I have developed this post for those people who refuse, in a determinant way, to read, write or draw while walking.
The exercises are practical, concrete and simple to understand and to carry out, in such a way that they “move” the mind to increase and improve its functions (memory, creativity, ideas, cognitive, etc.); at least one exercise for each mental and bodily function. The fundamental objective is to make the brain work by exercising the senses – all of them, external and internal – and the physical parts of the body, which are set in motion.
As the title says, the exercises presented in this Post, are performed by walking; however, in some of them, walking is not performed in the usual way as we are used to do it.
We have already commented that walking should be done in a natural and normal way (Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART I: “… I would like to emphasize that walking is a natural activity of the human being and that its realization is balancedly perfect for its optimal functioning, since it is performed in a harmonic and balanced way that gives the body and the mind that medullar rhythm that is indispensable for the proper functioning of all its systems and organs”) and in this series of exercises, we should also perform them walking as we do naturally; however, some of them, as we said, are developed by making some alterations -small- in our natural walking.
We can consider that by means of these exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics it is possible to substitute -in part- the structured activities of reading, writing and drawing of the WALK-RWD System, but with lower levels of effectiveness and always walking. This post is closely related to several of the posts that deal with the “physical body”, explaining and applying the concepts of symmetry, rhythm, cadence, compass, harmony, and their counterparts (opposites, opposites, antagonists) since the exercises that are developed in Cerebral Gymnastics are based on these same concepts. (ENJOYING OUR PERCUSSIVE MUSICAL WALKING, BEAT AND RHYTHM IN OUR WALKING, PERSONALITY DEFINED BY RHYTHM IN WALKING, BODY PARTS FOR WALKING-THEIR CARE, LISTENING TO OUR BODY WHILE WALKING, SYMMETRY OF THE BODY AND WALKING, ADDITIONAL BENEFITS IN CONDITIONING THE BODY AND MIND, LET HEALTH FLOW THROUGHOUT THE BODY, THE GOLDEN RATIO (FIBONACCI) AND THE HUMAN BODY IN WALKING, VITRUVIAN MAN AND THE PROPORTIONATE WALKING OF THE HUMAN BEING, FOUCAULT’S PENDULUM AND THE HUMAN COMPASS AND THAT OF OTHER ANIMALS, A SMALL STEP FOR ONE MAN, A GREAT LEAP FOR MANKIND).
DEFINITION, PRACTICE, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SCOPE OF THE EXERCISES:
All the exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics mentioned and explained in the present Post, are performed walking in a safe and comfortable way, except that some of them contain certain difficulties that impact some of the senses, both internal and external, and some alterations regarding members of the body, so they should be performed with care; that is, while performing these exercises the arms, hands and the senses -mainly sight (eyes) and orientation- are put in motion assigning them certain additional efforts, which may have repercussions on the proprioceptive capacity of the person performing them.
1. All exercises are performed walking, none of them in a static way.
2. Exercises with eyes closed (or blindfolded) must be performed in safe spaces, smooth floors (not slippery) and without obstacles.
3. All the exercises must be performed according to the conditions and recommendations that have been issued in the preceding Posts to develop the WALK-RWD System.
4. The sequence of the exercises presented is not obligatory. You can start with any one of them and finish with the one you wish.
5. Each exercise should be performed a minimum of 4 times and a maximum of 7 times, according to the intensity that the person supports and according to the function to be stimulated.
6. The recommendation is that the greatest number of these 29 exercises should be performed, but if desired, only some of them.
7. You can select some of the exercises to develop them one day and leave others for another day, or the following week.
8. Each person can elaborate his or her own program for performing the exercises.
9. Each exercise has an impact on specific physical and mental functions, so the recommendation is to perform them all on different days.
10. All exercises should be performed slowly or very slowly, completely comfortably, according to the needs and capabilities of each individual.
11. Care should be taken with respect to the spaces where the exercises are performed, as well as reading and applying all the indications that are indicated in the tables where we present them in a precise way and with their different images with the character Quale.
