Yogabody, 6/10/22; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Vagus nerve stimulation: 3 Tricks to Stop Anxiety Fast
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| A flexible spine means youth. |
The key is to stimulate the vagus nerve -- the vagabond or wandering nerve that runs down either side of the neck. It plays a key role in stimulating the body’s parasympathetic nervous system (self-soothing to get back to the "rest and digest" mode).
It is involved in a host of important bodily functions, including stabilizing mood, digestion, and heart rate.
When the vagus nerve is operating optimally, it’s referred to as high vagal tone. This doesn’t mean we’ll never feel anxious or upset, but it does mean that we’ll be able to "respond" rather than "react" in those moments.
And we’ll be much more adept at self-soothing and calming ourselves down when a situation arises.
Free dive: Hold breath underwater by staying calm
- 00:00 Stress & anxiety
- 00:53 Safety disclaimer
- 01:07 What is the vagus nerve?
- 01:40 Parasympathetic nervous system
- 03:42 High vs. low vagal tone
- 04:55 Test vagal tone
- 07:52 Stimulate vagus nerve
- 08:11 Bhramari practice
- 09:48 Triangle breathing
- 12:06 Ear massage
- 14:07 Further learning
ANATOMY: What is the vagus nerve? The name vagus comes from Latin, meaning "to wander," like a vagabond. This tenth cranial nerve wanders throughout the thoracic cavity. It innervates some of the most important muscles and is responsible for some vital functions such as: breathing, speaking, swallowing, blood pressure, heart rate, orgasm, taste, circulation, digestion, gut health, and more.
The nerve itself sits within a fascial tube, called the carotid sheath. The carotid sheath is an important landmark in head and neck anatomy and contains several vital neurovascular structures, including the carotid artery, jugular vein, vagus nerve, and sympathetic plexus.
Once we understand what the vagus nerve is and why it’s important, this video offers some simple ways to stimulate this nerve to self-soothe and calm ourselves down when we need to.
COMMON SIGNS OF LOW VAGAL TONE
1) Feeling anxious and stressed
2) Feeling wired but tired
3) Feeling overwhelmed with worry
3 TRICKS WE'LL LEARN FOR HIGH VAGAL TONE
1) Bhramari (humming)
2)
Triangle Breathing with Chin Lock
3) Ear Massage
- PODCAST INTERVIEW REFERENCED: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast...
- BOOK REFERENCED: Stanley Rosenberg's Accessing Heal...
- Stephen Porges and Deb Dana's book amazon.com/Polyvagal-Theo...
RESEARCH REFERENCES
More info? Article: yogabody.com/vagus-nerve... * Breath Coach Training yogabody.com/breath-coach/
* Join our YOGABODY Daily at-home fitness program: yogabody.com/yb-daily * Lucas' podcast: LucasRockwoodShow.com
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#VagusNerve #VagalTone
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