After forty years of researching the human body to consciousness, this program (serendipitously) was created. The Wellness Through Movement (WTM) program was designed and tested in the trenches of five elementary schools (2006-2014) of the Kohala communities. Kohala Elementary, a pilot school, is a public school of below-poverty classes in the rural areas of the Big Island. LINK Research talk on Body Awareness from Brown University, Catherine Kerr.

Catherine Rosasco-Mitchell’s research, before working in an elementary school, involved forty years of treatment with chronic conditions. Muscular-skeletal patterns were analyzed (through the Feldenkrais® Method entitled Functional Integration®) in relationship to behavior and systems. Though speculative, people with chronic conditions improve when motor patterns related to condition was experienced.

The WTM movement lessons, based on methods of the Feldenkrais® work and developmental movements was put into an elementary school level physical education. (United States standards are met. 

There are three WTM programs:

• A school-wide program, Get Sensational Attention
• A book, Part I, A New Sensory Self-Awareness
• A physical education program Part II, WTM Physical Education

Results after a 12 week WTM physical education program

Yes. Method implemented in the movement program were tested for eight years in elementary schools. Focus of the programs was to enhance both body ownership and re-educate sensorimotor patterns. Strategies were tested and revised between 2006-2018 in a public elementary school with children from multicultural and below poverty backgrounds.  Over 500 children (in groups of 6-22 participants) and ages 5-10 years old experienced these strategies:

1. Developing awareness in the organic nature of the body and what it wants to do without interfering 
2. Developing awareness of the presence of a physicalness in relation to hearing
3. Developing awareness of a synergistic attention, sensing your body while attention is outside yourself
4. Developing awareness of the details in parts and spaces of bodily organization 
5. Developing awareness of how physical changes relate to psychological and cognitive changes
6. Developing awareness in the relationships between the organization of movements in the body and behavioral patterns

Chronological Order of Research:

(1987-1990 Feldenkrais® Training)

1987-Present Feldenkrais® Practice

2005 Pilot program, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Lower School, with Physical Education Teacher and Co-Creator of WTM, Susie Jones, with special thanks to Hope Soo
2006 First pilot class Hawaii Preparatory (fourteen weeks) 
(2007 Schools Attuned Training)
(2007, Brain Gym Training)
(2007, Yoga Ed Training) 
2007, April 12 -April 25, and January 15 lessons segment program HPA 
2008 – 2014 Kohala Elementary 
2008 Hawaii Preparatory Academy
2008, August 15, Intro to Kohala teachers 
2008, September 10, Introduction to Parents at Kohala Elementary 
(2009, Trained/Teamed with Schools Attuned)

2009 WTM physical education teacher Kohala Elementary 
2010, Hawaii Association for Physical Education Recreation and Dance Presentation 
2010, Pilot program: Kohala after-school program, one week, 25 students 
2010, May 7, Hawaii Association Physical Education Presentation 
2010 – 2011, Kohala Elementary School Breaks 30 sessions 
2011, Kohala Community School Meeting

2011 Intro at Kohala elementary¬ Festival/Spring 
2011, March 14th – 18th, Kohala spring break 
2011, September-May Parker School, Donna Rohr 
2013-2014, Research team: Feldenkrais In Schools Hui in Schools (FISH)
2013, Waldorf School Kohala November 29 
2014, the Last program at Kohala Elementary
2014- 2015, June 2014 – September 2015, video animation program produced– Get Sensational Attention, school-wide program 

Movement Intelligence, Attention, and the Sensory Body (SB)

Introduction

We teach through the body to the brain. Some people must run to think, walk to listen, or move to talk. Movement is not merely a mechanical action – especially for children. Movement is also an intelligence that cultivates perception, attention, and executive functioning. (Clark, Schumann, and Mostofsky, 2015). This “intelligence” I will call the “Sensory Body (SB),”  or what scientists may label “body ownership.”  (Erhsson, H. H., 2012)
We use movement to explore spatial awareness, internally and externally. Structure has a sense, living presence has a sense, and action has a sense. Together, it senses orchestra development. “Signals from this sensory orchestra are sent by afferent nerves through the spinal cord to the somatosensory, motor, and parietal cortices of the brain, where they continuously feed and update dynamic sensory-motor maps of the body. This major intelligence of the body [this inner teacher] has missed the attention it truly deserves.” (Smetacek & Mechsner, 2004, p. 21).  The “maps” of the body ride on motor patterns.

