Yoga Alchemy: Connecting Science and Spirituality.
By Nora Hill (O’Reilly), Inner Fire Yoga Teacher
I recall the moment yoga shifted from a practice to a transformation. At Inner Fire Yoga, the community was a balm to my frazzled mind in graduate school. I expected stress relief. I didn’t expect a radical shift in how I spoke to myself.
Typically, my inner critic was ruthless, barking orders and punishments. But that day, in the Sun Room, it fell silent. In its place, a different voice—steady, certain, kind—simply said, ‘Fly.’
Transmutation On The Mat.
That moment cracked something open. I encountered a deeper part of myself—the one yoga calls us to unite with. I wanted to understand how this practice, through both ancient wisdom and modern science, could rewire the mind to think, feel, and act from a place of love rather than fear.
To be clear, I haven’t reached enlightenment, nirvana, or samadhi (I have two toddlers—come on!). But yoga has invited me to explore the possibility, to reset my heart’s compass toward the yogic path, and to find opportunities for growth in even the smallest of teachers.
But let’s get back to basics.
The Autonomic Nervous System
Our bodies and brains are regulated by our autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is comprised of two reciprocal partners, the sympathetic (fight or flight, the ‘gas pedal’) and parasympathetic systems (rest and digest, the ‘brake pedal’). Our lives are conducted through a dynamic synchronization of these two systems that respond to the various stimuli we encounter on a moment-to-moment basis.
As many of you know, a deep inhale activates the sympathetic (SNS) system and increases our heart rate before springing into warrior III. A deep exhale activates the parasympathetic (PSN) system, which communicates with the brain through the vagus nerve and slows our heart rate as we settle into our final savasana of class.
Fun fact, crew: this is the wisdom behind the recommendation to make the exhale longer than the inhale.
Thus, we are continuously calibrating the speed of our heart rate, so the interval between heart rates is ever-changing. This interval is called heart-rate variability, or HRV. A higher HRV indicates that an individual’s sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are responsive and adaptable, indicating the two systems work harmoniously together.
In a dysregulated state, our SNS and PNS are imbalanced. We are pushed to our breaking point such that our ability to connect with others, make rational decisions, and think critically is diminished. The term amygdala hijack is used to describe this situation, particularly when our emotional response is disproportionate to the trigger, which puts us into fight or flight mode, driven by the SNS. Many people live in chronic states of chronic stress (repeated amygdala hijacks) for a myriad of reasons. I’ll coin the term amygdala hostage to describe that state.
This begs the question, can we shift out of these amygdala-based responses?
Yes, we can!
When exercising, our SNS allows our breath to deepen and quicken and our heart rate to increase to meet the body’s increased energy requirements. But the PSN is not on a water break during exercise…
While it has taken a step back, the PNS regulates the SNS so its responses are controlled and gradual (relative to the type of activity) rather than unrestrained and violent as the body shifts into a new equilibrium. During recovery, the PNS steps forward, and the SNS steps into the wings but does not exit the stage.
Movement, in varying degrees depending on the specific modality, can improve autonomic balance (recall heart-rate variability.) As exercise becomes more regular and sustainable, our body adapts, and the parasympathetic nervous system gains more influence.
Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this effect of physical activity on PNS modulation, such as improved glucose metabolism, mental stress, nitric oxide synthesis, and the reactivity of our body’s mechanisms that control autonomic balance.
Although the physiological responses of the parasympathetic nervous system are involuntary, we can deliberately bring them under conscious awareness and redirect our innate SNS physiological responses towards a calmer PNS response.
How do we do this?
First, we must recognize what dysregulation feels like in our bodies. We do this through interoception. Interoception is our brain’s awareness of our internal bodily sensations like hunger, emotions, heart rate, and pain. Interoception guides how we respond to our environment.
This is where we come to our yoga mats, wonderful, real-time ‘labs’ for improving strength, flexibility, and autonomic regulation. All these benefits have their foundations in interoception.
Anytime a teacher guides the class through ‘a nice, deep inhale, and then an even longer exhale,’ or asks the class to squeeze their inner thighs together to support their crescent lunge, they are asking us to engage our interoceptive awareness.
