Did you know the brain functions like a huge heart?

It has the power to inhibit or overactivate itself: fear slows it down, rage drives it into overdrive. Sadness causes the brain to shrink, while anger disrupts and intensifies its rhythms.

These insights come from Dr. Stanley Keleman, the creator of Formative Psychology, a body-centered psychotherapy approach. At its core, Formative Psychology teaches that our emotional, mental, and behavioral patterns are embodied—they take physical form and are expressed through our posture, movements, and muscular tensions.

I’ve experienced this firsthand during my yoga teacher training, where moments of self-realization often moved me deeply. Who I am was revealing itself in countless ways—through my body’s unique tendencies in movement and even in the way I teach yoga. It’s as if my body holds a mirror to my inner world, offering insights that sometimes challenged me but ultimately led to growth and understanding.

After one of my practices, which felt almost like an exorcism, I became convinced that if I didn’t release what I had just purged from my system, it would later manifest as physical illness.

Returning to the heart analogy, let me explain how Dr. Keleman described this: the brain, like the heart, has chambers. These are called ventricles, and they are connected to the spinal cord, which acts like the brain’s “main artery,” much like the aorta in the heart.

Just as the heart’s rhythm can speed up, slow down, or become irregular, the brain also has its own rhythms that can be steady or disrupted. Emotions like fear, anger, or sadness directly influence these rhythms, affecting how the brain functions.

Understanding this connection helps us see how our feelings shape our reality. Emotions interact with our nervous system, which not only influences our thoughts and actions but also regulates hormones that affect our entire body.

This brings up a vital question: Are you truly aware of what you’re feeling? And beyond that, do you have the vocabulary to articulate your emotions with precision?