Join WhatsApp Channel
January 2021 – a glorious Queensland morning takes guard at the Gabba – a fortress no visiting Test team had ever breached, and a depleted touring side aims for the impossible: to chase a mammoth 328 on a weary final-day deck.
The gullible mind says the result is a no brainer – but the infallible gut says play with instinct. The rest is history.
This isn’t a one-off moment where instinct becomes savior. We rely on instinct far more than we admit and it isn’t magic – it’s biology.
Running quietly inside us is the vagus nerve, a long, wandering messenger connecting the gut, heart, lungs and brain. Nearly eighty percent of its signals travel upward, from gut to brain. Which means the gut often signals before the conscious mind catches up.
That tightening before a bad decision, that quiet nudge to move forward – none of it is imagination. It’s the body sending information faster than the mind can process it. When the vagus nerve is strong, instinct is clean and trustworthy. When it is weak, instinct gets drowned under anxiety, overthinking and fear.
Modern life weakens this connection more than we realize. Chronic stress keeps the body in fight-or-flight. Ultra-processed food inflames the gut and distorts mood. Poor sleep disrupts the microbiome that shapes emotional stability. A gullible mind is often just a neglected gut.
Some simple daily practices can shift your internal chemistry. Add Bhramari pranayama – the humming-bee breath – to your routine. Sit tall, block your earlobes with your thumbs and rest your fingers lightly on your scalp. Inhale gently and exhale with a soft hum, letting the vibration move through your throat and chest. This resonance stimulates the vagus nerve, quietens the stress response and brings the mind back to instinctive clarity. Even two minutes of humming can settle the noise inside.
A second tool is a simple nightly neck massage – slow, light strokes along the sides of the neck to release tension and nudge the body into its parasympathetic, rest-and-digest mode. It’s a small ritual that tells your system the day is done and it’s safe to soften.
Food plays a very important role too. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha support the gut’s ecosystem. Fibre-rich meals – oats, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits – feed the microbiome and stabilize mood. Warm water, soups and broths soothe digestion across cultures. And if you prefer traditional aids, a mild digestive supplement like Triphala or even simple lemon-warm-water can help keep the system regular – not as a cure, just as gentle support.
Yoga was never just about flexibility or fitness. It was about clearing the static between body and mind, so we can hear the quiet intelligence already living within us. Because the mind can be gullible; but a well-tuned gut – that’s your truest compass.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.
