55-Minute Yoga Nidra For Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Join Kristyn in this 55-minute yoga nidra or guided meditation to stimulate the vagus nerve and calm the nervous system. The vagus nerve is the largest nerve matrix in the body that runs from the brainstem, down the sides of the neck and into the abdomen, wrapping around all of the vital organs. Stimulating the vagus nerve can help relax the body, calm the mind, and activate the parasympathetic division of the nervous system, rest and digest. A healthy vagal tone can have so many wonderful benefits for the autonomic nervous system and mental health and well-being, including emotional regulation and a greater connection to Self.

Transcript

Namaste.

Welcome.

My name is Kristen and thank you so much for choosing to be here,

Choosing to take this time for yourself.

This self-care yoga nidra practice is designed to help you calm and soothe the nervous system,

And more specifically to support vagus nerve dysfunction.

Using techniques to stimulate the healthy function of the vagus nerve.

This practice aims to activate the parasympathetic division of the nervous system,

Rest,

And digest,

Knowing that a healthy vagal tone can have so many wonderful benefits for the autonomic nervous system,

And for mental health and well-being,

Including emotional regulation,

And a greater sense of connection to self.

I invite you now to take a few moments to settle down into a comfortable place where you can rest.

You might relax down into a supine position on the back of the body,

Reaching for a pillow in behind the head,

A blanket for warmth,

An eye pillow to block out any light,

Ensuring that the whole body feels supported,

Comfortable,

Warm,

And cozy,

Knowing that deep relaxation truly is the foundation for yoga nidra.

You might even feel called to tuck yourself in,

Or gently place an extra pillow on top of the low belly for an added grounding and soothing effect.

Let's begin by taking the hands together,

Palm to palm,

In front of the face,

And vigorously begin to rub the palms together.

Generate some internal heat here between the palms,

And then take warm palms over top of closed eyes.

Breathe in deeply,

Down into the low belly.

Exhale a long,

Slow,

Smooth breath out.

Allow the eyelids to remain heavy as you gently remove the palms,

And take the tips of the index and middle fingers to the temples,

And just begin to offer a gentle massage here in a circular motion,

Applying gentle pressure to the temples,

And then take this self-massage down to the hinge points of the jaw,

Acupressure points at the hinge points of the jaw,

And slowly taking this massage down to the sides and back of the neck,

Just being intuitive here,

Knowing what you need,

And just enjoying a moment here to introduce a little self-massage,

A self-care practice for the region that houses the vagus nerve.

Take a few deep breaths as you enjoy this gentle massage for the back and sides of the neck,

And when you feel complete,

Relax the arms down by your sides,

Adjust the pelvis and the hips,

The shoulders,

The head and the neck,

And make any final micro-adjustments to the physical body so that you might become even just one percent more comfortable.

Feel the whole body now,

Surrendering into stillness,

Into a sense of quietude,

As if time could just slow down.

Within the stillness is where we can focus our attention inward.

We can rediscover what we need,

What the body needs,

And what the heart truly needs.

This is a time of reunion,

Reconnecting to a deeper sense of self,

Who you really are,

And all of the layers of you.

In this inward exploration comes the deep rest,

Discovered in the deeper light-altered states of consciousness,

Found within the practice,

But also the state of Yoga Nidra.

The vagus nerve,

Vagus meaning wandering,

Is the most important nerve in the physical body,

Made up of thousands of little nerve fibers that run from the brainstem down each side of the neck,

Into the abdomen,

And branching outward to touch all of our internal organs.

This information superhighway is the main nerve in the branch of the parasympathetic nervous system,

And plays a key role in our body's response to stress.

Akin to a tree to a tree whose limbs interact with nearly each and every organ system in the body,

Soothing the vagus nerve can help facilitate a deep sense of peace and calm throughout the entire body.

So just allow this practice to be like a little pause,

A little getaway,

A vacation away from doing,

As you relax into the essence of just being.

You might think of this practice like a gentle massage for the whole nervous system.

Begin to welcome in the companionship of your breath,

Sensing the natural rhythm of your breath.

The breath as a doorway or gateway to the vagus nerve,

And the intricate matrix of the whole nervous system itself.

Observe the natural ebb and flow of breath.

Relax the muscle of the tongue.

The teeth might part,

And allow the tip of the tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth.

