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. 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

The methodology examines the physical structure of musculoskeletal system activity to diagnosis perceptual functioning. The bodily sensations don’t just accompany the psyche; they are the psyche. Multisensory impulses from low-level sensory and motor circuits feed cognition and are cognition. (Scientific American Mind, Jan./Feb. 2011, p. 39-45). The demands within physical form (the body) are designed to become trapped in patterns of motion. Multisensory sensations form a reflection that represents a likeness into an image for the understanding of identity to the self.

The body is a mediator between the understanding of self and movement. Together with movement and repose, a type of hidden wisdom strives to be known. Senses and the arrangement of movement cause the impulses of actions to combine with the senses. These combine with the structure and arrangement of form. This process shapes the perception of the self and others.

Participants are taught to sense this synthesis of body-mind impulses through what is termed the Sensory Body (SB). Sensing the imaging in the physical structure, lessons aim to help participants become aware of a hidden sense, the SB. The SB is not the body or the psyche, but what lies between them.

Note: Children ages seven years old seem to have the ability to feel the synergy of mind-body the easiest (2009 Results). After over eight years of working in the schools, it became apparent that the qualities of actions to consciousness were increasingly difficult for children to perceive (2025 Results).

The organization and arrangement of movement play a significant role in shaping the sense of self. SB awareness can only be learned by experiencing it within the physicality of the body. This hidden sense enables one to feel the sensation of physical form. It intertwines with motor patterns related to behavior. The image and motion of the form are what influence and create perception. The “who” inside meets the “who” outside. Once the two selves have different levels of awareness with each other, subconsciously, each self negotiates with the other. In younger systems, the SB and systems integrate more easily and favorably. Children may not be fully conscious, but their integration is smoother.

The SB is the form sensation that directs ways of development in perception. From the choices made, the Sensory Body (SB), an internal GPS occurs between the mind and body. A type of intelligence develops from a biofeedback-based feeling. This feeling comes from the image of structure, function, and attention composed through motion. It grows according to choices made and circumstances. Long before the mind notices, the SB can sense psychological patterns of behavior in form. Actions wired into the muscular skeletal systems trigger impulses of biological sensations, long before the consciousness mind is aware.

Becoming aware of these biological sensations helps the children pause and then make different choices than familiar patterns of reactions. This awareness is the primary intention behind teaching the SB to children.

To change behavior, the idea of “exercise” or the need to do specific movements is sacrificed. Instead, consciousness is developed through the SB, attention, and motion. Fine qualities of sensations the bypass conscious perception can clarify by the SB. The SB, unlike the brain, knows when the mind and body are working in sync or in different directions. With the SB, automatic unhealthy behavior has a choice to pause and choose a different way.

The Sensory Body

Benefits of the Sensory Body (SB) Sense

After forty years of research involving tens of thousands of people with chronic conditions, it is clear that learning the SB can significantly improve emotional health. It also enhances mental and physical health, regardless of the specific condition. However, there were instances when learning the SB proved difficult. This was especially true for children who had undergone multiple surgeries. It was also challenging for those who were on medications.

Children benefited the most from the SB when the WTM protocols were integrated into the school culture. They also benefited when parents applied these techniques at home. In the school setting, not only did children’s behavior improve, but incidents of bullying also disappeared entirely. What was particularly surprising was that these improvements were sustainable. The enhancement in behavior was linked to children operating from a place of honesty, integrity, and aloha. This kindness was fostered through self-discovery.

Eight years after implementing the program at our pilot school, Kohala Elementary (2006-2013), Principal Garcia testified about its success. Bullying had ceased across the school. This was evidenced by the decreased number of students sent to the office. He continued to reflect on the most challenging students from 2006, who had severe verbal and physical harassment issues.

Of course not. The Sensory Body (SB) can be difficult to grasp because it is learned through the physical experience. It cannot be learned through intellect or reading these words. True comprehension requires personal experience; the mind alone cannot fully appreciate the subtle depths of the Sensory Body. To help, here’s an adult version of a WTM lesson below.

