Reduce inflammation with yoga.

There is a lot of information being shared around about the benefits of the vagus nerve at the moment so I wanted to share with you an introduction to the vagus nerve and how yoga through the vagus nerve reduces inflammation in our body.

Simply put, the vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves in our body.  The vagus nerve is unique because it has both sensory (sends information to our brain so we can smell, taste and hear) and motor function control (so we can move various muscles).

Practicing yoga directly affects the vagus nerve which helps us to reduce inflammation in our body.

Yoga teaches us through it’s movement philosophies to breathe deeply and correctly, to slow our breath down so we become more present, to move more mindfully with full awareness of our entire body, and teaches us to move with control and flow simultaneously.

Over time as we learn to master the movement philosophies of yoga we reduce physical and mental stress and chronic body tension and pain which reduces inflammation.

In the book Beating Endo, written by Dr Iris Kerin Orbuch and Dr Amy Stein they share that;

" The more we influence the vagus nerve through yoga, the less we experience inflammation in our bodies.  Where the constant perception of pain is concerned, yoga's influence on the vagus nerve can actually reverse the perception by combating the blood vessel constriction and muscle tension that chronic pain induces.  All this plus its ability to influence the opioid receptors without pharmacological compounds make's yoga's influence on the vagus nerve activity incredibly valuable." 

Why is reducing inflammation in our bodies important?

Having a little inflammation in our bodies can be a good thing because it can help to heal injuries and infections. 

Where as too much or long term inflammation in our bodies can lead to chronic health problems later in life like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and cardiovascular disease (to name a few).

So each time we meet on our yoga mat it’s a nice reminder to know that the benefits of yoga extend way past the superficial and go much deeper into helping us improve our overall health and vitality now and in the long term.

With gratitude,

Jodie