Dopamine

Dopamine the ‘Molecule of More’, is not just about pleasure and drive, but it is also coordinated in movement, especially in the satisfying completion of movement sequences. And, thankfully, practicing them can provoke a natural stimulation of dopamine production!

Dopamine is also involved in ‘body memory’, - the memory in the body of what it has done and what it continues to do. It is involved in things like our postural and gestural habits, how our body interacts with the outer world and tensional patterns in the body. This helps us identify who we are, a part of the ongoing sense of being, the sense of “yes, this is me, this is who i am.”

This is something I learnt from Dr Christine Caldwell’s amazing course ‘The Neuroscience of MindBody Therapy’ on Embodied Philosophy . Discovering Carrie Owerko’s The Playground totally inspired and invigorated my movement practice and I couldn’t recommend more. To quote Carrie:

Disciplined practice is said to be a path to freedom. But discipline without the permission to play can lead to discipline devoid of delight. The practice can lose its vitality, its joy, its juice. The practice can become mechanical and we can lose the ability to wonder, and the ability to try things differently. Discipline combined with delight or a 'way of play' is truly liberating because we are free to explore, to learn, to grow, to evolve. We are free to listen and respond to what is emerging from within- even if it does not conform to what had have been trained to expect. We make space for insight, and even delight--genuine delight.”