Nature uses movement haphazardly is used to develop an awareness of a SB.Consciousness of this process changes the trajectory of its development. Through movement games children’s attention is pointed towards changes in their bodies to changes in their moods. Movement is not an exercise to achieve an action, but the organization of action to sense the functions trying to establish or established in the nervous system. Movement becomes s a tool for exploration of awareness.

Start with spatial awareness outside of the body. Through movement, the narrow the senses to inside the body and how body parts create movement functions. This is the awareness that senses the connection of the SB. The SB gives birth to one’s “way” of being. In other words, the SB bridges information from the motor, sensory, and memory association areas (of the body) crucial to feeling how one thinks and behave. The experience of this synergy shifts perception. Through motion, brain function improves. More importantly,  hearts expand, peace returns, and self-awareness finds a way to use the body to guide life.

Could the awareness of the SB be what stimulated improvements in children’s behavior and cognitive disorders? 

Could this process be scientifically proven? 

Yes. With every student showing signs of ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) improved after muscular patterns were reeducated. Movement patterns were specifically reeducated if the movement related to developmental movements. Research shows infants missing some developmental movement stages are predicted to get cognitive disorders. (Zuk, 2011)

However, trying to make infants (or children) achieve the type of results from movements, the action had to experience sensations related to awkwardness. Movements must give the sensation (a body awareness) where and how the awkwardness lacks organization. Dr. Feldenkrais’s technique uses the physics of motion to “meet” the brain through sensation. Gravity, weight, and pressure are variables to introduce in motion. The movement was the teacher.

The Wellness Through Movement (WTM) physical education lessons are based on developmental movement and the methods of the Feldenkrais® work. The focus of the lessons is let the children play to sense the language in the motion. Meaning, movement was used to sense parts integrated and not integrated in the actions. We did not explain of demonstrate movement. Everything in a lesson focuses on sensing what the body does with the brain. Sensing movement related to the brain is done through experience, not verbal descriptions. (For example: Get Sensational Attention User Guide.)

With movement and attention, awareness of the Sensory Body is built through experience, and incredibly more effective type of motion for helping attention deficit challenges. Over five hundred Kohala Elementary school children experienced the Wellness Through Movement (WTM) lessons. A foundational lesson in the movement games is called, “No Place Like Home Breath,” or “Home Breath” (Kohala Elementary termed Home Breath, “Pono Breath.” “Pono” means make good.) Here is a talk to learn more about how to apply movement and the program: Scientific overview of WTM physical education program.)

For children, learning from the Sensory Body (or movement intelligence) is easier than if people’s cognition has already developed the sense of self. In addition, more drastic improvements happened with cognitive disorders. For example, the ability to verbalize their thought, follow directions, and develop executive functioning were measurably improved. Principle Garcia (2008-2014) at Kohala Elementary and the parents reported social-emotional behavior and general well-being were also noticeably better. School-wide bullying incidents disappeared according to records of incidences reported to the principal’s office.

Lessons change the common notion of movement as “an exercise” to movement as a  sense of being and a language of becoming.  In other words, like human nature, movement was the teacher.

Movement as a Teacher: 

Lessons do not use words to explain actions or what is needed to be learned. 

Movement and attention is bing-bonged between one’s inner world and the changes of how the outer world is perceived. 

Most important: learning through motion can only be done through the experience of the lessons. “Experience” in this context refers to a direct and personal encounter with the actions and translations of the directions. (Experience a lesson)

The Sensory Body sense is a type of “perception,” a sixth sense of the three dimensional structure of the body-mind. Some scientists call the sense, “body-ownership.” The SB senses body-form that causes identity of self and perception. For children, this motor sense is not viewed as just a feeling of muscles and bones but a physical conversations of emotional and mental processing.  

Learn “how” to introduce movement activity and develop the Sensory Body awareness with this talk: Six Body-to-Brain Strategies.

Further Discussion with Researchers: Stuart Mostofsky at Kennedy Krieger & Cathy Kerr at Brown University

Researchers know movement helps the brain, but how does movement create perception? Answering this question is to ask another question: if movement is recognized as crucial for cognitive development (Boring, 1930), why can’t we feel the relationships of it to cognitive or perceptual development?  The science of “Body Ownership” may point to the answer. (Burin, D., Pyasik, M., Salatino A., and Pia, L., 2017) If we can’t feel the body, how can we sense the conversations in the body to actions?

Start a movement lesson by lying on the floor and ask what is touching? To many children the answer was, “Nothing.” Like infants, it is hard to sense the internal structures and function sof the arms, legs, back, or even spines.

