For the past three months I have been on a Connective Tissue Exercise Program with the highly qualified Esoteric practitioner and physiotherapist Kate Greenaway-Twist.
These hour long online sessions have incorporated simple different Connective Tissue Exercises to assist in connecting deeper to my body, releasing long held ill-patterns and supporting my body to return to a natural harmonious way of moving, from the inside out.
Connective Tissue Exercises are very different to stretching exercises, or what you would do in a gym. They are very much about connecting to your body and breath first; then moving with quality, rather than in a mechanical way. They are inspired from the modality: Esoteric Connective Tissue Therapy founded by Serge Benhayon, of which Kate is a qualified practitioner.
“Connective Tissue Therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy that helps restore the whole body to its natural flexible flowing state. It restores the balance of the organ systems as well as the physical framework and thus, is an important key to the body’s energetic vitality.” Kate Greenaway-Twist
I commit to doing these exercises every morning when I get up, and every night before I go to bed. Kate and I have also been discussing how I can incorporate these exercises into my day, as at times I can go into my head, rush and stress, racing from one thing to the next; this raciness can drive me to react to a child’s behaviour in school.
Kate and I also talked about how I could introduce some of the exercises to the kids, and how it would be great for them to reconnect to their bodies before they learn, and how lovely their bodies can feel.
I experience children coming into the classroom and school – be it at the start of the day, morning break, or lunchtime – feeling anxious and disconnected from their bodies. This can be from personal things going on at home, fights in the playground, things they don’t want to feel, the pressures of school, or ‘hyper’ from a sugary lunch or play activity, which can create a lot of tension and unease in their body, thus affecting the classroom, other people, and their day. They simply don’t feel settled or ready to learn.
So over the past few weeks I have introduced two simple Connective Tissue Exercises to the kids at the beginning of each class, in two schools across 12 different classes. With this, I felt and saw a huge difference in a few minutes in the children and the feeling of the room – it was immense: other teachers have commented on this, they can feel it as soon as they walk in.
The classroom goes from being noisy, messy, not in the literal sense, but more the kids being ‘in their head’, distracted and all over the place, to an absolute quality of stillness, both in the classroom and in the children’s’ bodies. The talking stops, the children all settle into their bodies and are ready to start the day, the lesson, and receive what there is to learn.
When we come to start each lesson, nearly every child is much more present and still. When they move to watch the demonstration, there is no talking or rushing, they walk quietly and listen. They can feel the difference in their bodies too. It is very clear and easy to feel what is needed to support the kids and the class. Every class is different, even if the lessons are the same.
One pupil, even pulled me up because I wasn’t going to do the Connective Tissue Exercises and instead was going to start the work straight away that I had planned – as I had one lesson to do this in – and had gone ‘into my head’ and motion to get it done. He put his hand up and said: “Are we not going to do those exercises?” and then demonstrated one of them. I laughed, smiled and said yes, as he called what the class and I needed in that moment.
You may not think this is such a big deal, but when we look at the bigger picture IT IS, with the rise in mental health issues, self-harming and suicide rates in children and teenagers across the world.
These stats from the mental health organistaion ‘Young Minds’ 1 show the growing rise in mental health issues in the UK.
- 1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 -16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder – that is around three children in every class.2
- Between 1 in every 12 and 1 in 15 children and young people deliberately self-harm. 3
- There has been a big increase in the number of young people being admitted to hospital because of self-harm. Over the last ten years this figure has increased by 68%. 4
- Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression.2
- Over 8,000 children aged under 10 years old suffer from severe depression.2
- 72% of children in care have behavioural or emotional problems – these are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. 5
- The number of young people aged 15-16 with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s. 6
Children of all ages are facing enormous pressures with life and school these days, from parents fighting at home, exam stress, trying to fit in with how they think they should be or with other kids at school, being bullied, abused and/or feeling pressured to have sex or take part in sexual acts at a younger and younger age.
Children often can’t concentrate with all this going on, hence the levels of disconnection, depression, giving up, discontent and checking out on computer games, sport or studies…amongst many other things.
When it comes to school we often put far too much pressure and focus on the mind and the intellect, forgetting about the body; we make it all about goals, attainment and grades – as every teacher knows and will tell you if you sit down and honestly speak with them.
We are putting all this before the real reason we are there; to connect to and build relationships with the kids, which supports them to trust, learn and grow into responsible adults, fully committed to life.
