Workshops / Talleres
BrainDance Yoga: Application of Developmental Movement Patterns to the Practice of Yoga
Workshop Presentation Gail Lee Abrams
BrainDance, created by Anne Green Gilbert, is a framework of exercise/movements based on eight developmental movement patterns that babies move through in their first year of life. These patterns wire the central nervous system so the brain can operate at its full potential. BrainDance patterns are essential for efficient, well-integrated movement, and are the building blocks for more complex movements we do throughout our lives. In this workshop we will learn the 8 BrainDance patterns – breath, tactile, core-distal, head-tail, upper-lower, body half, cross lateral, and vestibular - and explore building a yoga practice based on them. Incorporating BrainDance into yoga is a viable way to reintegrate important patterns into the body for more efficient, connected, and embodied movement, as well as for more optimal cognitive functioning. BrainDance has been used in schools for a variety of benefits: classroom behavior management; recuperation from long days of sitting; breaks from intense periods of brain work involved in studying, reading, writing, and listening; enhanced testing scores; preparation for performances or presentations; improvement of social skills, and more. BrainDance enhances movement function as well as brain function, reorganizing the neurological system to coordinate all parts of the brain and body for emotional, social, and cognitive balance. Increased blood flow and oxygen to brain and body improves focus, concentration, reduces stress and tension, and enhances ease and fluidity in movement. A handout will be provided that explains each pattern and its benefits, as well as a catalogue of various asanas that fit into each pattern.
Moving to Learn, Moving for Health
Workshop Presentation Jamie A. Johnson, Mark Borchelt
In current educational environments, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects are often promoted above the active doing that occurs in art and physical education classrooms. There is ample evidence that, if our goal is to educate the whole child, it would be beneficial to place conscious movement in a prime position in educational curricula. Thinking and learning are not functions isolated in the brain. They are embodied experiences. The proliferation of individualism in the last several decades has had positive associations, like the growth of equality and self-determination. However, it has also spawned the pervasive negative influences of self-focus and entitlement. As a result, there has been increasing isolationism linked to escalating suicide rates, especially amongst teenagers. Movement, in particular, conscious movement, has been shown to hold the potential for recuperation, restoration, and maintenance of well-being. This session will demonstrate how movement and dance can be effectively utilized in academic settings to promote learning and overall health. Through a physical exploration of Developmental Movement Patterns, participants will gain an understanding of how embodied awareness can stimulate thinking and learning. Participants will learn how to apply the habits of mind in the classroom through activities which include, explorations in neurologically-based movement patterning, restorative breath work, and proprioception. These activities will showcase how embodied awareness can assist in navigating our complex global reality. This highly experiential workshop will be accessible to movers of all abilities.
