One of my teachers says something like, "we don't do yoga because we're naturally calm or zen, we do yoga because we're angry and we need the practices". Man, did that resonate! I know many of my new students and clients often struggle with the stillness of savasana or meditation, and end up frustrated thinking they don’t have some kind of innate patience or state of calm they believe other practitioners do. Honestly, neither do I! But over the years I’ve realized that yoga slows me down and starts to cultivate a small amount of patience – and the longer I practice the more I notice it, the more it even becomes my default. I joked this weekend with my husband about my “resting irritation face”, and that yoga may be the reason I only experience irritation “only” 30% of the time instead of 80%.

My best friend calls the way she feels after a yoga class "yoga stoned", but I think what she actually feels is an uncommon-for-most level of calm. Even when it’s a physically challenging practice, yoga can be calming because, at least under the right circumstances, it chills out our nervous system. When we move with intention, and focus our mind on our breath and body, we breathe slower and deeper, we get closer to the floor, we ground, we center, and we eventually learn to calm the mind, even in movement, even in stillness (and yes, practitioners know this is a life-long practice!).

Here’s my very non-scientific understanding of the neuroscience behind this effect: the reason these practices calm us down is because they activate the vagus nerve (which is actually a huge matrix of nerves that run throughout the body up to the brain). The vagus is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, aka "rest and digest", and it carries messages between our lungs, heart, digestive tract, and brain. 80% of these messages run from the body to the brain – the significance of this is that, counter to the idea that our autonomic (automatic) functions of the body are outside our control, poly-vagal theory tells us we can influence our thought patterns, calm and slow our heart rate, and improve our digestion, through our breath. When our vagus nerve is healthy and engaged, we're calm, more thoughtful and empathetic, and think more clearly. We move more fluidly between action and stillness, recover more quickly from stress, and our energy levels and digestive and immune systems respond positively. And what’s awesome is that we can stimulate and strengthen it through a variety of practices both on and off the mat: breath practices, bilateral movement, putting our head below the heart, loud singing, chanting, and ujjayi breath. Of course, there’s also the infamous cold shower (NOT part of your asana practice!)

Yoga's not the only way to cultivate a sense of calm, and honestly an asana class might not even be the most effective space for everyone. In fact, if you don't feel comfortable or safe in a studio environment, or closing your eyes, or breathing out loud around other people, it might do the opposite. But there are so many practices associated with yoga, especially certain poses and breath practices, that are worth considering, and that are possible to practice on your own.

To think about what’s possible or practical outside of an asana practice, Jill Miller recommends the “5 P recipe”. These practices engage the vagus nerve, strengthening it over time when practiced regularly, and can be used to bring about a more immediate sense of calm when stressed, or even to stop a panic attack:

• Place: take yourself physically or mentally to a “place of peace” - someplace safe, warm, and without distractions
• Perspective: this can be a mindset shift, effort to think positively, or practicing Pratipaksha bhavana (“cultivating the opposite” by identifying negative or harmful thoughts and substituting the opposite)
• Pace of breath: practice three-part breath (breathing fully into the belly, then ribs, then chest), Viloma Pranayama, sighing, any breath practice that evens the inhale/exhale or lengthens the exhale, or Ujjayi breath
• Position: come close to the ground (reclining or Child’s pose), or an inversion (heart below head, like forward fold, legs up the wall, or downward facing dog)
• Palpation/pressure: therapy ball massage, self-massage, or tapping are great ways to stimulate the vagus nerve

Much of the work I do with clients, whether in a yoga space or coaching session, is about regulating the nervous system (ie. engaging the vagus nerve), whether we talk about it explicitly or not. Practices and methods like centering, intuitive and expressive movement, vocalizations, and tapping help initiate a sense of safety, dignity, and belonging - our fundamental needs - so that visioning, action, and transformation can arise.

Ultimately, we can’t expect to never face stressful scenarios, or even traumatic events, but working with a healthy vagus nerve and functional nervous system helps us deal with the ups and downs of life without going outside our “window of tolerance”. It’s important to cultivate a practice during periods of low stress, to build resilience, and to have a toolbox of practices we can turn to during periods of more stress.

What practices are in your toolbox?

Learn more about the vagus nerve:

Podcast: Harnessing the vagus nerve to "turn on your off switch"

NYT article: This Nerve Influences Nearly Every Internal Organ. Can It Improve Our Mental State, Too?