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Yoga Alchemy: connecting science and spirituality. Transmutation on the mat.
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I recall the moment yoga shifted from a practice to a transformation. At Inner Fire, the community was a balm to my frazzled mind in graduate school. I expected stress relief. I didn’t expect a radical shift in how I spoke to myself.
Typically, my inner critic was ruthless, barking orders and punishments. But that day, in the Sun Room, it fell silent. In its place, a different voice—steady, certain, kind—simply said, ‘Fly.’
That moment cracked something open. I encountered a deeper part of myself—the one yoga calls us to unite with. I wanted to understand how this practice, through both ancient wisdom and modern science, could rewire the mind to think, feel, and act from a place of love rather than fear.
To be clear, I haven’t reached enlightenment, nirvana, or samadhi (I have two toddlers—come on!). But yoga has invited me to explore the possibility, to reset my heart’s compass toward the yogic path, and to find opportunities for growth in even the smallest of teachers.
But let’s get back to basics first.
The Autonomic Nervous System
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Our bodies and brains are regulated by our autonomic nervous system (ANS.) The ANS is comprised of two reciprocal partners, the sympathetic (fight or flight, the ‘gas pedal’) and parasympathetic systems (rest and digest, the ‘brake pedal’).
Our lives are conducted through a dynamic synchronization of these two systems that respond to the various stimuli we encounter on a moment-to-moment basis. As many of you know, a deep inhale will activate the sympathetic system and increase our heart rate before springing into warrior III. A deep exhale will activate the parasympathetic system, which communicates with the brain through the vagus nerve and slows our heart rate as we settle into our final savasana of class. Fun fact crew, this is the wisdom behind the recommendation to make the exhale longer than the inhale. Thus, we are continuously calibrating the speed of our heart rate so the interval between heart rates is ever-changing. This interval is called heart-rate variability. A higher HRV indicates that an individual’s sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are responsive and adaptable, indicating the two systems work harmoniously together.
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In a dysregulated state, our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (SNS and PNS respectively) are imbalanced. We feel we are pushed to our breaking point, affecting our ability to connect positively with others, make rational decisions, and think critically. The term amygdala hijack is used to describe this situation, particularly when our emotional response is disproportionate to the trigger, which puts us into fight or flight mode, driven by the SNS. With so much of the body’s energy being put towards reacting to this perceived safety threat, the SNS hijacks our human mind and ability to reason. Many people live in chronic states of chronic stress (repeated amygdala hijacks) for a myriad of reasons. I’ll coin the term amygdala hostage to describe that state.
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Can we shift out of these amygdala-based responses? Yes, we can! We have the tools!
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As you’ve appreciated by now, I believe knowledge is the key to empowerment, so here are a few more neurophysiology notes.
When exercising, our SNS allows our breath to deepen and quicken and our heart rate to increase to meet the energy requirements of this physical activity. Endorphins, the ‘happy’ hormones, which tell your body you are safe, are also released. But the PSN is not on a water break during exercise. While it has taken a step back, the PNS modulates and regulates the SNS so its responses are controlled and gradual (relative to the type of activity) rather than unrestrained and violent, so our body can shift into this new equilibrium. During recovery, the PNS steps forward, and the SNS steps into the wings, but does not exit the stage.
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Movement, in varying degrees depending on the specific modality, can improve autonomic balance. As exercise becomes more regular and sustainable, our body adapts, and the parasympathetic nervous system gains more influence. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this effect of physical activity on PNS modulation, such as improved glucose metabolism, mental stress, nitric oxide synthesis, and the reactivity of our body’s mechanisms that control the autonomic balance.
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Although the physiological responses of the parasympathetic nervous system are involuntary, we can deliberately bring them under conscious awareness and redirect our innate SNS physiological responses towards a calmer PNS response.
How do we do this?
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First, we must recognize what dysregulation feels like in our bodies. We do this through interoception. Interoception is our brain’s awareness of our internal bodily sensations like hunger, emotions, heart rate, and pain. Interoception guides how we respond to our environment based on our perception of our bodily states.
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This is where we come to our yoga mats, wonderful, real-time ‘labs’ for improving strength, flexibility, and autonomic regulation. All these benefits have their foundations in interoception. Anytime a teacher guides the class through ‘a nice, deep inhale, and then an even longer exhale,’ or asks the class to squeeze their inner thighs together to support their crescent lunge, they are asking us to engage our interoceptive awareness. Have you ever noticed when you find a hip opener, your jaw may clench in fearful anticipation (as may your glutes protectively)? Or note a shock of panic as you open into camel? Noticing what emotions arise in the different asanas also engages our interoceptive abilities.
