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These exercises are designed for people who have challenges with physical stability, vulnerable feelings of weightlessness and difficulties with balance.
Challenges with proprioception are common for people who have experienced trauma, people who were born prematurely, those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, and other sensory perception challenges.
PART 1 – 4 Part Breathing. Practice the Heartbeat Rhythm slowly with a push into the ground during the count rest between the Bass notes. Sit forward on the chair. Add breath synchronisation – breathing out as you push down with the feet. Play the heartbeat rhythm at the crest of every in-breath (inhale) and end of every out-breath (exhale). Extend the length of the breath over a number of sessions.
The Heartbeat grounding breath exercise is used to focus people's attention on the present moment and specifically using their connection to the ground as a means of providing stability and avoiding losing touch with the present - these exercises are taught with the purpose of people utilising them in moments of need and the drumming is then done on the body. Grounding exercises that people can draw upon to keep their mind and body connected and working together, particularly for those times when they are becoming overwhelmed with distressing memories, thoughts and feelings.
PART 2 Then ask participants to stand up, in front of their chair and position their legs at shoulder width, with knees slightly bent - take them through a brief breathing exercise with a focused push into the floor on the outward breath. “As you breathe in focus on breathing low in the belly and as you breathe out push into the floor imagining your feet connecting to the earth, as though roots are growing down from your feet and cementing your connection”. After a couple of minutes of this ask people just to push lightly on the shoulder of the person standing next to them to see how well balanced they are.
Note – Emphasise balance & grounding over force. When we are balanced, we are stable and can better resist change and instability around us.
The use of bilateral rhythmic exercises on the drum can assist people improve coordination, balance and reduce emotional distress, improve regulation and lessen the vividness of traumatic memories. Here we present a range of exercises suitable for one to one and group work.
1. Crossing the midline
2. Circular arm rotations
3. A Rhythm wave
4. Figures of Eight
5. The Tree
6. The Butterfly tap extended to the drum
7. Soothing techniques with hands and wrists.
Balance is an important factor in life generally, and physical balance is a particular challenge for certain populations in relation to proprioception (our sensory awareness of the body). Many individuals with sensory integration issues, physical challenges, and the elderly face challenges related to proprioception. Additionally balance is closely associated with grounding and good balance often equates to a sense of physical and emotional stability.
Balance Me
Have a select number of your group enter the middle of the circle (3 or 4). On a specific signal from the drum they must change their stance (you may wish to write these on the white-board):
• One Bass note - stand on one leg
• Two Bass notes - swap from one leg to the other
• One Tone note – stand on one leg with the other at 90 degrees
• Two Tone notes – ‘Karate Kid’ Pose
• Three notes Bass or Tone – rest.
One at a time, each remaining member of the group plays one of the signals on their drum & the people in the middle respond. Adapt these movements to the capacity of your group members.
Once the exercise is completed note whether people used each other for balance or not. If not ask them to try the exercise again this time using each other for support.
Discuss the importance of balance to health, including both physical & psychological health. How do you know when your life is out of balance? How might friends help keep your life in balance? How does our need for independence impact the balance in our life?
Note – you can adapt the different postures to meet the physical capacity of your group members.
Many individuals struggle to work collaboratively with others - what are some of the reasons for this? What are some of the key elements of teamwork?
Teamwork: Effective team members are good communicators, active participants, respectful & supportive collaborators, problem solvers & are committed to the team goal. Working with others in teams allows you to achieve things you never could on your own.
‘One to The Right, One to The Left’
Bring the group in really tight. Use the phrase “Own drum” whenever you want them to return to their own drum to play the Heartbeat pattern – B B - -
See table on next page for different arrangements.
Encourage your participants to try out other routines.
Questions: What are some of the skills we are using when we work together like this? What are some other situations where these skills would be useful? How limited would our lives be if we had to rely solely on what we could achieve on our own?
