In an isometric exercise, one pushes or pulls for a short time with all available force against an imaginary or real resistance. This activates the affected muscle areas in particular and the circulation in general. This counteracts states of fatigue or increases activity and thus receptivity.
The simplest way to influence activation is to consciously change muscle tension. This simple method, which probably not by chance has been used for thousands of years by various peoples as a meditation and relaxation aid, is a particularly effective method for controlling activation.
Such a simple exercise can help to better overcome the phases of lack of concentration that often occur at the beginning of learning phases. For implementation with a learning group, this relaxation exercise can be used with music support and backed by a tape.
Each relaxation is achieved through an interplay of tension and release, and when the relaxation phases predominate in time, a high level of deactivation occurs. When relaxation is achieved, one remains in this state for one to two minutes and only in the last minute the body is strongly activated by isometric exercises. Although activation occupies only a small part of this section, it is only through the muscular tension that follows relaxation that a medium range of activation will be reached, which is the ideal condition for a subsequent learning process.