Teachers

I remember when I first learned about Brain Gym®. I was teaching second grade at the time and those "buzz words" circulated around-first at my school and then the district. 

It was intriguing to me. 26 (seemingly unusual) movements with interesting sounding names that could help students in a classroom. I wanted to learn more about them and how they worked! 

At the time, my district offered expansive and varied professional development opportunities to teachers multiple times a year. I seem to remember that I missed the first opportunity to learn about Brain Gym® and was disappointed. I started hearing about teachers who were able to get to the first workshop and had started to use (and rave about!) the movement activities. I talked to those teachers about it, but really wanted (and needed) to attend a workshop myself in order to embrace the program. And so- I watched from afar, patiently waiting for Brain Gym® to show up again on another professional development day. 

Once I was finally able to get to the next workshop, I immediately took to the program. Our district was lucky because one of the teachers had written a grant that provided the class participants with not only the opportunity to take the class, but also supplemental materials. We were given the Brain Gym® Teacher's Edition, a poster for our classroom and even cards with the movements on them!

I went away from the workshop with a renewed vigor of ways to help my students (among many other things!) focus, be ready for learning, and calm nerves. I started using the movements almost immediately. I created a Brain Gym® "corner". I taught my students the four-step process called PACE and did it faithfully every morning with the class- we even used music! I also worked many of the other movements into our day. 

And you know what? I started to see beautiful changes in my students. They were more focused. They were able to listen better. I didn't have to repeat instructions as often. They could settle in better after recess and they were able to work better independently. 

At that point, I understood why Brain Gym® had become so popular with other teachers. I understood why a teacher felt so passionate about it that they took the time to write the grant so that other teachers could bring it to their classrooms. 

It worked. Brain Gym® worked. The kids loved it, I loved it, the principal at my school loved it and the parents loved it.

So when I think back upon that time- and we're talking around 10 years ago now- I wonder what happened. I used it faithfully for a year or two when I taught second grade, and pulled it out again when I started teaching 4th grade a few years later (I held a technology teaching position in between those two grade levels). But somewhere- somewhere! it fell to the wayside. It may have been because of new curriculum demands placed on me, or maybe I felt like I didn't have time. But you know what? I regret letting it drop. 

I regret letting it drop because I forgot how much it helped me and my students! I forgot how much time I gained in my classroom by doing Brain Gym® with them. I forgot how empowered my students felt when they were able to go to the Brain Gym® corner and do some movements to help themselves to focus, calm down, ready themselves for learning or whatever else they needed help with. I just plain forgot and let other things take its place. Which, I believe, was to the detriment of my students- and to me.

What's really ironic here, is that now- fast-forward around 8 years later. My son started going to Brain Fit Academy, where Brain Gym® is an integral part of the program. I resumed the learning about Brain Gym® in the 101 class-this time with Pam Formosa and through Brain Fit. I was still teaching, but as a specialist (rather than a classroom teacher). 

I told Pam about my first experiences with Brain Gym® as a teacher during that weekend 101 class. The first night of the class, I pulled out the materials I had in storage from way back when- when I first learned about Brain Gym®. I pulled out the poster. I pulled out the movement cards. I pulled out the original handouts I was given, and I pulled out the Brain Gym Teacher's Edition. I brought them to the class I was taking with Pam and I showed her. 

Come to find out? It was a person affiliated with Pam's first business that did that training at my school! I learned about Brain Gym® that long ago at my school and was now revisiting it years later with (basically) the same company- and I didn't even realize it! 

After that 101 class, I (again) incorporated Brain Gym® into my classroom. Granted, it was a little tricky since I didn't have just one group of kids I saw everyday. But in doing so? In bringing Brain Gym® back to my teaching? I reminded myself how much I love it. I also reminded myself about how much it can do for kids- and for teachers!

And now? Well now, I'm the one that wants to spread the word about Brain Gym®. 