What if we knew that by changing how we move and our posture, we can change our thoughts and behaviours, from ones of negativity, disconnection, depression and discontent, to being engaged, feeling lovely, much more open and ready to receive and learn.
It’s so important we stop and consider all this, AND what would our education be like if we truly supported our kids to connect to their body before they learn?
With deep love and appreciation of Serge Benhayon and Kate Greenaway- Twist.
By Gyl Rae, Teacher, 38, Scotland
References:
- http://www.youngminds.org.uk/training_services/policy/mental_health_statistics
- Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., et al. (2005). Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004. London: Palgrave.
- Mental Health Foundation (2006). Truth hurts: report of the National Inquiry into self-harm among young people. London: Mental Health Foundation
- YoungMinds (2011) 100,000 children and young people could be hospitalised due to self-harm by 2020 warns YoungMinds. London: YoungMinds.
- Sempik, J. et al. (2008) Emotional and behavioural difficulties of children and young people at entry into care. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13 (2), pp. 221-233
- Nuffield Foundation (2013) Social trends and mental health: introducing the main findings. London: Nuffield Foundation
Further Reading:
Education, Schools & Teaching our Kids: ‘Quality of Presence’ in the Classroom
Teachers are Gold
So Long Sciatica – Thanks to Universal Medicine and Esoteric Connective Tissue Therapy
698 Comments
Going back to resit my Maths and English I’ve learned that all the “I can’t do this/it’s too hard/I give up” comes when I am not with my body. Which is basically how I bumbled through school. Today however I feel more capable of doing Maths and English because I don’t escape into the “Can’t do it” attitude as much or at all now. I am starting to understand Maths in a way that I never got back then.
Offering children to be in their bodies and learn to know the difference when they are not, is gold. The amazing thing is that it is so much easier to teach children when they are settled and with themselves and are much more able to focus on the lesson and not be distracted or restless. Imagine if all children were offered this opportunity at the beginning of the day to connect to their body through Connective Tissue exercises, I feel the classroom would be a very different place
I have just finished a series of classes with Lisa Hansberry ( Yoga) and Kate Greenaway ( Connective Tissue Therapy) Not only do these two women work well together so too do these modalities. They allowed me more quality in my movements and insights into how I was living. I became more sensitive to what was supporting me or not. For example I chose to give some pairs of shoes to the charity shop because they no longer felt great on my feet. My standards rose and I was less willing to put up with anything that did not feel true to me.
Gyl, these statistics are shocking. The focus on the academic without the care and connection to the body are obviously not working for our young people.
Gyl, this is a great description and very helpful; ‘They are very much about connecting to your body and breath first; then moving with quality, rather than in a mechanical way.’
Most children are very restless these days so to bring the connective tissue exercises in and let them connect to their bodies is bringing more self awareness and settlement to these youngsters. This may have an affect on the way they move and relate to one another and for them to remind you when you have not started the day that way shows how much they appreciate the harmony that you are bringing with this new regime.
Connective tissue exercises are a fabulous addition to anyone’s day, I love the exercises and the modality, very honouring and loving for our bodies.
Beautiful Gyl, encouraging children to connect to their bodies feels great and from what you have experienced seems very supportive. When my son cannot sleep at night I encourage him to feel his body and notice how his toes feel and his ankles and work up the body, this usually makes him yawn and go to sleep.
“how lovely their bodies can feel” How beautiful for children to stay connected to how their body feels and understand that this is more important than all the ‘knowledge’ that they are expected to take on.
Most of the education system fosters an active mind but a disconnected body. Learning to pay attention to our body in school would be awesome and enable us to cope better with the onslaught of information that is endlessly supplied and the pressures of exams and friendships and all the challenges school brings.
I love this Gyl I could really feel how these simple exercises supported you and how, through Kate, this then expanded to you taking it to schools. Very cool. This is obviously what is needed and the children (as the boy shared) are literally asking for them.
What you are offering the children is the opportunity to settle into their bodies and then learn from there which is such a valuable life skill which will support them throughout their lives. With the current ever upward trend of mental health statistics in children this simple tool is desperately needed so it is awesome that you are sharing this and inspiring others to consider this awesome support for children.
Yes Helen it is very inspiring that such simple exercises when brought together with true purpose and focus, can have such a profound effect on these children. And that it will undoubtedly stay with them as a life skill for many years to come.