12. The exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics are only effective if they are practiced in 10% of the time that we dedicate to the walk, either during the same day or in several of them. This percentage should not be exceeded and the rest should be done alternating with reading, writing or drawing.
13. Compliance with the Principles of Symmetry, Dynamic Equilibrium, and of course, with the Energetic Principle of Perturbation, which is established in this Post, should be carefully observed.
To better communicate and expose the benefits, effects and impacts that are achieved with these exercises, during a walk, I will allow myself to quote some relevant aspects that I have mentioned in some of the Posts, already published:
In Post WALKING AND ITS SYMBOLISM: “Walking can be considered to contain two forms of symbolism by which the human being communicates. The part of physically moving from one place to another, represents a symbolism that implies the transformation of the being as he moves bodily from one circumstance to another, as if he were transforming himself, by moving on his own feet, from one physical-sensitive stage to another, with different sensitivities and bodily manifestations.
The other symbolic form is the language of the body itself; being in movement allows it, through its body language, to communicate what our physical being (bodily catharsis or mechanistic method) intends to achieve through this movement of walking; on the one hand to help the mental part to free it from its harmful emotional state, sending messages to all parts of the body and functional organs, to improve the state of mind; and on the other hand, through this mechanical practice (behavior) that allows the physical catharsis of the subjection and immobility, which chains, suffocates and makes it impossible to unleash (overflow) their exercise needs. Walking is the symbolic mechanism that has the meaning of reconforming and integrating the character and personality of the individual.
An analogical extrapolation of this is traveling, which is nothing other than the search for a renewing experience, the beginning of a change that seeks to get somewhere; initiating a metamorphosis for transcendence.
In other words, the symbolism of walking is the abstraction of external conditioning, it is to let your thoughts flow towards your inner self, it is to find yourself”.
With this I intend to give me a better understanding of the core aspects of the activity of Cerebral Gymnastics that we can perform, because there are still incomprehensible ways of how the body and mind (especially the mind that receives information through the internal and external senses and physical parts exercised) that transmit information to parts of the brain itself and other parts of the body (messages, rules, groping, manifestations, warnings, requirements, silences, etc.) that make it react favorably, that is, these exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics -but walking- have that goal.
In Posts THE SYMMETRY OF THE BODY, ITS BALANCE AND WALKING; and BODY PARTS FOR WALKING-THEIR CARE, I mention the importance of principles 1 and 2 of the WALK-RWD System. In the first Post, I express that: “Walking is an example of the application of this principle, regarding the second option of alternating the respective symmetrical limbs, in this case, the legs, knees, ankles and feet. However, the 2nd fundamental principle of the WALK-RWD System should also be taken into account, and the “unbalanced” states in movement, such as walking, which generate very important effects in our brain and in the body (stable unbalanced movement)”.
In the second Post, I mention that: “Indeed, we know that walking, on the one hand, is an excellent example of the application of the 1st principle since it is performed alternating the lower limbs (bipedalism) and this principle is fundamental in its unrestricted application for the efficient care of the body and its full development. Secondly, the practice of walking is a dynamic balance that rests on the 2nd principle, being this essential for the achievement of what are the displacements in “disequilibrium” and the “unbalanced” states in movement, which as we know, walking generates very important effects in our brain and body (stable unbalanced movement)”.
In this regard, I must comment that when we walk in a natural way the movement we make of the limbs-legs-arms is made in a crossed way, that is, when we advance the left leg we move the right arm, and when we advance the right leg we move the left arm. This way of moving our upper and lower extremities in a crossed way is only done while walking, and this is one of the great benefits that cannot be obtained with any other type of exercise in a natural way. In some of the exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics, efforts are made where this harmony is broken in order to provoke in the brain unbalanced states which in turn provoke imbalances that cause it to send signals to the rest of the body and especially to the senses, both internal and external, and to itself, causing the use of brain areas that have been asleep. These exercises -in general- substitute the 3 activities of reading, writing and drawing, structured within the WALK-RWD System, generating very strong impulses towards the cerebral system, which seeks to rebalance itself by making other areas of the same brain work, which without these efforts, would remain asleep, almost inactive.
