Me Tarzan, Me Brachiating.

All babies are born with a branch-holding reflex – new-born babies can hold themselves suspended by grasping a finger or bar.

Brachiation – swinging from a bar or horizontal ladder – exercises the so-called neomammalian brain along with the scapulohumeral muscles (deltoid, teres major, coracobrachialis, and the 4 muscles comprising the rotator cuff).

The concept of a triune brain evolution (reptilian to paleomammalian to neomammalian) is somewhat inaccurate, but is still relevant to brain development and activity.

More accurately, humans have a TREE brain, a GRASS brain, and a ROOT brain.

The “root brain” corresponds to the brain stem, the “grass (and flower) brain” with the limbic system, and the “tree (and nut) brain” with the neocortex (literally “new bark”).

The “tree brain” corresponds to the Morning Zone One level of Time Conscious Eating.

The “grass brain” corresponds to the Midday Zone Two level.

The “root brain” corresponds to the Evening Zone Three level.

Brachiation is scientifically defined as “suspensory locomotion” and “hand-over-hand under-branch locomotion.”

Adano Ley (Swami Nitty-Gritty) often said, “Man is a stiff-necked race.”

Many a stiff neck is caused by repressing or suppressing the brachiation reflex – diminishing the ELASTIC STORAGE potential of the sapulohumeral muscles (mentioned above).

Exterior tendons store kinesis as ELASTIC STRAIN ENERGY and recover it by ELASTIC RECOIL – the action of a spring.

Brachiation is recommended for brain-injured children by the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP).

The medico-pharmaceutical Establishment opposes IAHP theory and protocols as being “outmoded” and “oversimplified” – preferring to deal drugs to brain-injured children.

Besides brachiation, the IAHP uses patterning, creeping, crawling, clambering, scrambling, receptive stimulation, expressive activities, masking (rebreathing), gravity/antigravity activation, and REBOUNDING (learning to hop to intricate patterns on a MINI-TRAMPOLINE).

The absolute “king of the brachiators” is the gibbon, which can travel through the treetops at a speed of 35 miles per hour, spanning as much as 20 feet from branch to branch.

It’s best to swing from a horizontal brachiation ladder with irregular interval spacing in place of the evenly-spaced rung ladders found in many outdoor playgrounds.

Brachiation is beneficial for the rotator cuff muscles (supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus, and teres major).

The supraspinatus is a MAJOR REFLEX to C-4 (cervical 4), the throat, the ear, and the Conception Meridian.

Ditto the subscapularis to C-6, the throat, shoulder, and the Heart Meridian.