The Body’s Quest for Safety
Have you ever felt your shoulders tense up in a stressful situation or your breath quicken when anxious? These are not just random reactions; they are your body's built-in mechanisms to protect you. Dr. Stephen Porges, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory, explains that our nervous system is constantly scanning our environment for cues of safety or danger—a process he terms "neuroception." Neuroception is your nervous system’s ability to detect threat or safety in the environment — without needing your conscious involvement.
That means your body is always asking:
"Am I safe here?"
"Can I relax?"
"Do I need to brace, run, freeze, or fight?"
Your body isn’t trying to sabotage you. It’s trying to protect you.
The tension in your jaw? The shallow breath? The fatigue, anxiety, restlessness? These are often not signs that you’re broken, lazy, or unmotivated. They’re your body’s signals that it doesn’t feel safe. This continuous monitoring means that even in the absence of real danger, our bodies can remain in a heightened state of alert if we don't actively signal safety - and that constant alertness? It drains us.
Yoga: A Conversation with the Nervous System
The beauty of yoga is that it doesn't just address the symptoms of stress — it speaks directly to the system causing it. Hatha Yoga uses specific physical techniques that create tangible shifts in how we feel. Here’s my go-to practices.
Breathwork (Pranayama):
Slow, intentional breathing — especially techniques like Equal Part Breath (Sama Vritti) — helps regulate the vagus nerve. This signals to your brain:
"Hey, it’s okay. You can downshift now."
Mindful Movement:
Whether it’s a gentle flow or a grounded Hatha sequence, conscious movement reconnects you with your body. Instead of overriding or ignoring what you feel, you begin to inhabit your form with curiosity, not critique. That presence is safety.
Restorative Postures:
Simple shapes like Legs-Up-The-Wall, Supported Child’s Pose, or Reclined Butterfly offer physical containment—which the body often reads as a cue for rest. No strain. No demand. Just space to be. (thank you to my guru models Eli & Ezra)
A Shift in Practice: From Performance to Regulation
Modern yoga sometimes pushes flexibility, effort, aesthetics - but lets place that to one side and find a different approach. One that asks:
"Does this feel supportive?"
"Do I feel steadier after this practice?"
"Is this making my nervous system feel safer, more resourced?"
That’s the kind of yoga I teach.
Not to achieve circus-level poses. But to build strength, regulation, and trust in the body.
Because when the nervous system feels supported, the mind softens too.
You're Not Broken. You're Built for Safety.
If you feel anxious, tense, low, or disconnected—you’re not failing. You’re sensing. You’re responding. You’re adapting.
Your body is doing exactly what it’s built to do: seek safety. What it needs from you isn’t shame, force, or hustle. It needs co-regulation, presence, and breath. Yoga offers that. Gently. Consistently. In a way that helps your body remember:
"I am safe here."
And sometimes, that reminder is the beginning of everything.
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Stuart