Remember: The Sensory Body Develops Three Functions:

1. Body awareness
2. Dual attention
3. Awareness of Differences in the Physical Actions and Perception of Actions

Experience an Adult Lesson

Before You Experience the Adult Lesson

Details of Body Parts: For adults to learn through the body, they need to direct their attention more specifically to body parts. They should focus on the details of amount of space, distance, and locations inside the body. In the Adult Lesson we mention “walking down each vertebra.” If you can’t feel the sensation of “walking down each the vertebra,” imagine gently pushing each vertebra down. Try to just intend to touch the ground with each vertebra. Do not force the participant follow the directions. Watching their responses are key to the following direction. The lessons are about teaching participants what they can feel and not feel, and what they think they are doing to what is really happening in their actions. The movement is there to help you feel body parts. When lying on the floor, the pressures against the floor from your body will help you feel body parts.

Remember to turn your attention to your body, and what you learn in the lesson. Where in the body do you think _(from)____. If that part of your body changes , notice if it changes how you are perceiving.

Drink Water: Drink water, even if you are not thirsty. Lie on the floor (or bed if you can’t get on the floor). Close your eyes. As you listen just play with the movement suggestions. Pause the recording and play with movements by repeating the actions a dozen or so times. From your own SB, there will be moments when subtle veils are pulled back. These veils were hiding the bridge of the mind-body. These veils are easier to pull back with a child-like mind. 

Go Slow: Going slow helps you learn from movement. Slow down one-tenth the speed you are moving. If your brain is spinning after you read this section, your body wants to explain these concepts. It’s not your brain. Listen to the recording. Go Slow. Take your time. Do less.

There is No Wrong Movement: The most difficult challenge is to understand that there are no wrong movements. Movements, even the most awkward, are used to discovery what is not in awareness.

Fumble About: Like an infant, fumble about. Fumble about means play until you discover something new in yourself with the action. There is no judgment in the infant when they can’t feel something. There is only innocence of exploration. WTM movement, like in nature, is always intended to use movement to explore.

Apply this Adult Lesson at the beginning and end of each day. Notice how your body changes from morning to night. Then ask yourself what you did that day, what you felt about the day, and were the actions affecting different parts of my body in the Pancake Body lesson?

Years after the program had concluded in the schools, these children exhibited remarkable behavioral improvements. They were unrecognizable compared to their former selves. Similar positive feedback was received from teachers and parents regarding longer attention spans and improved overall well-being. (Chart on reports)

The most critical benefit for both children and adults was the heightened awareness of their actions. This awareness was particularly evident regarding behaviors they were previously unaware of. As children became more attuned to their bodies, they gained insight into what hindered their ability to listen. They also understood what caused disruptions in the classroom.

We can teach children something very valuable. However, if they do not utilize it in daily living, children won’t remember it. We taught the program at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. It was the school where we created the program. Three years later, we returned and asked the children what they remembered. The same thing happened in Kohala Elementary, our pilot school. They didn’t remember anything except in the WTM class. The problem was our fault. We needed to teach them how to apply the insights from the SB lessons to their school day and home.

It is worth noting that our pilot school, Kohala Elementary, is located in a Hawaiian community. Hawaiian communities prioritize community. It is an indigenous culture to value the interconnectedness of mind, body, spirit, nature, and one another. The indigenous culture influenced the children’s improvement. The parents and teachers at Kohala Elementary School made efforts to aid this progress. As a result, the children continued to improve over the years.

Teachers were Surprised to Learn

Some elementary teachers mentioned that they never considered the children’s bodies influencing their listening skills. Traditional education teachers need to draw attention to them. For example, a common saying is, “Eyes up here. Ears up here.” Teachers using the Wellness Through Movement (WTM) methods and research know listening is more than just with the ears. They know it involves the whole self, including their inner and outer selves. When children achieve SB listening, a change in perception occurs. This happens when their sense of self is in awareness. As a result, children’s unique and personal processes of how they learn blossom. Cues from the body help children understand what is getting in the way of their ability to listen.

An example of a child getting cues from her body: A third-grade girl felt anxiety. The anxiety arose when the reading lesson would begin. She didn’t know she held her breath, which increased her anxiety and difficulty comprehending the lesson. After the child learned the SB, she noticed that she stopped breathing. This happened whenever the teacher said, “It’s time for our reading lesson.”

After she learned the lesson, No Place Like Home Breath*, she could sense what was happening inside her mind. She felt it through the sensation of her body. This helped her understand why she couldn’t learn to read. (p. 46, Rosasco, 2013) In other words, the awareness of the sensation in the SB allowed her to sense why information was not getting processed. She raised her hand and told the teacher. They reviewed the “No Place Like Home Breath” lesson. They asked the student to listen now from the “Home” (the place inside). She did and learned to read for the first time. She was eight years old. This Overview Interview explains more about how to do the lesson, or you can follow the lesson plan of Get Sensational Attention.

