Have you ever:

• Had a blank during an exam?
• Read something but couldn’t remember what you had read?
• Been too excited to fall asleep?
• Procrastinated, because you couldn’t think of anything to write for an essay or a report?
• Been so stressed that you couldn’t think clearly?

These are all signs of being in the wrong state at the wrong time.

Most activities in our life are done best when we are in the best state for performing these activities. There is a best state for every activity, such as producing a brilliant piece of art, running a race, sleeping, reading and comprehending a story, meditating, concentrating or writing an essay/report.

Have you ever been in “the zone”? When you are in “the zone”, everything you do seems effortless and of high quality. Tennis players, artists and musicians produce their best performance when in this state.

The trick is to have control over this state, so that you can access this state more often. If you are not in the right state, you can waste a lot of time when trying to perform a task in the “wrong” state. The “wrong” state is any state that is not optimal for performing the task.

Where do I start?

The first step is to develop “state awareness”. This means you need to realise or know that you are in the “wrong” state for the task at hand, before you seek to change your state. Most people would persist and try again and again, hoping it will get better as time moves on, but the better option is to change your state before you have another go.

How can I put myself in the optimal state for what I am about to do?

Brain Gym® can help with getting into the right state. Brain Gym® is a collective name for a set of exercises or activities that aim to increase access to specific areas in the brain that are involved in performing a task. If you know you are in the wrong state, you can save yourself time and improve performance by doing some Brain Gym® activities before you start.

Who can benefit from Brain Gym®?

Brain Gym® can be used as a self-help tool for children and adults to switch on the brain in preparation for performing a task such as any learning activity, artwork, playing an instrument, sports or work performance. The Brain Gym® activities are easy and fun to do.

When do I do Brain Gym®?

You can do a couple of minutes of specific Brain Gym® exercises before you start the task.

Who developed Brain Gym®?

Brain Gym® was developed in the USA by Dr. Paul Dennison, in the seventies. He had a stutter as a child, so he studied education, looking for answers. He wrote his PhD on “Covert speech” and set up 8 learning centres throughout California where he worked with children who had learning difficulties.

He was not happy with the results he achieved using conventional methods, so he started looking for other techniques. In all, Dr. Dennison composed a set of 26 exercises (more often referred to as activities), which he collectively called Brain Gym®.

What can Brain Gym® be used for?

Brain Gym® can be used for:

• getting into the right cognitive state before starting an activity such as reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, arts, music and sports
• improving concentration
• improving performance and productivity
• changing a negative emotional state into a calmer, more relaxed state
• improving coordination, balance, as well as brain and sensory integration (see also Integrative therapy)
• preventing and overcoming the infamous exam blank

How can we learn Brain Gym®?

You can start Brain Gym® immediately at home or in the classroom with the help of the Brain Gym® Demo CD.

The CD contains:

• Pictures of all 26 Brain Gym® activities and an extra 6 variations on Cross Crawl movements to promote brain and sensory integration.
• Powerpoint presentation explaining how and when to do all exercises.
• A pdf and jpg file for the cover

You can purchase the CD from the Shopping section of this website. If you would like to see the effect of the Brain Gym® activities on writing, please look for the “Before” and “After” Brain Gym® writing examples in the free information booklet: How to improve learning?

How can I find out which exercises are right for me?

If you would like to find out what specific Brain Gym® exercises would suit you best to enhance your learning or productivity, you can organise a time for a private session via Zoom or Face to Face. You will also learn when and how to do those Brain Gym® exercises.

Special offer: If you have any queries, please contact me for a free half hour introductory consultation by phone: 61-8-83794755, mobile: 0423763273 or email: akoelman@ozemail.com.au.