The human body is fucking phenomenal.
Every tool needed to heal ourselves & harmonize our lives is in nature & within.
A few months ago I began researching the vagus nerve and its control over our parasympathetic system, the part of our autonomic nervous system that helps us "rest and digest". This is something much needed in a high-stress society that keeps us in constant "fight or flight" mode.
I had just started my regular meditation practice, stopped using weed daily for anxiety, and was super intrigued by all the articles about how vagal toning was the way to hacking your nervous system, your fight or flight response i.e. the whole reason we have anxiety.
Let's learn a bit about it, shall we?
I'm about to get a little technical but I'll try to keep it easy to read & practical.
It's the 10th cranial nerve and the longest of them. It originates in the brainstem and travels all the way down to your abdomen, innervating various organs on the way down including the heart, lungs, and the gastrointestinal system which is considered our second brain.
This baby does a WHOLE lot to regulate. Not only is this fascinating but its also quite useful, you see, stimulating the vagus nerve has shown to help decrease anxiety, depression, inflammation, epilepsy, leaky gut, autoimmune disorders and a myriad of other ailments. It does this by regulating the body's stress response, it's the direct link between our heart, brain, and gut.
Alright, so now what can we do with this information, how can you make use of this in your day to day life?
Well, this was just kind of a roundabout way of me encouraging you to consciously make more time for things we already know are great for us.
You can stimulate the vagus nerve by:
Diaphragmatic breathing exercises (Slow deep breaths) - try it for 5-7minutes (another great reason for meditation and mindfulness)
Singing wholeheartedly, pick your favorite songs! (it activates it through its larynx innervation) - Humming, gargling, or chanting works great as well, get your vocal chords vibrating!
Cold Showers/Dunking/Splashing your face - as your body adjusts the parasympathetic system is activated!
Keeping a healthy gut - take your probiotics!
Yoga - connecting the mind-body with mindful diaphragmatic breathing
Laughing - relaxing and releasing that fight or flight state
Massage
I recommend trying and maybe incorporating some of these in your daily relaxation practices, or finding other ways!
Hope you enjoyed our mindful anatomy session today!
Get your daily dose of laughter in!
