Breathing to befriend your vagus nerve
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body, and it travels a complex and fascinating path that starts at the base of your brain before branching off to the heart, lungs and abdomen.
Why Is It So Important?
It is the main pathway of the parasympathetic nervous system, which serves to calm the body down and to help it rest, digest, recover and regulate emotions.
Ultimately, when activated, the vagus nerve sends a signal to the brain that you're safe and can relax…making it one of your best friends and most precious resources.
How Can You Activate It?
One way to activate the vagus nerve is to 1) slow your breathing and 2) lengthen your exhale. The 4-4-8 breathing method—inhaling through your nose for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, and exhaling through your mouth for 8 seconds—is a simple but effective technique. Repeat several times, for two to five minutes.
Other ways to activate the vagus nerve include: Massage (especially of the neck and abdomen); splashing cold water on your face; humming, singing or chanting; and through yoga or gentle movement.
When To Use It:
During anxiety or panic
Before sleep
When feeling overwhelmed
To prepare for meditation or focus
During the finale of Love Island (just me?)
In summary, the vagus nerve can be readily activated to calm stress and anxiety and reset your emotional regulation. Befriend it with the simple and effective 4-4-8 breathing technique and explore other methods to find which is most effective for you.
A few examples of personally and professionally applying the technique recently: While sitting in pain in the dentist chair (for the fifth time in two weeks), as I was packing my daughter up for college, before chairing a board meeting, during turbulence on a recent flight, before working on a home project (I am not a patient painter), and with clients at the start of each session.
Joy Devins
Loon Rising, LLC
