The BrainDance
The BrainDance is a series of movements to warm up students' brains and bodies. It is comprised of eight developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. As babies, humans do these movements on the floor. However, cycling through these patterns at any age, daily or weekly while lying, sitting, or standing, has been found to be beneficial in oxygenating the brain, reorganizing the central nervous system, and enhancing core support and alignment. The BrainDance is a satisfying and supportive way to warm up, introduce technique, and focus yourself and your students at the beginning of class. Instructions for doing the basic BrainDance patterns follow.
1. Breath pattern. Take a deep breath through the nose, filling the belly, diaphragm, and lungs with air. Exhale through the mouth, forming a small"o" with your lips as if you were blowing out a candle. Repeat this pattern four or five times, sending breath to all the cells of the body. Benefits: Increases flow of oxygen to the brain; brings awareness of the importance of breath for ease and flow of movements; reduces stress and enlivens brain and body.
2. Tactile pattern. With your hands, squeeze strongly each arm and leg, the torso, back, and head. Then tap lightly all body parts, pat sharply all body parts, and brush smoothly all body parts. Explore other forms of touch such as scratching, patting, rubbing, and pinching. Benefits: Strengthens bonding; develops appropriate sense of touch and senory integration.
3. Core-Distal pattern. Move from the center out, through and beyond the fingers, toes, head, and tail (distal ends). Then curl back to torso while engaging the trunk core muscles. Keep core muscles engaged as you grow and shrink, open and close, and stretch and curl in bix Xs and little Os. Benefits: Strengthens relationship to self and others; develops full-body extension and awareness of core support for correct alignment.
4. Head-Tail pattern. Bend and stretch the spine from the top (bridge of the nose) to the bottom (coccyx) in different directions and pathways. Keep the knees slightly bent to release the pelvis. Twist, wiggle, and shake the spine gently. Circle the head and hips. Do yoga positions such as cat-cow and downward-facing dog. Benefits: Strengthens relationship to self and others; develops full-body extension and awareness of core support for correct alignment.
5. Upper-Lower pattern. Ground the lower half of the body by yielding into the floor with a slight knee bend. Swing, bend, stretch, and twist the upper body (arms, head spine, shoulders) while varying the speed, level and directions of the movements. Ground the upper half by reaching the arms out into space with energy as though you were hugging the earth, or keep the upper body still (but not tense) in other shapes. To dance with the lower half, try marching, bending knees, jumping, swinging legs, and other actions. Lying on your abdomen with the legs extended, curl the toes under and rest on the elbows. Push forward and back from lower to upper. Benefits: Articulates boy halves for mobility and stability, function, and expression; develops emotional grounding through connection to the earth with the whole body.
6. Body-Side pattern. Bend, twist, stretch, and shake the left side of your body while keeping the right side stable. Then keep the left stable while moving the right side. Alternate moving right and left sides by doing a body-side walk or lunging in different directions. Do the lizard crawl on your belly or standing with the arms and legs open to the sides: Reach the left arm and knee up, then right arm and knee up like a lizard crawling up a wall. To strengthen horizontal eye tracking, follow the thumb or hand with the eyes moving left to right and right to left. Benefits: Articulates body sides; strengthens and balances both sides of the body and brain hemispheres, develops horizontal eye tracking and side dominance.
7. Cross-Lateral pattern. Do a cross-lateral dance, sitting or standing, finding as many ways of moving cross-laterally as possible such as touching right knee to left elbow, left hand to right foot, right hand to left knee, left hand to right hip, skipping, and spiraling. Explore contralateral movements by shaking, swinging, twisting, bending, and stretching the left arm and right leg, then the right arm and left leg. Crawl on your belly and creep on your hands and knees, or do a parallel standing crawl with the knees and hands in front of you. To strengthen vertical eye tracking, follow the hand up and down with the yes. Benefits; Integrates brain hemispheres; strengthens vertical eye tracking; develops complex, three-dimensional dancing and thinking.
8. Vestibular pattern. This pattern may also be done at the beginning of the BranceDance. Choose a movement that takes you off balance and makes you a little dizzy. Vary the movements you do each week. Swing the upper body forward and backward and side to side. Tip, sway, roll, and rock in different directions and on different levels. Spin 5 to 15 seconds one direction, breathe, and rest 15 seconds; then spin 5 to 15 seconds the other direction. The stillness after spinning allows the brain to work on stabilization, thereby strengthening the balance system. People with compromised balance systems should do this pattern seated. Benefits: Develops spatial awareness, balance, and coordination; strengthens the system that controls the five senses.
