What Ten Years of Practice Actually Taught Me
3rd September 2026
In 2016, I made fun of yoga. Useless, I thought — just stretching, no real strength involved. I ran 10km, four times a week. I was strong. Yoga was for people who weren't.
Then I did my first class.
I couldn't get through seven rounds of Sun Salutation. Couldn't lift both legs eight times in a simple leg-raise. Couldn't get anywhere near a headstand forward bend. My back was stiff in ways I hadn't noticed. My arms weren't as strong as I assumed. The runner who thought he was fit couldn't do things a beginner's class asked of him.
That was only the physical part. At the time, I also had digestive issues, anger I couldn't explain, mood swings, back pain, hair loss starting far too early. And my answer to all of it was to look outside myself — some other exercise would fix it, more protein would fix it, there had to be a medicine somewhere with my name on it.
I kept practicing anyway. My teacher never told me to change any of this. He didn't lecture me about running, or diet, or my temper. He just inspired me to keep coming back to the mat.
Ten years later, I know something I didn't know then: I am responsible for what I feel, what I do, and my own health. Not a supplement. Not a doctor with a quick fix. Me.
Somewhere along the way, I also started understanding what the practice was actually doing inside me — not just muscles, but organs, glands, the endocrine system, the skeletal system, digestion, all of it working together. I was poor at biology in school. Avoided it completely. Yoga is what made me fall in love with it — with my own body, and how closely it's tied to the mind. Learning that changed how I see myself as much as the practice did.
The practice has changed more than my body. It's changed how I look at life, at people, at God, at yoga itself. I stopped running entirely in 2016 — yoga is the only practice I do now. No protein supplements, ever. A light diet. And at ten years in, I'm healthier than I've ever been in my life — younger, if I'm honest, than I felt the day I first mocked the whole idea. And it all started with one simple, traditional hatha yoga class.
If you'd told the 2016 version of me this is where I'd end up — not just practicing, but teaching — he wouldn't have believed you. That's exactly why I teach the way I do now: because I know what it's like to sit in a class certain you're already strong enough, and to be wrong about it.
The Science of Vagus Nerve Regulation Through Sivananda Hatha
We live in a world of chronic overstimulation. Between Slack notifications, deadlines, and the general pace of modern life, our nervous systems are under constant siege. Many of us spend our days trapped in a low-grade, survival-driven "fight-or-flight" state (sympathetic dominance).
In classical Sivananda Hatha Yoga, we do not view relaxation as a luxury or a passive "pause." We view it as an active physiological reset.
Here is the biological science of how steady, hold-based postures and classical breathwork directly regulate your nervous system via the vagus nerve.
The Vagus Nerve: Your Body's Natural Brake
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body. It runs from your brainstem down through your neck, heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It acts as the primary highway for the parasympathetic nervous system—the system responsible for slowing your heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and signaling your body that it is safe to rest, digest, and heal.
When you stimulate the vagus nerve, you increase your "vagal tone," which allows your body to bounce back from stress much faster.
How Classical Sivananda Practices Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
1. Rhythmic, Diaphragmatic Breathing (Pranayama)
Deep, slow belly breathing physically stretches the diaphragm muscle. Because the vagus nerve passes directly through the diaphragm, this physical movement stimulates the nerve’s sensory receptors.
The Science: By consciously slowing your exhalation to be longer than your inhalation, you send an immediate chemical signal to your brain to lower your heart rate and stop producing stress hormones like cortisol.
2. Long-Held Postures (Asanas)
Unlike fast, cardio-heavy yoga styles that keep your heart rate elevated, classical Hatha focuses on holding postures in stillness.
The Science: When you hold a posture and focus on maintaining a calm, steady breath despite the physical effort, you train your brain to stay calm under pressure. You are teaching your nervous system how to experience physical challenge without triggering a panic response.
3. Systematic Deep Relaxation (Savasana)
We close every Sivananda practice with 10 to 12 minutes of structured, guided relaxation.
The Science: This is where the physiological "magic" happens. During Savasana, we systematically release tension from every muscle group from the toes to the head. This complete physical surrender allows your body to transition fully out of fight-or-flight, giving your brain the restorative rest it needs to sleep deeply and recover from cognitive fatigue.
The Takeaway: You cannot think your way out of stress, but you can breathe and move your way out of it. Classical Hatha Yoga uses your body’s built-in biology to restore mental spaciousness and physical ease.
Ready to experience a deep nervous system reset? Meet us on the mat in Montpellier Centre.
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Looking for Hatha Yoga Classes in English in Montpellier?
Join a welcoming community and explore traditional hatha yoga through movement, breath, relaxation, and meditation.
Looking for Hatha Yoga Classes in English in Montpellier?
Join a welcoming community and explore traditional hatha yoga through movement, breath, relaxation, and meditation.
Looking for Hatha Yoga Classes in English in Montpellier?
Join a welcoming community and explore traditional hatha yoga through movement, breath, relaxation, and meditation.