Learning is not all in your head…
Learning, thought, creativity and intelligence are not processes of the brain alone, but of the whole body.
Sensations, movements, emotions and brain integrative functions are grounded in the body. The human qualities we associate with the mind can never exist separate from the body.
Movement activates the neural wiring throughout the body, making the whole body the instrument of learning.
Movement and play profoundly improve – not only learning – but creativity, stress management and health.
Thinking and learning are not all in our head. On the contrary, the body plays an integral part in all our intellectual processes from our earliest moments in utero right through to old age. It is our body’s senses that feed the brain environmental information with which to form an understanding of the world and form which to draw when creating new possibilities. And it is our movements that not only express knowledge and facilitate greater cognitive function, they actually grow the brain as they increase in complexity. Our entire brain structure is intimately connected to and grown by the movement mechanisms within our body.
Sensations received through our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, proprioceptors, and other sensory receptors are the foundation of knowledge. The body is the medium of this learning as it gathers all the sensations that inform us about the world and about ourselves.
The development of a skill like all learning starts with the establishment of our basal understanding of the world, through our senses, emotions and movement. Upon these basal patterns, we continuously add new learning in the form of more and more complex nerve networks. The base patterns provide a framework of information from which new nerve networks elaborate to increase our understanding and abilities throughout life.
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Remodeling of the brain- Most neural pathways develop through stimulation and experience gained from interaction with the environment. This is especially true for people open to experiencing new and novel ideas and situations throughout their lives. “Whenever we engage in new behavior, the brain remodels itself.” (Michael Merzenich)
The more you use the body/mind system the more it will grow.
The plasticity and exquisite organization of the nervous system gives us a window on the potential for life-long learning and healing.
Everyone is in the process of becoming.
(excerpts from Smart Moves by Carla Hannaford, PhD)