Homolateral Patterning Exercises

A fundamental energy therapy technique, homolateral patterning exercises are a series of movements that encourage your body's energies to cross over from one side of the body to the other. Walking, or marching in time with your arms swinging freely beside you, are examples of movements that enable your body to maintain its natural balance.

Background

Until a baby learns to crawl, her energies flow in a homolateral fashion. That is, the right hemisphere of her brain governs the right side of her body, and the left hemisphere controls the left side. The act of crawling establishes the communication pathways in the baby's brain that will enable her to fully develop her physical and mental capacity. During periods of illness, stress and inactivity, your body often resorts to a homolateral energy pattern to conserve resources.

Significance

Your body is made for movement. When you sit for long periods, you might find your cognitive functions decline, your vision blurs and your ability to think becomes muddled. When the body's energies are running vertically up and down your body, rather than crossing over from one side to the other, both your physical and mental functions are compromised. Homolateral patterning exercises help to re-educate your body and return it to its natural state of equilibrium.

The Homolateral Crossover

From a standing or sitting position, bring your right knee up toward your chest and tap your knee lightly with your right hand. Lower your foot to the floor and repeat the movement on the other side of your body -- raise your left knee and tap it with your left hand. Continue the homolateral pattern of movement for two or three minutes, or until you begin to tire. Take a few deep breaths to relax, and repeat the exercise in a crossover pattern, using opposite sides of your body. For example, when you raise your right knee, tap it with your left hand, and use your right hand to tap your left knee. Continue to do the crossover pattern for two or three minutes.

Benefits

Energy therapists say that homolateral repatterning is a key to restoring the communication pathways between the left and right side of your brain. When your energies cross from one side of the body to the other, your body is in balance and your ability to perform physical and mental activities is restored.