Movement in physics means life. Life is nature’s way of teaching wholeness is through action. There is a crucial interdependence of the body to how the mind reacts to its environment. In other words, it is not just movement but what happens between the movement and perception that is the treasure. What lies between movement and perception creates the way children listen, communicate, and perceive. 

Scientists explain that movement of the body to the brain happens through afferent nerves.  Afferent nerves bring sensory information from the world and through the body to the brain. What is between the self and the outer world negotiates through movement, or somatosensory circuits of sensations. If scientists are saying body’s sensations that are sent to the brain and are foundational to how the brain operate, information from the body and motion are crucial to understanding learning. Like the first movements of life, primal reflexes, WTM movements are designed to stimulate actions to germinate Functional Integrate®, brain and body-mind wholeness (See Feldenkrais® Work).

Motor Patterns of Behavior is Different than Muscle Memory

It is important to clarify the differences between muscle memory and motor patterns. Muscle memory is a movement that knows how to repeat itself. Motor patterns are repeated records of motion related to behavior. In other words, behavioral patterns must be thought of as motor patterns. Changing the motor pattern of a behavior (in children) related to stress, frustration, and anger changed behavior. Changing muscle memory did not change any emotional states of conditioning.

The body is a physical record of historical drives. From desires, circumstances, and activities, motor patterns evolve. Children’s desires crave to be fulfilled, and successful behaviors get established. As strategies succeed, fine-tuning of motion develops and muscular-skeletal action gets programed in to automatic patterns of actions. Actions get enslaved and become integral to perception. Over time, these movement strategies carve out ways of acting and become the carriage of the self and (sensory-motor) identity. In other words, The three-dimensional patterns of action become the physical attire of muscular-skeletal tendencies and persuade how to act, behave, and speak. 

We analyzed children’s movements (posture and gait) to analyze their dispositions in character. The organization of movement had to find ways to negotiate between an intention and action. If this bridge between action and intention was not built, behavior problems existed.

It is essential to mention some patterns of movements that need to be disregarded often can’t be just let go. Actions that strive to reach success need to be felt to be changed.

The SB is the sensation of form identified as the self, the “who” inside with the “who” outside. The SB is the form sensation directing ways of perception and making choices. The Sensory Body (SB) is a type of internal guidance system (GPS) to what happens between the mind and body. In other words, the SB is a type of intelligence, a biofeedback one with structure, function, and attention composed through motion. Long before the mind notices, the SB can sense the beginnings of psychological behaviors through actions, biological sensations.

To change behavior, “exercise” or the idea of needing to do specific movements was sacrificed to train awareness of the SB. Fine qualities of sensations bypass perception, yet the SB can sense the differences of what we are doing to what we think we are doing. The SB, unlike the brain knows when the mind and body are working in sync and in opposite behavior.

Benefits of the SB

After researching for thirty years and with tens of thousands of people with chronic conditions, the benefits encompassed improvements in emotional, mental, and physical health. And when taught WTM philosophy became a culture in a school-wide setting, benefits with children’s behavior were sustainable. Eight years after working with the pilot school (2006-2013), Principal Garcia of Kohala Elementary reported this testimony about social-emotional behavior. He continued remarking about a kindergarten student (from 2006) with verbal and physical harassment issues has still showed an improved demeanor not recognizable years after we worked with him. Similar reports came from teachers and parents related to improved attention span and general well-being. T

he most significant benefit with adults and children was when they became aware of what they were doing that was different from what they thought they were doing.

Background of School Program: Principal Garcia used a school-wide lesson called “No Place Like Home” (p. 46, Rosasco, 2013). The lesson used the movement of an exhalation with attention “attached” to the sensation of the sound and movement of the breath to pull children’s attention down inside their bodies. (See No Place Like Home Breath, p. 46, Rosasco Mitchell)

Long-term benefits likely occurred if children’s community (schools and family life) gets involved.

 It is important to note that our pilot school was in a Hawaiian community. The indigenous cultures value the relationships among the mind, body, spirit, nature, and being part of a tribe. Because of the indigenous culture, and thanks to the parents and teachers of Kohala Elementary School, the children changed for years later. 

What teachers or parents may not understand: Some elementary teachers were surprised to understand how the children’s bodies influenced listening skills. Traditional education needs to pull attention up at the teacher. In WTM, listening is about the SB listening, and children’s unique and personal processes wired into their bodies. Cues from the body can help researchers, parents, and teachers understand what is getting out of the way of listening.

