By Liron Fuchs
Ever wonder how the ancient practice of yoga aligns with modern science? Join me on a journey through fascinating connections between yoga, spiritual traditions, and cutting-edge neuroscience.
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
Yoga has been my passion and profession for years, but my journey of understanding its depths never ceases.
In one of my favorite books, “Anatomy of the Spirit” by Caroline Myss, Myss draws fascinating parallels between three spiritual traditions:
The seven Chakras, The Christian Sacraments and the The Kabbalah’s Tree of Life
Myss argues that these systems all describe a journey from basic physical needs to higher spiritual awareness, showing how different traditions have recognized similar patterns in human spiritual development.
Another fascinating read is Rose Erin Vaughan’s “The Science of Self”, exploring the parallels between Chinese Medicine and traditional Yoga. The way she describes the flow of Qi through meridians alongside the concept of prana moving through Nadis and Chakras resonates deeply with my own practice and teaching. She shows how these ancient traditions are both powerful attempts to explain the same thing: the human experience.
The Polyvagal Theory: A Scientific Lens on Yoga
What excites me most is how the traditional Yoga system aligns with contemporary neuroscientific models. When I first learned about Stephen W. Porges’s Polyvagal Theory in neuroscience, initially conceptualized in 1994 and still emerging, I felt it offers a voice to the ancient wisdom embedded in Yoga Practice we’ve known for thousands of years.
Yoga: A Neurophysiological Path to Healing
All yoga is potentially therapeutic and healing. At the root of yoga’s power to heal is its education of a flexible nervous system. The Vagus nerve plays a key role in our autonomic nervous system, sending signals between your body and brain. It is the longest nerve in the body, extending from the brain stem into the stomach, intestines, heart, lungs, throat and facial muscles (the term Vagus is Latin for “Wandering”).
Key points about the Vagus nerve:
• Improved vagal tone helps balance the nervous system.
• Approximately 85% of vagus nerve fibers are afferent, meaning 85% of the information is coming from the body to the brain. This is an important point because that means that both of our mental and physical health is embodied.
• Learning how to regulate the vagus nerve can improve your response to emotional and physiological symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, or potentially. inflammation-related diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis.
Understanding Your Nervous System Through Yoga
The three main ways your nervous system acts according to the polyvagal theory, and the Yoga equivalent:
1. The parasympathetic Nervous system/The Ventral Vagal Complex (VVC):
• Inner calmness state
• Normal heart rate, normal muscle tone
• Engaged, curious, creative, connected, relaxed and at ease
In The YogaSutra, Patanjali calls it ‘Sattva’: full of light as in radiance. We have clarity, awareness, we feel light as a feather and balanced
2. The Sympathetic Nervous System:
• Revved up, stressed out
• This is our “fight or flight” response
• Heart rate goes up, blood pressure goes up, muscle tone and hormones become affected
In Patanjali’s Yoga sutras we call it Rajas of the mind. There’s energy, change, passion, and it’s dynamic. There could be agitation, excitement, movement
3. The Dorsal Vagal Complex (DVC):
• This is our ‘freeze’ response, activated in times of extreme stress
• Can’t think, can’t move, can’t talk
• The muscular system goes into freeze
• Our heart rate goes down, muscle tone goes down, energy goes down
It’s akin to the tamasic state in yoga – a state of shutdown or disconnection, characterized by heaviness, inactivity, lethargy, and inertia.
Interestingly, the freeze response, which we once attributed solely to the sympathetic nervous system, is actually controlled by the vagus nerve – This explains why yoga is so effective. By engaging the vagus nerve, yoga practices help us shift from a sympathetic (stress) state to a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state. This transition is crucial for healing, relaxation, and reducing anxiety and stress levels in our body.
Breathe Your Way to Balance: A Practical Exercise
To help you create greater health and balance within your autonomic nervous system, try the following simple breathing exercise:
This practice involves creating an even length of your inhalations and exhalations. Notice your body sensations, your breath and any emotions that are present for you as a baseline to notice subtle changes in how you feel through the practice:
1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Notice your breath and its quality. Can you soften its intensity?
2. Notice the length of your breath and explore a count of 4 on each inhalation, feeling your belly expand.
3. Exhale slowly for 4 counts, feeling your belly contract.
4. Repeat for 5-10 cycles.
5. If you become comfortable, experiment with a 6 count with an easy pause at the top, and a 6 count exhale. See if likewise, you can pause and rest at the edge of exhalation. Repeat for 5 more cycles.
6. What are you aware of now, as you notice your body, mind, emotions and energy? Take some time to observe, knowing you can come back to this practice as often as you would like.
Did this exploration of yoga and neuroscience spark your curiosity?
If you’re ready to experience these concepts in practice, please feel free to check out any of my yoga offerings. I’ll meet you where you are and we can explore more of these concepts together.