Tai Chi and Nerves – 4/26/21

The body and mind are interrelated, and at the core, one and the same. Both developed from one cell that was a combination of an egg and a sperm cell. It is convenient to talk about a human as composed of various elements, like muscles, bones, nerves, organs, etc. – yet of course, it is all one.

Let’s look at the nervous system for a moment. The nerves are the link between the mind and body. The nerves are the communication system of the body, and possibly the worst thing that can happen to a person is to have the communication system damaged, through, for instance, a stroke.

All parts of the body are linked to the brain via nerves, and the main trunk line is the spinal column. The brain is constantly receiving messages from all over the body and tries to deal with as many messages as possible. When there are too many messages at the same time, the brain deals with the most important first.

For instance, you see a gold ring lying in the street. The eyes send the message to the brain, and the brain sends back the message to the legs to move and go get it. As you start, you hear a car approaching at a fast speed. The ears send the message to the brain and the brain says it is more important to get out of the way of the car, than to pick up the ring, so your body stops in mid step and you pull back.

All of this requires strong nerve currents, good communication between nerves and muscles, and a healthy brain. All of these are trained through internal arts practice. The harmonious use of muscles results in harmonious use of nerves and a reduction of nervous tension.The reduction allows relaxation and calmness so important to our over-all health.