain buttons, gently rub them with two fingers and the thumb of one hand. Tension in the muscles at the back of the neck is release. This tension, originating in the visual occipital area at the back of the head, inhibits eye movement. Place the other hand over the navel. Here are the core muscles, vital for physical balance. This gives the vestibular system a signal that stimulates the reticular activation system to "wake up" the brain.
E (Energetic - Water)
Water is a remarkable therapeutic element. It does wonders for the mind and body. Drink it slowly so that it may be absorbed by your body and received by your brain.Wonders of water:
* Provides energy to learn.
* Carries oxygen and glucose, the brain's fuel, to the brain.
* Removes wastes from the brain.
* Transport salt and potassium which move electrical impulses (along the nerve network).
* Moves in the body's extremities to cool them when we are stressed.
Edu-Kinesiology Foundation, USA.
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