Yoga for the Body, Math for the Mind

Yesterday I made a lighthearted observation that I love doing math and yoga daily: yoga is math for my body, and math is yoga for my mind. Let me explain what I mean.

Yoga engages every part of your body

When your body hurts, like your back, knee, or shoulder, it is often due to repetitive movements that limit your muscles’ full range of motion. Our bodies are designed to move in various and dynamic ways, but many daily activities restrict us to repetitive patterns. Typing, tennis, or even painting can lead to discomfort if they are the only physical activities we engage in.

Yoga challenges your body differently. It isn’t just about stretching or flexibility; it equally builds strength and control. When I practice yoga, I hold each pose firmly and deliberately, building strength throughout my entire body. Yoga engages every muscle, improves balance, and expands the body’s capabilities beyond typical everyday movements.

Yoga example: the handstand

Handstands are an excellent example. Since nobody naturally walks upside down, practicing handstands requires strength and flexibility in shoulders, wrists, and core muscles. It challenges your brain to learn new ways of balancing against gravity. This makes yoga an effective way to maintain overall physical health.

Other activities are great too

I do not mean to suggest yoga is superior to other activities. Tennis, for example, provides great cardio and develops coordination and competitive spirit. Repetition itself can also be valuable, such as finding comfort in routines like prayer, meditation, or ceremonial practice that brings consistency and peace.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu similarly engages the body in diverse and unconventional movements, helping build strength and flexibility safely. Activities like BJJ and yoga demonstrate that moving outside typical patterns promotes long term physical health and adaptability.

Math engages every part of your mind

Math, especially when approached creatively through puzzles or math Olympiads, functions similarly for the mind. Many tasks, even creative ones, involve repetitive thought processes. Math challenges the mind uniquely, requiring abstract reasoning and continual problem solving in new, unexplored ways.

I am not saying that solving WSJ’s Wordle every day is bad, but if it becomes effortless, you may not be stretching your mind anymore.

Writing can also be as effective as math to challenge your mind, as long as it is not overly repetitive and is itself challenging. After all, math can also be written using natural language, so math is a subset of writing.

Math examples: solving 3 puzzles

Here are three puzzles to stretch your mind. You can cheat and use ChatGPT or your favorite LLM to solve them, much like you could have a machine do yoga for you, but that would not stretch your mind.

Puzzle 1: The Burning Ropes

You have two ropes. Each one takes exactly 60 minutes to burn completely, but they do not burn at a constant rate. How do you measure exactly 45 minutes using them?

Puzzle 2: The Fake Coin

You have 8 coins. One of them is fake and slightly heavier or lighter than the others, but you do not know which. You have a balance scale and can use it twice. Can you figure out which coin is fake and whether it is heavier or lighter?

Puzzle 3: Counting Trouble

An AI learns to count apples in pictures. All training images contain between 1 and 5 apples. In testing, you show it a photo with 8 apples. Will it count correctly?

A balance of effort and rest

It would not be healthy to practice yoga 12 or more hours a day in the same way that it is not healthy to practice intense math 12 or more hours a day. We also need plenty of rest.

Ultimately, I am advocating for balance. Repetitive activities have their place, offering comfort and deep skill building. But exploring new movements, physically and mentally, is equally essential. Yoga and creative math are examples of how we can safely and effectively push beyond familiar limits to maintain overall health and mental agility. The key is to engage regularly with both the familiar and the unfamiliar, fostering a balanced approach to physical and intellectual wellness.