If you’ve been in class this week you may have heard me talking about Vagul tone. If you can easily access your relaxation response, your parasympathetic nervous system, then you have a better opportunity to heal.
In recent weeks I have been focused upon healing as well as possible after surgery. However healing is necessary in the long term not just the short term, and yoga helps us to access this response in the long term. This time off has given me time to relax, to practice yoga, and to do lots of research on the power of yoga to erase the effects of chronic pain. See here
Regular, long term yoga practice can shift a physiological set point for baseline reactivity. I often hear students speak of better less reactive relationships at work and home after starting yoga, and this continues to become a part of you. You can find a calmer as well as a stronger core!
There’s been a lot of research around the Vagus (wandering) nerve and how yoga practice effects it. Low Vagul tone…a Vagus nerve less toned and hence less able to inhibit that stress response or angry/ anxious feeling. Just like the rest of your body…we are healthier if our Vagus nerve is in shape! Your ability to return to a relaxed state after a stressful situation is a good way to interpret how healthy your body is in many other ways. Low Vagul tone, ie a poor or slow return to being relaxed, and is not a good indicator for a healthy long life. Yoga however improves Vagul tone, see here for how yoga works Poor Vagal tone is related to anxiety, digestive disorders, IBS, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. A poorly toned Vagus nerve means poor heart rate variability; a less resilient more stressed nervous system! If you have less time to rest and recuperate physically and mentally….if your system is always in stress mode then you’re more likely to have health issues.
Yoga helps to improve Vagul tone in a number of ways. Firstly I think simply taking or making the time for practice is
prioritizing yourself. This gives your brain a chance to integrate vicerosomatic information (what your body is telling you),. The pauses, the slow mindful movements and turning our attention inward, all help us to listen to our inner voice. Yoga gives us a way of listening to the warning signs and have a better sense of self. This allows our body to feel safe and listened to…and therefore to relax!! Think about it. When we feel we are being ignored, not heard or we come down the priority list of those we care about we get tense and stressed….well your body does the same!!
Our parasympathetic nercous system facilitates slowing down, healing and feeling safe. Then it releases more happy hormones such as serotonin and endorphins, rather than the stress hormones. When we feel we are being listened to we relax and smile, inside and out. So be kind and listen to your body, make time for you, for yoga, for pranayama (breathing) practices and to tone not just your muscles but also your vagal tone!!