Other tools
Brain Gym, which is also called Educational Kinesiology, has many movements to help in this situation.
Hook-ups
A hook up is used to bring the body back into equilibrium after a stress response. When the fight/flight response is activated the bodies and nervous systems response is to withdraw all blood, energy and focus from the outer extremities back into the body so it has more energy to call upon to survive. Doing a Hook Up brings the attention back out of the body and back into the outer extremities (hands, fingers, feet) which supports more logical and ordered thinking and decision making. Doing this activity invites calm while centering and organising scattered attention. As muscles relax, mental chatter dissipates. The second part of this activity acts as a metaphor in connecting the right and left sides of the brain and the body again
Sitting down or standing up, cross your ankles. Next, put your arms out in front of you, palms facing out
Next, cross your wrists one over the other, your palms will now be facing in
Next, interlace your fingers together
Now, bring your hands down and in towards your body
Bring your hands up to the centre of your chest. Hold like this for a minute or more, until you feel your breathing return to calm regular breaths.
When you feel calmer and that your breathing has returned to normal, uncross your arms and feet and put your finger tips together in front of your chest, whilst continuing to breathe deeply for another minute or two.
Earth Buttons
Earth Buttons is a great tool to help with grounding. This movement helps by organising the body as one’s centre, from which all movement becomes better coordinated. The Earth Buttons reconnects and recentres the top and bottom halves of the body for increased mental, emotional and physical stability.
Place two finger tips under your lower lip and rest the palm of the other hand over your navel, with your fingertips pointing directly down to the floor. Your chin will automatically tuck itself in. Imagine that you’re breathing air up from the Earth, through your feet into the centre of your body. With your eyes open, look down, then track a vertical line up (eg floor to ceiling) then own again. Repeat this for 4-6 breaths then change hands over and repeat, whilst feeling your grounded connection to Earth strengthen.
Space Buttons
This movement teaches spatial awareness as well as the ability to replace thinking with intuition and knowing.
To do the activity, place two fingertips above the top lip, and place your other hand in the centre of your lower back with the fingers facing down to the ground. Centre your head over your hips. Hold the points for thirty seconds or more, or 4-6 breaths, then swap hands and repeat.
