Down to one arm

As kids we are constantly exploring movements. I remember squealing with delight “Look what I can do mom!” as I tried standing on my head. At what point does the exploration stop and why?

I pass a hop scotch and long jump twice a week when I go to my sons Lacrosse practice and I’ve been tempted to try it as fond memories flood my brain from my childhood, but my more “mature” side takes over and I just walk past to go sit on the bleachers for the next hour and a half.

I was thrown into a predicament and out of my habitual automatic ways this month when I took on a foster puppy. My cat Bob, who portrays himself as a slow moving laid back cat is apparently not so fond of puppies. He suddenly took off like a bullet, in full on attack mode running toward my foster puppy when he saw him. Thankfully I was able to stop the attack (don’t worry the puppy was completely unharmed) but unfortunately, Bob bit my hand in the commotion and the bite ended up being quite the infection. I had to have my hand bandaged up with an IV in my arm for four days. My good hand!

 

This forced me out of my habitual automatic way of doing my daily activities and forced me to slow down and once again explore my movement, almost like I was doing things for the first time. At first it was hard and a bit frustrating but I decided to take it on as a challenge and have fun with my movement. Have you ever brushed your teeth with your opposite hand? Or tried washing your hair with one hand? I actually held my shower scrubby between my knees to wash my right arm. Now that’s getting creative!

Our brains love this! It’s a new challenge and wakes our brain up! We take ourselves out of an automatic state and our learning switch is once again turned on. Our movement becomes slow and full of attention as we try to figure out new things. This is how new neural connections are formed... yes even at our age. This is neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, neuroelasticity, or neural plasticity, and it is the ability of the brain to change continuously throughout our life. This is what we do in ABM NeuroMovement®️.

Do you want to keep your brain young and full of life? Get back to exploring movement and play like you did as a child! When was the last time you crawled on the floor like a lizard or tried rocking on your back holding your feet until you sat up? Can you get up off the floor without using your hands? Have fun with it! We may not be brave enough to do the hopscotch in a busy public place but trying moving in new ways where you feel comfortable to be free and have fun with it.

The children I work with experience exploration of movement for the first time for many different reasons, such as a child with cerebral palsy that has limited mobility due to spasticity. A small slow movement done with attention can light up their brain like never before creating new neural pathways and opportunities for new movement. Something that may seem small such as slowing bringing their hand up towards the child’s mouth and back down, taking care to be SO gentle and slow and never forcing it can be HUGE to a child that has never experienced this. Playing with the same movement in various ways is rich with information for their brain!

Thankfully my hand is all healed up, but it was a great reminder to slow down and start exploring my own movement in new ways again like I did when I was a child or in my ABM NeuroMovement®️ training, and not just with the kids I work with!

I’d love to hear how you explore your movement or with your child!

Renée Gray

ABM NeuroMovement®️ Practitioner

www.moveintegrate.com

403-483-9769