Cross Crawl Exercise: What It Is, Benefits and How To Master The Powerful Healing Technique

When things aren’t working and therapy sessions just aren’t sticking, it is so frustrating.

You work so hard and pour your heart into the healing process, but feel like you revert right back to the starting point.

When your personal energy system isn’t running correctly, you don’t reset well. You keep going back to the starting point and you feel like the healing isn’t changing you. This is often because of a frozen state where the communication isn’t occurring throughout both sides of your system.

I have such a simple solution for you. With just a couple of minutes of focused attention a day, you can get your system back into alignment and ready to connect to the healing therapies. It is so easy to get your system reset that you might think it sounds silly. But, sometimes, it’s the most simple exercises that can get us back to a natural state of wholeness. And this one movement pattern makes a huge difference without requiring a lot of time or effort.

So, keep reading to discover the simple realignment technique of cross crawl.

What is Cross Crawl?

Children need to crawl before they walk. Crawling gets their right and left sides aligned. It is important for helping children get their brain hemispheres aligned and supports their math and reading skills later. Sometimes, as adults, the energies can get out of alignment and we need to cross crawl to get those systems communicating once more.

A cross crawl movement is any intentional cross-lateral activity that requires you to cross the middle line of the body and touch the other side in a coordinated way. This might include touching your right arm to your left leg and then your left arm to your right leg. It might be tapping your right hand to your left foot and then your left hand to your right foot. It is a patterned movement that reforms the connection between the vestibular system and the frontal lobes by making the opposite sides of the body work together.

There are a number of different ways to do cross crawl movements. In my video, you will see me demonstrate a marching technique. You can use the same principals with crawling, running, swimming and walking movements. The goal is to force the body to work together and improve proprioception through these cross-body movements.

Signs that Your Cross-Pattern Movement Need Sharpening

If you think you might need to practice regular cross crawl movements, pay close attention to the coordination struggles you deal with. If your alignment is off, you may notice issues like:

• Difficulty reading or dyslexia
• Certain learning disabilities or struggle to focus
• Struggle with coordination or balance
• Clumsiness
• Mixing up phrases or saying things backward
• Unable to progress towards a goal or healing

The Benefits of Cross Crawl Exercises

Mind-body science has proven the link between physical coordination and cognitive coordination. You need to be able to work contra-lateral movements before being able to successfully complete fine motor academic work. Cross crawling will reboot the nervous system, connecting your mind and body. The movements will help recharge your energy and focus your attention.

This is one of the best self-care exercises to do. When you are trying to work into a better rhythm that utilizes your whole brain, you need to practice cross crawl exercises 2-3 times a day. Just like drinking water or taking deep, grounding breaths, cross crawling is part of an essential self-care routine that should be done regularly for true wellness.

This is so important for those of us who are over-thinkers! It gives us a great break from hyper-focus and improves our self-awareness. You will feel clearer and be able to perform better as you connect both hemispheres of the brain. You might notice:

• Situational perception
• Improved impulse control
• Heightened sense of understanding
• Deep personal insight
• Clarity of thought
• Balanced focus and energy

How to Cross Crawl

Now that you know the benefit of cross crawling, let’s get moving!

Start off these movements with a smile. Smiling has been proven to help us feel happier and more at ease. It starts a chemical reaction in the brain that increases feelings of happiness and reduces our feelings of stress. So, even if you are feeling off-kilter and frustrated, start your movement with a smile.

For the marching cross crawl movement:

• Start in a slow and exaggerated walking gait (or a march), tapping your right knee with your right hand and your left knee with your left hand. Continue this same-side tapping, alternating between the right side and the left side of the body until you feel comfortable with the movements.
• After you feel in a rhythm, start the cross-lateral movement by using the opposite hand: tap your right knee with your left hand and your left knee with your right hand.
• Continue with the cross crawl movements until you feel comfortable doing them.
• Physically perform a “zip up” movement to seal the movement and set your energy.

Watch me demonstrate the marching cross crawl in this video:

[EMBED VIDEO CLIP]

Tips for Cross Crawling

This exercise may be simple, but there are ways to make it work more efficiently. If you try healing movements like this with a sloppy approach or negative attitude, you will not get many of the potential benefits. When you watch me perform the cross crawl, you will notice a few things that will improve the practice:

Smile: As I stated above, the smile is key for starting those positive hormones.

Slow Down: Don’t rush! When the cross crawl movement is done slowly, it requires more balance and coordination. As you get better at the movement, slow it down even further.

Breathe: Take deep, refreshing breaths as you move, enjoying the process, and supporting your physical well-being. This will also increase your dopamine and serotonin production (started by your smile), moving those feelings of relaxation and happiness throughout your body. Breathing fully into your movements will also help you catch a rhythm that takes balance and coordination.

Mindful Finish: It may seem like the “zip up” part is silly, but it plays a key roll in signaling the finish of the exercise. This mindful finish helps put a “cap” on the progress you’ve made in syncing your systems.

Supplement Your Cross Crawl with Healing Progress

Now that you are getting your systems aligned, your healing is going to stick! No more feeling stuck in the rut—it’s time to get out and move on to a better place. And, so it is very important you keep seeking healing as you perform these cross-lateral exercises each day. Don’t slow down your healing process waiting for coordination–allow your brain to absorb healing as it realigns to a balanced state.

Whether you are struggling with a difficult past, toxic relationships, self-hate, money problems or any other struggles, I can help. I have been through a lot of things in my own life and have come out on the other side stronger for it. I know what it feels like to be frustrated and desperate for healing. I also know what it feels like to finally have that great breakthrough and discover life on the other side of the rut. My goal in life has been to help other people discover the same healing therapies and practices that I have.

My healing program is dedicated to helping people like you move past their hurt and deep darkness to find the light and discover their joy. Join my Healing Center for a FREE 14-day trial to see what my healing sessions can do for you. Let me help you break out of those old patterns of failure and meet your goals without hitting roadblocks.