Neuroplasticity, Learning, and ABM® NeuroMovement®

Discover how the brain's remarkable ability to change opens new possibilities for learning, movement, and development throughout life.

Our brains are not fixed. They are continually changing in response to our experiences, movements, thoughts, and how we engage with the world.

This remarkable ability is called neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity.

At the heart of ABM® NeuroMovement® is an understanding of this capacity for change—and how movement with attention, sensing what we feel, thinking, noticing differences, and becoming aware of our experiences can create opportunities for new learning.

 When Neuroscience Meets NeuroMovement®

Dr. Michael Merzenich, a pioneering neuroscientist whose research has helped advance our understanding of brain plasticity, discusses the relationship between Anat Baniel's work and discoveries in neuroscience.

In this excerpt from the Kids Beyond Limits book-launch presentation, he describes how Anat's approach evolved from Moshe Feldenkrais's work and how its principles align with our understanding of how the brain learns and changes.

This video is copyrighted and used with permission from Anat Baniel Method®

Movement, Attention, Feeling, and Awareness: Learning Beyond Repetition

Movement is a powerful way to engage the brain in learning. But in ABM® NeuroMovement®, it is not simply the movement itself that matters. It is how we experience it, what we feel, what we notice, and what we learn.

Rather than repeating movements mechanically, we are invited to slow down, pay attention, sense subtle differences, and explore variations. As we become more aware of what we are doing and how we are doing it, we create opportunities for the brain to recognize differences, discover alternatives, and develop new possibilities.

Thinking, feeling, imagining, and noticing are all part of this learning process. Our thoughts, expectations, emotions, and habitual responses influence how we move, interact, and engage with the world.

Sometimes the most meaningful change begins not with doing more, but with noticing something we hadn't noticed before.

Through movement with attention, we can begin to discover new possibilities—not only in how we move, but also in how we think, feel, respond, and participate in everyday life.

The Nine Essentials: Creating Conditions for Learning

The brain's ability to change—neuroplasticity—is influenced by our experiences and how we engage with them. In ABM® NeuroMovement®, the Nine Essentials offer practical ways to create conditions that can support learning, adaptation, and new possibilities.

Rather than focusing only on correcting a movement or achieving a particular result, the Nine Essentials invite us to explore how we move, think, feel, and respond.

For example, when we slow down, we may begin to notice subtle differences that previously escaped our attention. When we introduce variation, we give ourselves opportunities to experience alternatives rather than repeating familiar patterns. When we approach an experience with curiosity and enthusiasm, we may become more available for learning.

These principles extend beyond physical movement. They can influence how we approach challenges, interact with others, respond to difficulties, and recognize possibilities we hadn't considered before.

The Nine Essentials are not exercises to perform or a checklist to complete. They are ways of engaging ourselves in the process of learning—inviting awareness, exploration, and discovery throughout life.

Curious to learn more? Explore the Nine Essentials through our free introductory mini-course