Many of us are experiencing sensations of the nervous system being triggered. We feel nervous, anxious, unsure of what is to come. We might have sleep disruptions, feel angry, or agitated. Perhaps we are feeling apathetic or dismissive of what is occurring in the world around us. All of these are symptoms of the sympathetic nervous system in a heightened state of arousal. In other words it’s our “Fight, Flight, and/or Freeze” response.
In my previous post, I discussed how the autonomic nervous system works with two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems balancing like a seesaw. In today’s post I will provide yoga practices you can do right now to calm the nervous system. Remember, our bodies crave to be in balance. When the sympathetic system is aroused, we bring ourselves back into balance by triggering our parasympathetic system. Or in other words our “Rest, Digest, Feed, and/or Breed” response.
The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe. – Terri Guillemets
Breath is life. We can feel it’s energy flowing through our body. It’s simple, if you don’t believe me, try holding your breath. What happens? Do you notice the symptoms of “Fight, Flight, Freeze.”? Rather quickly your body sends signals to your brain to inhale again. When you do let that inhale in, it’s like a sigh of relief as your body can return to normal function, it can return to balance.
Breathing is one of the simplest ways to activate our parasympathetic nervous system.
When we breathe deeply, long and slow it shifts our autonomic nervous system. In yoga we call this Pranayama or “breath control”.
Pause, breathe. Repair the universe, then proceed. – Author Unknown
Pranayama
There are many different pranayama practices. Below are a few practices which are safe for anyone to try.
Guidelines:
Never force the breath. Some people experience a sense of “fight, flight, or freeze” when they work with their breath. Some pranayama practices are designed to do this, as we learned in the last post, we are practicing how to shift our system back into balance, moving from sympathetic to parasympathetic with ease. If you sense these sensations, try to breath through it focusing on the practice. You might just find it passes and brings a greater sense of calm to the mind and body. You can always return to your normal breathing at any time if you experience discomfort. Always practice pranayama with a qualified teacher when possible.
Gentle Breathing
Sit comfortably. Notice how you feel in your body and mind, then allow that thought to pass. Feel into all the places of your body in contact with the earth/ floor/ chair beneath you. Allow your eyes to soften focusing on an object, the tip of your nose, or even the words you are reading. You may also allow the eyes to close. Imagine your tailbone, the base of your spine. Let your awareness travel up your spine, through your neck, and to the top of your head. Let your shoulders soften as they stack over your hips. Let your chin drop ever so slightly to lengthen the back of your neck. Bring your hands to your belly. Breathe in through your nose if it’s comfortable, and exhale out your mouth. Or in and out through just your nose. Imagine your breath expanding within you like a balloon, filling it slowly. Exhale imagine the balloon slowly deflating. If you don’t like the image of a balloon, you can visualize a flower blossoming open and closing one petal at a time. Continue this practice for 1 – 2 minutes.Then allow your breath return to it’s natural flow. Notice how you feel in your mind and body. Has anything changed from when you first sat down to practice?
Counting Breath
Another great practice is to count as you breathe. The regular rate of breath is 12 – 20 per breaths per minute. Deep meditative breath is 5 – 6 breaths per minute. This practice will help you slow down your rate of breath. Keep in mind that when the breath slows it also needs to fill more capacity as your body’s need for oxygen does not change. So fuller, longer breaths as opposed to shallow, short breaths. Again, never force the breath or feel you need to gasp for breath. Let your breath rate and capacity determine the practice.
Follow the instructions for Gentle Breathing above. It may help to continue with the visualization of a balloon or flower. This time as you inhale begin counting to 4. Exhale count again to 4. Do this a few times. Then begin to increase the inhale. See if you can count to 5 or 6. Exhale for the same count or slightly longer, NEVER let the exhale be shorter than the inhale. Do this a few times. Next, try increasing the inhale count even more, up to 10 -12. Exhale for the same count or slightly longer. Remember we are not forcing the breath, and this practice should feel calm. Only count as high as it feels comfortable and relaxed. Continue this practice for 1 – 2 minutes. Then allow your breath to return to it’s natural flow. Notice how you feel in your mind and body. Has anything changed from when you first sat down to practice?
Once you have practiced this deep breathing you will be able to take 3 deep breaths whenever you feel your nervous system out of balance.
Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Yoga Asana/ Poses for the Parasympathetic Nervous System
There are so many ways yoga poses can help ease the nervous system. Too many ways to share in this one post. Perhaps I’ll be back with more, or join me for class online! For now, here are a few simple practices you can try:
Legs up the Wall
Don’t have a wall? You can use a chair, or your sofa. Fold a blanket to a size which will fit your upper body. Place it on the floor next to the wall or support object. Sit on the blanket with your hip close to the wall. Lay down away from the wall when knees bent. Then carefully lift your legs up to extend on the wall or to rest your calves on a chair or sofa. Tune into your breath. Notice how your breath expands into the floor beneath you. Try the Gentle Breathing practice or just let your mind go. You can stay here for several minutes as long as it feels good. Pregnant women should limit it to only about 2 minutes. To come out, bend the knees, roll to one side, pause for a few breaths, then use your arms to rise back up. Notice how you feel.
Conscious Resting Pose
Lay on the floor using a blanket for padding, face up. Bend your knees to walk your feet in until your knees are at about a 90 degree angle. Let your feet walk wider than your body, and then allow your knees to knock in resting on one another. If it is not comfortable to lay fully on your back, you can use a pillow(s) to create an incline for your body, but be sure your head is fully supported. Settle in and tune into your breath. Notice how your breath expands into the floor beneath you. Try the Gentle Breathing practice or just let your mind go. You can stay here for several minutes as long as it feels good. Pregnant women should limit it to only about 2 minutes. To come out, roll to one side, pause for a few breaths, then use your arms to rise back up. Notice how you feel.
Movement with Breath – This is Vinyasa!
This is an excellent practice to sync your movement with your breath. It helps you to build interoception, or how you feel inside and to strengthen your mind plus body unity.
Sit or stand comfortably, arms relaxed at your sides. Imagine your arms like feathers or wings. Begin sweeping your arms up toward the sky. When you’ve reached your highest point, maybe your fingers even touch, allow your arms to float back down toward the earth. When your fingers touch the floor or you’ve reached your lowest point, begin again sweeping up. Add your breath with the movement. Inhale float up, exhale float down. Tune into your breath, practicing Gentle Breathing. How slow can you breathe and move your arms? Continue this practice for 1 – 2 minutes or until your arms begin to feel fatigue. Pause in the stillness and notice how you feel?
How do you feel?
Remember to pause and notice how you feel before and after each practice. Notice any changes that may have occurred. Do you feel calmer? Are you breathing deeper? Notice what arose for you with each practice. Was it enjoyable, why or why not? Work with the practices that feel good to you.
Thank you for reading!
Be good to yourselves, hydrate, be kind.
Namaste
***These practices are all safe for most people including prenatal and postpartum people. Always follow your care providers recommendations. Follow your intuition. If something doesn’t feel good or sensations of anxiety, dizziness, shortness of breath, etc. stop the practice or pose immediately. These are only suggested practices, and are not medical advice. The practitioner assumes all responsibility.