The vagus nerve has come into the spotlight in the scientific community, as of late, for the huge role it plays in regulating physical and emotional health. For more detailed information on the Vagus Nerve, please see the “Vagus Nerve” tab on this website. We’ll suffice it to say, here, that healthy vagal tone is thought to be the master regulator in the body, to reclaim optimal balance of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, allowing one to respond with resilience to life’s ups and downs.

As mentioned on the Vagus Nerve Tab, research has targeted that slow, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing directly increases healthy vagal tone. 

Thus, the combination of bending and stretching, paired with rhythmic, conscious breathing, stimulates this master regulator, the vagus nerve.

Researchers believe that this activation of the vagus nerve is one of the biggest physiological explanations behind yoga’s many healing benefits, including the correlation between yoga and a decrease in anxiety conditions.