The brain is at the center of our nervous system. It sits atop our heads, where it sends and receives important messages. These messages travel through our nerves and inform our actions. Conversely, our brains also react to neural messages that it receives from our nerves. These neurons communicate quickly back and forth. When our fingertips graze over something hot, our brain gets the information instantly and tell us to pull our hand away. The brain and the nerves work together constantly to keep us in check.
Anything that seems instinctual or automatic is due to the nervous system. When we right ourselves after a moment of falling, this is due to the cerebellum. When we feel hunger or thirst after a while of fasting, this is due to the hypothalamus. Or when we feel the sudden urge to run away during stressful situations, this is due to the amygdala.
The main route that nerves travel down, before branching off to their repsective body parts, is the spinal cord. The spinal cord extends from the brain down to the tail bone. Though it is a bundle of nervous, many nerves branch off and continue along to places like our arms and legs.