There are three sections on the DVD: Joy, Calm, and Focus, each with 4 or 5 segments of a few minutes. You can select & do as many as you wish, but they only play one at a time, you cannot program sequences or segments together (now that would have been cool and a better product in my opinion). I started with Joy, did one or two, then did 2 of Calm, and one of Focus. I enjoyed the music, thought the clicking would bother me, but it did not, and I liked the way it felt doing the routines. The routines consist of arm movements: up and down, Xs, squares, circles, half circle, infinity/figure 8s, Ls, etc. Each arm not always performing the same movement as the other. There are people of various ethnicities, sex, & ages in nondescript clothing doing the movements, usually smiling. There was one young boy who in two of the sections I tried moved ahead of the music/beat/clicks which was kind of cute, but I imagine after time it could be rather annoying. Another seated elderly woman was counting: 1..2..3..4 though was muted by the music. Since I can’t help but notice everything, I couldn’t not read her lips and found this to be very distracting. Luckily each person is only on screen for less than a minute. Afterwards my arms felt warm and I felt blood circulating.
The flow felt very much like Qi Gong to me = warm, soothing, calming, centering, healing. In the included MeMoves paperwork it does mention it is a moving meditation and it does feel as such. I think anyone who does MeMoves and likes it should check out Qi Gong, which is similar, but some practices in my opinion are better and more suited for adults. Per the below mentioned website, "Qi Gong switches the nervous system from the stress-related ‘fight or flight’ mode to the restorative healing mode of the parasympathetic branch. EEG shows that, in people practicing Qi Gong, the cerebral cortex enters a state of calm that few people experience, even in sleep." My favorite DVD practice is Lee Holden’s Qi Gong for Stress. It has relaxing music, nature sounds, stunning nature scenery with calming colors, and is slow and meditative. It also contains breath work or syncing your breath to the movement, similar to Vinyasa Flow Yoga, which MeMoves does not do. Holistic doctors believe SPD can be caused or worsened by blocked Qi (aka Chi = energy), so it makes sense that MeMoves helps as it is similar in a juvenile way.
This morning I visited the included MeMoves textured pattern cards. I loved the freedom of these – to do with or without music, to travel with me anywhere I go, to fit in my purse, the feel of the heavy, cool rubbery texture cards was calming and positive. I like that they instruct you to change it up and to try other patterns, change direction, cross hands to keep it challenging. I then proceed to do more of the DVD, which was once again enjoyable.
In the included booklet it is recommended you do Memoves 2-3 times a day. With the segments being so short, I can see easily fitting this in happily at my computer, TV, or thanks to the cards, anywhere I go. While I have enjoyed each of the sections, I really like the focus ones best – I always love to challenge my brain. I’d love to see them do a set that is pure focus and advanced for adults. I would buy it in a heartbeat! My husband has seen a bit of MeMoves and will be doing it with me some of the time. My mom also said she will try it out, as she suffers some sensory issues herself. I will revisit my review in a few months after using it daily to let you know my thoughts and to possibly review LifeMoves should I try it. I would absolutely recommend MeMoves to anyone with SPD a/o ASD looking for a calming tool. I think it is appropriate for all ages, though especially children.
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