As you continue to let go of any effort from the physical body,

Gently begin to deepen into the experience of the breath,

To lengthen the breath into the exhale.

You might breathe in to the count of three or four,

And exhale to the count of perhaps five.

Six,

Seven,

Or eight.

Finding a long,

Smooth,

Slow breath out,

Breath by breath,

Slowing down the heart rate,

Calming the thinking mind,

Soothing the nervous system,

Unravelling tension from the body,

The whole nervous system.

We'll begin to introduce Brahmari breath,

Or the buzzing bee breath,

An audible breathing technique using vibrational tones to stimulate the vagus nerve,

In the mouth,

And the back of the throat,

Like a gentle massage from the inside out.

On the exhale,

Simply keep the lips closed keep the lips closed as you introduce a humming sound like this.

When you are ready,

Breathe in,

Exhale.

Let's do four more rounds.

And letting that go,

And just basking in the resonance of sound vibrations from the inside out,

Like a tuning fork,

Sound vibrating outwards,

Releasing tension from the inside out.

Releasing tension from the inside out.

Allow the whole body to rest deeply now,

Feeling the support,

The density of the earth beneath your body,

A comforting,

Nurturing place where you can rest.

Feel the weight of the body resting,

Heavy and dense,

Gently being drawn by the pull of the earth's magnetic core,

And the whole body sinking under the activity of gravity.

Release the weight of the head and neck.

Soften the tiny muscles around and behind the eyes.

The eyes,

Heavy.

Soften and unhinge the lower jaw.

Surrender the bottom lip.

Soften the muscle of the tongue,

All the way down the back and sides of the throat,

Relaxing the upper chest,

And softening down and into the low belly and vital organs.

Feeling the softness or sweetness of each breath in the lungs,

The tissues becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.

Each breath,

The nervous system softening and unraveling the cells of the nervous system,

Nourished by each breath in the body,

Relaxing and extending this invitation of peace and calm throughout the body to the muscle of the mind.

These signals from the body,

Like love notes,

Inviting the thinking mind to relax wide open,

Softening into the tissues,

The folds within the muscle of the mind,

The mind expanding as awareness,

Outwards in all directions,

The whole body and mind softening,

Softening,

Relaxing outwards,

As if the boundary of the body could just dissolve the whole body and mind,

Resting so deeply.

Existential awareness of being in this moment and giving yourself permission to relax from the inside out.

Begin to welcome in your Sankalpa,

A heartfelt intention for this practice,

Or perhaps for your life.

You might be working with a Sankalpa already,

Or maybe just a single word,

Or feeling tone that calls to you,

Or perhaps you use the phrase,

I am deeply resting to cultivate peace and calm into my body,

One breath at a time.

I am deeply resting to cultivate peace and calm into my body,

One breath at a time,

Calling in your Sankalpa mentally three times,

As you continue to welcome peace and calm into the body and the mind.

The body remains still,

As we begin a rotation of conscious awareness throughout the body.

At each point,

You might imagine the gentle kiss of a raindrop landing on each point,

And as it lands,

It melts away tension and replaces it with deep rest and healing,

As a gentle drop of rain falls upon each point as it is called,

Cleansing away tension and creating space for relaxation.

Begin by concentrating all of your awareness at the tip of the tongue.

Imagine the gentle touch of a drop of rain on the tip of the tongue,

Melting and softening away tension in the muscle of the tongue.

Feel the tongue anchored to the floor of the mouth,

Softening the root of the tongue,

The ridges on the roof of the mouth,

Sensing inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek.

Feel the upper teeth and gums,

The lower teeth and gums,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The space between the lips,

A healing drop of rain landing on the tip of the chin,

Relaxing the whole lower jaw to the hinge points of the jaw,

The energetic rest points behind the hinge points of the jaw,

The ear lobes,

The outer folds and curves of the ears,

The inner ears,

The hollow cavity of space in the inner ears.

Notice both ears listening,

Welcoming sounds as vibration in both ears,

Awareness resting in the space between the ears.

