Polyvagal Inspired Yoga

A self paced Journey to Safety, Connection, and Healing

Healing begins with safety. It’s in the spaces where we feel truly safe—safe in our own bodies, safe in our own minds—that we can begin to explore, heal, and thrive. This is the foundation of Polyvagal Inspired Yoga: creating a sense of safety within the body and mind so that we can begin to self-regulate, reconnect, and foster healing at our own pace.

Polyvagal Inspired Yoga is my personal offering—an approach that blends the modern science of polyvagal theory with the timeless wisdom of yoga. It’s born from my own healing journey and shaped by my experiences in seeking safety and connection. It’s about merging two powerful systems—polyvagal theory, which focuses on understanding the nervous system and its role in our emotional and physical well-being, and yoga, an ancient practice that has long been used for healing and self-discovery.

Acknowledge My Teachers: Dr. Ariel Schwartz

As part of my own journey, I’ve had the privilege of learning from some incredible teachers. One of them is Dr. Arielle Schwartz, a leader in the field of Polyvagal-Informed Yoga. I’ve completed my Level 1 to Level 3 training with her, and I’m deeply grateful for her teachings. For anyone interested in learning more about Polyvagal-Informed Yoga, I highly recommend checking out Dr. Schwartz’s YouTube video on what Polyvagal-Informed Yoga is all about which is below.

Her teachings have been instrumental in shaping how I approach Polyvagal Inspired Yoga. It’s through her guidance that I’ve been able to blend modern neuroscience with the ancient wisdom of yoga to create a practice that truly speaks to the needs of those who have experienced trauma and stress.

My personal offering

While polyvagal theory offers a framework for understanding the autonomic nervous system, and yoga provides tools to connect, strengthen, and soothe the body, Polyvagal Inspired Yoga is not just a combination of these two approaches. It’s my personal interpretation, a practice shaped by my struggles, growth, and healing. Through this offering, I’m sharing how self-paced nervous system healing, within a trauma-informed framework, has been key to my own healing journey. It’s been about taking small, intentional steps—honoring where I am in each moment and respecting the natural rhythm of my body. It’s been in the quiet, steady work that I’ve found the strength to move forward and the compassion to return to myself, over and over again.

Healing is not a one-size-fits-all process. Just as no two people experience trauma or healing in the same way, no two healing paths look exactly alike. This practice is an invitation to explore how polyvagal theory and yoga can come together to guide you towards safety, regulation, and self-love. It’s about giving you the tools to find what works best for you, at your own pace, in a practice that honors your personal experience.

A key component of this practice is vulnerability (check out my favourite Brene Brown talk on vulnerability below)—allowing yourself to be open, curious, and compassionate with what arises. Polyvagal Inspired Yoga isn’t about achieving some end goal or “perfect” state; it’s about honoring where you are, what you’re feeling, and the journey that is uniquely yours. This is why this practice is about choice, empowerment, and trust.

Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

A key part of this journey is the vulnerability we practice as we move through healing. One of the greatest teachers on vulnerability is Brené Brown, whose work has deeply influenced how I approach both my own practice and how I share it with others. Brené speaks to the power of vulnerability in creating connection and healing, and I encourage you to watch her TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability below, which highlights the importance of embracing our own vulnerability as a tool for deeper connection, both with ourselves and others.

My Experience with Healing

I’ve had my own personal experiences of healing through yoga, breathwork, spiritual practices and somatics —experiences where I was able to find deep connection, resilience, and self-regulation, all while moving through the challenges of life. Saying that I have also had experiences where I pushed my nervous system too far, too soon out of lack of awareness and understanding of my own capacity. While at times these experiences showed me the spectrum that is available in healing and feeling it also caused me to snap from the expansive state it brought right back to contraction. So for me Polyvagal Inspired Yoga offers that practice of building capacity first, getting to know yourself better and avoiding retraumatization through intensive practices. It’s from this experience that I offer you this practice: a practice that is not about fixing something that is broken but about honoring yourself, your body, and the inherent wisdom you already carry within.

In my journey, I’ve learned that everything we need for healing is already within us. It’s just a matter of coming home to ourselves—reconnecting with our bodies, minds, and hearts in a way that allows us to feel safe, grounded, and empowered. That’s what Polyvagal Inspired Yoga is: a path back to yourself, where you learn to trust the wisdom of your body and embrace the deep layers of your own experience.

The Role of Psychoeducation in Polyvagal Inspired Yoga

An important element of this practice is psychoeducation. Throughout this journey, I’ll be offering manageable, nugget-sized pieces of information about the nervous system and polyvagal theory—sharing insights that help us better understand how our bodies respond to stress, trauma, and connection. This piece is deeply rooted in the concept of Svadhyaya, or self-study, from the eight limbs of yoga. As we come to understand ourselves more deeply, we open the door to self-compassion and love.

Psychoeducation serves as a bridge between what we feel in our bodies and what we know in our minds. It’s about giving you the knowledge and tools to better understand how your nervous system works, how you can regulate it, and how you can create a sense of safety within yourself. As we learn more about our nervous systems, we’re able to access deeper layers of self-compassion and self-love—allowing us to heal from the inside out.

Healing is a Journey, Not a Destination

There are countless ways to get from A to Z. Polyvagal Inspired Yoga is not about telling you how to heal or how to feel—it’s about giving you the tools to start climbing your own ladder. It’s about allowing you to explore the tools that can help you find a sense of safety and regulation, no matter where you are on your healing journey. What I offer is not a rigid roadmap, but rather an invitation to discover your own path.

My wish is that by offering both an in-person and an online space, people can take their first step into self-regulation and co-regulation—allowing themselves to practice and build confidence in their own safe of choice. As you gain more confidence in regulating your own nervous system, it opens the door to deeper connections, both with yourself and others. This is the beauty of self-regulation—it creates a foundation of safety that allows us to explore the world with more openness, compassion, and trust.

This has been my own experience. Through years of yoga practice at home, completing my teacher training online, and diving deeper into courses, I’ve come to appreciate the power of feeling safe within my own space. And as I’ve built this sense of safety, I’ve been able to expand my healing journey and my connection with others.

The same opportunity is here for you. I believe that as you practice Polyvagal Inspired Yoga in your own space, you will begin to feel more confident, regulated, and ready to open yourself to deeper connections with the world around you. I hope this has given you an idea of what this practice is and why I am so passionate about it.

If you are stepping into this journey of Polyvagal Inspired Yoga with me, I hope you find peace in the quiet moments, strength in the challenges, and a deep connection with the wisdom already within you. May this practice serve as a gentle reminder that healing is not about reaching perfection but about embracing every part of yourself with kindness, compassion, and patience. I am honored to walk alongside you, wherever you are on your path.

With love and deep gratitude,

Namaste

Muriel Xxx