The two principles mentioned are:
1st Fundamental Principle or Principle of Symmetry:
“All the exercises to be performed must be carried out with respect to the vertical axis of anatomical symmetry of the human body, either simultaneously or alternating the 2 respective symmetrical limbs, always in a harmonic way, in both options”.
This can be seen in one of the exercises we have proposed:
2nd fundamental principle or Principle of Dynamic Equilibrium:
“Keeping the body in physical movement through walking, generates by itself a vibration of the brain, which causes it to enter into an imbalance and normal functions are carried out and effects are generated, of the dynamic type, on the different systems, organs and glands of the body”.
The application and fulfillment of this 2nd Principle can be seen in all the proposed exercises.
A 3rd Principle results as a corollary of the other two, incorporating the exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics to the WALK-RWD System:
3rd Fundamental Principle or Energetic Principle of Perturbation (Instability, Active, Energetic, Efficient, Effective, Vivid, Energetic, Vigorous):
“The functional efficiency of the brain and the other systems, organs and glands of the human being is maximized and optimized by walking and special structural instability exercises performed while walking.
This principle considers the cerebral instability that is achieved by making certain modifications in our walking, which generates a very vigorous, vital and effective active structural imbalance in the functions of the mind, increasing its capabilities.
The instability or imbalance caused by accidents, by excessive efforts or in extreme sports, is not the same as those generated systematically and methodically that we propose.
A typical example of this 3rd Principle is the practice of writing, drawing or painting with the left hand (when right-handed) to “awaken” the right side of the brain. It is truly impressive the positive results obtained: imagination and creativity are immediately present.
In Post WALKING AND SEXUALITY: “We have already commented that the WALK-RWD System is a very effective procedure to stimulate brain functions and those of the neurovegetative system. When the human being is in movement when walking, the brain works by sending signals to the whole body to create energy (strength) and to keep alert specifically by means of the Sympathetic system (alarm preparation); signals received by the rest of the systems, organs and glands of the body, which in turn produce – as a response – biochemical substances. When reading -or writing or drawing- at the same time as walking, the effects that are generated are greater, because in a continuous way, the parts that constitute the sense of sight try -constantly- to keep the sight focused and precise on what is being read (written or drawn) and therefore also send messages to the brain, which in turn helps to keep the sight fixed. This process, stimulated by the activity of reading and walking, produces stronger impulses to the encephalic system, which seeks to rebalance -permanently- making other areas of the same brain work, which usually, without these activities, would remain inactive, almost asleep (Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART I). Now, those electrical impulses that the neurovegetative system receives manage to place it in an operative harmony, in such a way that its signals directed to the different organs and glands of the body, are more efficient, so that their respective functioning is better performed and at the same time they produce their corresponding biochemical substances in an optimal way. Regarding the functional optimization I present an analysis in Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM AND THE CELLULAR SELF-GENERATION OF THE ORGANISM by touching on the topic of Free Radicals (HARMONY OF THE BODY WITH THE MIND; ADDITIONAL BENEFITS IN THE CONDITIONING OF THE BODY AND THE MIND; and LISTENING TO OUR BODY WHILE WALKING)”.
In Post THE WALK AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. PART I, I state: “Walking sideways (right or left) or walking backward, would not be biologically correlated with the circadian rhythm that we execute when we walk normally forward, because we have always done it that way. Circadian rhythms are probably a reptilian part of the human brain”.
I also mention on the subject of walking with disarrangements and not necessarily in a normal way, in Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART I: “With just walking we achieve these effects, however, when we walk and we can also read, write or draw, the effects are greater and are potentiated. [… The WALK-RWD System, in an integral form, generates a greater ‘movement’ of the head because not only with the exercise of walking, but with reading, writing and drawing, it provokes ‘vectors of efforts’ in other parts of the body and in the other senses, which increases the state of alertness (DECOMPENSATION-DESTABILIZATION-UNBALANCING-UNBALANCING) of the brain and the body, generating in turn, that it sends messages to preserve and restore harmony, in such a way, that it uses new neuronal circuits activating new mental functions, through the stimulation of other areas of the brain that are kept asleep. Walking causes an imbalance that affects the vestibular system, sending messages to the brain to maintain or restore balance, so that it uses new neural circuits to activate new mental functions. […] Reading inside a car or bus (any moving vehicle) is not the same as walking, since the same effects and results are not obtained in the brain and other organs, glands and organic systems”.