*It is important to note, we taught the children the Home Breath through the game Personal Bubbles Freeze Dance first. It is important not to teach it in a stressful situation if you can help it. More is explained in the “Long Track” of the Get Sensational Attention program.

Six Body-to-Brain Strategies
- Movement and Cognition Conference - 2018
Harvard Medical School
- Introduction to Presentation
- 6 Body to Brain Strategies Presentation
___________________________________

Poster Presentation
Society for Research and Child Development Poster Presentation (SRCD), 2015
SRCD Developmental Science Teaching Institute, Philadelphia, PA

If you are doing research with movement and neuroscience there are a few easy tips to implement with any study. Use some sort of measurement in the understanding of changes in the body to awareness of character. With children under ten the conscious awareness of details in the body is not necessary. However, children older than ten years of age will need to experience the awareness of changes in their bodies to sense the connection of their ways of thinking.

Using movement as an intelligence was especially beneficial to children with attention disorders. All children we worked with with attention deficit tendencies had no body awareness from the waist down. There was in awkwardness in these children’s movement in the legs, pelvis and lower back. This “awkwardness” gave us vital insights in how to help their behaviors. What would it feel like to be off center, disconnect from the ground, or an imbalance from the legs into the pelvis? Attention “out there” would be masked.

How we addressed the “awkwardness” in a child’s movement with cognitive disorders was extensive, yet Part II of the programs will give some guidance on designing movement sequences. Part II are Feldenkrais® movement lesson games, and core to the teachings of WTM.

Ways to Use the SB in Research

a. Speed of a Movement

Slow Down

Speed is another way to use movement as a teacher. Behavioral patterns have a familiar speed of action. By changing the speed of a movement, the SB has an opportunity to get familiar with unfamiliar ways of action. Slow down the action, and it will change the quality of the behavior. To experience this technique, walk somewhere you go often, like from the car to your office or grocery store, however, walk at one-tenth of the speed. Notice if there are any differences in your mind-set or attitude, especially if you are in a hurry.

With the children we applied speed and a developmental movement. We had the children crawl on their bellies in a relay race. Then we repeated the movement while blowing a feather in front of them along the floor. (For more information of the background of using the feather see “Notes and Background,” p. 65, Mitchell, 2013) Slowing down the movement helped the participants feel what parts of their spines were rigid, what features affected other body parts, and new ways of moving. The quality of a movement often has a quality of character and mindset attached.

b. Perception  of the Movement

Are you, as a reader starting to get a sense of this SB? Help children look at differences in the orientation of perceptions and their movements. How? Imitate in directions the movements they are doing that aren’t following your directions. Are the children’s perceptions looking “out there” for guidance. Tell them to close their eyes. “Perception” is defined as pointing towards the outer world. With the SB, perception relates to both “out there” and within the self.

Insights from Perception and Actions

The participants will interpret the movement directions by how they are perceived. For example, the first movement instruction may be, “Move the knee forward several times.” Children without body awareness might think, “Forward? Oh, that must mean the direction toward the front of the room?” We watched to see how the children moved their knees. Were their movements toward the front of the room or toward the front of their bodies? If they moved their knee toward the front of the room, the second instruction would mirror their actions, such as “Move your knee towards the front of the room.”

Imagine hearing the changes in directions and feeling the relationships in the actions. The words in the instructions give sensations on what to move, the way they move, and not necessarily what the instruction intended. The movement sensation teaches them the differences in how they perceive.

Using Movement as a Teacher

The first direction gave a movement. The second direction mirrored the participants’ intentions. The third instruction will now clarify the sense of the bodies by changing to “Move the knee forward towards the front of you.” The directions intentionally did not clarify the movement so that we could analyze the functions of their perceptions.

Through movement intelligence, participants can notice their perceptions, their relationship with themselves to the outer room, and their bodies. If children’s orientations are solely turned toward the external world every day, all day, this instruction often feels confusing. And these children are only aware of the room and not themselves in the room.

Extra Sensitive Children

These techniques were essential for extra-sensitive children. Giving them a sense of where they are in space helped them feel where they are inside.