A drop of cool rain landing on the tip of the nose,

Sensing the flow of air in the nostrils,

The right nostril,

The right nostril,

The left nostril,

Inside the nasal passages,

The bridge of the nose,

Center of the forehead,

And the clearing between the eyebrows,

Smoothing out the brows,

Relaxing the temples,

Cheekbones,

The eyelids,

Heavy,

The eyes themselves,

Warm,

Radiant,

Softening all of the tiny muscles around and behind the eyes,

The eyes,

Sensing the darkness beyond the eyelids,

Inviting the eyes to relax back and down,

Energy drawing back and down,

Relaxing into the space behind the forehead,

Into the center of the brain,

The pineal gland,

The crown of the head,

The back of the head,

Both hemispheres of the brain,

Softening.

Imagine a soothing wave of relaxation flowing from the brain,

All the way down to the abdomen,

Along vagal nerve fibers,

A warm,

Healing bath of energy,

Washing down into the abdomen,

Like rain trickling down trickling down the trunk of an ancient tree,

Softening into the sides of the neck,

The back of the throat,

Sensing the breath gently sweeping along the back of the throat,

Softening the right and left sides of the neck,

To the center of the chest,

The sternum,

Behind the sternum,

The heart center,

Tuning into the pulsing rhythm of the heartbeat,

Allow the muscle of the heart to relax,

All four chambers of the heart,

Soothing the vagal fibers around the heart,

Calming the cardiac vagal tone,

As you soften into the heart space,

Drawing awareness to the right hand thumb,

To the first finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

The tips of the fingers,

To the palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Side ribs,

The right side lung,

Notice the breath in the right side lung,

To the heart center,

Drawing awareness to the left hand thumb,

To the first finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

Tips of the fingers,

To the palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Side ribs,

The left side lung,

And the breath in the left side lung,

Back to the heart center,

Awareness like a drop of rain,

Softening away tension at the heart center,

Sensing the volume of the lungs,

Inflating and deflating,

The muscle of the diaphragm,

Rising and falling,

The low belly,

And the vital organs,

Relaxing,

Softening,

Softening,

Imagining a bath of warm healing energy,

Flowing through and around,

Vital organs,

Relaxing into the low belly,

And the whole torso,

The whole torso,

The navel center,

The whole pelvic bowl,

The right hip,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

And top of the foot,

Big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

Baby toe,

The tips of the toes,

And back to the navel center,

Over to the left hip,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

And top of the foot,

Big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

And baby toe,

The tips of the toes,

Sensing both feet,

Together,

Together,

Both legs,

The whole trunk of the body,

Both arms,

The whole head and neck,

The whole body,

Sensing both sides of the body,

Right and left,

And both hemispheres of the brain,

The whole body now,

Deeply resting,

Both sides of the body,

And both hemispheres of the brain,

Resting so deeply now,

Within the physical body,

The vagus nerve,

Like deep roots,

Roots,

Extending down from the brainstem,

Down the sides of the neck,

Into the abdomen,

Gently touching vital organs,

Nerves,

Akin to the roots of a tree,

Extending,

Healing,

Loving touch,

Throughout the whole body,

A warm bath of energy,

Or cooling rains,

Washing down and throughout the whole body,

Whole body resting in stillness,

In stillness,

And the natural flow of breath,

Effortless and easeful,

The breath flowing in,

And flowing back out,

Sensing the branches of the nervous system,

Being nourished by each wave of breath,

Effortlessly,

Smoothing out,

And slowing down,

The exhale,

With little to no effort as possible,

Gently lengthening into the exhale,

Exhale,

The nerve fibers of the vagus nerve,

The intricate architecture of your internal root matrix,

Softening,

With each long,

Slow,

Smooth breath out,

Melting into the parasympathetic division of rest,

With each breath,

Soothing,

Hydrating,

Releasing tension from the body,

And the nervous system,

With each breath,

Each breath,

You might imagine,

The breath,

Pouring in through the crown of the head,

Like healing rains,

Or a warm stream of energy,

Prana,

Washing down the body,

To the soles of the feet,

Just imagine,

Breath flowing in through the crown of the head,

And exhale,

