It’s like having an invisible barrier that they cannot move their hands across. Or they may switch hands when writing, drawing, painting or coloring, using the left hand for activities on the left side of the body and the right hand for activities on the right side. For example, they may shift entirely to one side while they sit at a table to draw, write, eat, etc. They will shift their body subtly instead of rotating to reach across to the other side, thus avoiding crossing the midline. However, for a variety of reasons, some children and adults are unable to cross their midline. This results in a tremendous amount of neural activity passing between the brain hemispheres.Īs the baby continues to develop, she begins to cross her midline through different activities and games, building and expanding her neural networks even further to connect the two sides of the brain and body for higher thinking, problem solving, creativity, coordination. Crawling stimulates complex brain functioning as each brain hemisphere sends signals to the opposite side of the body and also receives incoming stimuli from the opposite side. As crawling begins, a baby exercises contralateral movement (opposite arm and leg). Building from the BeginningĮven before a baby begins to crawl, the infant body is preparing to cross the midline through a variety of developmental movements that strengthen the neural connections on each side of the body. Electrical impulses and sensory information can then pass freely between the two hemispheres and we are able to perform life activities such as sports, dance, games, as well as projects that require hand-to-eye coordination, reading, learning language, and academics at all levels.

As we continue to do these cross-lateral movements, a bridge is built between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This whole-brain coordination is the foundation for all mental and physical abilities. The physical coordination that allows us to do these crossover movements equates to cognitive coordination – when all parts of the brain work together. To “cross our midline” means that a hand or foot moves to the opposite side of the body to do things like pick up a pencil, draw a horizontal line, shake hands, kick a ball, or sit cross-legged on the floor. The awareness of the two sides of our body and the ability to move across the midline (cross lateral movement) is fundamental to how we function. The midline is an imaginary line that runs down the center of our body from head to toe. (1999).The most important component of our movement experience is the midline – the central vertical axis around which our body is oriented. If you are a runner or walker, and do not cross train with other activities, you may want to add some cross-lateral training moves into your routine (I've seen some runners/walkers add some 'grapevine' side moves for this purpose).ĭo you purposefully incorporate cross-lateral moves into your exercise routine or stretching practices?īyrne, P.

Next time you are taking a class at the gym, think about the benefits of the cross lateral stretching. I have been noticing that most of my gym aerobic classes include an element of cross lateral training or stretching, and I have also noticed that some people leave the class early during the cool-down stretching part. Even some basic stretches: opposite knee to elbow, arms raised above and over head, and toe touches, are helpful in crossing the midline and adding balance, coordination and core stability to your workout routine. Cross lateral skills are highly technical and refined movements in these sports and practices. Isn't that interesting?!Ĭross lateral movements can be seen in many sports: soccer, tennis, softball, baseball, golf, as well as in practices such as yoga, pilates, kickboxing and dance. In fact, crossing the midline is necessary for reading and writing because in order to read and write one must work from one side of the paper to the other fluidly.

Since the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere of the brain controls the left side of the body, the two sides of the brain are forced to communicate with each other, and this strengthens the nerve-cell pathways that link both sides of the brain. Physical activity that is 'cross-lateral' in nature have been shown to have a 'dramatic effect on learning' (Byrne, 1999).

Brain gym lateral movements