Rhythm: You have it, even if you say you don’t. We are biologically programmed to express it. Heartbeats. Breathing. Footsteps. Language. Blinks. Birthdays. Sex. Sleep cycles.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, rhythm is “movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions.” Rhythmic cycles can occur over short periods of time (ocean waves) or long periods of time (season cycles).

I Got Rhythm, and I Got Math, too? I was recently hiking in Yosemite and talking with a friend about mathematics. He mentioned how strange it was when people said “Oh, I’m no good at math.” He said “Just imagine all of the complex calculations the brain goes through every millisecond in order to sustain life, including all of the systems of the body, not to mention all the cognitive processes. Even putting one foot in front of the other and making the judgments of how far to step, where to position the foot, which muscles to use, how to distribute the weight of the body and keep balance, compensating for rocks and roots underneath the foot. All that and more in just one step.” So, how can someone say they’re no good at math when their brain is a mathematical genius?

When he mentioned that, I was floored. I had never thought about mathematics in that way before. I use a very similar example in my music & wellness presentations. How can one claim not to have rhythm when rhythm is a fundamental component of being human? It’s in our DNA. And apparently, math is too!

It’s not even possible to be human without having rhythm. Of course, perception is everything, so as a therapist I am certainly empathetic with nay-sayers. But outside of a session, it feels so good to say “I got rhythm and you do too!”

Here are some more examples of rhythm in nature: cycle of seasons, lunar cycle, sunrise/sunset, ocean waves, crickets and birds chirping, wind. There’s even visual rhythm when you look at the horizon, mountain tops, or stars.

Got more thoughts? Throw down a comment!

Here are some more MythBusters:

#9 Music Therapy is Therapy for Musicians, Right?
#8 Making Music is Just for Kids and Professionals
#7 Drumming is for Hippies Only
#6 Mozart Makes Your Kid a GENIUS
#4 Take 2 Bachs, a Bob Dylan, and Call the Music Therapist in the Morning
#3 Music Therapists are Entertainers
#2 Kum Ba Yah Campfire Tours
#1 It’s Too Late in Life to Play Music

Image above courtesy of renjith krishnan.