Find your way into any comfortable position.
Begin to deepen your breath as I convey some important information.
It is recommended to activate the vagus nerve frequently throughout the day.
So I'm creating a series of short practices and breathing techniques that will help you soothe the vagus nerve.
Let me explain.
The vagus nerve is our 10th cranial nerve.
It starts in the midbrain,
Runs to your eyes,
Through your face,
Throat,
Esophagus,
Moves to your heart,
Lung,
Stomach,
And all the way to your digestive system.
So the vagus nerve gives your internal organs information on how they should function.
For example,
Your heart rate increases when you're stressed.
The vagus nerve is like a remote control with the ability to switch your body from stress into rest,
Or it can change the channel back to stress.
That's why it's important to activate your vagus nerve frequently for overall health and well-being.
Let's begin helping the vagus nerve by taking our fingers into our hair and massaging our scalp.
You can also do this on bare skin.
Relax in your chair and just move your fingers throughout your hair all over your head.
Find your way to the back of the head at the base of the skull and give that a good rub.
Now grab your hair in both hands and pull in and out.
Move on to other areas.
If you do not have hair,
Simply plant your fingers and tug the scalp forward and back.
Good.
As you're moving and grabbing the hair near your face,
Notice how it tugs the facial muscles.
It should feel really good.
Now take the fingertips and rub the edge of the hairline where the face meets the hair.
We hold a lot of tension here.
Now release your hands and simply notice.
We're moving on to the basic three-part breath.
I invite you to bring one hand to your heart and the other to your navel area.
Exhale with me by drawing belly to spine,
Squeezing out the stale air.
Inhale.
Inflate your belly,
Low ribs,
Chest.
Exhale.
Tone the belly gently,
Not gripping,
To elongate the exhalation.
Inhale.
Inflate the belly,
Low ribs,
Widen chest.
Exhale.
Move your attention down from the chest to the low ribs to the belly.
Inhaling belly,
Low ribs,
Chest.
Exhaling slowly,
Smoothly,
Following that breath down your body.
Inhaling belly,
Low ribs,
Chest.
Inhaling belly,
Low ribs,
Chest.
Exhaling chest,
Low ribs,
Belly.
Continuing this breath at your own pace,
Keep following the breath through your body as I give you a few helpful tips if you're breathing to activate the vagus nerve on your own.
I learn the hard way from working a stressful job and being very tight in my body and not able to relax when I was breathing.
This is what I learned.
Focus on elongating the exhale rather than trying to take a deep breath in.
When you exhale completely,
Your body responds by allowing you to take more oxygen into your body.
Keep your mind focused on what's going on with your body.
Inhaling,
The body expands.
Exhaling,
The body contracts.
If your mind is doing mental gymnastics,
The nervous system is unable to relax.
So let go of controlling the body and simply coax it in a loving manner.
The placement of the hands is important as well.
If you're breathing on your own,
Ask your body where your hands should go to be the most soothing.
Now just savor these last two breaths.
Now I invite you to release your breath and your hands.
Observe your body in a loving manner.
I sincerely hope that you noticed a change,
But if you feel like you need more,
Keep up your practice.
Your body will respond.
From my heart to yours,
Wishing you deep peace,
My friends.
