P.A.C.E.

P.A.C.E.

You may want to grab yourself a glass of water before we begin... PACE is an acronym for POSITIVE, ACTIVATE, CLEAR, ENERGETIC. PACE is a four-step process that prepares your mind and body for effective learning. When you can describe your mind and body with these four attributes your system is ready to learn! Getting in PACE will help you to focus your mind in order to comprehend new learning material, center the mind-body system for easily organizing new information, and integrate the right and left hemispheres of your brain for greater communication ability. In this process, you start by energizing your body with water, "Energetic," and continue to work backwards through ECAP until you reach "Positive." Step 1 begins with ENERGETIC; step 2 is CLEAR; step 3 is ACTIVE and step 4 is POSITIVE. Are you ready to access your whole-brain for learning? Copyright Andrew's Institute 2001. This tutorial is adapted from Andrew's Institute and may not be copied. The process of PACE is protected by copyright by the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, Ventura, CA. Energize your entire system with water STEP 1: ENERGIZE - WATER Water is an excellent conductor of electrical energy; it dilutes the blood and allows the energy of oxygen to get into our brains. About 70 percent of your body weight is made up of water and it is essential for optimum brain functioning. Water is best absorbed in the body at room temperature and in frequent, small amounts. You can figure out how much water you need in a day by dividing your body weight by 3 equaling the number of ounces of water you should drink. Double that in times of stress! Sipping water will help you feel more energetic and ready to learn. WATER activates the brain for:

Efficient electrical and chemical action between the brain and the nervous system.
Efficient storage and retrieval of information.
Improved concentration.
A heightened ability to move and participate.
Stress release, enhancing communication and social skills.

STEP 2: CLEAR - BRAIN BUTTONS With your thumb and forefinger of one hand, find the top of your collarbone and then drop your fingers right below your collarbone. Feel for the two hollow areas under your collarbone. Rub these areas deeply for about 5-10 seconds (by pressing in and out). Your other hand rests gently on your navel: MEN place their left hand on their naval whereas WOMEN place their right hand over their naval. "Brain buttons" are acupuncture points, which, when rubbed, supply the brain with freshly oxygenated blood. This helps us clear the brain for learning. BRAIN BUTTONS activate the brain for:

Sending messages from the right brain hemisphere to the left.
Receiving increased oxygen.
Stimulation of the carotid artery for increased blood supply to the brain.
An increased flow of electromagnetic energy.
Left-right body balance (hips not torqued, head not tilted).
An enhanced energy level.
Enhanced hearing and vision.
Improved eye-teaming skills (may alleviate stress, squinting, or staring).
Greater relaxation of neck and shoulder muscles.

STEP 3: ACTIVATE - CROSS CRAWLS Stand up and march in place, alternately touching each elbow to the opposite knee. Do this activity seven times or until you break into a slight sweat. Because "Cross Crawls" cross our center body midline, they activate both the left and right brain simultaneously. There are many variations to "Cross Crawls": do it to music, reach behind the body to touch the opposite foot, or take a skip between each "Cross Crawl." Be creative, just remember the one rule is to cross the center midline of our body! CROSS CRAWLS activate the brain for:

Crossing the visual/auditory/kinesthetic/tactile midline.
Left-to-right eye movements.
Improved binocular (both eyes together) vision.
Improved left/right coordination.
Enhanced breathing and stamina.
Greater coordination and spatial awareness.
Enhanced hearing and vision.
An ideal warm-up for all skills, especially academic skills like spelling, writing, listening, reading and comprehension.

STEP 4: POSITIVE - HOOK-UPS Hook-ups are very relaxing. There are two parts to "Hook-ups." For the FIRST PART, sit comfortably in a chair, cross your ankles and extend your arms in front of you. However you have your ankles crossed, cross your arms the same way. In other words, whichever ankle is on top, put that wrist on top. Then, interlace your fingers and draw your hands up toward your chest. Close your eyes, breath deeply, and relax for one to five minutes. For deeper value. . . Breathing is completed in 4 steps. . . inhale . . . . . . hold . . . . . . exhale . . . . . . pause. When you are ready, move into the SECOND PART of "Hook-ups" by uncrossing your legs and arms. With your eyes still shut, place both feet on the floor and lightly touch the finger tips of each hand together while placing your fingers over your naval. Take 3 easy breaths. This helps you to focus. Open your eyes. "Hook-ups" help us to feel balanced and more positive when we have emotional or environmental stress. You are now ready to engage in your task! HOOK-UPS activate the brain for:

Emotional centering.
Grounding.
Increasing attention (stimulates reticular formation).
Improving self-control and sense of boundaries.
Improving balance and coordination.
Increasing comfort in the environment (less hypertension).

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