Mirroring the Movement – Part One Why Does Coach Colleen Have Us “Mirror” Her Movements?

Mirroring the Movement – Part One Why Does Coach Colleen Have Us “Mirror” Her Movements? 

When I ask you to watch me, copy me, and move with me, there’s much more going on than simply demonstrating an exercise and having you mimic my movements. I'm intentionally giving your brain visual information it can use to help organize and execute movement. 

In other words,…I'm not just teaching your body. I'm teaching your brain. 

Your Brain Is a Great Copycat! 

One of the fascinating ways our brains learn movement is through observation. And this is where the story of mirror neurons begins. 

In 1992, researchers at the University of Parma in Italy made an unexpected discovery while studying the brains of macaque monkeys. Neuroscientists Giacomo Rizzolatti, Vittorio Gallese, Luciano Fadiga, Leonardo Fogassi and their colleagues were recording the activity of individual neurons in the monkeys' premotor cortex. 

They discovered something fascinating. Certain neurons became active when a monkey performed a specific action—such as grasping an object—but some of those same neurons also became active when the monkey watched another individual or monkey perform a similar action. These neurons eventually became known as mirror neurons. 

It was almost as if the brain was saying: “I see you doing it…so I'm practicing it, too.” That discovery opened the door to decades of research into how the brain processes observed movement and connects what we see with what we do. Researchers have since identified mirror-like systems in the human brain involved in observing and performing actions, although the human system is more complex than simply having a set of neurons that “copy” everything we see. Think about how a child learns. Long before children can read an instruction manual or understand a detailed explanation, they learn by watching others. 

They watch someone wave—and wave back. 
They see someone clap—and clap. 
They watch someone walk—and eventually take those first steps themselves. 

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