Brain-based movement is an approach to mobility that utilizes our most important organ, our brain to create a smoother and better quality experience with movement. Let’s get into it!
The brain is the number 1 organ in your body. Nothing happens in our body without our brains knowing about it. You moving your eyes to read this, your breathing, you getting up to go grab a snack-it all get processed through the brain to allow it to happen.
The brain isn’t just responsible for organizing our movement, it also determines how well we move. Movement and mobility are not only about our flexibility and strength, it’s also about our nervous system, organs, vision, balance, and ability to know where our body is at in space. All of these things are trainable and some of the simplest tools can make a seemingly limited forward fold (for example) significantly better.
But why? Well, our brains determine our ability to do a task. It determines whether or not we need to utilize compensations, and NO compensation is not a bad word. It’s a great thing that keeps us safe, moving, and alive. So, knock it off with the mad at yourself about your compensations.
Here’s the thing about compensations. You can train your way out of one, but if something else is going on, that compensation is going to stay in place or you risk injury. You need both a mechanical and neurological approach to training your movement. Utilizing both mechanical and neurological stimulus to improve our movement creates a stronger, more robust experience. Plus, when we add both we start to tap into our nervous systems a little bit more and create more resilience.
Following a brain-based movement practice trains your body for better movement and your brain for better cognition, clarity, and regulation. You may finally be able to fulfill your dreams of touching your toes and within minutes!
Fascinating take on brain-based movement! I love how you emphasize the brain’s central role in every aspect of mobility, from simple tasks to complex movements. The connection between neurological and mechanical training is such a game-changer—especially the idea that compensations aren’t inherently bad but can be worked through with the right approach. It’s empowering to think about training both body and brain for better movement and cognition. Curious—what’s one simple tool or exercise you’d recommend to start incorporating brain-based movement into a daily routine? Thanks for the insightful post!
Thank you so much for the feedback. There are so many great tools, but here’s a simple one that easy to explain in text. We’re going to brain up a basic ankle circle. Sit or stand and bring one foot out in front of you. Now, draw a circle with your big toe focusing on the movement coming from your ankle. do a couple of those to get the movement down, and then slow it down-WAY DOWN. What you will notice when you slow down the movement are certain place will feel choppy or jagged in their movements, your circle will look like it is being drawn with an etch-a-sketch. Those are the areas we want to smooth out and get better at. Try them out in both directions. I would love to know what you learned.