If you’re a parent, the good news might be that your kids are back in school, and you have slightly more time to yourself. The bad news (though you’re not supposed to tell anyone you feel rotten about this) is that there’s nightly homework to cope with again. And the settling-into-homework period can be a trial for everyone.

Here’s how I get around it: I encourage my kids to do Brain Gym exercises that miraculously unite the left and right sides of their brains, preparing them for serious, integrated periods of concentraion. I took a two-day workshop in the Brain Gym method (which is influenced by concepts found in meditation and yoga practice), and I most habitually use the sequence of movements known as PACE (which stands for “positive, active, clear, and energized,” all things kids need to be before homework gets done).

The steps of PACE are easy to move through (the first one is to get your kid to drink a full glass of water!), and if your child willfully refuses to assume the postures, you can stretch them out of the floor and–like the good parent you are–manipulate their legs and arms through the movements (which most kids will put up with and giggle through if they’re not in active melt-down).

It sounds wild, but I’ve seen my own children go from floppy and full of rage over their homework assignments to engaged and on task in less than fifteen minutes. Think of it as brain yoga. Oh, and guess what: writers, musicians, public speakers, grown-ups of all sorts find these exercises incredibly useful too.

My best advice is to take a course in Brain Gym at your earliest convenience, especially if you are the parent of a child with learning issues. Here‘s where to find one near you. The next best thing is to examine the Brain Gym websites, buy some books and products and try to teach yourself the basic movements. More and more elementary school teachers are getting Brain Gym training. If you show up the first day of school and see a Brain Gym chart of postures in the classroom, thank your child’s guardian angels, and consider yourself incredibly lucky.