As we continue to get through the colder, darker and more sedative months of winter, inversions and backbends are a fantastic and holistic way to combat the symptoms of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), exhale out the stress of the holidays and warm up the body and soul. Due to their physical form backbends and inversions activate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve has a direct effect on our levels of energy and mood. In modern psychology the concept of embodied congnition is used to discuss this body to brain connection. This theory that the body can affect the brain is a concept that Hatha Yoga has always asserted. It affirms that if we transform the more gross, or physical aspects of life, for example physical posture or breath rhythm, we will be able to change the more sutil parts of our existence such as thoughts and perspectives. This ability to change our thoughts and perceptions is fundamental to our wellbeing. One of the principal mechanisms of this transformation in thought and perception is found in the vagus nerve. All Yoga poses work with the nervous system, but thanks to their physical forms, inversions and backbends are especially effective for activating the vagus nerve, increase levels of energy and transform a negative perspective into a positive outlook. What is the Vagus Nerve? The Vagus Nerve is a fascinating nerve that is linked to everything from digestion to depression. Vagus is Latin for ´to wander´ and that is exactly what this nerve does. Looking kind of like an upside tree, it starts up behind the ear moves down the neck and continues to spread out it´s tentacles along the chest, around the heart and into the gut. 70-80% (some research says 90%) of the information that is passed along the vagus nerve moves from the bottom up and only 20-30% of it moves from the top down. This is why some people say the second brain is in the gut. All those sensations that are experienced in the gut (which has as many neurons as a cat´s brain) and along the organs connected to the Vagus Nerve are sent up to the brain to be analyzed and interpreted by the pre-frontal cortex, language centers and amygdala. That means working with the vagus nerve and the organs connected to it can modify messages sent to the brain about sensations that are experienced in the body. Furthermore, the majority (80-90%) of the ´feel good´ neurotransmitter, serotonin is produced in the gastro-intestinal tract. The upward movement of information along the Vagus Nerve and the connected internal organs demonstrates how working with the body, one gets to the brain. Changing body forms influences our energy levels, hormones, sexual desire, sleep patterns and digestion by toning the vagus nerve. Working with the body to control the mind and increase quality of life IS precisely the theory behind the practices and postures of Hatha Yoga. Psychology and the Vagus Nerve According to the polyvagal theory presented by Dr. Stephen Porges, director of the Brain and Body Center at the University of Illinois, as well as other related theories presented by researchers such as Dr. Levine, founder of Somatic Experience, and Dr. Van Der Kolk, it is hypothesized that there is a direct connection with the poor functioning of the vagus nerve and its associated organs with anxiety and depression. Simply put, the hypothesis is that anxiety has it´s root in an overactive fight/flight response and depression is then the result of the frustrated fight/flight response. In other words, when the nervous system perceives that there is no way out of a perceived threat, the biological defense response is a kind system shut-down that results in what researchers call ´freeze´ and what would be experienced on the emotional level as depression. In fact, when we enter in this this freeze response, the part of the brain that controls language also shuts down. It is for this reason that Dr. Van Der Kolk in his research with soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) observed that therapeutic body work was more effective than traditional talk therapy or prescription pharmaceuticals. He realized that one has to enter into the body to release the tension physically held in the body; something that talking and pills just do not do. Researchers like Levine, Porges and Van Der Kolk argue that often sensations of stress, anxiety and depression occur first in the body and are then interpreted in the brain. The primary path of this communication from body to brain is the vagus nerve. There is more and more literature discussing the importance of a good ´vagal tone´ to maintain both mental and physical health. In fact, pharmaceutical giants Glaxo-Smith-Kline are trying to make profit out of this fact by investing over 50 million dollars in researching a device that would provide vagus nerve stimulation (Medicine Beyond, p. 235). Lucky for humanity, Vagus nerve stimulation is something that Hatha Yoga has been providing naturally and free for over thousands of years. A well executed Yoga asana will activate and relax the nervous system, the fascia, multiple meridians, the endocrine system, muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments all at once. It is for this reason that Hatha Yoga is a such a timeless and powerful practice. Backbends/Back extensions: Due to the physical form of these poses backbends work directly with the vagus nerve. Backbends, or back extensions as they are also known, work by opening and toning the front of the belly, chest, sternum and throat which, as mentioned earlier is home to that wandering vagus nerve. Via breath, pressure, stretching and by holding back bends SAFELY while breathing into the pose the organs associated with the vagus nerve and the nerve itself is activated, toned and strengthened. A well ´toned´ vagus nerve and the attached organs means that the brain receives biological signals of relaxation such as a regulated digestive tract, slower heart rate and deeper breath. It signals to the brain, via the Vagus Nerve,
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