Lazy Eights (Infinity Symbol)

Presentation

The Lazy Eight (also called Lazy 8s) is one of the most widely used exercises in the Brain Gym program, developed by Paul Dennison, Ph.D., within Educational Kinesiology. The exercise involves tracing a large infinity symbol (∞), also called a "lying eight," in the air with an extended arm while the eyes follow the hand's movement. The tracing begins at the center (crossing point), goes up to the left, describes a complete loop on the left, returns to center, then goes up to the right and traces a loop on the right, creating a continuous, fluid movement.

Paul Dennison created this exercise after observing that many dyslexic children had eye-tracking difficulties, particularly when crossing the visual midline. In reading, the eyes must perform continuous horizontal scanning from left to right, crossing this midline with each pass. In struggling readers, this crossing often causes a "break" in tracking, leading to word skipping, letter reversals or line loss. The Lazy Eight specifically trains this visual midline crossing skill.

The exercise belongs to Brain Gym's midline movements and primarily works the laterality dimension (right-left). It is often prescribed alongside the Cross Crawl and is a major tool for practitioners working with children with reading disorders.

Creator: Paul Dennison, Ph.D. (1941–), founder of Educational Kinesiology

Fundamental Principles

The Lazy Eight rests on the principle of visual field integration. Each eye has two visual fields (nasal and temporal), and information from each field is processed through specific neural pathways. When the gaze crosses the midline, the relay between the two visual systems must occur smoothly. The Lazy Eight trains this transition by creating a continuous, predictable eye movement that crosses the midline dozens of times in minutes.

The second principle is binocular coordination. Both eyes must converge and diverge synchronously throughout the figure-eight trace. This movement engages the six oculomotor muscles of each eye and improves their coordination, essential for fluent reading and depth perception.

The third principle concerns eye-hand-brain synchronization. By following their own hand with their eyes, the patient creates a complete sensorimotor loop: the motor cortex guides the arm, the visual cortex tracks the movement, and the cerebellum coordinates everything in real time.

The fourth principle is visual system relaxation. Unlike saccadic eye movements in reading, the Lazy Eight imposes smooth pursuit movement that relaxes ocular muscles and reduces visual fatigue, activating the parasympathetic system.

Technical Sheet

Full Name

Lazy Eights / Lazy 8s (Infinity Symbol)

Brain Gym Category

Midline Movements

Creator

Paul Dennison, Ph.D.

Target Dimension

Laterality (right-left) and visual focus

Position

Standing or sitting, facing a wall or open space

Recommended Duration

1 to 3 minutes (3 to 5 complete eights per hand, then both hands together)

Target Structures

Oculomotor muscles, visual cortex, corpus callosum

Equipment Required

None (optional: whiteboard or large paper for written variant)

Minimum Age

From 4 years

Main Indications

• Dyslexia and reading difficulties: eye tracking fluency, reduction of reversals and word skipping
• Eye tracking and binocular convergence difficulties
• Visual fatigue from screen work or prolonged reading
• Eye-hand coordination disorders (writing, drawing, crafts)
• Cursive writing difficulties and graphic fluency
• Visual attention and concentration disorders
• Mild functional strabismus and amblyopia (complementary to orthoptics)
• Pre-reading preparation for preschool children
• Visual rehabilitation after concussion
• Visuospatial performance improvement in athletes

Session Procedure

The session begins with a reading or eye-tracking pre-test: the practitioner asks the patient to read a short text aloud or follow an object from side to side with their eyes, noting hesitations, skips or difficulties at the midline crossing.

The practitioner demonstrates the Lazy Eight: standing facing the patient, tracing a large lying eight in the air with thumb raised at the end of the extended arm. The movement starts at center, at eye level, goes up to the left, arcs down to the left, returns to center, then up to the right and back to center. The eight is traced continuously.

The patient begins with their dominant hand, arm extended, thumb raised pointing to the ceiling. The gaze stays fixed on the thumbnail throughout the movement. The head remains still — only the eyes follow the hand. Three to five complete eights are performed, then repeated with the non-dominant hand, then with both hands joined (fingers interlaced, crossed thumbs forming an X as focal point).

Advanced variations include Alphabet Eights (each letter traced within the eight's loops), Double Doodle (both hands tracing simultaneously in mirror), and written Lazy Eights on a whiteboard or large paper.

The session concludes with a post-test. Improvement is typically immediate: more fluid reading, fewer word skips, better eye tracking.

Variations and Sub-techniques

• Classic Lazy Eight: air tracing with thumb, basic form
• Alphabet Eights: each letter inscribed within the figure-eight, combining eye movement and graphic recognition
• Double Doodle: both hands simultaneously tracing symmetrical mirror forms, reinforcing bilateral integration and creativity
• Written Lazy Eight: traced on whiteboard or A3 paper, integrating fine kinesthetic component
• Eyes-only Lazy Eight: patient follows an imaginary eight with eyes only, reinforcing pure oculomotor control
• Three-dimensional Lazy Eight: eight traced with forward-backward movement, adding focus dimension

Contraindications

• Acute ocular pathology (conjunctivitis, glaucoma crisis, recent retinal detachment)
• Severe untreated nystagmus
• Acute benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• Ongoing ophthalmic migraine
• Recent head trauma with visual disturbances (prior medical evaluation required)
• Photosensitive epilepsy (caution if performed facing a light source)