For example, a third-grade girl felt frightened about her reading lessons and didn’t know she held her breath increasing her anxiety and difficulty to listen. After the child learned the SB, she noticed that she stopped breathing whenever the teacher said, “It’s time for our reading lesson.” The anxiety caused her chest to stiffen, making it difficult for her to listen to the teacher. She learned the lesson, No Place Like Home Breath, and could then sense what was happening inside her body and why she couldn’t read. (p. 46, Rosasco, 2013) In other words, the sensation of the SB allowed her to sense what information was not getting processed. She raised her hand and told the teacher. They reviewed the lesson “No Place Like Home Breath.” lesson. (This interview on the Home page will explain how to do the lesson) The teacher asked the student to listen from “Home” and she learned to read for the first time (at the age of eight years old). 

***

Teach Home Breath through fun first: When first learning about the SB, we taught children the lesson, “Personal Bubbles Freeze Dance.” (round three, p. 42, Rosasco, 2013) The lesson taught children how to keep attention inside in a playful way. Playing is learning from inside (the SB) and is much easier. Once the children play with the sense of the SB, adapting it to the classroom demands is easier.  (See Testimonials)

The SB learned through movement improves three functions:

1. Body awareness

2. Dual attention

3. Awareness of Difference in the Physical to Differences in Perception

There is No Wrong Movement

The most difficult challenge for movement teachers or researchers is remembering there are no wrong movements. Movement, even the most awkward, is used to discovery possibilities. 

Like in nature, the movements of infants fumble about until they succeed in the action. There is no judgment in the infant, just an innocence of exploration. WTM movement, like in nature, is always intended to help children learn about themselves. Teaching movement is usually done by “modeling” a movement, so it is done correctly. In contrast, with WTM movement, time and space allow children to explore how their own bodies move in relation to their perceptions. This learning from inside is probably one of the few opportunities young children get in a school day.

Here’s one way we used movement to help the children explore possibilities. We gave a movement and watched if all the children did the movement suggested. If one child was doing something different, we mimicked that action in the next instruction for the whole class. We also watched where this particular participant’s action began and ended. For example, if the original instruction was to move the knee forward, and one of the children lifted her head and looked at her knee to move the knee forward, for the next instruction, we mimicked her action by asking all the participants to lift their heads and look at their knees to move their knees forward.

What’s the point? The point of this WTM technique is to show the participants there is no right or wrong movement. The movement teaches the children it’s okay to do something different; however, it’s not okay if they don’t know they did something different. Movement is also teaching compassion.

The intention is to help children experience new ways of looking at themselves (and each other). Movement is used to develop consciousness and explore the uniqueness of each individual, and their relationship within a group. From a “witness” state of the SB, we want children to have no judgment about what their bodies are doing relative to what their minds intended. And by experiencing the different actions of other participants, children learn from both their internal process of actions and their reactions to others. The experience of the movement intelligence is what teaches compassion. The movement helps children compare the (1) differences in their perceptions to the instructions, (2) others’ perceptions, and (3) the relationship of their body parts.

Dual Attention

Another way we introduced body awareness and taught compassion was with what we called, “Dual Attention.” Dual Attention is the ability to sense importance both inside the body and “out there.” In other words, for the children to learn how to take care of themselves they elicited information from dual attention. The more the dual attention was used, the clearer dual attention guided children to fine-tune a grace that restored balance and wellbeing.

Dual attention helps children feel their body-to-mind relationship from the feel of what we call “Home.” Home is inside the body where an exhalation ends. With dual attention, children turn their attention inward to Home and speak and listen to others from there. If they could not feel Home inside, they were asked to stop sharing and wait for themselves. This method was especially successful when children were conflicted. They were asked to share only if they could feel “Home” inside while talking. 

From dual attention there was a sense of harmony, and their assumptions about the external world changed more towards the heart. Like in an animal — and with practice — children’s dual attention generates strategies for what is truly needed — and no more. Their old familiar reactions get an opportunity to pause. After slowing down and pausing, children take an exhalation to turn attention inside their bodies and take a step back from their reactions. With dual attention, they are not overwhelmed by their outer situations and find an honest truth in themselves. 

To our surprise, each time children achieved dual attention (especially the five-year-olds) their points of reference came from a deeper place in their hearts. The tendencies of their muscular-skeletal systems returned their attention to their hearts, and from there redefined and classified ways of achieving solutions in kinder, peaceful, and more compassionate ways. Dual attention broadens the lens of consciousness and changes the focus. New ideas from children’s old familiar ways change their opinions of cause and effect. Children learn to use their motor sense to understand an integrity in their behaviors and how they affect others and situations.