Concept
Dorsal Vagal Complex
The Dorsal Vagal Complex is the back branch of the vagus nerve, lying between the heart and the spine: the healing parasympathetic system the body uses in deep sleep. Each long outbreath presses the chest back onto it; that pressure is the third of the Four Proofs, and engaging it repeatedly brings the Freeze Response, the yogi's interiorization.
Start with these
The First Key To Meditation - Yogi Explains
Shows how the long outbreath of HRV resonance engages the dorsal vagal, bringing the Four Proofs and then the Freeze Response, which he equates with pratyahara.
07:43Watch from here
Activating the Dorsal Vagal Aspect in Meditation - the 3rd Proof
A short follow-along of quick in-breaths and very long out-breaths for feeling the pressure on the nerve, the third proof, without preconceived ideas.
07:22Watch from here
Yogi explains Steven Porges' Polyvagal Theory
Introduces Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, where the dorsal vagal freeze sits beside fight-or-flight and the ventral vagal social system.
04:28Watch from hereWhere it comes up
02:31“So between your heart and all of your organs and your spine is that dorsal vagal.”07:17“That's the party in the front, and then in the back, it's all the business, but it's the sacred business of the yogis.”05:08“And the reason it's able to do that is it's compacting everything against the dorsal vagal.”03:14“You can actually just relax into the parasympathetic system and get to the beginning of those feelings very very easily, and it's the dorsal vagal inside of you.”03:36“Now in deep meditation, we use the long exhale to stimulate the dorsal vagal.”05:50“And what's happening internally when you breathe out is that your diaphragm comes up, and because it's pushing up, it's it's squeezing the lungs out, and as that happens, there's increased pressure on your thoracic cavity, and if you can imagine, that pressure is just pushing everything, squishing it right up against your spine, as you breathe out, all that pressure is just squishing everything in your chest right up against your spine, and right up against your spine is that dorsal vagal nerve.”04:28“He says, first of all, the primary nerve is the dorsal vagal nerve, and you see this in lizards.”01:31“Meanwhile, the heroes of the Pandava family are calling you backwards to the dorsal vagal to go inside, to retreat, to settle down, to self-regulate, to relax and find peace and tranquility and eventually even bliss.”02:02“That freeze is on the dorsal vagal.”04:30“The dorsal vagal is our friend for meditation.”02:13“So number one, the dorsal vagal complex.”02:50“Each time my out breath presses on the thoracic cavity, it's pressing backwards on that dorsal vagal, stimulating that part of my parasympathetic.”03:22“And I sit very still, and it sends me straight towards the dorsal vagal parasympathetic.”07:03“It's this nice massage, massaging through your heart, massaging through all the way back to the dorsal vagal right on top of your spine, and that's what we want.”07:59“You can easily do this backwards towards the spine, backwards towards the dorsal vagal.”08:35“So the whole thing is squeezing together, and it's compacting your organs against that dorsal vagal along the spine.”05:04“Well, you might feel yourself along the dorsal vagal, right along the spine.”00:38“But the yogi is very interested in what is going on in the dorsal vagal because that's where everything becomes holy.”07:29“That's what we're looking for, right on top of that spine where that dorsal vagal lies.”10:19“This awakening of the parasympathetic is happening because of that pressure on the dorsal vagal, and so in my meditation, I might start to feel that.”05:38“And the Kriya Yoga takes place on the spine, on the back channel, on the dorsal vagal complex.”03:46“Back towards the spine, towards the dorsal vagal complex, this is the origin.”02:09“So you have all these yogic lineages talking about the spine, talking about the innermost portion of the spine, and that is the perception of the dorsal vagal, and through that we get the freeze response.”05:34“I'm making my out breath very, very long, and because of that, I'm really starting to feel that awakening of the freeze response in the dorsal vagal, and it's a tiny bit blissful.”04:49“We might notice that extra pressure of the thoracic cavity pushing backwards against the spine, and right on top of the spine is the dorsal vagal, and so it gets pressed.”04:03“That's the origin of the chakra, which is close to the spine, which is the dorsal vagal complex, and the doorway is the front of the body, right?”12:24“There's extra pressure on the thoracic cavity, and that pressure goes backwards through the heart, back to the spine, and laying right on top of your spine is the dorsal vagal complex, and you are pressing that with your out breath.”16:39“So here's my spine, and the dorsal vagal lays right up on top of it, and then here's my heart and all my organs in the front of the body, right?”15:00“When it is healthy, when you're doing it on purpose, when the ventral vagal is clear, and you go back and you use the dorsal vagal, it is absolutely blissful and delicious.”03:44“And the freeze response comes on to us because we are working with and we are awakening the dorsal vagal complex.”06:37“And he feels what's right on top of it, which is the dorsal vagal complex.”09:31“It comes from those deep healing processes that are fostered by the dorsal vagal complex.”01:31“We're getting into the deep parasympathetic, which is the dorsal parasympathetic.”05:37“The rib cage rests on the dorsal vagal complex during the long out breath.”05:43“Flow with the breath, and so what happens is you begin to flow with the dorsal