How our Brains Learn
How our Brains Learn
Did you know that our brains build upon a hierarchy of knowledge connecting the lower sensory-motor cortex with details awakening the higher neocortex. Our brains learn and integrate prior knowledge with new information to compare, discern and distill new awareness and learning. Our sensory apparatus often referred to as the Teleceptors, most are located in our facial area. We have 2 eyes (visual), 2 ears (auditory), 2 nostrils (smell) and our mouth (taste/gustatory) has a lower jaw, and the upper aspect in our skull with our tongue that connects down at the base of our cervical neck vertebrae. In addition, we have in our finger tips so many sensory nerve endings, all over our bodies also (tactile/kinesthetic), so all of these awaken and bring into our nervous system new stimuli to learn from. This is sensory learning and what The Feldenkrais Method® of somatic re-education is all about.
Did you realize that sound and movement are the first to awaken even in utero. Our sight takes the longest time to really come on line but once it does, our visual is one of the biggest influences in our learning. Think of how babies witness their loved ones blowing them a kiss, puckering their lips and how through mirror neurons they return the kiss very quickly. Our higher brain taps into our lower sensory brain experiences for more effective learning. Your sensory experiences housed in the base of your brain, while your visual cortex housed in the upper brain, needs more time to assimilate an integrate what you are seeing. The visual processing plays a crucial learning via mirror neurons. It’s also most important to have visual cues that are more efficient as these are the pathways that will wire in early on in our lives.
The Feldenkrais Method often suggests the way in is best through the kinesthetic, felt sense but first, in order to sense and feel, we need to see and use all of our sensory organs to help inform our nervous system how to do these early functions that build upon folding, opening, turning, rolling, twisting. Best to copy efficiency instead of just following the leader, as that individual might not be as efficiently organized to want to wire in their less than optimal patterns. Any creature of any species can sense and feel threat and pain. We move away from that as even a single cell amoeba pulls away from danger and opens when feeling safe. All of life does this, so listen as these sensations are intuitive to life. Awakening our sensory organs and learning how to hon each of them helps create a more organic and efficient way of living a full and rich life.
“No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function.” Moshe Feldenkrais
Whether you are a fast learner or slow learner, notice that is in relationship to things that either come quicker or slower to you. Start where you notice a faster process, might this be with those things that interest you? Find a way to slow it down, slower and slower so that in the areas that you might not be as fast a learner, you have gained so much through slowing the process down where it was simpler and easier so you can apply this to learning in the areas you are not as quick. Notice you have other areas that you are more adapt at and the learning process is to learn through comparisons, slowing it down, use all of your senses to inform you and then play, practice with amusement and find your way into learning as this more improved way of learning slowly creates your brain structures for life. Our mental and physical are all intertwined and part of the whole so notice what you think, feel and find how to begin to move into life with greater freedom. Don’t get rid of, simply continue to build new pathways by returning to sensory-motor connections by turning on your awareness. Your nervous system is the key player so play nice and reap the benefits daily.
“Imperfection is in some sort essential to all that we know of life. It is the sign of life in a mortal body, that is to say, of a state of progress and change. Nothing that lives is, or can be, rigidly perfect.” — John Ruskin, English writer and art critic
Back to my regular 4 Awareness Through Movement (ATM)® this week so come one, come all to learn more and explore often this learning process to reap so much benefit with even your first experience. Then continue to build on this process and watch how improvements develop. For those wanting to get on my schedule whether for live sessions, Functional Integration (FI)® or virtual private sessions created just for you, reach out. This is my passion, my love, my desire and I hope to share with you as all you need is curiosity and the belief that you too can find more of what you want. Beliefs are just ways of being that can shift and change as long as you ask questions. Just keep asking different and better questions and you’ll find answers.
I hope I’ve earn the privilege of your time, attention and interest this week and look forward to connecting with you soon.
Warmest,
Peggi
