“Spark” your brain with Exuberant Animal
December 9, 2009 at 9:50 pm 2 comments
A recent post of mine asked, “Is stretching necessary?” In the blog article, I promoted the Exuberant Animal Short Form as offering the most dynamic, functional, and fun way to both start and end each day.
It may be difficult to get a true sense of the Short Form movement sequence solely from the drawings on the EA site. Fortunately, Lauren Muney produced a great video that illustrates each sequence. (Note: the icons in the video match the icons on the Exuberant Animal Short Form foldable poster—nothing to memorize! Just… play.)
My personal favorites: hip-shoulder rotations and dynamic loop with steps.
Trust me. Stand up, find a bit of space in your room, and get moving. It’s amazing how good you’ll feel.
UPDATE: A quick note from a fellow Exuberant Animal: “The Short Form is a warmup/movement sequence that uses all body planes. This sequence used to be called “The Antidote,” and can also be used to warm for athletic movement, to wake up for the day, or as a break from work. There is a full-color foldout on this sequence available from the EA website.” Priced at $5 per poster, and foldable to fit in a gym bag, they make a great stocking stuffer.
Entry filed under: play. Tags: Exuberant Animal, movement sequence, Short Form, stretching.
1.
shagdora | February 9, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Hello Jason,
What an inspiring blog.
I thought I was seeing double when I stumbled on your site while searching for exuberant animal short form.
As a trail running educator with a passion for movement and play, I am proud to see that you are using the name playthink.
I’ve used similar moves with children in classrooms. Immediate and profound effects are available when we pay respect to ourselves and others as whole people with bodies that refuse to sit still for a reason.
You can find my work at http://www.slowlearning.org/ http://www.libertionmovement.org http://www.kambitsch.com and… http://www.PLAYTHINK.com
2.
J.R. Atwood | February 10, 2010 at 6:34 am
Hi Patricia,
Wow, what a small world—great minds think alike, both in terms of our interests and names of our websites.
You’ve got some great content on your websites and I look forward to exploring them more fully. I especially love the idea of slow learning that you are promoting, specifically around the idea of holistic, self-directed life-long learning.
Out of curiosity, how did you first learn of the Exuberant Animal Short Form?
Cheers!
J.R.