Hi,
And welcome to this meditation for stimulating the vagus nerve.
During periods of high stress,
Our bodies tend to stay in high alert,
With stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol coursing throughout our bodies.
This can create wear and tear on the body and the mind,
And over time it can create a multitude of health issues such as chronic pain,
Anxiety,
Mood swings,
And gut inflammation.
But the good news is that our bodies contain their own superpower that can help us with decreasing our fight or flight response,
And that superpower is the vagus nerve system.
The vagus nerve acts to counterbalance the fight or flight system and can actually trigger a relaxation response in our body.
It's a cranial nerve that connects the brain to the body.
And by breathing more deeply,
You're telling the nervous system that you're safe.
We're able to stimulate the vagus nerve and receive powerful health benefits.
So let's begin.
Come into a comfortable position and gently allow your eyes to close.
Begin to bring the breath into your awareness.
You can choose one place in the body on which to focus.
Typically the abdomen and chest work well for this type of exercise.
It can also be helpful to place your right hand in the center of your chest for the duration of this breathing exercise.
So to begin,
We're going to take a nice breath in for three seconds and then breathe out for a count of four.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three.
Breathing out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Continue to count the breaths in your head for the next few moments.
Next we'll make the breath a bit longer by inhaling to a count of four and exhaling to a count of five.
So breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And continue to breathe like this for the next few moments.
Now we're going to continue to lengthen the breath.
Breathing in for five seconds and breathing out for seven seconds.
Keeping your attention on the sensation in the body as you breathe.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
And continue to breathe like this for the next few moments.
Now we'll continue to extend the exhale even more by breathing in to a count of five and breathing out to a count of eight.
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And breathing out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Continue to breathe like this for the next few moments.
Now we'll let go of the counting and simply take a few deep breaths at your own pace.
Breathing in fully and out fully,
Extending the exhale beyond the inhale.
As you move about your day,
Keep in mind that you can use this breathing exercise to shift your focus away from stress or pain at any point.
Your breath is always here for you.
And as you focus on the rhythm of your breathing,
You'll find that you're not focused on the stressors.
Thank you for joining me in this exercise today.
I hope it's been helpful.
Have a wonderful day.
