A simple series of exercises could help your brain function better, making you sharper,

smarter and far more confident. Brain Gym comprises very easy body movements
which have been designed to coax the two hemispheres of the brain to work in
synchronisation.
Apparently when our brains become balanced, our whole bodies respond, revitalising
our natural healing mechanisms, restoring health and harmony. Brain Gym can do
everything from speeding up your reading to boosting self-esteem. It can improve your
eyesight and even increase your creativity.

I. School Health Councils The school district and/or individual schools within the
district will create, strengthen, or work within existing school health councils to
develop, implement, monitor, review, and, as necessary, revise school nutrition and
physical activity policies. The councils also will serve as resources to school sites for
implementing those policies. (A school health council consists of a group of
individuals representing the school and community, and should include parents,
students, representatives of the school food authority, members of the school
board, school administrators,
teachers, health professionals, and members of the public

Founders - Paul and Gail Dennison

Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D., is a professional educator, a pioneer in the field of kinesiology, and an authority on the breakthrough
attainment of cognitive and academic skills. In the 1960s Dr. Dennison began the seminal research into reading achievement and its
relation to brain development that would form the basis for the Brain Gym work - the remarkable movement-based learning
program that has helped people of all ages turn their learning challenges into successes. Working alongside developmental
optometrists, Dennison offered his students a full program in sensory development, including a few simple movements that seemed
to help with equilibrium and perceptual skills. These movements would someday spark the idea for Brain Gym.

In 1975, at the University of Southern California, Paul received the Phi Delta Kappa award for Outstanding Research. He was
granted a Doctorate in Education for his research in beginning reading achievement and its relationship to cognitive development
and silent speech (thinking) skills. He began to develop what would later become Educational Kinesiology (Edu-k) basing his
discoveries on his unique understanding of the interdependence of physical development, language acquisition, and academic
achievement.

Brain Gym exercises are exercises designed to help the brain function better during the learning process. As such,
you can think of Brain Gym exercises as part of the overall theory ofmultiple intelligences. These exercises are
based on the idea that simple physical exercise helps blood flow to the brain and can help improve the learning
process by making sure the brain stays alert. Students can

Ads

use these simple exercises on their own, and teachers can use them in class to help keep energy levels up
throughout the day.
These simple exercises are based on the copyrighted work of Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D., and Gail E. Dennison. Brain
Gym is a registered trademark of Brain Gym International . I first encountered Brain Gym in "Smart Moves," a best
selling book written by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D. Dr. Hannaford states that our bodies are very much a part of all our
learning, and learning is not an isolated "brain" function. Every nerve and cell is a network contributing to our
intelligence and our learning capability. Many educators have found this work quite helpful in improving overall
concentration in class. Introduced here, you will find four basic "Brain Gym" exercises which implement the ideas
developed in "Smart Moves" and can be used quickly in any classroom.

History[edit]
What became the Brain Gym program began with Paul Dennison's work as a public school teacher and reading specialist in the
1960s, researching more effective ways to help children and adults with learning difficulties. At that time, he worked in East Los
Angeles with the innovative educator Dr. Constance Amsden, Director of the Malabar Reading Project for Mexican-American
Students, which focused on the development of individual sensory modalities (visual, auditory, and tactile skills) for reading
instruction.[7] In the early 1970s, Dennison observed that challenged readers at his learning centers had less access to whole-body
movement and postural awareness than more adept readers. He realized that some learners used one-sided motions (such as
handwriting) at the expense of the non-dominant side, rather than in coordination with it. Seeing that even successful classroom
learners were often tense from using primarily one-sided motions, he sought simple ways to teach both coordination and
differentiation of movement in the classroom.[8]
In 1975, at the University of Southern California, Paul received the Phi Delta Kappa award for Outstanding Research; he was
granted a Doctorate in Education for his research in beginning reading achievement and its relationship to cognitive development
and silent speech (thinking) skills.[7][9] His familiarity with research from behavioral optometry and sensorimotor training that showed
the effects of movement upon learning " . . . led him to extrapolate this information into quick, simple, task-specific movements. [10]"
In the early 1980s, Dr. Dennison began a teaching and writing partnership with Gail Hargrove, later to become Gail Dennison. They
call their field of study, which they founded during this period, "Educational Kinesiology" (Edu-K). They define Edu-K as "learning
through movement"