Demystifying the Vagus Nerve: Live Online Workshop

Demystifying the Vagus Nerve

Live Online Workshop with Catherine Annis

Saturday 7 February 2026 | 9-11am (GMT)

Can’t make it live? Sign up to the workshop and receive an on-demand playback of the workshop for 30 days afterwards, so you don’t have to miss out! The recording link will be sent out on the Monday after the workshop.

Important note: Zoom links for the live workshop are sent out 24 hours in advance.

Are you ready to access the natural power of your vagus nerve and become more resilient to stress?

Join Catherine Annis for this practical workshop to learn about the vagus nerve and how it affects our stress and energy levels. Together, we’ll discover how vagus influences our ability to relax and stimulates our capacity to rest and digest. 

We’ll look at how increased vagal tone supports our resilience, helping us transition from sympathetic response (i.e. fight/flight/freeze/fawn), to the calm and sociable state of the parasympathetic. Also included is an overview of how we can use its natural power to treat conditions as diverse as trauma, inflammation and migraine.

Join Catherine for this yoga workshop to:

• Learn what the vagus nerve is and how it’s revolutionising medicine.
• Explore polyvagal theory and how it relates to our lived experience.
• Learn how to stimulate the natural power of your vagus nerve.
• Discover simple techniques we can practice anywhere to regulate and soothe our nervous system.
• Unwind and release unnecessary tension

We’ll also investigate the latest scientific findings, revealing how improved vagal tone works to:

• Reduce inflammation.
• Boost energy levels.
• Lower blood pressure & heart rate.
• Improve sleep.
• Alleviate stress & anxiety.
• Enhance our ability to connect through social interactions.
• Improve our relationships through developing our capacity to trust and experience compassion.

Throughout the workshop, we’ll explore a range of simple techniques that can be practiced anywhere to stimulate vagal tone and  help us unwind and release unnecessary tension. 

The workshop will look at the science and latest findings before moving on to explore how to balance the sense of relaxation and letting go by generating a sense of stability and containment, working to centre and strengthen our physical and emotional selves.

Catherine Annis

Catherine Annis founded Intelligent Yoga Teacher Training, a practical and anatomy focused yoga teaching diploma. Originally a professional dancer, Catherine Annis discovered yoga as a teenager in the 1970s. She’s explored many styles of yoga during her yoga journey, including Iyengar, Sivananda and Astanga but finds the strong, deep and meditative approach of Vanda Scaravelli most nourishing.

Catherine’s practice and teaching focuses on deepening physical awareness and alignment to reveal the natural freedom of the body, particularly the spine.

Cost:

We know that our community sometimes face real cost-dilemmas and that our wellbeing practices often suffer when life gets hard.

Know that you have our full support whenever you need it.

We therefore offer a ‘Pay As You Feel’ for our MFML workshops.

There is a suggested price, which we ask you to pay, if you have the means. The suggested price is the ‘true cost’ of running the workshop, and this is £35.

If, however, finances are getting in the way of you joining, you are welcome to pay what you can afford so that you can still benefit and participate. This is the Buddhist system of Dana. The minimum that we can accept is £15, because as a small business we similarly need to be mindful of our cost considerations. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the workshop, drop us a message on support@movementformodernlife.com

Terms & Conditions

Practising safely

The live online workshops are for your education and your enjoyment only. You are participating in the live classes at your own risk. You are encouraged to to take breaks when needed and/or when in doubt, don’t do sequences that you are even a little concerned about. If you have any health condition, please seek medical advice before taking any form of exercise. Please let us know before the workshop starts if you have any concerns.

If you feel unwell in any way or if you experience any discomfort during class, please stop the class and consult your health practitioner immediately. Remember that yoga is mostly a journey off the mat and into life, and it is a journey about taking responsibility for our own actions and cultivating self-knowledge. Only choose exercises which will nurture and support you, and please take responsibility for yourself and your current abilities during your practice. Remember that each day is different, and even if yesterday you were able to perform a movement, that is no indicator that the same exercise is possible today. Please move within your comfortable limits and if you’re in any doubt whatsoever, please seek medical advice.

We are not medical practitioners and we do not seek to offer medical advice. Please consult your healthcare practitioner before starting any new exercise. This is particularly important if you have any limiting condition or are, pregnant, nursing, regularly taking medications, or have any existing medical conditions. We do not accept any liability whatsoever for any injury or damage, either during or after this retreat. Your participation in this retreat is entirely voluntary and at your own risk, and you agree to abide by the T&Cs of Movement for Modern Life.

Your data

By signing up to the online workshop, you consent to us adding your name and email address to our marketing database. If you do not wish to receive emails from us outside of this workshop, please do let us know and we will be sure to remove you from our database.