The Rhythm Section for Your Life's Music

Michael Trainer (00:01.292)Welcome to peak mind. your host Michael trainer. And today I want to talk about relational dynamics and the balance that is necessitated in our relating. And for me, you know, I studied years ago with the traditional healer in Sri Lanka, and he said to me that health is the heart rhythm. It's the, it's the rhythm of the heart and That became so poignantly clear to me when I thought about being in utero and the fact that for nine months, the thing that defines our reality in the darkness of the womb is the beating of the heart. And we all share this heartbeat, right? From birth till death, there is a miracle which is the beating of our hearts. And that heart is always in relationship with the world. If we get anxious, it beats faster. When we calm, it beats slower. It's the rhythm section. It's the rhythm section for our life's music. And the people that we meet bring in the other instruments. They're like the, you know, the guitar, they're the piano. And when we're in harmony, The sound is beautiful. But if we don't take care of the heart and the rhythm of the heart, if we're not mindful of it, we lose our way, we lose our balance and we get out of tune. And one thing that was hugely clarifying for me was I realized actually, you know, society tells you you're an introvert or you're an extrovert. And I found that I was both. I absolutely need to be alone and recharge and I absolutely need to be social and get energized from being around nutritious people. And then I learned that there's something called an Ambervert which is both an introvert and an extrovert and one enables the other. And it was so clear to me this weekend when I was at a conference and meeting with people and around new energies and stimuli. Michael Trainer (02:29.524)and quote unquote networking, but really just connecting with people, but new people. And for 12 hours a day, today I was actually meant to fly. And I was like, you know what? No, I can't. I need to just be at home and ground. I need to go to the water. I need to find my center. I need to tune my instrument. I need to get back in rhythm with my heart. So that when I get back out with people, I am in an amazing way. And I think when we don't take care of our instrument, we don't take care of our heart, we don't pay attention to those signals, that's when we get out of balance. And in Sri Lanka, where I live with this healer that I had the great fortune of studying with, when someone got profoundly out of balance, it was actually the role of the community from sunset to sunrise to richly recreate through this elaborate and beautiful ritual. their shared cosmological worldview and elaborate fire dancing, flower offerings, dance, drama. The person was placed in the center and it all rotated around them. And slowly the collective brought them back into the rhythm of the community, back into the rhythm of the collective heartbeat. And in that is health. because we are inextricably linked. And we live in a fallacy that we are kind of islands on a hill, we are individuals. And while there are beautiful aspects to our individuality, there's also a biological imperative. are connected, we are interdependent. And so to tune yourself into the collective heartbeat, but also to know when to withdraw when you need to do your own tuning so that you can play beautifully with others. This dance I think is not often talked about, but is so important. And so for my ambroverts out there, for those that both are introverts and extroverts, I think it's so beautiful to recognize where the bridges are and to be in the listening for your bridge. Michael Trainer (04:54.526)and to find the way to stay in the rhythm, your rhythm. And for me, it's knowing when I'm getting a little too much noise and I need to return the signal. And today was an exact exemplification of that. I canceled the flight, I stayed home, I got a nap in, I got a workout in, I went to Barton Springs and went in the water. And that combination served me. I'm now... My cup is more full, I'm gonna get an early night's sleep. Tomorrow I'll be ready to get back in the world. So do the things, my friends, that keep you in your center so that you can connect beautifully to others when you are out in the world. But know also when you need to retreat to take care of yourself. Sending so much love, I'll talk to you tomorrow.   Michael Trainer has spent 30 years learning from Nobel laureates, neuroscientists, and wisdom keepers worldwide. He's the author of RESONANCE: The Art and Science of Human Connection (March 31, 2026), co-creator of Global Citizen and the Global Citizen Festival, and host of the RESONANCE podcast.Featured in Forbes, Inc, Good Morning America.  Follow on YouTube