Neuroplasticity is a Pretty Useless Idea for Practice

This is called 'associative knowledge', and it’s a much better reflection of how the brain actually works. There are no discrete categories in your mind: only a bunch of weaker or stronger connections and patterns. This gives us the general principle for compounding our ideas.

Brain imaging shows that we all rely on very similar brain circuits and learning rules. The brain circuits for reading and mathematics are the same in each of us, give or take a few millimeters—even in blind children. We all face similar hurdles in learning, and the same teaching methods can surmount them.

We now know that the motor cortex ‘maps’ movement patterns that are frequently used. Nowhere is there a one-to-one relationship from motor neuron to muscle. As yoga teachers, this should make us think. Is there any point in trying to target specific muscles when the brain is not adapted for