Jenny’s workshop was a thought-provoking journey of transition from practicing Yoga on the mat and taking its benefits into our daily life. The workshop addressed how Yoga practices impact the vagus nerve; the wandering nerve which is a part of our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). When we struggle in our daily life and we don’t know where to turn to or even what to do and we feel levels of agitation or tension; this can result in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) our ‘fight or flight’ response. We can turn to our Yoga practice to calm the nervous system down and we can achieve this through the activation of the vagus nerve; which is connected to our heart, lungs and the digestion system along with many other organs. These areas of the body are said to have a lot of feeling; heart feelings, gut feelings and are also related to how we breathe. The vagus nerve activates the heart, the digestion system and the lungs giving us a warning signal that we need to pay attention as there is something happening and we need to become aware of it and act.
Jenny led us through a practice of asanas, pranayama and mediation helping us to get in touch with the vagus nerve and those intuitive feelings which reside within us. Her teaching so beautifully focused on developing a deeper awareness of the body and breath. We were gently and skilfully guided to explore movement with mindful attention, fostering a sense of inner listening and allowing the body’s natural intelligence to guide the practice, cultivating a sense of calm and inner peace. We were encouraged to find our own personal experience of the practices which lead to greater sense of agency. Jenny’s teaching encourages us to become empowered in our daily lives through this enhanced self-awareness and self-regulation; by practicing the tools of Yoga. They help us to become more physically and mentally flexible; finding greater focus and mental clarity as well as more emotional balance. We can become empowered to respond to the demands of our daily lives from a place of expanded awareness and wisdom. With this increased sense of presence; our well-being improves and we become happier and more content.
Lastly Jenny beautifully linked the vagus nerve to the Gunas – sattva (clarity, balance), rajas (activity, passion), and tamas (inertia, heaviness). These three principal aspects of nature influence our physical, mental and emotional states. The workshop showed how Yoga practices positively influence vagal tone; leading to a more balanced and calm state, aligning with the qualities of sattva. In our daily life when we experience stress; this can be associated with an imbalance towards rajas, and can be transformed through Yoga practices that soothe the nervous system via the vagus nerve. Feelings of lethargy or lack of energy linked to tamas, can be addressed through mindful movement and breathing which stimulates the energy bringing us back to a state of balance. Reading from the Bhagavad Gita Jenny shared that we are said to transcend the Gunas when we are not disturbed by them; we are no longer enslaved by our emotions and feel no lack. We experience equanimity and behave the same in happiness and suffering; pleasant and unpleasant, resulting in an increased sense of freedom.
She ended the workshop with Albert Einstein’s beautiful words – “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Her profound and gentle teaching was a clear path to honouring this gift and to bring it into our daily lives so that we may live more skilfully and with freedom.
Anne Tanner May 2025