Right Hemisphere Brain Exercises

Right hemisphere brain exercises stimulate the part of the brain that is responsible for holistic thinking. Rather than linear exercises, such as reading a book, right-brain exercises may involve creative activities such as drama and music. Right-brain exercises care used in academic learning and corporate training.

Drama

• When you experience learning by incorporating drama, you stimulate the right hemisphere of your brain. For example, if you want to learn about the American Revolution, re-enact battles and other Revolutionary War events. Your participation in the events ensure learning. While rote memorization has its place in learning, it is a linear, left-hemisphere brain activity. Dramatic exercises strengthen learning by participation.

Music

• Music is one of the most effective ways to ensure learning. Baroque music, for example, has a stimulating effect on the brain's right hemisphere. According to Dr. Alice Cash of Healing Music Enterprises, "UC-Irvine Mozart studies have substantiated some benefits of music in learning." On an anecdotal level, most people can testify to the power of music and memory. Memories often are triggered by music. You hear a song on the radio from the past and you are transported to that distant time. You remember the moments accompanied by music. Educators and trainers use music as background to learning experiences. For example, a teacher may play Baroque music in the background as she teaches an English lesson. When she tests her students, if she plays the same music, her students will recover information more readily.

Comments

• Right-brain exercises allow you to climb out of the left-hemisphere brain learning box and step into a dynamic world of activity, color, music and fun. When learning is fun, you remember content. The next time you want to be able to recall information, try to balance the learning experience.