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Fantastic, Nora, you say. The nerdy scientific monologue provided some good information. But the transformation you alluded to. . .I don’t think it was limited to the physical benefits of the asanas.
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I thought you’d never ask! For me, this is where the real adventure of yoga begins.
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What is yoga?
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The yoga of Western popular culture has glamorized the practice but also relegated the definition to only encompass the physical practice of asanas or postures. While the physical benefits of a regular asana practice are impressive, as we’ve discussed above, they provide a mere glimpse into the landscape that an encompassing yoga practice offers. And when an asana practitioner is open, intentionally or subconsciously, to the other seven limbs of Patanjali’s yoga, their mat expands from being just a 68 x 24 in personal gym to a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual playground.
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Our bodies are such wonderful tools for self-exploration and healing, regardless of our stories to date. Through this earthly gateway, we are able to examine who we are on our mats and our perceived limitations, and thus challenge who we are off our mats, and listen to the greatest dreams of our hearts. And those are more than beautiful but esoteric aims for a true yoga practice.
Destination Enlightenment. . . three, two, one, blastoff!
I will avoid any spiritual soapboxes or claim I have a 7-Day Course that will then allow you to live in a perpetual state of bliss.
My object is merely to pose the question of what else?
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Our modern society spins on an axis that is becoming more and more off-kilter and news of any manner of atrocities, whether local or global, weighs heavy in our minds and on our hearts. I am aware of the constant state of distress many people now habitually abide in, though they desperately seek any kind of relief or ray of hope in these dark times. Some turn to means that numb at best, or destroy at worst. Several years ago, I found a Midwest artist at Art Fair on the Square who photographed a quote by Hafiz on ascending stairs at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris.
The quote reads: I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being!
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This quote so succinctly encapsulates how I feel about our existence. And if you consider the direction of the initial light, it is a reflection shining back at you. The second image that comes to mind is a human being who shines their own light brightly and freely to others. We must turn our curiosities inward as we move through presence, mindfulness, and interoception. When we have practiced this enough to feel safe in our bodies, we can allow our experience to burst into wonder as we enter an expansive awareness of connection, trust, and love; to our loved ones, our greater community, and ultimately the world. As humans, who forget the being part most days, we may then one day find ourselves included in that universal collective.
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I know, I know, I could wane existential for days. But I do have quite a pragmatic hook.
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When have you noticed you tend to be the most connected with yourself (Self, if you prefer)? When can you most easily pause and connect with your heart before reacting from your amygdala (self)? When has a brilliant idea or apt solution seemingly downloaded into your consciousness after you’ve given up with hope your brain will provide?
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I’ve known people who will say their best ideas come when they're in the shower, driving, or running. I’ll be honest, little nuggets of insight and flashes of creative notions tend to land when I least expect it when I’m off my mat. Usually, I’m engaged with some new activity I love, my brain is engaged, though not fully enough to warrant stress, and I am relaxed. Walking, cooking, and of course, savasana come to mind. Fully confession, I have been known to be spirited away by these ‘critters’ in the middle of a yoga class. That’s when it takes some coaxing to bring myself back into the moment.
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So what is it about yoga that might give is a step-up in terms of accessing creativity, insight, and even intuition? I would pose a case for the additional seven limbs of yoga. But that’s a discussion for a lifetime. So here, I’d posit that the intentionality and mindfulness before, during, and even after a practice serve as a compass to chart our course. They allows us to access a heart-based wisdom that can only be heard when we have moved through the doorway of mindfulness, narrowing our focus so we can connect to the here and now, settling into our bodies and thus gaining some modicum of trust in ourselves. With these seeds planted, the flowers of an expansive awareness can blossom, to be recognized and harvested without the squawking of our inner critic.
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I understand this perspective may not appeal to everyone, and others may wonder how much my cognitive abilities have suffered, considering the number of times I have fallen out of arm balances. But, times like these, when we are being pushed to, and past, our breaking points, call on our hearts and minds for solutions and respite our rational minds have failed to offer.
So if this sounds like your kind of crazy, in this off-kilter world, perhaps you’d like to join me. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can return to our breath and thus our hearts. Imperfectly, yes, but continuously.
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I always return to the question: What else? What else might yoga offer beyond strength and flexibility? In a world that often feels off-kilter, where distress is the default state, how can we use our practice to anchor ourselves, to illuminate our own inner light?
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Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés puts it beautifully. “Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times… When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.”
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Every breath is a chance to remember this and begin again.