Baby Steps pt. 2

I have talked before about taking baby steps to add eurythmy into your life and schedule, even homeschooling schedule. I hope that all is well and underway! Today I’d like to go a little more in to depth about copper rods. If you have already added these into your eurythmic schedule, then great! Hopefully I can add a little more to that. If not, then I hope you will have the confidence to begin today with copper rod exercises and activities.

But first, let’s talk why copper? Why are the rods copper? Why not some other metal or even wood? I get this question all the time. There are so many factors at play here. First of all, copper is a fantastic conductor of warmth, energy, and oxygen. It will constantly be giving back and transferring what is being absorbed through your hands. When you pick up a copper rod, the metal immediately adjusts to the temperature of your hand, thus making it easy on your hands when you work with it. If you are not feeling well, or feeling exceptionally tired, or just simply need to get your blood and oxygen flowing, the rod will move around the heat and energy through your body. It will help place the energies and oxygen where it is needed, thus contributing to you feeling better.

Another reason why the copper is so important is that it connects us to the earth. Copper is a mineral found naturally in the earth and our bodies, so it helps us in making that all important connection. Copper also provides metabolic energy to organs throughout our bodies, such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain. This is why it is so essential that when doing the rod exercises, we use copper rods.

As an added bonus, copper is also antimicrobial! Solid copper surfaces kill 99.9% of microorganisms within two hours of contact! I have seen little copper rod keychains for people to carry around with them. To use, you simply roll the rod between your hands for these benefits! Copper is amazing! And so important to use for rod exercises.

However, I have had a few children who have issues with touching certain metals, copper being one of them. Another issue I’ve seen is, since the outbreak of COVID, when making rods at home, it has been harder and harder for some families to find the materials to make them. Of course under these sort of circumstances (and I’m sure there are many others), it is better to just start the rod exercises with whatever you have! Some have used wooden dowels. Others have unscrewed the head of a broom and used the handle. Some children have even used PVC pipes, cut to the correct size. Another child found a large straight stick when on their nature walk and used that! Copper is the best material, but if this is not possible for you for whatever reason, do not let it stop you! You will still receive benefits of the exercise even without copper.

The exercises we do work with the arms, legs” hands, feet, and fingers. It helps the younger children to develop skills and strength that will be used for drawing and writing. It helps the older children develop dexterity and agility. We roll the rods on our arms and legs, work them between our fingers, and jump over them with our whole bodies! We use them for balance to walk a straight line, and add hand movements for more complicated exercises! We use them to learn to walk more upright and straight.

Like I’ve said before, you can click on the copper rod tab of my website to learn some copper rod exercises to do at home, with or without children. The copper rods are good for all ages! But here is an additional exercise you can do. It’s called, posture walking, and is good for anyone, anytime. I like to pick a simple riddle to do with the children. But it could be any simple sentence. And if you are doing this for yourself, you could have an affirmation that you use for this. I am going to use the riddle right now. We start on one side of the room. Hold the rod vertically in front of you, in your palms, one hand toward the top of the rod and the other toward the bottom, thumbs point upwards. Make sure the rod is straight in front of you, right in the middle, not touching you. You want to hold it comfortably in front of you though, not far away. Close but not touching. Then, walking a straight line, one foot in front of the other, you walk while saying the riddle, taking a step with each beat, “Fat and thin, I begin. I end in a muddle, sad in a puddle.”

We should be on the other side of the room. Now we take the rod and put it behind us, one hand at the top and the other at the bottom of the rod, thumbs pointing upward. The rod should be right in the middle behind our backs. It pulls our elbows back and helps us stand a little straighter. Now we walk backward, reciting the riddle backward (or affirmation). “Puddle a in sad, muddle a in end I. Begin I, thin and fat.”

Now we should be back at our starting point. We walk this 3-5 times, reciting the riddle/affirmation, forwards and backwards. This becomes an exercise of not just walking upright, but also an exercise of concentration and memory. Its good for the mind and body! (The answer to this riddle, by the way, is a candle.)

So again, copper is the best materials for many, many reasons. But if you cannot have copper for whatever reason, do not let it be a stumbling block. There are fantastic benefits to just moving and doing the exercises. Not only do these copper rod exercises offer therapeutic health benefits and strength, it is also fun to do! Each exercise can have its own twists and turns, keeping the children focused and on their toes! I absolutely love the copper rod exercises! It provides a chance for me to give some additional light-heartedness and fun to our lessons, and the children always look forward to it! Adults as well!