Just as I was thinking about learning, lots of words crossed my mind until I thought: what ´s the ultimate goal? learning easily, without stress. One of the reasons why I thought about writing this article is that so many times we are faced with students trying with all their might to pay attention without succeeding and at the same time we, as teachers, trying so hard to get our message across with little or poor results. What ´s the problem?, we might start wondering. Is it me? What ´s wrong with my students? Should I use another methodology?

Think about the word learning. What comes to your mind? Has the body anything to do with it? I believe so. I like to think of real learning in terms of an inclusive approach (call it ¨ mind body¨, ¨holistic¨, ¨whole¨). If we have a mind, a heart and a body, all three should be taken into account. None of these aspects should be neglected when learning or teaching the whole person. When we know that we know something, it is in our bodies! We run on automatic pilot. It does not require any conscious effort on our part. We don´ t really have to think about how to do it when the skill has already been acquired.

What about the learning process? Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle or got into the driver´s seat or even started learning a language? How did you feel? Was it overnight learning? I guess it was a process. Sometimes it is painful, other times it is fun and enjoyable. One of my purposes is to help students enjoy the process as they learn, and they will do so provided it is easy for them to process the information they are receiving. My other goal is to assist and train teachers in this process.

Preparation for learning is vital if we want to teach and learn with ease. We need to make sure that we and also our students are well hydrated since water serves as the electricity conductor in our bodies. What about learning and teaching our students to get into their own rhythm of learning before a lesson? Are their eyes, ears, both brain hemispheres, other parts of the brain, hand eye coordination, among other things available and working perfectly well? All energy circuits in the body must be on before the lesson if we want it to be optimal. Otherwise learning will result in unintegrated pieces which will lead to effort, turning it into a very difficult and tedious process. Feelings of anxiety and frustration might also crop up along the way, making some students try really hard. This situation may end up in two opposite ways: either they want to give up and run away or those who are more self demanding can ¨succeed¨ in the grin and bear it style at a very high cost. This is where mind and body should make friends with each other to colive harmoniously and facilitate the full potential of our students in what I believe is integrated learning.

In relation to space organization I think understanding our brain profile is very important too. Thus, we can gain insights into our own learning styles and acknowledge our students ´ as well. There are so many different styles!!! On the one hand, our hearts would open up and we would really understand from this place. As this happens, we wouldn´t be so judgemental of our students as we will see everything in a new light. On the other hand, every single person will be valued for what he/she is, somebody with unique talents. If we know their strengths and weaknesses, we can help them profit from classroom arrangement for optimal learning. Which are the best places for them to sit? Is it at the front, back, to the right, to the left?

Brain Gym is a great, simple and very effective tool to get our students ready for real learning. We can help our students by doing simple yet powerful exercises before starting a class and after break time to get them settled. Teach them PACE, for example, so that they can find their own rhythm of learning and in this way, they will become POSITIVE, ACTIVE, CLEAR AND ENERGETIC.

STEPS:
1) Water, 2) brain buttons, 3) cross crawl 4) hook ups + integration metaphor.
Brief explanation on how to do the exercises-
2) It is done by placing one hand over your navel and the other hand below the collar bone stimulating points over the ribs to the sides of the sternum.
3) Touch your left knee with your right hand and viceversa.
4) Cross one ankle over the other. Now stretch your arms out in front of you with the back of the hands together and the thumbs pointing down. Now lift one hand over the other, palms facing and interlock the fingers. Turn hands inward, bend your elbows, bring your hands to your chest. Keep breathing and stay here for a while. Then, uncross your ankles, uncross your wrists and fingers. Sit back up. Let´s now do the integration metaphor: imagine one hand is your left hemisphere and the other one is the right one, join them by touching your fingertips. You should keep the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth while you do these last two exercises and breathe!

This is just a tip, there is so much more that can be done!
Brain Gym movements and balances produce immediate, positive and also cumulative changes in children and adults labeled ADD / ADHD.
Brain Gym balances are experienced in private sessions to overcome learning challenges, reorient the learner to his goal, reach new levels of excellence, discover the blocks that are keeping you away from your dreams and so many other things!

I hope this article has been useful to you. Feedback is welcome!

Gabriela Lombardo
Brain Gym consultant / instructor
Joyful Learning Center
Centro Integral de Aprendizaje
www.braingym.org