The whole body, in every joint, is strung together; do not let even the slightest bit be broken. The Taijiquan Classic, attributed to Zhang Sanfeng
In the year 2000, neuroscientist Eric Kandel won the Nobel Prize for his work on memory and ‘synaptic plasticity’. What he’d disovered was that learning doesn’t alter neurons themselves, but rather builds connections (synapses) between neurons.
His work is applicable to physical activities as much as to mental ones, and has profound relevance for movement practice.
We start building these neural connections in the womb, and this process steadily increases as we progress from babyhood onwards. Every movement we make (especially during play – a key part of learning in all young animals), strengthens what are called brain-body maps. The more a body part is used and/or stimulated, and the greater the complexity and subtlety of its movements, the larger and better defined these maps are.
This growth and adaptation of the brain continues throughout life. When we feel and move our bodies freely, and dedicate ourselves to learning complex skills, our brain-body maps adapt and grow. For example the areas assigned to finger movements become significantly larger than average in violinists and pianists.
By the same token, the brain appears to operate on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis. The less we feel and/or use parts of our body, for example if we lead sedentary lives with limited natural movement and limited touch, the more likely it is that the neurons assigned to those areas and movements will be scavenged by the pragmatic brain for other purposes. The result is that they start to fade from our consciousness, and our body maps start to resemble the earliest geographical charts, with large unexplored areas . This means that we steadily lose the ability to connect with the body as an integrated whole, with implications for impaired movement, stiffness, clumsiness, pain and injury.
This is where mindful movement comes in. When we practise qigong, especially if – over years of practice – we learn different forms, two things are happening. The first is that we are moving the body and all its parts in an enormous variety of ways. The second – even more important – is that we are penetrating the body with awareness. Through assiduous practice, we are rebuilding forgotten maps and increasing both interoception (what the body-mind feels like from the inside) and proprioception – where all the different parts of our body are positioned in space.
This has enormous benefits for all the other forms of movement in our lives, whether simple and enjoyable daily movement, work, sport, dance or martial arts.
Whenever one moves, the entire body must be light and lively, and must above all be connected throughout … Let there be no hollows or projections; let there be no stops and starts. Its root is in the feet, its issuing from the legs, its control from the yao [waist], and its shaping in the fingers. From the feet, to the legs, and then the yao; there must always be completely one qi.
The Taijiquan Classics, attributed to Zhang Sanfeng
