Praise for Move Into Life: NeuroMovement for Lifelong Vitality “When I interviewed Anat and later read her book, I was moved and stunned. Anat has a remarkably sophisticated understanding of how the brain changes IN PRACTICE; a total connection with the enormous potential of the brain; A detailed and practical understanding of how to recruit learning capabilities and a framework she has carefully constructed over decades that allows her gift to be TAUGHT to trainees.” — Martha Herbert, M.D. Harvard Medical School, MGH, ABM practitioner, author ofThe Autism Revolution “Essential reading for anyone seeking to enhance their physical and mental performance and vitality. Based on sound science, the Nine Essentials of the Anat Baniel Method are not only easy to incorporate into daily life, they are pleasurable, highly effective, and invigorating.” — Daniel Graupe, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois “Move into Life is a brilliant and original approach to bringing about rapid change and enhanced vitality. This program gives you access to the limitless energy and vibrancy that are at the heart of a happy and satisfying life.” —Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason “Anat Baniel is a pioneer. As someone lucky enough to have experienced this work first hand I'll always keep this book in my reference library. This is information that changes the way you think about body mechanics. We are holographic beings. The thigh bone is connected to the foot bone is connected to the toe bone. Give this book to your physical therapist, your rehab facility administrator and your orthopedic surgeon!” —Allison Peacock, reader review, Amazon.com “Anat's ideas are simple: pay attention while you move, move slowly, use less force, do whatever you are doing in new ways, do new things, be flexible, enthusiastic, and above all, be aware of what you are feeling. I first heard of Anat's work two years ago. And, at the age of 65, I signed up for her basic training. It is difficult to describe transformational changes and make them believable. I don't just feel a little younger. I have learned to better use my body. I walk firmly over my skeleton, upright, with an energy unknown to me, at least in my adult life. I easily keep up with my grandchildren.” — Elizabeth Elgin, reader review, Amazon.com “I found this book just in time! I love my family, but I was tired of the routine, the laundry, the dishes. You get it. I was walking around half-attentive to everything because I was always weary and, frankly, bored. The simple, yet profound ideas in Move Into Life have transformed me and my life. I have energy to enjoy my family and have been inspired to start a new, exciting career. I'm thrilled and I am sharing this book with everyone in my life. Strong recommendation! Buy this and then REALLY DO THE EXERCISES! Do not skip them! It's worth every moment.” —Meta L. McDaniel, reader review, Amazon.com “For 30 years, through mastery, pure genius, Baniel has created transformational changes within the brains, minds and bodies of the children and adults she has worked with. Through her book, she offers readers accessible and pleasurable strategies and techniques to create transformational changes in their own brains as they move through the course of their daily lives. In learning to 'wake up' our own brain, we discover how to become more productive, fulfilled and youthful human beings. Reading this book will turn on your own "Learning Switch," creating a more vital and healthful present and future… creates a new and expansive vision for every reader.” —Abigail Natenshon, MA, LCSW, GCFP, author of When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Parents and Other Caregivers Other works by Anat Baniel Kids Beyond Limits: The Anat Baniel Method for Awakening the Brain and Transforming the Life of Your Special Needs Child (Paperback and ebook) NeuroMovement® for Whole Body Fitness (Video) NeuroMovement® for Better Balance (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Dynamic Sitting (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Breathing (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Backs (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Necks and Shoulders (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Backs, Scoliosis & Pain Relief (Video) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Backs (Audio) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Necks (Audio) NeuroMovement® for Healthy Joints (Audio) NeuroMovement® for Children with Special Needs 2-Day Workshop (Video) Coming Soon NeuroMovement® for Vitality, Anti-Aging and Well-Being 5-Day Workshop (Video) NeuroMovement® for Parent and Child with Special Needs 5-Day Workshop (Video) Anat Baniel Method Center NeuroMovement for Whole Brain and Body Fitness MOVE INTO LIFE NeuroMovement® for Lifelong Vitality Anat Baniel Illustrations by David Gerstein The stories in this book are true. Names, circumstances, and identifying