The Vagus Nerve
Your Body's Master Regulator and How Yoga Activates It
By Sara, Founder of Shine Yoga
In the world of yoga, we often talk about balancing energy, finding harmony, and creating whole-body wellness. But what if I told you there's a single nerve in your body that serves as a master regulator for all these functions? Meet your vagus nerve—the longest cranial nerve in your body and the primary pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system. Understanding this remarkable nerve and how to stimulate it through yoga can transform your practice from simple exercise into profound medicine.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve (actually a pair of nerves) extends from your brainstem down through your neck, chest, and abdomen, connecting your brain to major organs including your heart, lungs, liver, and digestive system. The name "vagus" comes from Latin, meaning "wandering"—an apt description for this far-reaching nerve network.
What makes the vagus nerve so significant is its role as the primary communicator of your parasympathetic nervous system—the "rest and digest" counterpart to your sympathetic "fight or flight" system. Through this nerve, your brain receives information about your body's internal state and sends signals to regulate vital functions including:
Heart rate and blood pressure
Digestion and nutrient absorption
Immune response and inflammation
Breathing rate and depth
Emotional regulation and social connection
Stress response and recovery
Research shows that healthy functioning of the vagus nerve is associated with better physical health, emotional resilience, and cognitive function (Bonaz et al., 2018).
Vagal Tone: The Key to Resilience
Scientists use the term "vagal tone" to describe the activity pattern of the vagus nerve. High vagal tone indicates a well-functioning vagus nerve that can efficiently regulate your body's systems, while low vagal tone is associated with inflammation, stress-related disorders, and poor emotional regulation.
The good news? Vagal tone can be improved through specific practices—and yoga offers some of the most effective techniques for enhancing vagal function (Gerritsen & Band, 2018).
How Yoga Stimulates the Vagus Nerve
Research published in medical journals has identified several ways that yoga practices directly stimulate and strengthen the vagus nerve:
1. Breath Regulation (Pranayama)
The breath-vagus connection is particularly powerful. Research in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience demonstrates that slow, rhythmic breathing practices:
Activate vagal pathways
Increase heart rate variability (a key marker of vagal tone)
Reduce stress hormone production
Improve autonomic balance (Gerritsen & Band, 2018)
Specific breathing techniques with strong evidence for vagal activation include:
Extended exhalation - Making your exhale longer than your inhale sends powerful relaxation signals through the vagus nerve
Ujjayi breathing - The gentle constriction at the back of the throat during this "ocean breath" stimulates vagal receptors
Brahmari (bee breath) - The vibration and humming sound of this pranayama directly stimulates the vagus nerve as it passes through the throat (Streeter et al., 2012)
2. Physical Postures (Asanas)
Certain yoga postures directly stimulate areas where the vagus nerve passes. Research shows that:
Chest-opening poses like Camel, Bow, and Fish stimulate vagal pathways in the chest
Gentle inversions like Legs-Up-The-Wall shift the autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance
Forward folds increase pressure in the abdomen, stimulating vagal receptors in the digestive organs
Gentle neck movements stimulate the vagus where it passes through the neck (Sullivan et al., 2018)
3. Sound Practices
In a study published in the International Journal of Yoga, researchers found that practices involving vocalization directly stimulate the vagus nerve:
Chanting - The vibration of mantras like "Om" stimulates vagal receptors in the throat and ears
Singing - Activates similar neural pathways
Humming - Creates vibrations that stimulate the vagus nerve (Telles & Singh, 2013)
4. Meditation and Relaxation
Research in Psychophysiology demonstrated that meditative practices enhance vagal function through:
Mindful attention - Activating prefrontal brain regions that regulate vagal output
Body scanning - Increasing interoceptive awareness that strengthens brain-body connections
Yoga Nidra - Inducing a parasympathetic state while maintaining awareness (Krygier et al., 2013)
Signs of Improved Vagal Function
How do you know if your yoga practice is effectively stimulating your vagus nerve? Research indicates you might notice:
More stable mood and emotional resilience
Improved digestion and reduced gut symptoms
Better sleep quality
Reduced anxiety and stress reactivity
Improved heart rate variability
Enhanced immune function
Greater sense of ease in social situations
A Simple Vagus Nerve Yoga Sequence