TIMING 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4
1 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
2 Repeat x 4
Tone on the drum to your right B B O - B B O - B B O - B B O -
3 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
4 Repeat x 4
Tone on the drum to your left B B O - B B O - B B O - B B O -
5 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
6 Repeat x 4
Tones on the drum to your right B B O O B B O O B B O O B B O O
7 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
8 Repeat x 4
Tones on the drum to your left B B O O B B O O B B O O B B O O
9 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
10 Repeat x 4
Tones on the drum to your right B B O O O B B O O O B B O O O B B O O O
11 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
12 Repeat x 4
Tones on the drum to your left B B O O O B B O O O B B O O O B B O O O
13 Repeat x 4 B B - - B B - - B B - - B B - -
14 Repeat x 1
Tones on the drum to your right B B O - B B O O B B O O O
15 Repeat x 1
Tones on the drum to your left B B O - B B O O B B O O O
16 Repeat x 4 B B clap clap B B clap - B B clap clap B B clap -
Dr Peter Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off.
Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard if they survive they often send a shiver through their body before going about their business.
Dr Levine also postulated that talking about trauma risked ingraining it further.
2-Way Learning
Indigenous cultures around the world have used dance and movement in their healing rituals and ceremonies.
Rhythmic movement and dance releases tension in the body and is also good physical exercise.
Unfortunately western culture has often repressed issues related to the body and left people uncomfortable and self-conscious around their physical self.
Shake in the Break Exercise
In this exercise we introduce an eight count break in the rhythm where only a Bass pulse continues.
So we play together, then count down to stop (4,3,2,1 stop) and the facilitator continues to play a Bass rhythm through the break.
The rest of the group shake - note shaking is a more comfortable term than ‘dance’.
After the count the group rhythm resumes.
1st Break - shake your hands and arms
2nd Break - shake your legs and feet
3rd break - shake all over.
Part of the Rhythm2Recovery exercise sequence for the elderly
Part of the Rhythm2Recovery exercise sequence for the elderly
Part of the Rhythm2Recovery Exercise Sequence for the Elderly
Part of the Rhythm2Recovery Exercise sequence for the Elderly
Part of the Rhythm2Recovery exercise series for the elderly
Part of a series of physical exercises set to music, designed for the elderly.
Part of a series of exercises done to music. Each exercise is interspersed with free play on the drum.
Hand out Tonal chimes (you can use a combination of drums and percussion as an alternative) to half the group and ask them to focus on giving the gift of their music to the other half. Let them play together for around 3-4 minutes. Ask the other half to sit back in a comfortable position and focus on receiving with generosity.
Then swap roles.
Discussion: What insights can you draw from this exercise about the challenges of giving and receiving? Who judged their gift as not adequate? How often do we undervalue what we have to offer others? How difficult was it to receive without judgement? How easy is it for some people to give to the point of exhaustion? What if I had let one half give more (time wise) than the other -would you have felt short-changed?
Note – This can be a good exercise to look at issues of staff burnout. It is also very relevant for elderly and disabled people who must rely on others for physical care.
You can also do this with drums & percussion if you don't have chimes
These exercises can also act as ice-breakers and help people get comfortable with each other.
Usually we would have a small group of people in the middle. Remember you can change the postures depending on the needs and abilities of your group members.
Have a select number of your group enter the middle of the circle (3 or 4). On a specific signal from the drum they must change their stance (you may wish to write these on the white-board):
• One Bass note - stand on one leg
• Two Bass notes - swap from one leg to the other
• One Tone note – stand on one leg with the other at 90 degrees
• Two Tone notes – ‘Karate Kid’ Pose
• Three notes Bass or Tone – rest.
One at a time, each remaining member of the group plays one of the signals on their drum & the people in the middle respond. Adapt these movements to the capacity of your group members.
Once the exercise is completed note whether people used each other for balance or not. If not ask them to try the
Discuss the importance of balance to health, including both physical & psychological health. How do you know when your life is out of balance? How might friends help keep your life in balance? How does our need for independence impact the balance in our life?