⚠️ WARNING: You Head Contains One Curious, Chaos-Seeking Brain. Handle With Care

We like to think of our brains as these majestic, superpowered, god-like computers whirring away with infinite wisdom, calculating life’s great mysteries, and knowing exactly what to do in any given moment.

But let’s be honest.

Your brain really is not a supercomputer.

It’s more like a toddler.

Seriously.

Yep. An adorable, chaotic, snack-demanding toddler who cannot be trusted unsupervised. And just like any toddler, if you don’t give it something to focus on, it’s going to make its own fun.

And its idea of “fun”? Questionable.

It will seek out problems like a heat-seeking missile, poke around in situations that were perfectly fine without its help, and “fix” things that don’t even need fixing - a bit like a hubby who, right before the whole family arrives for Christmas lunch, decides that tidying and sorting the garage is the urgent priority rather than, say, the bathroom everyone will actually use. Give your brain a “wet paint” sign and you can bet it’ll touch it. Tell it not to think about penguins in tuxedos and suddenly it’s wondering how you’d even organise and host a black-tie gala in Antarctica… at 3am.

Like, it’d have to be in Summer down there otherwise it’d be too cold, right? And what even is the difference between an Antarctica Summer and an Antarctica Winter? And imagine studying penguins there! How long are the shifts in Antarctica if I were to work there? Do they need Mindful Moves for the scientists down there? I wonder what the gender ratio is….

You get the idea….

It is an easily distracted toddler-like brain.

And if your brain was an actual toddler, you wouldn’t expect it to sit quietly in a restaurant for hours without fidgeting, or pose angelically in family photos without picking its nose. You’d be realistic. You’d pack a colouring book, throw in a couple of toy cars, and keep a stash of snacks on hand for when things started to wobble. You’d play “I Spy” on long car trips when boredom hits and you’d give it regular breaks because you’d know — it’s a toddler. That’s just what toddlers do.

So why do we expect our sweet, curious, distractible little brains to just behave without giving them anything to do?

That’s where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness isn’t about forcing your brain to sit still in the naughty corner; it’s about handing it a job before it goes off and picks one for itself, like overthinking the future until you feel like you’re being chased by a spreadsheet, or replaying the past like it’s your favourite drama series.

When you practise mindfulness, you give your brain something safe, interesting, and nourishing to chew on.

It might be a little 5-senses check-in where you notice what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.

It might be hunting for a single colour around the room like a scavenger hunt.

It might be resting your hand on your belly and simply watching it rise and fall for ten breaths.

It might be drinking a cup of tea and, for once, only focusing on the tea, not cleaning the kitchen counter and wondering what’s for dinner tonight… just being present with the aroma, the taste, the temperature of the tea.

The point is: you’ve given the toddler something to do, and suddenly it’s happily building sandcastles instead of tearing apart the garage.

That’s exactly what we do in Mindful Moves. We don’t try to bully the brain into being a Zen monk; we give it a playground. Through music, breath, and movement that feels good rather than “right,” we let the body and brain share a focus.

We replace control with curiosity. And we invite the toddler brain to come and play in a way that’s nourishing, creative, and grounding. And honestly, when you think about it… Mindful Moves is really more like a crèche or occasional care for your toddler brain - you drop it off for an hour, I keep it entertained, and you both leave feeling happier.

So next time your brain starts poking at the wet paint of life, hand it a toy. Move with it. Play with it. Because when you give your brain the right job, it stops making work for you.

Now I’m curious: if your brain really was a toddler, what kind of mischief would it get up to? Tell me in the comments so we can all giggle (and relate) together.