Variations of the BrainDance (will be posted shortly-page 70)
1. Breath pattern. Take a deep breath through the nose, filling the belly, diaphragm, and lungs with air. Exhale through the mouth, forming a small"o" with your lips as if you were blowing out a candle. Repeat this pattern four or five times, sending breath to all the cells of the body. Benefits: Increases flow of oxygen to the brain; brings awareness of the importance of breath for ease and flow of movements; reduces stress and enlivens brain and body.
2. Tactile pattern. With your hands, squeeze strongly each arm and leg, the torso, back, and head. Then tap lightly all body parts, pat sharply all body parts, and brush smoothly all body parts. Explore other forms of touch such as scratching, patting, rubbing, and pinching. Benefits: Strengthens bonding; develops appropriate sense of touch and senory integration.
3. Core-Distal pattern. Move from the center out, through and beyond the fingers, toes, head, and tail (distal ends). Then curl back to torso while engaging the trunk core muscles. Keep core muscles engaged as you grow and shrink, open and close, and stretch and curl in bix Xs and little Os. Benefits: Strengthens relationship to self and others; develops full-body extension and awareness of core support for correct alignment.
4. Head-Tail pattern. Bend and stretch the spine from the top (bridge of the nose) to the bottom (coccyx) in different directions and pathways. Keep the knees slightly bent to release the pelvis. Twist, wiggle, and shake the spine gently. Circle the head and hips. Do yoga positions such as cat-cow and downward-facing dog. Benefits: Strengthens relationship to self and others; develops full-body extension and awareness of core support for correct alignment.
5. Upper-Lower pattern. Ground the lower half of the body by yielding into the floor with a slight knee bend. Swing, bend, stretch, and twist the upper body (arms, head spine, shoulders) while varying the speed, level and directions of the movements. Ground the upper half by reaching the arms out into space with energy as though you were hugging the earth, or keep the upper body still (but not tense) in other shapes. To dance with the lower half, try marching, bending knees, jumping, swinging legs, and other actions. Lying on your abdomen with the legs extended, curl the toes under and rest on the elbows. Push forward and back from lower to upper. Benefits: Articulates boy halves for mobility and stability, function, and expression; develops emotional grounding through connection to the earth with the whole body.
6. Body-Side pattern. Bend, twist, stretch, and shake the left side of your body while keeping the right side stable. Then keep the left stable while moving the right side. Alternate moving right and left sides by doing a body-side walk or lunging in different directions. Do the lizard crawl on your belly or standing with the arms and legs open to the sides: Reach the left arm and knee up, then right arm and knee up like a lizard crawling up a wall. To strengthen horizontal eye tracking, follow the thumb or hand with the eyes moving left to right and right to left. Benefits: Articulates body sides; strengthens and balances both sides of the body and brain hemispheres, develops horizontal eye tracking and side dominance.
7. Cross-Lateral pattern. Do a cross-lateral dance, sitting or standing, finding as many ways of moving cross-laterally as possible such as touching right knee to left elbow, left hand to right foot, right hand to left knee, left hand to right hip, skipping, and spiraling. Explore contralateral movements by shaking, swinging, twisting, bending, and stretching the left arm and right leg, then the right arm and left leg. Crawl on your belly and creep on your hands and knees, or do a parallel standing crawl with the knees and hands in front of you. To strengthen vertical eye tracking, follow the hand up and down with the yes. Benefits; Integrates brain hemispheres; strengthens vertical eye tracking; develops complex, three-dimensional dancing and thinking.
8. Vestibular pattern. This pattern may also be done at the beginning of the BranceDance. Choose a movement that takes you off balance and makes you a little dizzy. Vary the movements you do each week. Swing the upper body forward and backward and side to side. Tip, sway, roll, and rock in different directions and on different levels. Spin 5 to 15 seconds one direction, breathe, and rest 15 seconds; then spin 5 to 15 seconds the other direction. The stillness after spinning allows the brain to work on stabilization, thereby strengthening the balance system. People with compromised balance systems should do this pattern seated. Benefits: Develops spatial awareness, balance, and coordination; strengthens the system that controls the five senses.
Variations of the BrainDance (will be posted shortly-page 70)