Recreation

by Ruth Schmid
Music and movement paedagogist

BRAIN GYM - movements to integrate mind and body

Brain Gym, literally meaning excercises for the brain, consists in a series of movements and amusing games that help stimulate global learning processes. It is based on three simple principles: 1. Learning is a natural and enjoyable activity that continues throughout our lifetime. 2. Learning blocks occur when we are unable to face up to our insecurity and the stress involved in a new challenge. 3. Our learning blocks are all equal to our movement blocks. All we experience during our livetime effects us in either a positive or negative way. Most of us have decided that we cannot exceed our limits and that stress is an unavoidable condition of life. Brain Gym is a natural, positive and healthy method that we can use with others to face up to our negative points and our limits. Children know instinctively when they are blocked and ask for help through their behavior. There is no such thing as a lazy or aggressive child or a shy or bad child, these are simply children whose natural learning capacity has become blocked. According to a study by UNESCO, carried out in the USA, children's movements diminish by 75% from the 3rd to 17th year of life. Their progress at school also diminishes while learning difficulties increase. Developed in the 80's by Dr. Paul Dennison, psycopaedagogist, researcher in the sphere of education and movement and author of several books, Brain Gym was officially recognizedby the National Learning Foundation in 1991 as one of the best techniques for training people to learn. Ruth Schmid lives and works in Florence and is a music and movement paedagogist, specialized in musicotherapy, rythmic and musical education, psycomotricity, yoga and other relaxation techniques.
She has taken part in Brain Gym training sessions in Switzerland and Germany. For further information (+39 55) 229.129

See also: The exercises


by Silvia Messeri & Sandro Pintus