What is Centered Yoga?
Subtle® Yoga-Inspired and rooted in the Viniyoga tradition, Centered Yoga is a slow, mindful, and accessible approach that integrates the wisdom of Ayurveda, creating a person-centered practice that embraces people of all ages, shapes, experience levels and abilities.
Rather than focusing on fitness, this somatic, therapeutic practice prioritizes nervous system resilience and mental well-being, while simultaneously enhancing physical health, vitality, and longevity.
Aligned with Ayurvedic principles, Centered Yoga practices are highly adaptable and can vary according to the time of day, season and individual. It is easy to dial-up or dial-down the level of effort and challenge. With an aim to help participants consciously (both up- and down-) regulate the nervous system, support balanced respiration, and foster mind-body awareness, Centered Yoga assists in trauma recovery making it an asset in healthcare strategies for individuals and population health.
“Slowness of movement is the key to awareness, and awareness is the key to learning... Slower movement leads to more subtle observation...so that more change is possible.” (Doidge, 2016)
Why is it needed?
The relentless demands of our contemporary world have a profound impact on our nervous systems, leading to an overall decline in our holistic wellness. Because our culture is so hyped and stimulated, we are saddled with the fallout of too much sympathetic nervous system arousal. This means we spend too much time in the “fight or flight” response. This low grade stress can lead to a whole spectrum of health challenges.
How does it work?
Slow, mindful yoga trains your nervous system to build resilience and interoceptive awareness. Interoception is the practice of listening to your body so you can notice tension patterns that manifest as pain, discomfort and feeling disconnected. It also builds vagal tone which means your ‘Window of Tolerance’ is wide open - so it’s easy to feel comfortable in your skin, it’s easy to rest, it’s easy to rev up, and it’s easy to shift between states when you need to. Easy does it, the research says, does it.
There are also other notable changes to brain structures that happen with slow yoga practice like areas involved in improved focus, attention, and memory, as well as less gray matter loss in the brain, something which naturally occurs with aging.
It’s great if you predominantly engage in yoga to get a vigorous, sweaty workout. However, finishing with savasana doesn't necessarily mean you're addressing aspects your body may need. Slow yoga postures and breathing practices are key. They train awareness and that awareness can help bring about healing.
Slow yoga practice helps you bathe your nervous system in embodiment, better understand who you are, connect to the things that matter to you, and find the inner strength and fortitude to actualize your priorities and values.
Source: Subtle® Yoga
The Nervous System Resilience Building Benefits of Slow, Mindful Yoga Postures
Slow, mindful yoga posture practice has health benefits (in addition to the usual exercise benefits) that can help to build resilience in the nervous system. Yoga posture practice can:
Enhance muscular strength
Enhance flexibility
Promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function
Promote recovery from and treatment of addiction
Reduce stress, anxiety, depression and chronic pain
Improve sleep
Enhance sense of well-being and quality of life
Build awareness
Improve function of attention networks
Increase interoception and proprioception and the function of the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and sensorymotor cortex
Improve memory and the function of the hippocampus
Improve self-regulation and emotional regulation
Reduce reactivity of the amygdala which correlates with reduced stress response
Improve hemispheric communication across the corpus callosum which correlates with improved brain function
Resources:
Villemure, C., Čeko, M., Cotton, V. A., & Bushnell, M. C. (January 01, 2015). Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9.
Woodyard, Catherine. (2011). Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. Medknow Publications Pvt Ltd.
The Brain Optimizing Benefits of Meditation Practice
A robust body of research has emerged over the past couple of decades touting the brain optimizing benefits of meditation practice. Here are some of the ways that scientists understand meditation helps the brain:
Reduce pain, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, anxiety, depression, menopausal symptoms, inflammation, and insomnia
Increase gray matter in the frontal cortex which is associated with working memory and executive function
Activate frontoparietal attention networks
Deactivate default mode network which is associated with reduced rumination
Improve the function of the left hippocampus which assists in learning, cognition, memory, and emotional regulation
Improve the function of the temporoparietal junction which is associated with perspective taking, empathy, and compassion
Decrease amygdala reactivity which correlates with reduced emotional reactivity and a reduction in stress levels.
Resources:
Goleman, D., & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Altered traits: Science reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain, and body.
Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway, M. T., McGarvey, M., ... Benson, H. (November 28, 2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport, 16, 17, 1893-1898.
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (January 01, 2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191, 1, 36-43.
Source: Subtle® Yoga