Yin Yoga & Your Vagus Nerve

​During a Yin Yoga session poses are held for a longer period of time in order to benefit, stretch and open the deeper muscles and fascia. Fascia alone needs a minimum of 90 to 120 seconds to begin to release during a stretch. Taking time to allow the fascia to stretch is essential to maintaining flexibility, range of motion and overall holistic well-being.

The focus of Yin Yoga is how the pose “feels” and not how it looks or whether you’re doing it correctly, or not. Not stretching into pain but feeling sensation, some mild discomfort and it’s important, for your mental and physical well-being, to stay with that. As human beings we strive to quickly move away from discomfort, but in staying with it we offer ourselves the opportunity to discover the release on the other side of the discomfort. Each Yin Yoga pose is like a mini-mediation of exploring, breathing and realising the "ah-ha" moments, be they physical or emotional.

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Traditional Yin Yoga poses stimulate the all important Vagus Nerve which influences the rest and digest aspect of your Nervous System. It helps to reach into your body’s natural healing abilities, to relax and calm and restore balance holistically to mind and body.
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Through breathwork and relaxation, Yin Yoga increases Vagal Nerve tone. When the Vagus Nerve is toned you recover more quickly to a space of balance when faced with stress and trauma. Relaxation comes much more easily.

The 10th Cranial Nerve, or 'Vagus Nerve' is the longest nerve in the body and innervates major organs and tissues including the larynx, voice box, heart, lungs, stomach and colon. It has a direct connection between the gut and the brain.
A healthy and toned Vagus Nerve helps to maintain the essential balance between our Parasympathetic Nervous System (responsible for Rest, Digest, Relax & Recharge) and our Sympathetic Nervous System (controls the body's responses to any perceived threat {such as sweating when overheating} and activates the "fight or flight" response). Chronic stress, trauma and illness can upset that balance and the Nervous System becomes overwhelmed, impacting the Vagus Nerve.  Read more...

​Why am I such a fan of Yin Yoga and often recommend it to clients?
The holistic therapies that I offer begin a process of encouraging better Vagus Nerve tone, however the once a month appointments that clients usually book for is not enough. Yin Yoga is a great way to continue and increase the benefits from your therapy appointment. I want clients to experience good health, vitality and wellness on all levels and that is why I give “homework” as a part of your session…it’s not meant to be a one off until that sore muscle is better, it’s meant to be continued, to ensure that muscle remains well, and that your whole being is flooded with holistic health. You deserve that!

​I pre-record my Yin Yoga sessions so that you can participate when it works for your schedule. When you can take the time (1 to 1 ½ hours) to stretch fully and completely, enjoy the peace of Savasana and discover balance for body, mind and spirit.

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Mental & Physical Well-Being, the Vagus Nerve & Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy & Stomach Stress ~ A client's experience