By the way, have your gotten up lately? Are you breathing? Can you wiggle? Rolled your neck? Awwwwwwwe

c. Configuration of Structures in Action

Start with Spatial Awareness Inside and Out

As another way to help children understand body awareness, we directed their attention inside their bodies to the subtle qualities of spatial organization. For example: While children were lying on their backs, we playfully asked, “How big a mongoose (or squirrel) can run under your neck?” Then we asked them to feel (with their hands) behind their necks and asked, “Were the spaces as big or small as you thought?” Imagining the mongoose’s height helped the children understand the actual size of space between the back of their bodies and the floor. The ability to feel with their hand behind their necks allowed them to compare their bodies’ actual structure with their perceptions.

How Much of the Body or Perception is in Awareness?
Notice the movement instructions also taught children the connection between perceptions, intentions, and actions. “Perception” was what the children thought they felt inside their bodies. “Intention” was the direction of their attention versus what was asked, and “action” was the feeling of the body on the floor, the sense of the floor, and the feeling of touching behind their necks.

Pressure Sensors as Pointers
The areas of the body heaviest against the floor are often the body parts used most regularly that tense up over time. We used the floor, like a biofeedback machine, to sense details in the body with the lesson “Pancake Body.” (p. 40, Rosasco, 2013) “Pancake Body” was done before and after every movement lesson. By comparing changes in the body before and after an activity, awareness begins to carve out insights about the effects the body can have on physical, emotional, or mental states of being.

d. Gravitational Fields and the Self

The Self Develops from Movement

Movement is the primal function of all development. Movement bridges sensing, feeling, thinking, action, and the immediate environment through the gravitational field. In physics, changing the body position in an action relative to gravity helps change the children’s organization of motor patterns. In different positions, pressure, weight, and sensation shift. Positions help change what is familiar to what is not in the motor pattern. When the gravitational field shifts, the flow of an action initiates movement from different places in the body. When bodily positions change gravitational alignment, the participants get to feel other sensations (in their body awareness). For example, the sound of words can seem illusive to a child; however, when put into movement, they gain tangible qualities. Refer to the lesson ‘Home Breath’ for more information.

The awareness of oneself and one’s actions improves as body awareness improves. For example, sit in a chair. Feel where weight and balance are organized within the pelvis, gut, and spine. Now lie on the floor in the same configuration. When lying on the floor, adjust the thighs to be perpendicular to the spine. The lower legs are at a right angle to the thighs. Note you are in the “sitting position” now lying on your side. Notice what parts of the body are tense while on your side. Could you feel these areas in your body while sitting? Go back to sitting to compare. Positions in different gravitational fields improve awareness of the SB.

Research was conducted with over 500 children from Kohala Elementary School (KES) and other elementary schools. The children participated in the Wellness Through Movement (WTM) in both Part I and Part II of the WTM lessons. Over a course of eight years, lessons were experienced at the pilot school, KES. The foundational games/lessons used in the school are outlined in Part II of the program.

Here are some lessons used, along with a lecture on the strategies employed: “No Place Like Home Breath” or “Home Breath.” (How to apply movement to cognitive functioning: Six Body-to-Brain Strategies lecture)

Before researching with children, thirty-two years were spent working with people with chronic conditions and musculoskeletal behavioral patterns. The work involved a movement-based and hands-on approach to reeducate the functional integration of motion within the habitual patterns through the Feldenkrais^® Method.

Strategies & Poster Presentations

Part I A New Sensory Self Awareness

Written with and for teachers and groups of children

This book is thoughtfully crafted for and with elementary teachers. It invites researchers and parents to explore this website in tandem with the text. We recommend beginning with the Audience page for a richer understanding of the Q & A. Through engaging insights, the book guides readers to discover the essential connection between bodily sensations and the mind. It unravels the fascinating sense of the Sensory Body.

Written with and for teachers and groups of children

This book is thoughtfully crafted for and with elementary teachers. It invites researchers and parents to explore this website in tandem with the text. We recommend beginning with the Audience page for a richer understanding of the Q & A. Through engaging insights, the book guides readers to discover the essential connection between bodily sensations and the mind. It unravels the fascinating sense of the Sensory Body.

Note for the Book: You will not understand the wisdom behind the movement unless you experience the lessons. Movement lessons that reeducate the tractate behavior of motor patterns are in Part II. It is in the Part II program when cognitive behavior improved. For severe disorders, a Feldenkrais® Practitioner was also needed to apply the lessons.