What is the Vagus Nerve? And How to Tone it for Mental Whole-being

Women are powerful. We have broken barriers, risen above our standards, changed the game. Women have embraced their masculinity and many are starting their own businesses, working on their careers AND still becoming mothers but it’s so much to juggle which leads to stress, burnout, and depression. We are pushed into a constant state of survival. My patience is tested, my sleep is off, my anxiety is high and I’m not about it. Over the past few years, I’ve had to find new tools to move through pent up tension and anxiety so I can show up the best I can be. ⁠

Trauma (no matter how “small”) can cause chronic anxiety and leave you in a state of constant fight or flight. In fight/flight mode, your body is reacting to danger. Your body is flooded with adrenaline, your breathing becomes shallow, and your heart rate increases. When you stay in this state for too long or leave it unchecked, your nervous system deregulates. You lose sleep, your appetite, your focus, your energy.⁠

We need TOOLS to allow RELEASE. To face our traumas and move through with resiliency. When something scares me I want to push through it. I don’t want to live afraid. I want to LEAN IN to the fear. I confront it to grow from it, so it doesn’t get stored up in my body. I confront it to elevate.⁠

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system and also oversees the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, sending messages of anxiety or calm to the brain. It is the longest cranial nerve, extending from your brain stem to your abdomen. It also connects to multiple organs including your heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, fertility organs and pancreas. This nerve also affects your neck, ears, and tongue. The vagus nerve is your body’s superpower and it’s used to counteract your fight/flight system to develop a healthy stress response and become resilient.

Should you be toning your vagus nerve? 

When your vagus nerve is not being supported or tended to, you’re more prone to feelings of anxiousness, pain, or depression. When you work with the vagus nerve, the relationship between your mind and body strengthens. When we have a high vagal tone or healthy vagal tone, it is shown that when you inhale, you have a slight increase in your heartbeat, and when you exhale, you have a slight decrease in your heartbeat. It is also associated with better physical and mental wholebeing. 

Here are my favorite ways for reactivating my vagus nerve:

Bee Breath - Take 3 fingers over your eyes and place your thumbs in your ears. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, make a humming sound like a bee. Inhale again, and continue the same pattern five to nine times.

Ear Massages, Pulling & Inner Ear Circles - Gently place one finger above the ridge of your ear canal and move in gentle circles. Repeat on the other side. Then gently pull the ear from the skull and move it up and down. Now massage the area behind the ear, moving your finger up and down, repeating on the other side. While you massage the area, you are sending messages of relaxation via the vagus nerve to the brain.

Seat Cat Cow & Hip Circles - While seated move your torso in a clockwise rotation, inhaling as you stretch back and exhaling as you come forward. Switch sides and rotate and it feels intuitively good to you.

Neck Stretches - Simply place your right hand at the top of your head and gently lean your head and right ear towards your right shoulder. Look up and hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Belly Tapping - Similar to EFT Tapping, tap your belly with your palms lightly above and below your belly button. This will reset tension.

Thumb to Belly Press - Place the thumb of your right hand above your navel, and press to the right and inward. Then press in above your navel and then again to the left. Then press into the right, middle, and left (about an inch above the navel). This will stimulate a pressure point and ease tension.

Torso Stretch - While seated, come into a twist on one side. Place your right hand on the outside of your left leg and place your left hand behind you. Gaze over your left shoulder. Lengthen your spine on your inhale, and on the exhale, deepen the twist. Then switch sides.

Finish with a whole-body scan. With eyes closed, begin at the top of your head and move all the way to your feet. Scan your body and send love and compassion down as you internally move.