I'm a coach a Brain Fit Academy and I'm now the teacher with the passion. I'm the one that wants to teach other teachers about Brain Gym® and how it can help them and their students. I'm the one that is now starting to give professional development workshops for teachers. I'm the one that is introducing them to Brain Gym®- just like I was introduced to it so many years ago.

Here on my desk- beside me? I have my original copy of the Brain Gym® Teacher's Edition. The same copy that was given to me from that grant 10 years ago. This well-loved copy that been highlighted and sticky-noted and contains dog-eared pages. It's sitting here, looking at me.

So please- if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do with that Teacher's Edition. There's a lot of teachers our there in the world, but only one of me. 

I want to teach those teachers about Brain Gym® and I best get busy preparing...

*Brain Gym is a registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, dba Breakthroughs International, Santa Barbara, CA, www.breakthroughsinternational.org.”

Bags

I guess I already knew how heavy the bags are that I carry to every client's house. I just don't really think about it unless someone asks me. It wasn't until I injured my knee and needed to think about carrying large tote bags into a client's house that I really needed to stop and think about what I have in those bags and whether I could lighten my load a bit.

What's funny though, is that as I started to do a mental run-through of what I carry in my bags, I wasn't sure if there was a whole lot I could take out!

You see- similar to my car (see the post "Toys") my bags are filled to the brim with supplies that I need for my sessions. I travel to clients' houses remember, so whatever I need has to come with me!

I actually have two bags. Both on them have the Brain Fit logo proudly displayed on the side. I was given them by Pam Formosa when I was first hired as a coach. Both came with "goodies" to get me started as a coach.

One of the bags is a lighter weight cotton tote bag. In that bag, one of the things I carry are my client folders. The folders are where we have contact information, session notes and where we track progress. In addition to my client folders, I carry other materials needed for sessions in that bag. Mainly, materials that I need to facilitate a session- markers/pencils/pens/sticky notes, my large experiential version of "The Learning Loop", copies of my Brain Gym® and Primitive Reflex manuals, a large binder, as well as a few other things. 

The binder itself is filled with tons of resources that I use on a regular basis. I have copies of the movement posters. I have laminated "agenda" pages that span all ages of kids. I have stickers with the Brain Fit movements on them that I give for "homework". I have resources and articles. I have pages that help teach breathing exercises and I have favorite examples of Brain Gym® "Double Doodle" and "Lazy 8s" pictures that clients have made for me, as well as a host of other things. 

Yeah, I know. It's a lot. You're probably thinking that surely, I could take some things out? Well, maybe.

But first, let me tell you about my other bag. The other bag is much larger, and a heavy canvas material. It still, of course, proudly displays the Brain Fit logo on the side. This bag is what I call my toy bag. I'm sure you can figure out why I call it my toy bag. After all, I have to get those toys from my car and into the client's house somehow!!

However, I don't just carry toys in that bag. I also carry my large pad of sketch paper- perfect for the making of those Double Doodle and Lazy 8s pictures I mentioned above. 

I also carry a whiteboard that I use for various purposes. I keep the whiteboard markers in my other bag- in a pencil case that looks like a real taco and that the kids think is awesome- lol.

In addition to the whiteboard and sketch paper, I also carry a clock (to keep track of the session time) and my Lazy 8s marble board- a wooden toy that is in the shape of an 8 and has a track for a marble to go around it. You'd be surprised the myriad of ways that you can use one of those simple toys- it might even need its own blog post at some point!

The other favorite (of my client's) is my "Heavy Pink Ball". You might even say that Heavy Pink Ball is like a sister or cousin to the "Big Green Ball". 

Heavy Pink Ball is one of those workout balls that some people call a "medicine ball". Why they are called that- I have no idea, maybe someone can enlighten me on that one? 

Anyway- it's a heavy, weighted ball- 6 pounds I believe- filled with sand. So right there- with that one ball I'm carrying around 6 pounds right off the bat. But I'm not taking it out. You know why I'm not taking it out of my toy bag? Because so many clients request it during "rest time". 

So many kids love to have that ball rolled down their arms and legs because it provides deep pressure into the muscles and joints and they love it!! So nope- can't take that out either!