Have you ever noticed in pigeon, your jaw may clench in fearful anticipation (as may your glutes protectively)? Or note a shock of panic as you open into camel? Noticing what emotions arise in the different asanas requires interoceptive abilities.
Fantastic, Nora, you say, The nerdy scientific monologue gave us some good information. But the transformation you alluded to… I don’t think it was limited to the physical benefits of the asanas…
I thought you’d never ask! For me, this is where the real adventure of yoga begins.
What is Yoga?
The yoga of Western popular culture has glamorized the practice but also limited the definition to the physical practice of asanas or postures. While the physical benefits of a regular asana practice are impressive, as we’ve discussed above, they provide a mere glimpse into the landscape an encompassing yoga practice offers.
And when an asana practitioner is open, intentionally or subconsciously, to the other seven limbs of Patanjali’s yoga, their mat expands from being just a 68 x 24 in a personal gym to a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual playground.
Our bodies are wonderful tools for self-exploration and healing, regardless of our stories to date. Through this earthly gateway, we can examine who we are on our mats, our perceived limitations, challenge who we are off our mats, and listen to the dreams of our hearts.
Destination Enlightenment. . . three, two, one, blast-off!
I’ll draw the line before I potentially alienate any of our beloved Inner Fire crew. I’ll avoid any spiritual soapboxes or claim I have a 7-day course that will allow you to live in a perpetual state of bliss.
My object is merely to pose the question of what else?
Our modern society spins on an axis that is becoming more and more off-kilter which weighs heavy in our minds and on our hearts. Many people now seem to habitually abide in a constant state of stress, though they desperately seek any kind of relief or ray of hope in these dark times. Some turn to means that numb at best, or destroy at worst.
Several years ago, I found a Midwest artist at Art Fair on the Square who photographed a quote by Hafiz on ascending stairs at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. The quote reads:
“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being!”
We must turn our curiosities inward as we move through presence, mindfulness, and interoception. When we have practiced this enough to feel safe in our bodies, we can allow our experience to burst into wonder as we enter an expansive awareness of connection, trust, and love; to our loved ones, our greater community, and ultimately the world. Yoga allows our light to shine brightly for ourselves and others.
Rein it in, Nora!
I know, I know, I could wane existentially for days. But I do have quite a pragmatic hook…
When have you noticed you tend to be the most connected with yourself (Self, if you prefer)? When can you most easily pause and connect with your heart before reacting from your amygdala (self)? When has a brilliant idea or apt solution seemingly downloaded into your consciousness after you’ve given up with hope your brain will provide?
I would bet many of you may credit a particularly healing savasana.
So what is it about yoga that can allow us to access our innate creativity, insight, and even intuition? I would pose a case for the additional seven limbs of yoga. But that’s a discussion of a lifetime.
So here, I’d posit that the intentionality and mindfulness before, during, and even after a practice serve as a compass to chart our course. They allow us to access a heart-based wisdom that can only be heard when we have moved through the doorway of mindfulness, narrowing our focus so we can connect to the here and now, settling into our bodies and thus gaining some modicum of trust in ourselves.
With these seeds planted, the flowers of an expansive awareness can blossom, to be recognized and harvested without the squawking of our inner critic.
This perspective may not appeal to everyone. But, in times like these, when we are being pushed to and past our breaking points, we must call on our hearts and minds for solutions and respite our rational brains have failed to offer.
What else might yoga offer beyond strength and flexibility? In a world that often feels off-kilter, where distress is the default state, how can we use our practice to anchor ourselves, to illuminate our own inner light?
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés puts it beautifully (thank you Karen Rigsby):
“Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times… When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.”
Every breath is a chance to remember this and begin again.
If you’d like to learn more about the neurophysiology of the flow state, creativity, and intuition, I’d love for you to join me for my Inner Alchemy Workshop on May 3, 2025, 12-2pm. This workshop will include a brief (I promise!) didactic introduction before we move into a vinyasa and Yin practice to encourage a connection with trust, your heart, and Wise Mind awareness. Yoga allows us to connect, yoke, and unify these aspects of ourselves so we can truly live our yoga.