by Nina
I found this nice little illustration of baroreceptors that I’m excited to share with you. Okay, I admit it, I’m a little obsessed with baroreceptors. But that’s because ever since I found out how our baroreceptors help regulate our blood pressure and I understood how we can use this aspect of our anatomy to switch our nervous systems from fight or flight to relaxation mode, I’ve not only included supported inverted poses in my practice on a regular basis but I’ve been on a mission to spread the word. Using supported inverted poses for stress management is one of easiest ways—at least for me—to calm yourself down because all you have to do is set yourself in the pose and stay there for a while. The shape of the pose itself causes the baroreceptors to work their magic.
As I wrote in my post Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses, the reason that inverted poses trigger the relaxation response is due to the pressure sensors called baroreceptors that are connected to the nerves controlling your heart rate and blood pressure. Your baroreceptors are located in the wall of each internal carotid artery at your carotid sinus (the arteries on each side of your neck that carry blood from your heart to your brain).
And in the wall of your aortic arch (just above your heart).
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| Aortic Arch |
These baroreceptors detect any changes in your blood pressure, stretching when your blood pressure is high and shrinking when your blood pressure is low. If your baroreceptors detect a fall in your blood pressure, they send signals via your nerves to increase your heart rate, constrict your blood vessels to raise your blood pressure, and switch your nervous system to fight or flight mode. Likewise, if your baroreceptors detect abnormally elevated blood pressure, they send signals to slow your heart rate, relax your blood vessels to lower your blood pressure, and switch your nervous system to relaxation mode. And now I have a picture to illustrate this!
In an inverted pose, your heart is higher than your head, the opposite of its position when you are upright. With your heart higher than your head, gravity causes more blood to flow in the direction of your head, creating more pressure than usual on your carotid sinus and aortic arch. As the arterial pressure is increased, your baroreceptors are stretched and signals are transmitted to your central nervous system as if your blood pressure was high throughout your body. Feedback signals are then sent back to your body to reduce the arterial pressure, slowing your heart rate, relaxing your blood vessels, and releasing hormones that decrease adrenaline production. This automatically switches your body to relaxation mode.
Because there are baroreceptors in your carotid sinus (the arteries on each side of your neck that carry blood from your heart to your brain) inverted or partially inverted poses where your neck is flexed (that is, your chin is pointing toward your chest), as in Shoulderstand, Plow pose, or Bridge pose, puts added stimulation on your baroreceptors, which may enhance the calming effects of the inversion.
Any yoga pose where your heart is above your head is considered to be an inversion. Inverted yoga poses include full inversions, such as Headstand and Shoulderstand, where your heart is directly over your head and the rest of your body is also fully inverted. Partial inversions, such as Downward-Facing Dog pose and Standing Forward Bend, where your heart is less directly over your head and your legs are either not fully or not at all inverted, are also considered inverted poses and will have similar calming effects. As long as you are warm, quiet, and comfortable in the inverted pose, all you have to do is let the baroreceptors work their magic. Naturally, supported versions of the poses (such as Shoulderstand with a chair or Bridge pose on blankets) are more relaxing than the versions of poses in which you must support yourself, so if you’re practicing inversions for stress reduction, choose the supported versions. See Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses for a complete list of the inverted poses.
I’m such a believer in these poses that I recently had a friend (thank you, Erin Collom) take photographs of me doing all the supported inversions, so I could write in detail about the individual poses. For now, here’s a photograph of a Supported Standing Forward Bend, a surprisingly calming pose.
Caution: Inverted poses may be unsafe for those with certain medical conditions (see here).
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Wow! Who knew!
I find myself doing the Supported Standing Forward Bend all the time and never made the connection.
Thank You for a great post!
Tremendous work being done on this blog. Keep it up!
I love this post and agree with Anna's comment. I, too, have been obsessed with baroreceptors as they relate to yoga practice ever since Roger Cole explained the physiology of relaxation to me in 2001.
inversions are my beautiful magic to calm.
In a workshop I learned an inverted pose that is a bit hard to get into but wonderfully relaxing. You need a sturdy chair and a bolster, and possible blankets to pad any sharp edges of the chair. The bolster goes on the floor in front of the chair. You sit on the seat of the chair and then swing your legs up and over the back of the chair, so that the ankles or calves are resting on the very top part of the chair back. Your sacrum rests on the chair seat. Your shoulders rest on the bolster, and your head is on the floor. Arms are out in cactus position. Sheer bliss.
For the people with high blood pressure the inversions usually have been strictly nonono. even if they are on medication. Is this something new – new theory? Would love to hear your comment – though you have already clearly explained the function of "baroreceptors". Very interesting!
I also love the supported down dog pose from judith hanson laseters book. using a strap attached to the wall around the waste. it takes all the pressure off your upper body and you can just melt into it.
I came across this article while checking for yoga inversions. Nina, I don't agree with you on the gravity and blood flow issue. What you mentioned is not how the physiology of the blood flow happens. If gravity is responsible for blood flow into the brain in inversions, then the same gravity should have caused the blood and other fluids to accumulate in the feet, ankles, toes or knees when we are in a standing posture. In inversions, blood does not automatically flow into the brain. The blood flow into the brain happens just the same way it flows when we are upright. Inversions come in handy for people who have issues with poor cerebral flow. And in those cases, inversions strengthen the blood vessels, the baro receptors and also clear any debris in the carotid artery.
First of all, I never said that gravity causes blood flow into the brain in inversions. I only said it flows toward the heart and neck. And, yes, the same gravity DOES cause blood and other fluids to accumulate in the feet when people are standing up! People who stand up for hours at a time have problems with swollen feet, including my daughter who is a cook. So doing an inverted pose when the legs are inverted, such as as Legs Up the Wall or Legs on a Chair, will help return the venous fluids back toward the heart.
Any advice for students who feel nauseous (almost like car sickness) when their head is below their heart?
First of all, have you discussed this with your doctor? If not, please do and make sure it’s nothing to be concerned about. Then, unfortunately, I don’t know of a magic yoga solution to not feeling nauseated when your head is below your heart. So I would say that you should refrain from doing the poses if they make you uncomfortable and find other ways to quiet your nervous system, such as practicing restorative poses, where your head is slightly above your heart, with a mental focus, such as your breath or a mantra. You can also try seated meditation. Good luck with figuring this out!