According to my experience, when we make some movements out of the normal, very abrupt or moderately abrupt, such as turning, rolling, swinging, or even if they are not very abrupt (for example: reading, writing or drawing while walking, skating, sliding, going up or down, climbing, moving our arms while walking, closing our eyes while walking, singing while walking, walking backwards, turning backwards while walking, or turning to both sides, etc.), we certainly activate the vestibular system by sending signals to the brain to recover (or maintain) balance. With age, it becomes more difficult to maintain or recover balance due to the hardening of the small organs of the ear. The degree or intensity of this type of movement is what must be taken into account so that the exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics are applied safely and effectively while walking.
When we incorporate the mobility of the eyes in the respective exercises, what we are trying to do is a functional parallel (analogy, simile, equivalence) to how we move them when we read, write and draw, while we walk, with the difference that we do not generate any “pressure” on the higher brain functions (reasoning, thinking, memorizing, attention, speaking, creativity, imagination, perception, decision making, intellectual intelligence, emotional intelligence, emotional behavior) in a direct and complete way (full, total, absolute, radical, integral) as it is achieved with the WALK-RWD Integral System, by incorporating in practice, the 3 structured activities of reading, writing and drawing (Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART I; Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART II -future-; and Post THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THINKING. PART III -future-).
We must emphasize that these exercises are appropriate and positive, and in no way can they be considered ineffective.
However, we should also mention that doing these exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics without walking, is like going to the psychiatrist and doing the catharsis sitting or lying on the couch (Post PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM), yes they are helpful (beneficial) but not completely effective (efficient).
On the other hand, we must point out that the sense of hearing, and other internal senses such as orientation, are stimulated by the walking itself (the walk itself) and by the mobility that we cause to the eyes (Post WALKING AND THE CARDINALS POINTS; Future Post THE DIRECTION AND SENSE OF ONE’S OWN WALKING: A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD. CARDINAL POINTS).
Walking I can “analogize” with art in (about) the aspect of the participation of the 5 external senses. In my book COCINOPEA, I mention: “Let’s make ‘preparing food’ a pleasure that invades all our senses, from the first moment we begin to devise the dish of our next meal, to how to get the ingredients, its preparation and tasting. Cooking and eating is the self-transcendent binomial that allows us to reach beyond ourselves; it is the best way to gather all our senses in a single pleasure. Let us be aware that sight, smell, touch and taste will always be present throughout this journey; but also, let us have a guest at our modest feast, and from the moment we start with the preparation of the dish, let us invite the sense of hearing by playing the music we like the most. Sounds are eternal units that reside in the mind, in the interiority of the being, entities that participate in the creation when they are emitted by the voice or received by the ear. It would seem that someone whispered to us advising us that the highest art, the best art, is the one that is performed with the greatest number of human senses. And therefore, we could venture to say that the rhythm in the corporeal movements has a profound and subtle effect in the preparation of the dishes, that rhythmic faculty, sensation and capacity are determinant in the being, for it”.
That is to say, the more senses participate in an artistic genre the greater the enthusiasm and passion projected in the creator of the work itself. In the case of walking, the same must happen, the greater the number of senses that we can make participate during its realization, surely it will move us with greater pleasure and enthusiasm to do so.
To finish, I would like to point out that the WALK-RWD System must be carried out by incorporating the 3 structured activities within the same, nevertheless, as we already mentioned, we have incorporated to the system these exercises for those people who refuse to read, write or draw, same that although they do not generate the same effects, yes an important part of effectiveness and efficiency is achieved.
Let’s organize our walks incorporating some exercises of Cerebral Gymnastics. The results are immediate.
