What is Vagus Nerve Yoga?
Vagus Nerve yoga is a resilience-based practice designed to regulate your nervous system and build resilience.
Over 67% of all adults have unresolved trauma, often from stress even early on, without even realizing it.
​
Trauma impacts our life, often resulting in chronic conditions such as chronic fatigue, anxiety, and burnout to relationship and financial problems. However, its psychological, neurological, and biochemical effects can be fully reversed, enabling complete healing and growth.
​
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the polyvagal theory is a neurobiological theory that explains how the nervous system regulates emotions and behaviors, particularly in response to stress. The Vagus nerve, known as the “wandering” nerve plays a central role in our emotional and physical health. A yoga practice that focuses on the vagus nerve can have a profound influence on your nervous system and can help you reclaim balance, resilience, mindfulness, conscious breathing, and physical postures.
​
Grounded within the principles of polyvagal theory, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care, Vagus Nerve Yoga helps us to gain a better understanding of how our brains and bodies respond to stress and trauma and offer a self-led healing journey toward feeling more empowered, grounded, inspired, and at ease.
​
Vagus Nerve Yoga combines classic yogic postures with the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation, increasing resilience and prompting neuronal growth. By focusing our attention and intention on our bodies, yoga can prompt positive change.
​
Vagus Nerve Yoga can help you:
​
-
Regulate your nervous system
-
Develop resilience
-
Reconnect with your body
-
Increase your ability to tolerate emotional discomfort
-
Release unresolved patterns of fight, flight, freeze, or faint
-
Ground yourself in the present moment
-
Open your heart and anchor yourself in self-love
-
Reclaim connection with and trust in your body
-
Create a personalized yoga practice
Awakening to your felt sense allows you to reclaim healing movements. You release defensive bracing or vigilance from your body and mind. You explore moving out of freeze or collapse into the presence of a balanced and regulated nervous system.
With regular practice you accumulate a reservoir of embodied wisdom that resides as a reliably accessible sense of self.
​
Dr. Arielle Schwartz