And then, also in my toy bag are an assortment of other toys and materials- some organized by the primitive reflex that I pair them with. And others, just separated into smaller bags so that it's easier to find what I need and keep things together. 

So now I come back to my original dilemma. Can I take some things out of my bags in order to make them easier for me to carry with my sore knee? Could I? Yes. Will I? Probably not. 

I like knowing what I have in my bags. I like having a variety of items and resources to help me during my sessions. I like having options for toys and I like finding things in my bag that I might have forgotten about and remembering how much I like using them. 

And besides- if I start taking things out of my bags, it's almost inevitable that I'll need the very thing I removed from my bag. 

Isn't that always how it works? You take something out of your bag or purse and next thing you know it's exactly what you need and it's no longer there? Of course it is!

I can't have that. So nope- I think I'll just keep carrying my heavy bags.

Please- wish me luck, won't you?

Crossroads

We build our life path by following roads. We make choices, and we follow roads that lead us to this or that. We follow the road, the path that we are on, and seemingly know which way it will lead. Sometimes, we may look back to where we came from- behind us down the path that holds our footprints. 

And sometimes, we might try and climb a tree to see if we can tell what's in front of us; looking ahead to see if we can tell what obstacles that might be lying in wait for us.

But at certain points, as we walk along these life paths, we come to a crossroad. 

We stand in front of a point in our lives that shows us another way. Another path that we could choose. 

Sometimes, those roads may follow alongside our current path- running parallel, but never touching. Other times, the road may veer us off in a completely different direction- onto a completely different path that we weren't even able to get a glimpse of when we were up in that tree- trying to look ahead.

I recently came to one of these crossroads. One of these points where I needed to decide which path to continue on. 

If you follow my blog, you may remember the post "The Passion for the Work Led me Here". In this post, I talk about how my passion for the work at Brain Fit Academy led me to take a leave of absence from my teaching job in order to concentrate more on the work I do at Brain Fit. 

I wrote that post about 7 months ago. 7 months ago and my passion remains. In fact, I would say that my passion for the work has grown even stronger! 7 months of doing this job- this life-changing work, in the middle of a world-wide pandemic and my love for it has done nothing but grow.

And that leads me to tell you about my recent crossroads. 

I found myself standing there. Looking out at a road that crossed right over the path that I was on. 

The road- was my school. My teaching job. 

I was presented with a choice to go back to my teaching job for the next school year in August, or resign. 

I chose the latter.

I'm sure that many of you would agree that COVID-19 helped many of us to re-think our priorities in life. For me, I would say that that re-thinking started before the pandemic came into being, but I'm sure it helped solidify my decision in multiple ways. And, without going into too much detail, let me just say that things had changed. I wouldn't be going back to what I left in my teaching job. But for sure, I would be going back to kids and teachers that would need me more than ever outside of the school setting. Outside of that position and inside of Brain Fit and all that we do there.

I wasn't sure when I was going to be faced with these crossroads. I wasn't able to pinpoint where they were on the path ahead of me- even when climbing the tree to take a look. But once they were in front of me, right in front of me- I was able to see the pathway as clear as daylight laid out before me. 

I looked behind and saw my footsteps- laden in the dirt. I looked ahead and saw the footsteps that are yet to come.

And then? I took a deep breath and stepped forward onto that crossroad. Onto that new path.

And you know what? I'm not even climbing the tree to see ahead or behind. I'm just taking steps. 

I'm taking steps- one at a time-

With a huge smile on my face...

Muscle Checking- What? No way!

We were at the initial screening appointment for my son at Brain Fit Academy. My son was downstairs with one of the coaches and my husband and I were learning more about Brain Fit with Pam Formosa (the owner/director). She was teaching us about the some of the important aspects of Brain Fit.

Pam and I had already gone over a few things earlier in the appointment but my husband wasn't in the initial conversation with us. So when it was time for Pam to talk about "muscle checking", I was excited for my husband to learn about it. I think I said something to the effect of "Oh! Honey- wait until you see this!!"

