How Yoga Heals

Dear Reader,

Have you ever heard of the Vagus nerve?

It’s the nerve that wonders through the body, from the brain to the various organs. It’s the communication highway between the brain and the gut.

Let’s look at pieces from the article Vagus Nerve as Modulator of The Brain – Gut Axis and Inflammatory Disorders published in the National Library of Medicine.

This is a peer reviewed article by researchers and scientists. {Authors: Sigrid Breit, Aleksandra Kupferberg, Gerhard Rogler, Gregor Hasler}

“The Vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion and heart rate.

“It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and sends information about the state of the inner organs to the brain via afferent fibers.”

And so, there is a constant line of communication between your gut and your brain. If things aren’t going so great in your gut, it will let your brain know and you may feel depressed and anxious.

Another interesting tidbit from that same article,

“There is preliminary evidence for gut bacteria to have beneficial effect on mood and anxiety, partly by affecting the activity of the Vagus nerve.”

That’s why the whole foods protocol we follow in The Rhythmic Lifestyle is so powerful.

As you heal your gut and your gut bacteria, they tell the Vagus nerve that things are going well for them, and the Vagus nerve communicates this to the brain.

The brain responds by releasing happy chemicals that produce a sense of calm and ease.

The last quote for today, from the same article,

“Since the Vagal tone is correlated with capacity to regulate stress responses and can be influenced by breathing, its increase through meditation and Yoga likely contribute to resilience and the mitigation of mood and anxiety symptoms.”

I love it when modern science confirms the ancient wisdom of Yoga and Ayurveda.

The breathing we do when we practice Yoga and meditation tones the Vagus nerve, and the Vagus nerve has the capacity to ‘regulate stress responses’.

We can’t avoid the stress of life, but we can regulate how we respond to it.

Yoga poses stimulate the Vagus nerve in specific ways. The toning of this important part of the nervous system impacts our mood and anxiety levels.

Unmanaged stress has been proven to exacerbate autoimmunity.

That’s why it’s important to do everything in our power to soothe the stress in our lives.

Allow yourself a moment of calm.

I invite you to take a few deep breaths, producing an audible sigh on the exhale, knowing that your Vagus nerve will benefit, and so will your mood and immune system.

Kind regards,

Amanda Rose Baker

Lifestyle Consultant

None of the information in this blog is meant to replace the advice of your medical doctor. This blog is a lifestyle blog with tips to help you live a healthy life. None of the tips are medical advice. Follow the advice at your own risk. May you glow with health!