Pranayama Can Hack Your Nervous System. Here’s How To Do It

While meditation practices span many cultures and traditions across the globe and have been subject to a fair amount of research, techniques to cultivate a deeper breath (Pranayama) are largely exclusive to the yoga tradition and mostly unexplored scientifically. Though the practices encompassed in the term “Pranayama” are countless and varied - from holding the breath in or out to breathing only through one nostril or the other - details on their uses and benefits in ancient yoga texts are scant. As a result, Pranayama has retained an air of secrecy that might be about to be unlocked by science.

Emerging science has identified a link between breath control and the Vagus Nerve that might explain why Pranayama can be so effective for your nervous system, and how it works to balance your physiology. 

Prana is a Sanskrit word meaning “vital life force” (Chinese medicine calls it “Qi”). It is the energy that animates all matter in the universe. In yoga, the breath is one of the ways in which we received Prana (in addition to food, water, sunlight and human connection) and it serves as a bridge between our outer/conscious experience and inner/unconscious experience. Pranayama practices are seen as a means to access and govern the unconscious functions of the physiology in order to focus and channel our energy and awareness towards our own personal transformation.

Though it may sound, at best, vast and mystical, groundbreaking research into the Vagus Nerve may hold the explanation as to why Pranayama is so effective. Meaning “wandering” in Latin, the Vagus Nerve is a term given to a large network of nerves that transmit signals between the brain and the gut, heart, immune system and other organs. Because of its extensive nature, the functions of the Vagus Nerve are astonishingly wide-ranging and include unconscious mechanisms such as mood control, immune response, digestion, and heart rate. As such, the implications for its proper functioning are both clear and crucial; preliminary studies suggest that poor Vagus Nerve functioning may contribute to depression, inflammation and inability to cope with stress.

The Vagus Nerve is the primary contributor to the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which controls our relaxation responses (think: anti-stress mechanism). Most promisingly, recent research suggests that practices like yoga and in particular deep breathing can be effective at improving Vagus Nerve functioning, possibly improving mental health and lowering risks associated with inflammation.

If you’re looking for a simple, safe way to effectively “hack” your Vagus Nerve and increase your sense of wellbeing, try pausing today for 2-3 minutes of Balanced Breath (below). Balanced Breath is a wonderful, simple practice that creates the sensation of receiving and giving in equal measure, rectifying any energetic deficit.

1. First, bring your awareness to your breath and for a few cycles, simply notice the natural length of your inhale and exhale. Don’t try to modify your breath yet.

2. Next, begin to breathe in for approximately 4 seconds, and breathe out for 4 seconds so that your inhale and exhale are equal in length. If 4 seconds feels either too long or too rushed, modify the length, but ensure that the inhale and exhale remain equal in length. There should be no strain.

3. Take 2-3 minutes of Balanced Breath and when complete, return to regular, effortless breathing.

4. Observe any shifts in your breath and energy that may come from balancing effort with release.