Vagus Nerve Voyage - Breathing Practice

In this 'Vagus Nerve Voyage', listeners are introduced to a breathing technique to help stimulate the relaxation response in the vagus nerve. The meditation takes you on a journey, complete with breath counts and music suited for a relaxing day at the ocean.

Transcript

Aloha.

Glad you're here.

Did you ever notice that the moment we anticipate stress in any form,

Most of us tend to stop breathing and hold our breath?

Breath-holding activates the fight,

Flight,

Or freeze response.

It tends to increase the sensation of pain,

Stiffness,

Anxiety,

Or fear.

And during these periods of chronic high stress,

The body stays in high gear,

With stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol coursing through the body,

Causing a shipwreck.

The vagus nerve,

Which is the largest cranial nerve in the body,

Acts to counterbalance the fight or flight system and can trigger a relaxation response in the body.

It's one of the most important nerves that connects the brain to the body itself.

The vagus nerve is a major part of how our bodies and brains function.

Without it,

We wouldn't be able to do basic tasks,

And by stimulating the vagus nerve,

We can receive powerful health benefits.

Now we can learn to use breathing to stimulate the vagus nerve,

Shifting our focus away from stress or pain.

If you focus on the rhythm of your breathing,

You're not focused on what's stressing you out.

Now,

To practice the kind of breathing we'll be doing today,

Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

I invite you to embark on this breath voyage with me.

As your captain,

I ask that you kindly follow a few rules to stay afloat.

Breathe slowly and breathe deeply from the belly.

Think about expanding your abdomen and widening your rib cage as you inhale.

Also,

Exhale longer than you inhale.

It's the exhale that triggers the relaxation response.

Now I'm going to give you some potential counts that you can use,

But the most important thing is that you go at whatever pace is most comfortable for you.

The counts are inhaling through the nose for four,

Holding the breath for seven,

And exhaling through the mouth for eight,

While making a sound like the ocean.

That'd be the exhale.

Breathe in for four.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Hold for seven.

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

And breathe out for eight.

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Repeat that,

And from here on out,

It should be smooth sailing.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

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Eight.

Now slowly allow your breath to return to normal and bring your attention back to your body.

Land Ho,

We've made it to our destination.

Thank you for joining me,

And I wish you the best of luck on your future travels.

I will see you next time.

Reviews

Very soothing & helpful! Thank you Captain Anthony for this vagus nerve breathing meditation session by the ocean! I’ll be returning for another voyage soon. 😊🐳☀️💜

PS: Have you ever considered recording the same track with just the ocean in the background?

I found this really helpful and a huge yawn at the end made me see my body was shifting out of fight or flight thank you 🙏

This is a wonderful meditation I will recommend to my fellow patients and families affected by jugular venous outflow disturbance, intracranial hypertension, CSF leak, vagal dysautonomia, and problems affecting the energy homeostasis of the autonomic nervous system. I have these problems due to an autosomally dominant inherited neurometabolic syndrome called MC4R deficiency and am in remission with a modified ketogenic diet, lifestyle interventions such as mediation, medical therapy, and surgical therapy. Vagal nerve exercises and daily meditation are my go to and have been a game changer. I am also a doctorally prepared neurocritical care nurse practitioner, Certfied Stroke, and Certified Neuroscience RN. You do a wonderful job of explaining the vagus nerve, brain, and body connection in terms accessible to everyone. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you! I really appreciate the Pace and your peaceful voice.

Lovely soft voice and very easy introduction to the vagus breath.

Amazing! I feel great! The guided counting makes it easy.

This was great! I love that it is easy to do on your own to re-set.

Great 👍 I would have liked a clearer transition to normal bretahing

Absolutely loved this meditation. It was so relaxing and gently energising. Thank you 🙏♥️

Hi Anthony, this is such a wonderful breathing technique. My whole body is gently vibrating with relaxed energy. This is one of my new favorite meditation selections one that I will do often. Thank you 🙏🏻 so much! You have the most delicious, calming voice, so soothing. 🌸

Excellent 🙏🙏! ! Thank You so much, 😊 I will use this often 🙏🙏🙏💚💚

He explained things really well without getting too long_winded. His voice was so calming to me and I loved the ship metaphor scattered throughout. Great experience!

What a beautiful recording. ✨🧘🏽‍♀️💫 the "journey" metaphor is right on target for me. Glad to have found this. Thank you 🙏🏽.

That was a beautiful practice! Big Namaste 🙏🏻🙌🏻☮️

Thanks! Will need to practice this…Lots! Noticed my shoulders were Not relaxed!

Lovely voice, calm demeanour, nice simple instructions. Perfect for over stimulated system.

Well done!

Just what I needed, thanks!

It is nice to practice 4 7 8 breathing with someone else counting & calming ocean sounds.

Amazing! Loved it!!🤩🥰