Yoga for the Vagus Nerve

I recently offered a Sensorial Yoga session centered on the vagus nerve, and with this post, I want to share how I designed the session. I also want to emphasize that the vagus nerve is always involved, to some extent, in any yoga practice.

As long as the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is active, the vagus nerve is playing its part.

Yoga influences the ANS via its two primary branches:

• The sympathetic nervous system, which up-regulates bodily functions (associated with "fight or flight")

• The parasympathetic nervous system, which down-regulates functions (supporting "rest, digest and involved in the freeze response")

The parasympathetic has cranial and sacral components:

• Oculomotor (III): eye focusing and pupil constriction

• Facial (VII): tear and saliva production

• Glossopharyngeal (IX): saliva and throat function

• Vagus (X): heart, lungs, digestive organs, and more — this is the major one

• Sacral parasympathetic nerves (S2–S4): Control lower abdominal and pelvic organs, including the bladder, colon, and reproductive organs

The Vagus nerve accounts for roughly 75–80% of parasympathetic activity in the body, especially in the thoracic and abdominal organs.

The Vagus originates in the brainstem (medulla oblongata). Travels down through the neck, connecting to the heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach, intestines, and more.

It can be understood as a neuro-platform divided on ventral and dorsal branches.

The ventral part is newer in evolution and they are connected with functions that in the areas face, inner ear, larynx, pharynx, lungs have contributed to a social engagement and emotional regulation in humans.

The dorsal part is older and unmyelinated, meaning its firing is slower. It goes all the way to the organs under the diaphragm muscle and is related with the freeze or shutdown response.

The Vagus nerve is a mixed nerve sensory and motor

• Efferent (motor) fibers: sending signals from the brain to the body

• Afferent (sensory) fibers: sending information from the body to the brain

Roughly 80% of the vagus nerve fibers are afferent or sensory, which makes it play a crucial role in monitoring and regulating internal bodily states: from the body to the brain.

Designing a Sensorial Yoga Practice for the Vagus Nerve

To design a yoga practice for the vagus nerve means considering its dual role, both motor and sensory, in maintaining physiological balance.

When planning a session, it’s important to consider the sequence of practices so that we can engage both the sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagal) systems in balance and coherence.

In this session, I focused on the anatomy of the vagal pathways, inviting practitioners to notice their own sensations and to understand the why behind this focus, integrating both bottom-up and top-down ways of processing change and learning.

It is essential to integrate breathing patterns highlighting the mechanics of the diaphragm, due its direct anatomical relation with the Vagus nerve. For the internal area of the neck, I offered Ujjayi breath to start, and then I encouraged to keep practicing it during asana or body forms as an option.

Also, in relation to breath we connected it with the feature of being both voluntary and autonomic, and its role in the vagal tone (breathing can enhance both afferent and efferent signaling of the Vagus) and we included specific vocalisation at the end of the practice.

The body forms had integrated different repetitive vestibular inputs, with the majority of movements in the directions that stimulate the parasympathetic NS over the sympathetic.

As all my practices of Sensorial Yoga, the order went from exteroception towards the other 3 internal sensory systems. Touch and interoception (internal bodily awareness) were key and always guided in a way that support the parasympathetic functions.

I explained the concept of Neuroception, according to Polyvagal Theory, and its connection with sensory processing and some executive functions.

The practice was very gentle and followed Accessible Yoga principles. Afterwards we shared a moment of discussion around self- and co-regulation strategies, considering the ANS in integrity, and I reinforced simple practices that were already guided during the session to takeaway. The sense of community and care is supportive for the Vagus, and its role in self-regulation and nervous system balance.

I really enjoyed this session.