Reflex Yoga and your nervous system:

The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk, is a well known book that explains the relationship between the nervous system, the body, and illness and pain. Its premise is that our nervous system never forgets an incident, from the smallest bruise to the most traumatic accident. Some of these body memories can be lived with but many of them can hinder our movement, our mental health and our ability to achieve in our chosen sport.

With Reflex Yoga we don’t just stretch, we work on these neurological patterns that have become predominant due to these types of experiences. We try to bring the body back to its original blueprint from before the accident or incident.For example, if you have had a traumatic car accident, your nervous system at the time would have put you into survival mode. Your fight, flight or freeze automatic system has been switched on to ensure survival of the incident, and in its aftermath.

After a while you may have assumed that this nervous system mode has been switched off, however we all know someone who has been profoundly changed by such incidents. It may be subtle or not, but there is a part of us that never quite goes back to being as it was. Under the surface, our system may still be functioning in survival mode and this can lead to difficulties sleeping – in a sense, following a traumatic experience the word can feel unsafe. Anxiety rises, and so does stress.

The aim of Reflex Yoga is to teach the body to let go of these survival patterns. We switch on the rest and digest part of our nervous system cycle, working with the vagus nerve, the adrenal glands and the body to teach it how to relax again. This part of the cycle is as automatic as switching on the survival reflexes – we just need to know how to do it.

Remember, not all Yoga is about putting your body into contorting positions or making shapes. There is so much more to how our bodies work! Neurological research and Reflex Yoga are at the forefront of bringing some of this practical learning to you and your body. There is no wrong way of doing this type of yoga, there is only your way.

Veronika has been teaching Yoga for 20 years, specialising in Reflex Yoga. She teaches general Hatha Yoga and Neuro-Sensory Yoga in Herefordshire and is also a trainer of Yoga teachers nationally. Classes, private one-to-one sessions, small groups, courses and workshops and corporate yoga are also available for children and adults with autism and other neurological differences. Please get in touch for more details www.yotism.co.uk/reflexyoga