Vagus Nerve Activation

Calm your nervous system and stimulate your vagus nerve with this deeply restorative, highly accessible practice. The vagus nerve acts as your body’s natural brake pedal, slowing your heart rate and shifting you out of "fight or flight" into a state of deep rest and digest.

In this session, guided by Anais Skoutariotis, we will use three powerful, science-backed somatic tools to activate this calming pathway:

4-6 Breathing and 4-8 Breathing: Deepening the practice to maximize heart rate variability and deeply soothe the nervous system.

The Humming Bee (Bhramari Pranayama): A hands-free, fully accessible version of this ancient practice. The internal vibration of humming gently stimulates the vagus nerve, triggering an immediate relaxation response.

Whether you are managing stress, preparing for sleep, or looking for a gentle, inclusive way to ground yourself, this meditation offers a safe, accessible space to rest.

Transcript

Welcome to this vagus nerve activation practice. My name is Anais and I look forward to guiding you on this healing practice. The vagus nerve is one of the longest 12 cranial nerves in the body. It is essentially your mind-body connection. More specifically, Your brain-gut connection. In this practice we'll do some gentle breath work to activate this vagus nerve, Also called the healing nerve. To bring the body into its self-healing state which is also referred to as the rest, Digest, Heal and repair state. Inviting you to get yourself into a comfortable position. Begin to drop into the body. Notice if you can make yourself 5% even more comfortable. Gently close your eyes. And begin to settle in. Notice the rhythm of your breath. Notice the air as it flows in through your nostrils. Through the back of your throat. All the way to your lungs. Notice where your breath reaches. Perhaps it reaches up until your stomach or maybe your belly. Focus on the next three breath cycles. Noticing the depth. The speed of your breath. The sensation of breath. Begin to lengthen your exhales. Taking full and slow exhales out. In doing so, We activate parasympathetic response in the body. And begin to activate and speak to the vagus nerve. Let's do four counts of breath in and six counts of breath out. Let's begin with fully exhaling here. Inhale 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And you can inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose or mouth. Inhale 4. . . 1 Exhale 6 Two. One. Inhale, Four. And Excel 6. Inhale, Four. Exhale, Six. Now we'll inhale for 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale for 8, Really slowly. 5 4 3 2 1 Inhale 4 3 2 1 Exhale 8 7 6 5 4 3 Inhale 4 XL6 Now we'll inhale for 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale for 8, Really slowly. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Inhale 4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You got this. Inhale Exhale, Eight. And you can continue as long as feels good for you. And then. . . After your next exhale, Allow your breath to return back to a normal rhythm. You can also choose to continue at your own pace, Extending the exhales. The next thing we'll do is the humming practice. The vibrations from the humming in our throat will activate the vagus nerve. So we'll inhale together and exhale with our mouth closed so you're making the sound of a humming bee. And let's do it for six rounds together. Fully exhale. Inhale. Inhale. Inhale. Inhale. Inhale. Allow the breath to return back to normal. And feel the vibrations in your lips. Mouths. Throat. And chest. Perhaps you feel them ripple down into your lower belly. Notice how you feel. Perhaps you feel the need to yawn or sigh or swallow. Those are all great signs that you're parasympathetic activity is coming back online, That your body is sinking into that self-healing state. Those are all great signs that your vagus nerve has been activated. Whenever you're ready, Float open your eyes and fully come back into the space at your from my heart to yours. Thank you so much for meditating with me today. It was a pleasure and an honor. My name is Anais and I look forward to seeing you soon again.