By Andres Galindo – NeuroSomatic Teacher

As a long-time student of both Eastern philosophy and modern neuroscience, I often find that the maps provided by ancient traditions and contemporary science echo one another in profound ways. One such convergence that fascinates me lies in the relationship between Paul MacLean’s Triune Brain theory, the Three Gunas of Ayurveda, and Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. While these frameworks come from different epistemologies, I see compelling symbolic and psychological parallels that offer us a richer view of the human experience—a view I believe bridges biology, energy, and consciousness.

To be clear: this is a conceptual synthesis, not an established scientific model. But it is a meaningful one, offering a way to understand how states of body, mind, and awareness reflect deeper principles shared across systems.

MacLean’s Triune Brain theory, proposed in the 1960s, divides the human brain into three evolutionary layers:

• The Reptilian Brain (brainstem), responsible for basic survival and instinctive behavior.

• The Limbic System, governing emotion and reactivity.

• The Neocortex, associated with reasoning, empathy, and higher cognition.

In Ayurveda, the mind is shaped by the three gunas:

• Tamas: inertia, ignorance, resistance.

• Rajas: activity, desire, turbulence.

• Sattva: harmony, clarity, wisdom.

Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory describes how our autonomic nervous system regulates emotional and physiological states through three main branches:

• Dorsal Vagal: freeze, collapse, shutdown (linked to parasympathetic immobilization).

• Sympathetic Activation: fight-or-flight, mobilization.

• Ventral Vagal: social engagement, safety, co-regulation.

Here’s the link I see between these models:

1. The Reptilian Brain, which governs primal functions like heart rate and digestion, mirrors the Dorsal Vagal Stateand reflects the Tamasic guna. This state arises when we shut down or withdraw—whether in trauma, apathy, or deep rest. Tamas is heavy, slow, and unconscious—qualities that align with dorsal vagal immobilization and the primal, unreflective nature of the brainstem.

2. The Limbic Brain, our emotional engine, parallels the Sympathetic State and resonates with Rajas. Here we find movement, intensity, desire, and reaction. Rajas propels the mind outward and drives action—just as sympathetic arousal energizes the body into fight or flight. This is also the seat of emotional memory and interpersonal survival.

3. The Neocortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex, aligns with the Ventral Vagal State and embodies Sattva. This is the domain of reflection, insight, and connection. Sattva brings balance, clarity, and compassionate awareness—qualities nourished by the social engagement system when we feel safe, connected, and present. Neuroscience affirms that ventral vagal activation promotes executive function, co-regulation, and emotional stability (Porges, 2011).

From an Ayurvedic view, we’re always fluctuating between these gunas. From a neurobiological view, we move through brain-based and vagal states. What’s exciting is to consider how meditative practices, breathwork, and conscious lifestyle choices can help us move from tamasic inertia, through rajasic effort, toward sattvic clarity—and from survival brainstem activity into prefrontal presence and relational safety.

Porges (2011) emphasizes that “the neural circuits associated with social behavior overlap with those that support the regulation of the autonomic state,” pointing to the link between psychological and physiological integration. Likewise, Ayurveda teaches that sattva can be cultivated intentionally, through self-discipline and inner inquiry.

While the brain doesn’t evolve in clean layers as MacLean originally suggested (see Panksepp & Biven, 2012), his model remains a useful metaphor for exploring our layered consciousness—a journey from survival, through emotion, into awareness.

If you are further interested in the practice of meditation and the application of Vedanta to daily life-empowering transformation, I recommend you to check out my Online Neuro-Vedanta Meditation Teacher Training.

References

MacLean, P. D. (1990). The triune brain in evolution: Role in paleocerebral functions. Springer.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W.W. Norton & Company.
Panksepp, J., & Biven, L. (2012). The archaeology of mind: Neuroevolutionary origins of human emotions. W.W. Norton & Company.