the 100% brain course part3

Multi-TaskingSection

MULTI-TASKING

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Exercise 120 -- Simultaneous Motor Coordination

Most people realize that they can see, smell, hear, taste and touch simultaneously,but examining closely how you

attend

to each of these functions, you discover thatyour

conscious awareness

is limited (see "Exercise -- Mindfulness: Improving YourConscious Awareness"). In the beginning stages of learning a new task, the cortexcrackles with electrical impulses and an increased blood flow. After the task hasbecome sufficiently learned, the action no longer needs your conscious awareness toattend to it. The new neural pathways are established, and electrical activity andblood flow are reduced.Perhaps a subconscious awareness takes over, but a multiple brain functioning cannow be accomplished with the new learned activity while maintaining only a flashingback and forth of the conscious awareness to reflect upon what is going on. Tapdancing, typing on a typewriter and playing the piano all had to be consciouslyattended to when first learned, but later became 'automatic' enough that talking andlistening at the same time provided little problem.Learning certain motor coordinated skills can often assist you in seeminglyunrelated areas. In one experiment, when kittens were deprived of the motormovement of walking after birth, they became perceptually blind! Apparently, astimulated motor center is needed to activate a cat's visual brain center. Whenchildren are deprived of the motor movement of crawling in infancy and put intowalkers, some forms of dyslexia often result. Later if the crawling patterns areeventually practiced, normal reading can often develop.As an exercise, do the childhood game where you rub your stomach and pat yourhead simultaneously. Now rub your head in a clockwise direction and pat yourstomach. Then make the rubbing motion in a counterclockwise direction whilepatting with the other hand. Now do it while singing a favorite tune, quoting afamiliar verse, saying the ABC's or the 2's table or inwardly visualizing variousanimals at the zoo. Practice adding on your other senses as you do this and becomeaware of the odors in the room, the sounds outside and the tactile feeling of therubbing and patting motions --- and all simultaneously by flashing your consciousawareness back and forth. Practice throughout the day other tasks like brushing yourteeth with your left hand while doing circular motions with the right hand andinwardly visualizing the events of the day.Hold both hands in front of you with the index fingers pointed away from you.Now begin rotating one hand clockwise while rotating the other hand counterclock-

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wise. Then reverse directions for both hands. Make a triangle or square in the airwith one finger while circling with the other. Now point the index fingers of bothhands toward each other and rotate similarly, clockwise for one, counterclockwise forthe other. Then reverse your hands and do a counterclockwise movement for theone, and a clockwise movement for the other.Since you might have trouble with these movements at first, stand up and do across lateral marching movement to help balance the two hemispheres and alleviatethe blockage you're experiencing. From a standing position, simply raise your leftarm and right leg simultaneously, then raise your right arm and left legsimultaneously, and continue this marching movement for 12 times on each side.Afterwards rotate your hands the way you did before to see the improvement.Now stand up straight and get relaxed. Begin this next drill by swiveling yourarms and hips back and forth together. Next, swing your arms and hips in oppositedirections, then together again, then in opposite directions. Now turn your head inthe same direction as your arms are swinging, then in opposite directions. Aftermastering this combination, move your eyes in the same direction as your head, thenmove them in the opposite direction. Now combine all the movements while jumpingup and down. Next, snap your fingers at the same time while doing all the rest.With practice, these drills will give you more fluidity of thought and intention witha deeper sense of competence and serenity. A hemispheric synchronization andholistic use of the brain is achieved. But beware, there is a natural resistance to theseexercises, because they require effort. Effort requires energy and rather than exertyourself -- the path of least resistance is always easier. Don't give in to it and practiceinstead. Your brain will reward you with improvement.

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