Hi and welcome.
I'm Kimilla Seker-Dalerup and this is a breathing exercise to stimulate your vagus nerve.
Stimulating the vagus nerve supports your parasympathetic nervous system,
Bringing you into rest and digest.
This is a super helpful exercise to use whenever you're feeling overwhelmed,
Stressed or even anxious.
We're going to count our breath and the most important thing about this exercise is that you exhale for longer than you inhale and that you inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth making the sound of the ocean.
Shhhhhh.
Just try it.
Shhhhhh.
As you make that sound of the ocean on the out-breath you will notice your belly falling back towards the spine.
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve we have in the body.
It runs from the top of the throat and all the way down into your belly.
So you will notice as you're exhaling through the mouth that you're bringing your belly button towards the spine and that it engages the entire nerve all the way up to the throat.
There's actually fascinating research made on the vagus nerve and how it really can support us in so many ways in life which is why I really wanted to create this meditation for you today.
So let's get started.
Go ahead and close your eyes.
We're going to count together through this entire meditation but please go ahead and go at your own pace even if I'm counting differently.
The most important thing is that you tune in to your breathing and go at your pace.
Take a deep breath all the way down into the belly just to center yourself here now.
We're going to count in through the nose counting to four,
Holding the breath at the top of the breath for seven and then exhale through the mouth eight counts.
Let's start.
Breathing in counting to four through the nose.
Hold the breath seven.
Exhale through the mouth eight counts.
In through the nose four.
Hold the breath seven.
Exhale eight.
In four.
Hold seven.
Exhale eight through the mouth making the sound of the ocean.
Carry on in your own time.
Four,
Seven,
Eight.
I'm going to give you a few minutes here just to carry on breathing in through the nose.
Four,
Holding for seven and exhaling through the mouth making the sound of the ocean for eight counts.
Hold seven.
Exhale eight through the mouth.
Exhale through the mouth.
Exhale through the mouth.
Exhale through the mouth.
Exhale through the mouth.
Well done.
Letting go now of the counting and just letting the breath come back to normal.
Taking a moment here in the stillness.
And then when you're ready at the sound of the bell,
Go ahead and come back to the space you're in,
Opening your eyes.
And just know that you can use this exercise in the mornings to set you up for the day or at the end of the day to ease into the evening and let go of the day.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