characteristics of the participants have been changed to protect their anonymity and to respect client confidentiality. Copyright © 2015 by Anat Baniel All rights reserved. For information regarding this book and other media by this author, contact: Crowning Beauty Publishing Company, 4330 Redwood Highway, Suite 350, San Rafael, CA 94903. Telephone 800-386-1441. For further information regarding the work described herein, visit: www.AnatBanielMethod.com The terms Anat Baniel Method®, NeuroMovement®, and The Nine Essentials® are the property of Anat Baniel. Illustrations by David Gerstein. Cover art by Clifford Schinkel. ISBN-13: 978-1519438881 ISBN-10: 1519438885 To my parents, Malka and Avram Baniel, who knew that I could. To my beloved teacher, mentor, and friend Moshe Feldenkrais, who showed me the way. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle. —albert einstein Contents Foreword xi Introduction 1 Vitality and Youthfulness 5 THE NINE ESSENTIALS One Movement with Attention— Wake Up to Life 23 Two The Learning Switch— Bring in the New 48 Three Subtlety—Experience the Power of Gentleness 81 Four Variation—Enjoy Abundant Possibilities 106 Five Slow—Luxuriate in the Richness of Feeling 134 Six Enthusiasm—Turn the Small into the Great 156 X/ Contents Seven Flexible Goals—Make the Impossible Possible 182 Eight Imagination and Dreams—Create Your Life 206 Nine Awareness—Thrive with True Knowledge 234 Move into Life 253 Notes 263 Bibliography 291 Acknowledgments 295 Index 299 About Anat Baniel 305 Anat Baniel Method Center 308 MOVE INTO LIFE NeuroMovement® for Lifelong Vitality Foreword Advances in neuroscience have radically changed how we think about the brain, and this is good news for any of us looking forward to enjoying our later years. Rather than seeing the brain as an organ that matures over the first twenty years of our lives and then withers away with the years, scientists now view the human brain as constantly changing. Dendrites, those thousands of tentacle-like receptors that extend from the ends of most of the nerve cells in your brain, can rapidly grow and retreat in periods of a couple weeks. These neuronal changes can even occur in a matter of minutes regardless of one’s age! Akira Yoshii, a brain researcher at MIT, states that: “The development of particular neurological connections or skills does not occur gradually over time. Instead, such changes tend to occur suddenly, appearing in short intervals after robust stimulation. It is as if there is a single important trigger and then a functional circuit rapidly comes online.” The Nobel laureate Eric Kendel proved that neurons never stop learning. He demonstrated that if you alter the environmental stimulus, the internal function of our nerve cells will change, causing them to grow new extensions, called axons, capable of communicating new and different information to other parts of our brains. Every change in our environment, whether internal and external, will cause a rearrangement of neuronal activity and growth. In fact, every neuron in our brain has its own “mind,” capable of deciding whether to send a signal or not, and how strong a signal to send once it makes that decision. Think XII / F ore w ord about that for a moment: you have 80 billion tiny minds living inside your brain, and they cooperate as well as the finest symphony in the world. Scientists used to believe that our neurons deteriorated with age, but the newest research shows that we can “exercise” the brain in the same way we exercise our bodies. Instead of weights, we can use our thoughts to eliminate physical and mental stress. We can strengthen our social awareness circuits to feel more empathy for others and self-love for ourselves, and we can weaken the neural connections that cause us to become overly anxious or depressed. As I have stated in my own books, including Words Can Change Your Brain, our research demonstrates that even something as subtle as the words we choose to use can help us to maintain a healthy structural balance in our brains. This brings me to Anat Baniel’s work. Over 30 years ago, the author of Move Into Life had begun to observe in her clients how the brain responds to certain conditions, generating information in the brain, and how the brain’s new organization of that information was often experienced as increased vitality. Clients recovering from accidents or other health problems — as well as those who came to her seeking relief from aches, pains, and limitations ordinarily associated with aging — noticed considerable improvement. They moved with greater ease and strength, their thinking was clearer, they felt stronger and more confident, and their sense of well-being greatly improved. They were exercising their brains, building better connections that could transform their lives. transform their lives. That’s the power of neuroplasticity, and Anat understood how to help her students and clients achieve these remarkable transformations.