Based on current research, here's a simple 10-minute practice to activate your vagus nerve:
Seated Neck Release (1 minute)
Sit comfortably with a tall spine
Gently tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder, holding for 3-5 breaths
Repeat on the left side
This gently stretches the area where the vagus nerve passes through the neck
Extended Exhalation Breathing (2 minutes)
Inhale for a count of 4
Exhale for a count of 6-8
Continue for 2 minutes
Research shows prolonged exhalation particularly activates vagal pathways
Heart-Opening Pose (2 minutes)
From a seated position, interlace your fingers behind your back
Gently lift your chest and draw your shoulders back
Take 5-8 deep breaths, focusing on the expansion across your chest
This stimulates vagal fibers that innervate the heart
Humming Bee Breath (Brahmari) (2 minutes)
Take a deep inhale through your nose
With lips sealed, make a humming sound on the exhale
Feel the vibration in your throat, chest, and head
The vibration directly stimulates the vagus nerve as it passes through the throat
Legs-Up-The-Wall or Chair (3 minutes)
Lie on your back with legs elevated on a wall or chair
Rest your hands on your belly
Breathe naturally, feeling your belly rise and fall
This gentle inversion enhances blood flow to the vagal nerve pathways
Clinical Applications
At Shine Yoga, we incorporate vagus nerve stimulation techniques in our therapeutic approach to several conditions:
Anxiety and stress disorders - Research shows vagus-stimulating yoga practices significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and PTSD (Streeter et al., 2010)
Digestive issues - Studies demonstrate improved vagal tone helps regulate digestive function in IBS and other functional disorders (Bonaz et al., 2016)
Inflammatory conditions - The vagus nerve regulates inflammation through what scientists call the "inflammatory reflex" (Pavlov & Tracey, 2012)
Sleep problems - Vagus nerve activation helps reset sleep-wake cycles (de Zambotti et al., 2015)
Conclusion
The vagus nerve represents an extraordinary bridge between ancient yogic wisdom and modern neuroscience. By understanding and consciously stimulating this critical nerve through our yoga practice, we access a powerful pathway for healing that impacts every system in our body.
At Shine Yoga, we've integrated this understanding into all our classes, especially our new "Pause" class focusing on breathing techniques for vagus nerve stimulation and parasympathetic activation. This science-based approach allows us to offer yoga not merely as exercise, but as profound medicine for the nervous system—exactly what many of us need in our stress-filled world.
I invite you to pay special attention to how different yoga practices affect your own nervous system state. Notice which techniques bring a sense of calm and balance, which energize you, and which help you transition between these states.
By making vagus nerve stimulation a conscious part of your yoga practice, you're not just exercising—you're literally rewiring your nervous system for greater resilience, balance, and wellbeing. And in today's challenging world, that might be the most essential medicine of all.
References:
Bonaz, B., Bazin, T., & Pellissier, S. (2018). The vagus nerve at the interface of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 49.
Bonaz, B., Sinniger, V., & Pellissier, S. (2016). Anti‐inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve: potential therapeutic implications of vagus nerve stimulation. The Journal of Physiology, 594(20), 5781-5790.
de Zambotti, M., Goldstone, A., Colrain, I. M., & Baker, F. C. (2018). Insomnia disorder in adolescence: Diagnosis, impact, and treatment. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 39, 12-24.
Gerritsen, R. J. S., & Band, G. P. H. (2018). Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 397.
Krygier, J. R., Heathers, J. A., Shahrestani, S., Abbott, M., Gross, J. J., & Kemp, A. H. (2013). Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: a preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(3), 305-313.
Pavlov, V. A., & Tracey, K. J. (2012). The vagus nerve and the inflammatory reflex—linking immunity and metabolism. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 8(12), 743-754.
Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 571-579.
Streeter, C. C., Whitfield, T. H., Owen, L., Rein, T., Karri, S. K., Yakhkind, A., ... & Jensen, J. E. (2010). Effects of yoga versus walking on mood, anxiety, and brain GABA levels: a randomized controlled MRS study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(11), 1145-1152.
Sullivan, M. B., Erb, M., Schmalzl, L., Moonaz, S., Noggle Taylor, J., & Porges, S. W. (2018). Yoga therapy and polyvagal theory: The convergence of traditional wisdom and contemporary neuroscience for self-regulation and resilience. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 67.
Telles, S., & Singh, N. (2013). Science of the mind: ancient yoga texts and modern studies. Psychiatric Clinics, 36(1), 93-108.