vagal complex.”03:55“So between your heart and between your spine is the dorsal vagal.”05:23“So if you can imagine that little space between your heart and your spine, that's where the dorsal vagal complex lies in the body.”11:33“You get a nice, beautiful breath, and then easily exhale for a long, long breath, inducing that dorsal vagal complex, which is so amazing.”04:51“And then the third thing, you're putting all this pressure on the dorsal vagal complex from the way that you're breathing with heart rate variability resonant breathing, and so all that pressure, you begin to feel it.”01:34“The thoracic cavity has increased pressure, and that pressure actually translates backwards to the dorsal vagal complex, and it's laying right against the spine.”10:00“And the reason is that's where the dorsal vagal nerve is.”05:41“And all that pressure translates all the way back to the dorsal vagal nerve, which is lying right up against the spine, right, right in here, especially.”11:20“So all that pressure goes on the dorsal vagal nerve, and that nerve sends a signal to the medulla, which is the breath center, and it sends a signal down to the heart that hey, there's more pressure, therefore lower the heart rate.”07:40“Then you can move your mind to the dorsal vagal nerve, which is in the thoracic cavity all the way back just before the spine.”07:40“And so this is why I talk about the holy trinity of breath, and I'm trying to box you into the dorsal vagal nerve, that dorsal vagal aspect.”08:32“And so, when we breathe in, the diaphragm is going down, and so that pressure is off of the dorsal vagal nerve.”04:06“We're stimulating during the out breath the dorsal vagal nerve and the parasympathetic system, and so all of that activation of the dorsal vagal nerve will send a signal to the medulla and then to the heart to lower the heart rate.”07:23“Just drop that mental mantric bomb, and what this is doing is that we've got the ventral vagal nerve, and then the sympathetic nervous system, and all of these are covering the dorsal vagal nerve.”03:34“That pressure on the dorsal vagal nerve tells it to go ahead and cycle down.”03:15“The most important nerve in your body is the dorsal vagal nerve.”12:38“So we moved it from the breath to the hands to the lips, and now number four, we're gonna move the attention to the dorsal vagal nerve itself.”03:31“So the the the dorsal vagal nerve starts working.”04:10“And so what happens in meditation, we activate the dorsal parasympathetic nerve, which puts a tiny brake on the heart and allows the heart to rest on the out breath, especially.”18:49“The dorsal vagal, the peace, it is an open door.”03:15“We're doing HRV resonance over and over and over again, and as I am doing that I am sitting very still, because I want to get into my dorsal vagal complex.”09:09“That's another proof, and these long outbreaths that I have been doing in the HRV resonance, it's pressing backwards on the dorsal vagal, and I can feel a little bit of that pressure.”04:02“Then it has an origin all the way back on top of the spine, and that's where the dorsal vagal is.”01:48“It's about the dorsal vagal, the left amygdala, and the right hippocampus.”02:04“We get in contact with the dorsal vagal complex again and again and again in our lives, and then it will show up in your daily life.”01:05“It's the dorsal vagal complex, and that includes slowing down the low-idle-state, getting into the parasympathetic, and the process of om japa in the chakras.”06:28“It's pressure on the dorsal vagal that is absolutely awakening your parasympathetic system every single time.”06:05“I'm just going to stick you in a corner, just sit, and we take it very lightly, but it's actually this humongous principle, and it will reveal your own deep dorsal vagal parasympathetic system to you.”07:44“Just very gently put the head backwards as far as is comfortable, and the feeling that I get, which is a very good feeling, the feeling is that the sensation is dripping down the back of my spine, and that's the dorsal vagal activation that I'm feeling.”01:26“So, the ventral vagal in the front, the dorsal vagal in the back, and the sympathetic all the way weaving through all of that.”04:01“So we got the the jab of the dorsal vagal complex, and we have the knockout punch of the heart of the left amygdala.”07:22“It is they're trying to use the dorsal vagal.”04:51“The chakras in the dorsal vagal are warring against this outwardness that we usually have.”04:34“Now the yogis, we go back to the dorsal vagal.”11:04“Now I'm transferring it straight into the blissful dorsal vagal.”06:55“So with every single chakra, I'm intending to keep going backwards until I can feel the origin of the chakra, the dorsal vagal.”18:33“You're pointing first to the dorsal vagal, and then second to the upper nervous system.”07:07“you get in touch with the dorsal vagal complex, the parasympathetic system inside of you which freezes you into place”03:53“Well, first of all, there's the bliss along the dorsal vagal, right?”09:24“We're taking it from the ventral vagal, putting it into the dorsal vagal.”05:11“It's going to massage the dorsal vagal, so all of that compaction is a little massage, and it's it's an internal stretch.”01:59“And so that long breathing is going to stimulate the dorsal vagal complex, and the sitting very still is going to help us to awaken that dorsal vagal complex, and that is going to give us the freeze response.”08:30“I'm using that to get into my dorsal vagal complex and the freeze response.”12:13“Maybe I feel a pressure along the dorsal vagal, right?”06:32“I'm sorry, that's how it works, and it will stimulate the lower portion of the dorsal vagal.”08:36“You know it's working, and as you get in