Yoga As Sensory Haven

 

Better posture from yoga. Better focus. Better balance. Stronger muscles. Stronger core. Stronger nervous system! The list goes on.

Yoga asanas stimulate and integrates all the senses, enhancing sensory integration. They do so by providing antigravity control, postural control, midline development, core control, coordination, body awareness, modulation and regulation of breath.

The Senses

Proprioception comes from balancing and weight bearing postures, changing body positions, and postures involving push/pull (flexion/extension) into joints and muscles (“heavy work”). All put pressure into the joint. This pressure sends information to the brain about where the body is in space to enhance body awareness.

Vestibular input happens with each head change as you move through space in different directions: upright, forward, backward, rotated—from up to down; from backbends to forward bends; from bends to twists. These head changes tap into the balance system and alert the brain to change of position to maintain balance and perspective. Upside down poses especially enact a huge vestibular surge. If you find that a morning class consisting of headstands, handstands, Crow, and Firefly in Power Vinyasa yoga effectively settles you throughout the day, thank the vestibular hits.

Deep pressure touch, the most calming form of input—think bear hug!—comes from bare feet pushing into floor or mat; hands pressed into various parts of the body for support; the instructor's physical adjustments.

Deep pressure in floor poses like Savasana or lying prone on the belly increases sensory input across large surface areas of the body enhancing body awareness.

To bolster the calming effect of deep pressure touch, the sweat itself that pours down your body harkens back to the soothing wet warmth of the womb.

Visual input comes from seeing the poses demonstrated and imitating them, from dristi (focus) as you balance, and from noticing what your body is doing. “Notice if your knee if over your foot,” teachers will tell you in the extended leg in Warrior I.

Auditory input comes from yoga instructions, from description of what’s taking place in the body, and from inspiring aphorisms throughout a spiritually oriented yoga class. It comes as well from music playing, from hearing your breathing, and from chanting in classes like Kundalini yoga.

In addition to the postures, pranayama (yoga breathing), mudra (gestures practiced with hands and fingers) and meditation all have a soothing and regulatory effect on the nervous system.

As another plus, yoga practice can be adapted to a variety of ages, learning styles and environments to get a body moving.

Sharon Heller is a developmental psychologist, long-time yogi, consultant for sensory processing disorder, and the author of popular psychology books. These include Yoga Bliss, How Sensory Input in Yoga Calms & Organizes the Nervous System (Symmetry, 2021); Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight:  What to do if you are sensory defensive in an overstimulating world (HarperCollins, December, 2002); Uptight & Off Center, how sensory processing disorder throws adults off balance & how to create stability (Symmetry, 2015).