Nourish Your Nervous System - A Vagal Tone Practice.
Vagal Tone
As a self-care advocate, I’m always looking for practices which replenish and align my body, heart and mind.
In western culture, our tendency is to focus externally, devoting our attention on strengthening and refining body mechanics for physical longevity. However, we often overlook the importance of inner chemistry— which through my lens is the subtle body formed through our emotional states, diet, microbiome ( gut bacteria), and foundationally through our nervous system.
I’ve found that understanding the importance of caring for our nervous system is vital, while having a practice to bring us into the parasympathetic state “rest and digest mode” is essential to our inner wellbeing.
Years of studies have shown the connection of the brain, heart, lungs and gut through the vagus nerve, which governs the autonomic nervous system; the system which communicates with our internal organs and glands. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It travels through the lungs, heart, diaphragm, stomach, and kidneys, as well as upward connecting nerves in the neck, throat, eyes, and ears.
What I find fascinating is this nerve and the entirety of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is developed as early as the third trimester, in which a mother begins to co-regulate her nervous system with her unborn child, patterning whether it is feeling safe or unsafe. This continues into early childhood and continues to evolve throughout our life. The ANS is a biological function in service to our survival; shaping how safe and connected we feel in the world.
Equipped with this knowledge, it becomes vital that we attend to the entirety of the birth journey from conception to post-partum care, as our state of being literally contributes to the circuitry of our unborn child’s ANS development.
Fortunately, we need not reflect upon our personal histories with shame and regret, for we can attend to the vagus nerve, and reshape our ANS with new patterns of safety and connection, improved organ vitality, whilst strengthening our immune system and our heart’s capacity to respond to stress.
This reconfiguring of our inner chemistry harmonizes our nervous system for the experiences yet to come.
So How Do We Get There?
There are a multitude of practices, and therapies developed to increase vagal tone, moving our ANS from a sympathetic to parasympathetic mode.
Here is a snapshot of the Essential ingredients for a Vagus Nerve Self- Care practice.
Vagus Nerve Self-Care Practices
Breath - Nadi Shodhana - Alternate Nostril Breathing.
Sound Bath - The Vagus Nerve runs close to the eardrum, and is deeply impacted by sound.
Humming & Chanting
Gut- Brain Connection- the vagus nerve sends signals from your gut to brain and vise versa. Studies have found that Lactobacillus Rhamanisoa increases GABA Receptors in the Brain.
Self Compassion - Reducing the inner Critic. The inner critic is a form of protection. It keeps our hearts safe and even more it protects our ego, it is an energy that developed early on. Click here for self-compassion meditation.
Splash Cold Water on your face in the morning, cold plunge or cold shower.
Gargling
Plant Ally -- This archetypal plant ally will support the nervous system.
Click here for a 5 minute morning ritual video to nourish your nervous system.
I’d love to hear how exploring these practices unfolds for you. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. info@sashalang.com