Welcome to Neuro Explorations! This guide will help you understand what to expect during your ABM® NeuroMovement® Functional Synthesis Lessons.

Functional Synthesis Lesson Overview

In a hands-on Functional Synthesis lesson, your practitioner will guide you through gentle and varied movements on a firm, padded table. They will use their hands to provide supportive touch and cues, helping you become more aware of your body's movements and sensations. 

Your practitioner's role is to support and guide you through this exploration, simultaneously working with your brain and your body. This integrated approach creates an environment where movement and cognitive processes are interconnected, fostering a learning experience that engages both your physical and neurological systems.

Duration

Each lesson includes approximately 35-45 minutes of hands-on work and up to 15 minutes of discussion and integration.

How to Prepare for Your Lesson

Prior to Your Lesson

• Make sure you are properly fueled. Working with the brain can use a surprising amount of energy and some individuals report being hungry during or immediately after a lesson. 

• Please organize your schedule to ensure you have ample time to rest after your lesson to allow your newly formed patterns time to integrate. Avoid exercising or engaging in strenuous or stressful activities for 24 hours following your lesson.

What to Wear

• Please wear comfortable clothing that allows for easy movement.  Avoid garments that may limit your range of motion or clothes that may cause you to become chilly during your lesson. People commonly wear a t-shirt or long sleeve shirt, long comfortable pants and socks. 

Additionally:

• Remove Jewelry: Please take off any jewelry, including watches and glasses, before the lesson to ensure comfort and safety.

• Socks Required: Participants are required to wear socks during the lesson. Shoes will be removed upon entering the space.

How To Participate in a Functional Synthesis Lesson

Experience Gentle and Varied Movements

• Allow yourself to turn your focus inward and feel the exploratory movements. 

• Avoid trying to make happen- or forcing any movements- and instead bring your attention to what is happening. 

Cultivate Attention and Awareness

• Focus on your bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts during the lesson, cultivating attention and awareness in each movement.

• Notice how your body responds to different movements and how this affects your overall sense of self.

Open Communication and Open Mind

• Should you experience any discomfort, inform your practitioner and adjustments will be made promptly. We want your brain to be solely focused on the new movements and learning. 

• Be open to discovering new ways of moving through feeling rather than thinking and relying on prior knowledge. 

• Embrace the state of 'not knowing' and guide yourself through sensations and your growing awareness of differences. 

Your openness to explore and your ‘attentioning’ to yourself are essential to the Functional Synthesis lesson, creating a collaborative experience tailored to fit your individual needs. This neuro-explorative approach enhances the learning process and promotes neuroplasticity. 

Potential Benefits and Post-Lesson Effects

Functional Synthesis lessons can offer a range of benefits and post-lesson experiences. Participants often report:

• Improved body awareness and mindfulness

• Enhanced coordination and balance

• Increased flexibility in movement patterns

• Reduction in tension and discomfort

• Overall improvement in body function

After a lesson, you may notice various effects as your body and mind process the experience:

• Increased body awareness: You might become more attuned to subtle sensations and movement patterns you hadn't noticed before.

• Changes in energy levels: Some people feel energized and alert after a lesson, while others may experience a sense of relaxation that leads to sleepiness.

• Appetite changes: The physical and mental engagement during the lesson might leave you feeling hungry. Make sure you have fueled yourself before your lesson. 

• Discovery of new sensations: You may become aware of areas in your body that feel different—perhaps muscles you didn't know existed or mild aches that were previously unnoticed.

• Improved movement efficiency: You might find that certain movements feel easier or more fluid than before the lesson.

• Mental clarity: Some participants report feeling more focused or having a sense of mental "lightness" post-lesson.

• Emotional shifts: As body awareness increases, you might experience subtle changes in mood or emotional state. Should you experience any emotional shifts that require additional support, please seek help from a qualified mental health professional. 

• Not feeling any different after a lesson: This is a completely normal feeling and a great place to start. In our fast-paced world where we are often putting others before ourselves, some participants take more time (multiple lessons) working to be able to bring their attention inward and identify “what is” in their body first (creating a baseline of awareness for their brain). 

Keeping the Learning Switch On

To continue benefiting after your lesson, stay engaged in the learning process by continuing to become aware of differences you notice throughout each day. These can be both internal (how you move, think and feel) or external (a deeper awareness of your surroundings like the different colors or shapes in plants or buildings when you take a walk outside, or taking time to pause and really observe what you can see in the rooms in your place of work or home). This information feeds the brain allowing it to form new connections.

Each Functional Synthesis Lesson builds upon the last one. This ongoing engagement supports neuroplasticity, allowing your brain to adapt and refine your movement patterns (both physically and mentally) over time.

When Not to Participate

For the safety and well-being of all participants, it is important to avoid attending a Functional Synthesis lesson if you are feeling sick. When you are unwell, it is important that your brain rests rather than engaging in new learning experiences.

Thank you for choosing Neuro Explorations. We look forward to guiding you on your journey to improved movement and well-being.