Yoga offers a multitude of benefits and serves people who practice it in a variety of ways. For some, it’s just a good stretch, while for others, it’s a way of connecting mind, body and spirit.
Adriene Mishler, better known online as Yoga With Adriene, shared a 10-minute routine this week that promises to reset your nervous system, which got us wondering what that actually means?
Simon Smail, a GP (medical doctor) in the U.K. and medical director of Evergreen Medical & Wellness Clinic in Edinburgh, says that the nervous system referred to in this context is the autonomic nervous system, which manages the body’s fight-or-flight response.
“Nervous system regulation is popular shorthand rather than a formal medical diagnosis, but it broadly refers to how the body moves from a heightened state of stress to a calmer baseline,” he explains.
“Everyone has a nervous system that naturally moves between activation and recovery throughout the day, so in that sense we can all benefit from habits that support good regulation.
“People who feel chronically stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, burnt out and wired may benefit more than other people.”
This doesn’t mean you'll never get stressed again.
“The goal is not to be calm all the time, but to have a flexible stress response—you’re able to rise to challenges and then settle afterwards,” Smail concludes.
So, can yoga help to reset the nervous system?
Anything that helps you feel less stressed can support the nervous system, and yoga is a great stress relief tool for a lot of people.
“I think yoga can be really helpful because it combines several of the things we know can help support stress regulation: gentle movement, stretching, controlled breathing, and body awareness,” Smail explains.
How to do Yoga With Adriene's 10-minute nervous system reset practice
You don’t need any equipment to do this routine, but it is a practice that’s done entirely from a seated or lying position, so you might want to roll out your yoga mat.
You can also do this routine from a chair, according to Mishler, because the main focus of the routine is controlled breathing.