The breath pours out the soles of the feet,

The breath washing over the whole body,

And throughout,

The entire nervous system,

Just imagine,

The breath flowing,

In through the crown,

And out,

The soles of the feet,

Resting deeply,

Being bathed in breath,

In breath,

Imagine yourself resting,

Next to a stream,

Your whole body still,

Solid,

And resting,

Like a mountain,

And the breath,

Like the healing winds,

That flow up and down,

The valleys and the peaks,

And off and out,

Into the sunset,

The sacred winds of breath,

Smoothing out any rough edges of tension,

Conditioning,

And releasing,

And releasing,

As you are carried off,

And into the sunset,

By a warm breeze,

Like the warmth that rises from the earth,

After the healing rains,

Have cleansed away,

Anything that's no longer needed,

Nurturing the earth,

And the soil,

The body,

Strong,

Solid,

Resting,

As still as a mountain,

And the breath,

Calm,

Spacious,

And healing,

Healing,

The mind,

As vast open,

As the sky,

And you become the sky,

You are the sky,

Resting now,

As pure awareness itself,

Pure,

Spacious,

Witnessing presence,

And now,

Recall your sankalpa,

You may have used the phrase,

I am deeply resting,

To cultivate peace and calm,

Into my body,

One breath at a time,

Three times,

Carried forth by three breaths,

Three breaths,

Begin to feel the back of the body,

Resting on the earth,

And notice the flow of breath,

In the nostrils,

The gentle touch of air,

Against the skin,

And notice a sense of the room around you now,

The density of the body,

All of its curves,

And edges,

Notice what it feels like to be still,

And yet spacious,

Breathing,

Notice how you feel in the physical body,

And the quality of the mind,

The quality of the nervous system,

And just allowing yourself to linger,

To linger,

And the medicinal effects,

Of yoga nidra,

Being bathed,

In its healing essence,

Inside and out,

Through all of the layers of the self,

Take a deep,

Generous breath,

In through the nose,

And exhale through the mouth,

On the next inhale,

Take two sips in,

And one breath out,

Again,

Two sips in,

And one breath out,

Together,

Let's do one more,

And release,

So relaxed,

Still,

And calm,

You might feel called to rest here,

A little while longer,

As long as you need,

You might remove your headphones,

And just enjoy the gift of relaxation,

When you feel ready to emerge,

Just begin by slowly wiggling fingers,

And toes,

You might nod your head,

From side to side,

To side,

Maybe enjoy a gentle stretch,

Or yawn,

Nice and slow,

And if it calls to you,

You might slowly bring your fingers to meet,

At the center of the chest,

And just begin to tap the sternum,

Up,

And down,

These gentle taps,

Loving touch,

And then bring the fingertips,

Up to the collarbones,

Again,

Just these little loving,

Awakening taps,

To the collarbones,

Back,

And forth,

And then resting the left hand,

On the heart,

And the right hand,

On top of the left,

And taking a moment,

To extend a little bit of gratitude,

To yourself,

For being here,

Today,

Thank you,

For being here,

May you be happy,

Healthy,

Peaceful,

And free,

Namaste.

Reviews

Just lovely gentle and loving

Wonderful! I felt relaxed and rejuvenated… as if emerging from a long nourishing sleep. Thank you! 🩵🩵🩵

Very nice Yoga Nidra. It is relaxing with guidance throughout. I look forward to listening again for a midday reset rather than in the middle of the night. ✨🙏🏼✨

Lovely,thanks 😊🙏🏻

Beautiful thank you. It helped me to relax deeply. Namaste 🙏🏼

That was banging! One of the best yoga nidra's I've ever done. Thank you so much for this. I will use it more.

Wonderful! The soft music, your soothing voice.... the perfect timing....

Awesome. Thank you 💕🙏🕊️

What a wonderful journey this is Kristyn. Thank you so very much for your beautiful practice.

Thank you for this beautiful practice. I feel deeply at peace as I begin my day 🙏

Wonderful practice! Thank you 😊

Most relaxing 🙏🏻

This was the best yoga nidra I have ever experienced (and I listen to quite a few) Thanks you 🤗🥰

Thank you so much! Really wonderful practice to calm down and relax deeply. I feel really nourished ❤️

Profoundly relaxing. So grateful to have discovered you. Namaste 🙏

Thank you. So helpful 🙏

Amazing relaxation and healing after an insanely stressful week. Thank you!!

This is so lovely 🥰 thank you!

That was fabulous, so peaceful and relaxing. Great to raise more awareness of the Vagus nerve. Thank you! 🙏🏼🩵

Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Happy, healthy, peaceful, free. The light in me salutes the light in you🙏🏻🌟✨🌟💫🌟🙏🏻