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Susan
A. Matthews, M.S.
Shanti School of Internal Martial Arts
An Institute of Research and Education
Southwestern Colorado,
USA
970-903-5723
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Brain
Workshop™
Exercises for a New Brain-
Use Mind Power and Movement to Change Your Brain
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Brain Workshop™ DVDs | Program Dates and Details | Articles | Private Consultation
Brain Workshop™ Brain Exercise programs are presented in Seminars offered nationally. If you would like to sponsor a Brain Workshop seminar with Susan Matthews please email Susan at mail@susanamatthews.com.
Brain
Workshop™ Exercises for a New Brain- Use Mind Power and Movement to Change
Your Brain
Brain Workshop™ Mind and Movement Exercises for Brain Health make it really possible to change the structure and function of the brain. By training your mind and movement you can change your brain. Susan A. Matthews, using decades of experience, combines the ancient secrets of Tai Chi with cutting-edge science to produce a powerful system which you can use to tap into the power of the mind and movement to change the way you think and feel, to reverse age-related changes in the brain, to rehabilitate and regain lost function after stroke or brain injury. Integrate these ancient Tai Chi principles to maximize any exercise for improving brain health and brain function and to maximize mind-body connection. Two-volume set $39.95
Susan-Thanks for the new disk. I have really found that using the chi figure eights is very supportive during hiking and biking, instead of feeling tired and straining muscularly the chi circles just keep me moving on! Thanks, Kim
Volume One: Integrating Neuroscientific Principles is mostly lecture that presents an introduction to how the brain processes information and, using that information, how to use specific patterns of movement to activate and create new neural pathways in the brain. Learn how we use mental practice and visualization to tap into the power of training the mind to affect mental, and physical, well being, and even to repair brain injury.Volume Two: 12 Key Exercises to Activate the Brain are combined to provide a full one-hour practice session. The constant rhythmic motion is profoundly relaxing. The 4 parts include: 1) Spinal Dynamics, 2) Head and Neck Circulation, 3) Mental Practice, and 4) Left/Right Brain Synchrony.
In each part we focus on both a physical exercise and mental exercise that involves a visualization of energy movement.
The beginning focuses on the dynamics of the spine and the concept of central equilibrium. This is the physical straight spinal column relaxed and balanced in gravity along with fluid energy dynamics created by movement and the mind.
Mental Practice is described for each movement where exercises are designed to train the mind to work within the physical body, generating a visualization of energy flow. The exercises teach you to create a strong root, or sense of balance, how to cultivate a sense of qi, and a method of effortless walking with intent, focus, and energy.
Exercises to balance left and right brain activity have powerful effects both mentally and physically. Here, the mind is trained to move the body, balanced around a singular point of focus.
Head and Neck Exercises provide an abundant blood supply to the brain. Head and neck massage, relaxation and meditation can increase circulation, particularly to areas damaged by stroke or brain injury as well as open doors to higher consciousness.
email Susan for more information: mail@susanamatthews.com
12 Key Exercises for Brain Health1) Arm Swings with Mental Intent on Central Equilibrium (Zhong Ding)
2) Gathering Energy using Mental Intent for Up/Down Energy Movement
3) Spiral Up and Stretch
4) Head and Neck Massage
5) Relaxing, Qi Filling Breath Meditation
6) Zhong Ding Rooting and Stretching
7) Left/Right Sinking
8) Qi Walking with Central Equilibrium
9) Sitting Figure-8 Qi Circles
10) Open the Back
11) Backwards Bicycle Punches
12) Arm Swings with Central Equilibrium and Bicycle
These two DVDs contain elements of Brain Workshop training for speeding neural repair and plasticity in patients with movement disability such as those who are recovering from stroke, brain injury, or who have progressive neurological symptoms as seen in Parkinson's Disease.
They also contains tools and specific movement principles for therapists to use to aid in learning and memory acquisition. For example, speech and reading therapists can incorporate rhythmic movement as a right-brain activity to facilitate left-brain repatterning.
Similarly,
this mind-body integration training uses movement synchronization and
rhythm coupled with mental practice that effects both physical and mental
balance.
email Susan for more information: mail@susanamatthews.com
Upon registration for any Brain Workshop™ Seminar, each participant will receive the DVD Brain Workshop™ Mind and Movement Exercises for Brain Health- Training Your Mind & Movement to Change your Brain as an excellent introduction to five aspects in her workshops central in her approach to movement, tai chi, and brain health. She explores them in class and works with participants to understand their meaning and how they may be incorporated into any modality:
First, movement with synchronicity, rhythmicity, and symmetry has been linked to brain activation during memory acquisition, states of consciousness, locomotion, neural repair, and rehabilitation.
Second, mental practice, including visualization and movement imagery, are receiving greater significance for treatment potential. New imaging techniques show that when you visualize going over movement in your mind (imagery), neuronal (nerve cell) activity in the brain actually mirrors that movement. This capacity of the nervous system is just beginning to be explored in brain injury research and treatment. Tai Chi and other ‘internal’ martial arts training tools greatly enhance mental agility by tapping into the mind connection between visualization of internal energy (qi) and movement.
Third, balanced, integrated, left- and right-sided movement is accompanied by balanced brain activity. Such movement activates the motor and sensory neural circuitry of the whole brain. Balance is accomplished by using two major components of training: 1) “central equilibrium training,” and; 2) mechanical spiraling in the joints.
Fourth, engaging and integrating multiple sensory systems both physically and with mind intention, wakes up the entire body and brain, and can speed up the healing process. These systems include visual, kinesthetic, the sense of gravity and position, muscle load, stretching and contracting, sensors in the skin, and the sensation of qi (vital energy).
Fifth, using these techniques and others to train the mind achieves three levels of adaptation. First, increased awareness of the sensation of internal qi energy flowing in the body. Second, the ability to direct internal energy and physical movement to flow in harmony. Finally, the training cultivates awareness of, and harmony with, the energetic movement in the space surrounding the body.