1 stage 1

STAGE 1 :

PREPARE

Step 1.1 Relaxation

1.11 Physical 1.12 Mental Step 1.2 Deep Breathing Step 1.3 Eye Training

1.1 Relaxation ( The division into 1.11 Physical and 1.12 Mental is to help you become aware that relaxation has two components. It is difficult to separate the two, as they are closely intertwined. One can easily lead to the other.)

The Purpose of this step is to :  get your child into a state of relaxation –  let the child feel that this is a safe environment where she can experiment without fear of disapproval or ridicule  make her feel comfortable and confident since she is not competing as in the school room.

The Science behind this step : “Children can change through Right Brain Education “- by Dr Makoto Shichida - ch.1 pages 26-38) Methods : a) b) c) d)

Show some hilarious movie clips – Mr Bean – (See resources section L1) Sing a Party Songs– e.g. chicken dance Use the “The Inner Smile “ tape – an excellent method for both relaxation and for visualization for health. depending on the age of the child. ( see Resources Section- L2) Use Alpha Music ( see Resources Section L3.)

The purpose of Alpha music is to get your child in to state of relaxation mode. The right brain functions best at the alpha wave, semiconscious, deep relaxed state.

Alpha music can be played as instrumental background music f or relaxation and it is ideal before or during the time when your child is learning.

11

1.2 Deep Breathing : You can start with the Six Day Breathing plan given in the ( Resources Section. L4) Plenty of different breathing exercises are found in the Resources CD/ Breathing. Please feel free to pick and choose and experiment. One breathing exercise per session is more than enough.

You can also use the “ Taking deep breaths” and “Making energy ball” as done in the Shichida Method.

1.3 Eye Training Basic Eye Training Eye exercises are necessary as they stimulate the whole brain. The diagram below shows how the two eyes are connected to each part of the brain. So, eye stimulation by exercise can have an effect not only on vision but also on relaxation, memory, emotion, thought, creativity, intuition and motivation. Here are some fun exercises to train the eye muscles to scan up and down, left and right and in all sorts of directions.

We start with some basic eye exercises shown below. You can use the WINK eye exercise if you have the program or the Eye-Q exercises. The following exercises are taken from Ms. Tobitani’s book : Quantum Speed Reading; http://www.midbrain-activation.com/qsr.html

Basic Eye Training : you may need to print these on a large A4 sheet of paper so the child can follow the directions.

Make sure only the eyes are turned and not the whole neck.

Purpose of Eye Training:  improves eyeball movement  widens the field of vision  heightens the ability to read at a glance 12

Tips for Eye Training:  Spend 10 seconds on each exercise  Do not move your head, just your eyes  Correct posture and breathing are important for this exercise  A metronome or a similar instrument can be an effective aid for this exercise Do the Earth moving to Wind, clouds and rain whilst imaging them. How did it go? Were you able to hear the crashing of the sea, the sound of the rain or sense its smell?

Once you get accustomed to it please check to find out if any colours are visible doing this. Look at the colours the children have painted in their pictures. Why don't you try painting in the colours you perceive?

This Free Website offers Exercises to Improve your Visual Information Process Skills: (1) Perception, (2) Tracking, (3) Focusing, and (4) Eye Teaming These activities are offered as a fun way to help sharpen "learning-related" visual skills that are critical for success in school.

Method:  Move your eyes up and down  Move your eyes left and right  Move your eyes diagonally  Move your eyes in a star shape Basic training: (Increasing the visual field acuity) Up/down movement

Start off with up and down movements of the eyeballs.

12

Follow the direction of the arrows starting at No 1 at the right of the diagram.

Then back to No1.

It might be helpful for the child if you were to move your finger in front of her as if you are writing on an imaginary paper.

(Increasing the visual field acuity)

Left/right movement You can use a metronome to speed up the tempo.

Gradually speed up your tempo.

Then go on to the left/right arrow sequences.

Using the diagram

And then repeat the up/diagonal/down eye exercise above.

(Increasing the visual field acuity) Up/down diagonals (1) 13

EYE TRAINING 4 - in the five pointed star STAR (Increasing the visual field acuity)

Up/down diagonal s (2)

Follow the order given in the diagram from wind, to clouds, then rain, sea and earth and back to wind in the five pointed star To watch some Videos on Eye Exercises, please go to the ( Resource section L5) Eye training helps children improve speed learning. This will also naturally occur as their eye function improves and their eyes are able to see a wider area in one glance. Our field of vision is normally at the centre of the eye. The further from the centre of the eye an object is the more blur the vision of the object becomes.

Ms Tobitani explains the purpose of the Eye Exercises

14

Before commencing with QSR we conduct eye muscle training, called simply 'eye training', whereby the visual field is expanded. In this, the eyeball is moved up and down and left and right with each movement being held for ten seconds. The upper and lower oblique muscles of the eye are then trained.

Through doing this at high speed we can begin to sense colours and light. For example stars may appear in the middle of the image or butterfly shapes or even square shapes. Through conducting this type of training it becomes faster to make the connection with QSR. Though things may not go well in the beginning it is a good idea to move the eyes as rapidly as possible. From this start with colours and light, the right brain's five senses begin to awaken. We begin to feel a dazzling sensation, warm feelings as well as smells and sensations of pain.

Through the repetition of eye training, the sensory faculties of the right brain start to surface. Though you might think that this in itself already constitutes QSR ability, it is still the stage of upper and lower oblique muscle training for the eyes. By rhythmically training the eyes at high speeds we can evoke images with light, colour and form. These in turn directly serve to connect us to QSR. Children can improve their eye movements by using three kinds of vision patterns. These vision patterns help to broaden the field of vision and the area which the retina can absorb images at one glance. There are 6 different muscles in our eyes: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

superior rectus inferior rectus medial rectus lateral rectus superior oblique inferior oblique

Only when these 6 muscles function well will your child be able to grasp images of objects accurately.

Speed learning has a lot to do with eye movements. What you are aiming for with eye training is to be able to see lights when the right brain receives vibrations at high speed. Shichida children reported their experiences by drawing out colours which their right brain revealed. When they can achieve this, they will be more successful in absorbing information from books.

Eye training using the following training cards can be done as often as possible (once a day, 10 seconds for each card). For younger children below 3 years, use real objects to trace out the lines and have your child follow the movement of the object with their eyes only.

This excellent background information is from Sheen-Li . She also provides a download link for cards http://www.figur8.net/right-brain-stimulation-eye-training/ This is to prepare your child f or photographic memory exercises and speed reading 15