Pam asked my husband to stand up and put both his arms straight out in front of him, relaxing the hands. She put 2-3 fingers lightly on his arms- just above the wrists. Pam then instructed my husband to hold his arms up and say "My name is- (his name)". He did so, and while he did that, Pam pushed down with light pressure on his arms. The muscles in his arms "held" and she was not able to push them down. 

Next, she asked him to say "My name is (Amy)" while still holding his arms up. Again, she pressed down gently on his arms. This time however, his arms gave way and dropped. "See?" I said "Isn't that cool?" 

"Wait- what?" he said. "Can we try that again?" 

Pam repeated the procedure with another (false) statement and the same thing happened- his arms gave way. 

In a nutshell, this is how muscle checking works. The muscles hold "strong" for true statements, and "give way" for false, or untrue statements. 

Now, I realize that I went into more detail about muscle checking in the post "Trust the Process"- so if you want to know the science behind it, you can check that out. However, I feel like muscle checking is such an important part of Brain Fit that it was worth talking about again- hence this post.

As I have started to learn more and more about the work of Primitive Reflex Integration, I have seen that not everyone approaches the work the same way we do. Yes, there is a "timeline" or "template" (if you want to call it that) of reflexes and how babies should progress through the motor patterns. But really? There is so much overlap with them that it's hard to pick one hard and fast pathway.

That's where Brain Fit differs. Pam has always said that she believes that muscle checking is what helps set us apart from some other places that do reflex integration- and I do believe she is correct. Just like I talked about in "Trust the Process", we don't need to use the cognitive part of our brain to figure out what reflex is the correct one for that day- we tap into the subconscious instead.

And when you stop to think about it? Think about a baby. Do babies stop and cognitively process: Hey- I really think that today I should focus on the moro reflex- for example. No- of course not. It just happens!! It's on a subconscious level. The body knows and it just happens. 

So if we're tapping into that same place- that same subconscious place that a child (or teen or adult!) needs to be in order to know what reflex to work on; to know what the body/brain need on that particular day- then muscle checking is the way to go. 

When we first teach muscle checking to kids, or parents (or any of our clients) we often get similar reactions to my husband's. Especially if it's the person's first experience with muscle checking. 

We get the- "Wait- what?" or the "What? No way!" response.

I understand, I get it. Muscle checking can be hard to wrap your head around for some people. 

But for me, when I get that "What? No way!" response? I teach the person the science around it- but you might also hear me saying something like- "Yes way! So cool, right??"

I say that because muscle checking is cool. It's an amazing tool that helps us with our work at Brain Fit in tremendous ways. 

And yes- maybe it is also one of the things that sets us apart. 

Once you're able to wrap your head around muscle checking and "Trust the Process", you'll probably agree how well it works, and understand why it plays such a big part in our program. 

So, having said that- put away the "What? No way!" and join us at Brain Fit and go instead with "Wow, that is so cool!". 

You'll be glad you did. Trust me.

Pride

Those of you who know me well will know that I'm an "achiever". Some may even call me an over-achiever.  

I wasn't always like that though. 

As a child, I would get fixated on things that didn't matter all that much. I would over-focus on little, piddly things that didn't make much difference to anyone. I'm pretty sure I drove my family nuts sometimes. And, even into adulthood I would drive my husband a little crazy by getting stuck on an idea that I just couldn't get past.

These days, I do what I call "using my powers for good". I put that achiever energy into more things that matter. I focus on things that I'm passionate about- things that mean something to me. I focus on what is happening in my life that matters- what I want to be good at. I focus on what I want to be proud of. 

In one of my first blog posts here, I wrote about how "The Passion for the Work Led me Here". I wrote about how my passion for Brain Fit Academy led me to take a leave of absence from my long-time teaching job. Brain Fit remains a passion of mine. The work that we do, the changes I see in myself and my clients- still fascinates and inspires me. It instills in me a sense of pride. Pride like no other. 

