The Brain is Like a Muscle

“The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.”

  Carl Sagan 

“My work has always been very close to thinking that the mind is a muscle. The mind is not just what’s in your head, but it’s in how you move your arm or how you take a step.”

Robert Wilson

The two comments I hear most after our World Dance Jam class are “That was so much fun!” and “My brain can’t remember all this!” As long as people are smiling when they say that, I feel I’m doing my job. In both Qigong practice and dance, we work on learning to move with freedom, relaxation, and skill. Dance adds the further challenge of coordinating our movements to extremely precise music. Like any new skill, this takes practice. It’s demanding, but fun. Once we get it all together, it’s even joyous, as scientist Carl Sagan said.

Both the body and the brain are built to move. Both require circulation, challenging stimulation, and also relaxation. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we cultivate our consciousness of intention, which is called the “Yi” spirit. It allows us to be in the present, to make decisions, and focus clearly.  Our Yi also requires relaxation. When we’re not relaxed and focused, we tend to fall into confusion, distraction, or brain fog. This, of course, makes it harder to learn.

Whether dancing, practicing Qigong, playing tennis, doing Wordle, or whatever new skill you find challenging, play with the idea of noticing when you are, or are not, relaxed. That’s a nice, clear use of your Yi spirit. When frustration strikes, breathe. Slow down enough to relax. Clarity and relaxation together are a powerful, graceful duo. Think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They had to practice a lot, too!