This 5-week workshop is about the internal system that controls our response(s) to stress specifically in relation to how we improve vagal tone (activity of the vagus nerve which is active in our stress response). Through guided practice, group lectures, and didactic activities attendees will learn the following:
- Evidence-based practices to improve vagal tone
- The physiological mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system and improving our capacity to overcome stress and anxiety.
- Techniques to incorporate practices and habits that increase vagal tone into day to day life.
Our body is breathing, with or without our control. We can harness that energy to optimize the levels of gas exchange, to focus the mind, and to improve our vagal tone. Breathing techniques are age old and are considered one of the most integral parts of a yoga practice. More recently, we science has come to acknowledge the power of these tools in optimizing the autonomic nervous system. In each session we progress through breathing techniques and how they can be integrated into imagery/visualization as well as physical movement practices. We learn the science and tradition of breath-work and how to use it in our day to day lives.
This 5-week program consists of in person and virtual group classes that accompany a workbook and home-practice designed for three dimensional phenomenology. The two in-person sessions (week 1 and 5) focus on a collective experiential commitment. The synchronous virtual sessions are designed for pair and group work that progressively deepens our understanding of breathing techniques. Along with time as a group your instructor will reach out to you (through text or email) daily to help you through the home practice and support your personal learning. The contents of the workbook connect the science behind the work we are doing and how you can use it in your day to day life.
The Embodied Learning School 