I'm proud because I'm using my "powers" for good. I'm using my innate ability of wanting to achieve- wanting to do my best, wanting to feel good about what I do here in my work. 

No- you know what? Good isn't even the word- Great! Excellent! Amazing! Awe-inspiring!

I am proud of the work I do at Brain Fit. I am proud of the time and effort I put into preparing for the classes that I teach. I am proud of the way I work with clients and help them. I am proud of my achievements!

The passion for the work led me here, and the passion for the work drives me still. 

Working with clients and their families, and teaching others about this work? What a great way to use my "powers". 

What a perfect place for me to "achieve"- because I'm helping struggling kids. I'm helping struggling families. I'm shouting the information "from the rooftops" and I'm making a difference in this world.

For me, there's nothing I'd rather do more than continue with this work. 

I'm not going to stop when I think I'm done- I'll stop when I know I'm proud. 

And right now? There's still much more work to be done. There's many more families to reach. There's more teachers, and therapists and parents to share this information with. There's people that need help- need us. 

I'm an achiever. I'm a coach at Brain Fit Academy...

And I couldn't be prouder.

Patterns

Patterns are all around us. They are in nature, they are in our bodies (like the motor patterns of the primitive reflexes) and they are in our behavior.

Traditionally- in the new year, people make resolutions, right? And what are resolutions? They are a promise or intention to change some kind of pattern. Patterns that we are aware of- such as patterns of unhealthy eating, or patterns of not being active enough. Patterns that we realize aren't doing us any good.

But do resolutions work? I'm sure many of you will agree with me that it's pretty rare, right? I'm mean- it's kind of a running joke that people set resolutions and don't follow through for more than a few days or weeks- would you agree?

I know that for me, I have set my fair share of resolutions- intentions- only to have them fall apart in a matter of days. Why? Well I think it's because I was trying to break a pattern. I was trying to break some kind of pattern-a pattern of behavior, a pattern of negativity, or maybe it was even a physical pattern such as lack of exercise. 

What I've come to realize however, is that breaking a pattern isn't always as simple as just setting the intention. Isn't as simple as just making the resolution. That is only the first step. In order to really change a pattern- really make a difference or change, you have to continue on to the next step. You have to continue on to noticing how that pattern feels to you. 

But even more important than that? Noticing and thinking about how it would feel if it wasn't there. If that pattern didn't exist- if that pattern was changed and you were without it in your life, what would be different? How would things be different for you and what would that feel like? 

At Brain Fit, we are taught how to use a Brain Gym® process called a "balance". And when we "balance", yes- we set the intention- the resolution- the goal (as it's referred to in Brain Gym®. But it doesn't stop there. That's only the beginning. We continue on to "notice". 

When we notice, we notice what we are feeling in our bodies- not only on a physical level, but also on an emotional level. We tune in to ourselves and "notice" what is happening with the way are bodies are standing. We notice places where there is tension. We notice emotions that come up. We notice self-talk that is going on in our heads. We become more aware of that pattern that we're trying to change, and we reflect on what it would be like if that pattern were changed. 

There are many ways to notice, but noticing makes us aware and helps us to see changes. And when do we see changes? We see them when we notice again at the end of the balance. At the end, after we have moved (literally moved) to help us get past the pattern. Get past the thought process, get past the "stuck-ness" and prepare our nervous system to move forward. 

When we "move" we use Brain Gym® movements, primitive reflex movements, rhythmic movements, "tapping", as well as other types of movements. And what does that moving do? It can help us to change the pattern. It can help us to see beyond the "stuck-ness" and have more clarity. It can help us to move forward with what we want and need. It might even help us to understand where that unwanted pattern comes from in the first place!

As I said, patterns are everywhere. And some patterns can be really difficult to change. 

But with Brain Fit Academy on our side? We can say "goodbye" to unwanted patterns and "stuck-ness". Say goodbye to all of that- and "hello" to clarity, understanding, and the chance to move forward with ease.

We all deserve it- every. single. one of us...