This exercise by Lou Losbrigado is designed to help you communicate directly with your autonomic nervous system.
We aren't trying to force anything,
But rather we're aiming to build our capacity to shift from a state of high alert and mobilization,
I.
E.
Sympathetic dominance,
Into a state of grounded presence and rest,
I.
E.
Parasympathetic dominance.
By using specific physiological levers,
We can reset our baseline.
Find a position where your body feels supported,
Sitting or lying down.
If you're sitting,
Feel the contact of your bottom and or back with whatever you're seated on.
If you're lying down,
Notice how the surface holds your entire weight.
In either case,
Notice the contact your body's making with its surroundings.
If you haven't already,
You may choose to gently close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze.
That's up to you.
As a means of anchoring into the present moment and beginning to send a message of safety to our nervous system,
I invite you to say the following words to yourself,
Either silently or aloud.
I am here now.
And notice what effect,
Even if very subtle,
Saying these words has on you.
You may repeat the phrase a couple of times.
I am here now.
As we proceed forward with the exercise,
When your mind chimes in with commentary or pulls you away from the here and now,
Like a dog on a leash vying for your attention,
See if you can simply give the leash a gentle tug and return your attention back to your body back to my voice and the exercise at hand.
Now I invite you to scan your body for any indication that the sympathetic branch of your nervous system is currently dominant.
See if you can do this with a sense of passive curiosity and receptivity rather than judgment or struggle.
You may notice a generalized somatic sensation throughout your entire body,
Such as wiriness or feeling keyed up,
As if it's in overdrive.
Or you may notice more localized sensations such as tightness in your chest.
Pressure behind your eyes.
Clenched or sore jaw.
A bracing in your gut.
Or tension in your neck,
Shoulders,
Or legs.
While you may naturally want relief from these experiences,
See if you can just make note of them for now,
As they are.
You might silently say to yourself something like,
There's tension.
Where there's that wired but tired feeling.
Uncomfortable sensations in the body are data points.
Your mind might label them as anxiety or stress,
Though they're also signals that your nervous system is doing its job.
Trying to protect you from or prepare you for whatever it perceives as dangerous,
Threatening,
Or enticing.
Which can sometimes fall under our conscious radar and remain turned on long after the stimulus has passed.
See if you can acknowledge these somatic sensations as such,
Not as something broken but rather very much working as designed.
Albeit without the brakes of the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system,
Which we're going to attend to now.
A powerful method of activating the parasympathetic branch involves closed mouth humming.
Otherwise known as vocal vagal stimulation or the bumblebee breath.
The vagus nerve passes directly through the larynx or voice box and pharynx or throat.
When we hum,
The vocal cords vibrate,
And those physical vibrations are picked up by the nerve fibers in our throat,
Which sends a signal to our brain that it's safe to downregulate our stress response.
Closed mouth humming in particular increases vibration and naturally allows for a long slow exhale through our nostrils.
So in a moment we're going to hum together for three to four breathing cycles.
We'll breathe in deeply through the nose,
But then keep our mouth closed as we hum with a low steady MMM.
So like the letter M.
You should feel some sense of vibration in the back of your throat.
Okay,
Here we go.
Breathing in.
And then humming.
Thanks for watching!
And again,
Breathing in.
.
.
And humming.
I invite you to continue on your own for three to four more cycles,
Experimenting with different pitches and tones to see what most resonates with your nervous system.
You may even choose to try different humming sounds,
Such as voo,
Voo,
Or zee,
Zee.
Both of which involve opening the mouth just a little bit.
And both of which have been found to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Okay,
Now allow your breathing to return to its own natural rate and rhythm.
And see what changes,
If any,
You notice in your body and physiology as you let this practice sink in.
As we move towards bringing this exercise to a close,
I invite you to return your attention to the contact your body is making with its surroundings.
Notice the weight of your heels on the surface clothing on your skin.
And the temperature of the air on your face.
Gently begin to open your eyes,
If they're not already open.
And before moving your head,
Let your eyes scan the room around you,
Looking for colors or shapes that feel grounding or at least neutral.
This orienting behavior tells your primitive brain that the environment is clear.
As we end this exercise,
Recognize that you have the tools to reset your nervous system at will.
And when you're ready,
Give your body a gentle stretch and bring this grounded presence back into your day.
Thank you for listening and take care.
