The capacity for movement is a precious gift, a life-giving and health-preserving necessity, a way to be in community for the sake of pleasure, joy, combat, food security, self-protection, and the protection of loved ones. We need movement to live and stay healthy. We are evolved to move, and movement has contributed to the profound and revolutionary evolution of our human brain. The intimate link between motion and cognition, between movement and emotion, between action and wellbeing is not just metaphorical – it is deeply biological.

Consider the sea squirt, a marine invertebrate born with a primitive brain and spinal cord, allowing it to swim through the ocean in search of a home. Once it anchors to a rock and no longer needs to move, it digests its own brain. In the absence of movement, its nervous system becomes superfluous. This evolutionary tale invites reflection: the brain, even in its most basic forms, appears to exist in service of movement. In humans, our capacity for dynamic, intentional motion – walking upright, grasping, gesturing, dancing – has contributed to the very structure and complexity of our unique nervous system. From the cerebellum’s fine-tuned coordination to the motor cortex’s role in planning and executing voluntary action, our brains (and bodies) are sculpted by the demands of movement. To move is to think and to love; engaging with the world through action means cultivating the very structures that just may define our humanity. 

Yoga practice in general, and this series of three books in particular, is offered as a way to begin to learn about ourselves and others: our places in the world and our impacts on the greater web of life. It is an invitation to become aware, curious, and mindful; to gain greater understanding about how, what, and why we act, think, and feel the way we do; to live with compassion, open-heartedly, gratefully, joyfully, and peacefully. Becoming mindful about how we move through life, how we take action and express our capacity to move, breathe, think, feel and relate is the very essence of embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Recognizing the nuances and joys of moving in the world, moving with the rhythm of life, flowing with grace in communities and relationships, and recognizing the ripple effects of every small movement and action – that is the power of yoga. The power of a yoga that is about creating change in the world, about creating a web of life that can sustain itself with grace, wisdom, joy, and health.

Move gratefully, joyfully, and compassionately.  Many hugs,

Chris Brems