touch with the dorsal vagal complex, you're going to start feeling what I call the four proofs, and that again is biofeedback.”10:23“We go up the spine through the processes of the dorsal vagal, through Om Japa and the chakras.”09:37“That delicious, delightful freeze response proof that we are activating the dorsal vagal and the parasympathetic system beautifully.”05:53“Maybe I feel the pressure on the dorsal vagal.”05:05“So we've cleared out the front channel, and then we transfer it to the back channel, into the dorsal vagal, which is everything that the kriya yogi is trying to get into.”03:15“It's your dorsal vagal complex.”11:46“We've gotten in touch with the dorsal vagal with always make the outbreath longer.”03:03“So first we might come in touch with the dorsal vagal.”12:20“You have to pick that dorsal vagal complex.”27:30“The dorsal vagal itself may begin to tingle and feel joyful or blissful or even loving.”15:09“It's actually the retreat of energy through the nervous system into the dorsal vagal, and it's laying right on top of the spine.”09:31“What's actually happening is you are getting in touch with the sushumna, which means you're getting in touch deeply with the dorsal vagal complex.”03:23“Number three, do I feel any pressure on the dorsal vagal complex?”10:38“How can we use the dorsal vagal complex to lower our idle state and enter into tranquility in meditation?”01:55“So the first is the dorsal vagal.”11:24“We've got to get the dorsal vagal complex activated.”04:56“It's the dorsal vagal complex, and you're feeling that ecstatic pressure.”04:30“It's all about the dorsal vagal complex, and when the Pandavas win, you have won.”13:44“We've got a jab, which is the dorsal vagal complex awakening, and we have the knockout punch, which is inducing the right brain, and you will have the most amazing meditation.”11:38“All of these are glorious proofs that you are awakening your parasympathetic system very deeply through the dorsal vagal complex, and that is the airplane route right up into the brain and into the experience of the right hippocampus, which is expansive.”08:53“Pick that dorsal vagal complex, and you're gonna win.”03:42“He's talking about the cultivation of the dorsal vagal complex.”05:09“We're just tricking ourselves into activating the dorsal vagal complex, into inducing the right hippocampus of the brain and inducing the left amygdala of the brain and getting past the right amygdala, which is the center of doom.”02:18“With the heart rate variability breathing, we are stimulating the dorsal vagal complex.”02:31“The out breath has to be longer because that out breath is where the diaphragm is up, and all that pressure comes on the dorsal vagal nerve, and it sends a signal to the medulla.”09:08“That's what I want, and so when you take all of that extra tension out, you get maximized results for going backwards to the dorsal vagal complex, and it's so easy.”04:55“Any of that is the awakening of the dorsal vagal complex, and it's this beautiful, beautiful thing, and it can feel, oh my.”06:15“That dorsal vagal complex is coming alive.”08:16“We stimulate the dorsal vagal complex, and now we stimulate that parasympathetic, and the heart rate goes down.”03:01“Let it, let yourself retreat into that parasympathetic system, the dorsal vagal nerve, the meditative mellows.”05:39“We're all worried, but yet if we can retreat into the dorsal vagal aspect, into that piece of the parasympathetic system, and relax with our heart rate variability breathing, we're going to keep our systems optimal for any kind of immune response which we need.”05:00“then if you go put your mind on the dorsal vagal nerve especially on that nice long out breath”10:50“He is accentuating the parasympathetic, the dorsal vagal nerve, in the practice of Kriya Yoga, and so he is bringing everything into closer balance by accentuating that ida side of the body, and possibly the right brain itself.”00:26“So the body is designed to accentuate the dorsal vagal nerve to stimulate it on the outbreath so that the heart rate goes down.”01:09“And that's what's going to sink us into the dorsal vagal nerve, the parasympathetic system into heart rate resonant breathing, where the breath and the heart rate are varying together in resonance, right?”09:35“We want to get into that dorsal vagal nerve.”10:15“So that would be heart rate variability plus the dorsal vagal nerve minus envy equals meditative mellows.”12:02“That's a window into the dorsal vagal nerve, into the freeze response in the body, and that response is blissful.”04:02“So we're activating the dorsal vagal nerve, which tells the heart put a tiny brake on the heart.”01:19“And then when you let that go, feel the energy as it ripples back towards its origin in the dorsal vagal nerve.”07:17“And that's why intuition comes to us in a flash, and that's why we have to be so in the moment and so aware of the moment, and lower the breath rate and put a natural brake on the heart through the operation of the dorsal vagal nerve.”07:41“But it's actually a mirror, and the most important point: the dorsal vagal nerve comes right up into the medulla, and the medulla is the breath center, and it relays information to the heart and the breath.”01:10“The baroreceptor in the heart is subdued, and the vagus nerve, the dorsal vagal nerve, puts the brake on the heart and slows the heartbeat.”04:12“It all has to do with your dorsal parasympathetic spine.”06:33“We activate the dorsal parasympathetic nerve, which puts a tiny brake on the heart and allows the heart to rest on the out breath, especially.”04:09“When you can sit very still, you deeply activate the dorsal parasympathetic nervous system, and you begin to collect a deep kind of peace and bliss.”