Did you know we can self-regulate our very own nervous system in 5-7 minutes with breath awareness? You may have experienced this while practicing yoga, chanting, meditating or even while taking a hike or slow stroll in nature.
There are many methods to self-regulate our vagus nerve – the master regulator of our autonomic nervous system. The image below shows the pathway of the vagus, or wandering, nerve traveling from our cranium, innervating our face, larynx, lungs, heart and most of our organs.
Not only does our autonomic nervous system play a huge role in a healthy immune system response but it also supports regulating our metabolism, our ability to respond to stress and recover from illness.
Learn more about this powerful pathway of healing and self-revealing below and enjoy a simple 5 minute practice you can do anywhere at anytime to reset your nervous system through your vagus nerve.
“The Vagus Nerve, in my mind, is the healing nerve of the body mitigating sympathetic nervous system over-drive.” – Deepak Chopra
One way our vagus nerve, the master regulator of our autonomic nervous system, is self-regulated is with conscious slow smooth breaths. Exhaling fully through rounded lips followed by slow smooth inhales through the nose, is a tool you can use to self-stimulate your vagus nerve, calming the currents of your body and creating homeostasis within your autonomic nervous system.
Allowing your body to expand on your inhales and return to your center on your exhales, instantly invites your body into a state of connection with the present moment, as you regulate your nervous system.
When we slow our breathing down, our brain slows the currents of our thoughts down in direct response to our breathing pattern, creating gaps in our thoughts. We then begin to notice, feel, sense and expand into the moments streaming through the gaps in our thoughts instantly creating a felt sense of connection with the moment and calm within.
You can enjoy this practice below for 5-7 minutes daily to maintain balance in your autonomic nervous system and/or as a self-regulation reset tool after a stress response to return to a place of calm, clarity and connection with your inner and outer environments.
Practice:
Keeping your chin stationary over your breastbone and eyes at a soft gaze or eyelids closed, slowly move just your eyes all the way to the right without force and hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes while breathing slow and smooth, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through rounded lips. You can also HUM or sigh a soft AAHH on the exhale, if you prefer. Notice when a swallow, a sigh, a yawn, a burp, jaw release, ear pop, neck release, tummy growl or other relaxation response naturally arises through the currents of your body.
Slowly bring your eyes back to center. Rub your palms together to ignite the healing Lao Gong acupressure points at the center of your palms and place your palms over your closed eyes.
Take 1 breath cycle inhaling through the nose and exhaling slow and smooth through rounded lips like you are blowing through a straw, relaxing your eyes into the darkness of your healing hands.
Slowly release your palms, keeping your eyes closed or open your eyes softly if you wish and bring just your eyes all the way to the left without strain, continuing to hold your chin stationary aligned over your heart. Create slow and smooth complete breathing cycles, through the nose and out rounded lips, for 30 seconds to 2 minutes as you gaze to the left, or until you feel a relaxation response in your body. You can also add the HUM or AAHH on the exhale keeping your jaw relaxed.
Slowly bring your eyes back to center and again, rub your Lao Gong points at the center of your healing hands and place them over your closed eyes.
Take 1 slow breath cycle to complete your practice inhaling through your nose and exhaling out rounded lips. Release your hands and slowly open your eyes.
Notice what has shifted in your thoughts, reduction of tension in your neck/ shoulders or perhaps an overall sense of release from your day.
It is normal if you feel a little nauseous or a bit dizzy while you are mitigating and releasing the overdrive response in your sympathetic nervous system. Simply continue slow smooth breaths and allow your eyes to rest under your softly closed eyelids.
Enjoy! Shanti
Shanti Medina, is a Certified Yoga Therapist, Reiki Master, Pranic Healer, Personal Trainer and Radiant Lotus Women’s Qigong instructor with advanced trainings in Medical Qigong, Brain Training Meditation, Shamanic Healing and Sound Healing. She has been facilitating community rituals, sacred threshold crossings, devotional chant gatherings and women’s retreats at StarHouse for over 18 years and most recently served as the Development Director and Co-Facilitator for the Sacred Arts Practitioner Certification program.
As owner of her company Energize and founder of her Body Current® modality, bridging ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience, Shanti has spent the past 25 years designing optimal wellness, vagal nerve stimulation and toning protocols, yoga therapy and fitness programs for elite athletes and everyday warriors as well as bringing women together around the globe through her transformational Stirring the Shakti sisterhood retreats and women’s circles igniting the innate wild wisdom within.
Much of Shanti’s inherent wisdom in regulating the nervous system was imprinted as a young child living through her own trauma. Her own healing has inspired the root of her unique approach in coaching women’s wellness and wholeness as well as training top business owners. You can learn more about Shanti and her community events and global retreats at www.EnergizeShanti.com. To schedule your private zoom or in person session or personal retreat visit her scheduling link at Schedule with Shanti.
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