When someone has a stroke, parts of the brain are damaged and the ability to move or talk is often affected. You may feel like a different person because your brain has changed. Memories shift, self-image changes, even the parts that make up personality may change.
Science has shown us that the brain is capable producing new neurons as well as connections between existing neurons throughout our life in a process called “neuroplasticity”. Our understanding of the brain’s ability to change is pushing the boundaries of what we previously thought possible, especially in the fields of stroke recovery and brain injury, and there is great potential for healing.
NeuroMovement® takes advantage of this enormous potential for your brain to "re-organise" itself to help you recover after a stroke or brain injury. Through the use of subtle, gentle and innovative movement patterns, your brain is flooded with new information and is activated for new learning. With this technique, your brain will be able to reset its map of its “new” body, ultimately growing new connections among billions of neurons, and potentially recovering lost function.
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With NeuroMovement®, I do NOT ask you to do what you cannot do. I understand that the loss of function is due to loss of connections in the brain. Instead, I find ways to minimize demands placed on your brain by so it can explore and learn, just like a newborn baby. One way I do this is by working with you lying down to remove the demands that gravity and the need for balance place on your body and brain.
Learn more about group classes or private, one on one sessions.
ABOUT NEUROMOVEMENT®
NeuroMovement® was created in the 1980s by Anat Baniel, and is based on the principle that new neural connections can be created through movement.
The brain’s ability to create these new connections is a process called “neuroplasticity”. This happens anytime we think about something in a new way, experience a new emotion, or move our bodies in a new way.
NeuroMovement® explores the relationship between the brain, the bones and the muscles, and helps the brain identify how it can use different parts of the body to create more fluid, pain-free movement.
In addition to the numerous physical benefits, you will experience improvements in your daily life such as better sleep, improved memory, clearer thinking and a feeling of calmness.
The gentleness of this method means that NeuroMovement® therapy is accessible to everyone, including people who suffer from chronic pain, stroke and brain injury survivors, children with special needs such as cerebral palsy and autism, and people experiencing age-related balance and movement challenges.
"The approach here, far wiser, far more subtle, truly holistic, far more ingenious, far more in accord with how brain development occurs, shows ways to access the child’s own brain plasticity and yields far greater results, so that the children can spontaneously grow from within."
Norman Doidge, MD, author of The Brain That Changes Itself and The Brain's Way of Healing.
THE 9 ESSENTIALS
Anat Baniel has identified nine essentials that are foundational to NeuroMovement®. These essentials help the brain form new connections and overcome rigid habits providing more freedom in movement, eliminating pain and improving physical and cognitive functioning.
1
MOVEMENT WITH ATTENTION
Bring attention to what you feel as you move. Your brain will immediately start building billions of new neurological connections to help you learn, evolve, and transform.
3
VARIATIONS
Introduce variation and playfulness into everything you do. Your brain will get the information it needs to create new possibilities in movements, thoughts, and actions.
5
ENTHUSIASM
Practice enthusiasm in your daily life. Enthusiasm tells your brain what is important to you, amplifying whatever that is and infusing it with energy to grow more.
7
THE LEARNING SWITCH
For the brain to properly do its job, the learning switch needs to be turned ON. Expect that you will do, think, or learn something new in each situation, even familiar ones.
9
AWARENESS
Become aware of what you are doing, sensing, thinking, and experiencing at any given moment. When you are awaring, your brain is working at its highest level.
2
SLOW
Slow way down to learn new skills and overcome limitations. Fast, you can only do what you already know. Slow stimulates the formation of rich new neural patterns.
4
SUBTLETY
Reduce the force with which you move, think, and act. Developing greater sensitivity will enhance your brain’s ability to perceive the finest of differences.
6
FLEXIBLE GOALS
Know your goals and embrace all the unexpected steps, mis-steps, and re-routes along the way. These are a rich source of valuable information for your brain.
8
IMAGINATION AND DREAMS
Imagine how to carry out your tasks and dream up as many possibilities as you can. Imagination & dreams guide your brain to continue growing and developing.
RESOURCES
Anat Baniel and the miraculous story of Elizabeth, whom she met in 1980 while working with her teacher and mentor Dr. Moshé Feldenkrais. (7 minutes 37 seconds)
Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality by Anat Baniel.
Neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert talks about how the brain evolved, not to think or feel, but to control movement. (20 minutes)
Kids Beyond Limits: The Anat Baniel Method for Awakening the Brain and Transforming the Life of Your Child With Special Needs by Anat Baniel.
