We have posted about the Vagus Nerve and PD before. Here is one article on it: sciencedirect.com/science/a...
So I was going through my Facebook groups to see what I can cut, and noticed my Vagus Nerve group. It made me put up or shut up and ask the simple question: How hard would it be to do some Vagus Nerve work?
Apparently not that hard. I think you are supposed to do it twice a day. I can add one of these to my day, twice a day. They don't cost a thing:
Forbes Magazine forbes.com/sites/womensmedi...
Reset Ventral Vagus Nerve
In Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg, there are a few exercises you can do to reset your ventral vagus nerve. They include The Basic Exercise, The Half Salamander Exercise and The Full Salamander Exercise:
The Basic Exercise
1. Lie on back
2. Interweave fingers on both hands and place behind head
3. Without turning your head, look to the right
4. Remain here until you spontaneously yawn or swallow
5. Return to the neutral state with head and eyes straight
6. Repeat on the other side
Rosenberg says the reason you move your eyes is there is “direct neurological connection between the eight suboccipital muscles and the muscles that move our eyeballs.”
The Half-Salamander Exercise
1. Eyes looks right without turning head
2. Tilt head to the right towards shoulder
3. Hold for thirty to sixty seconds
4. Then eyes and head straight back to neutral
5. Eyes look left without turning head
6. Tilt head to the left towards shoulder
7. Hold for thirty to sixty seconds
8. Then return to neutral state
A variation is to look in the opposite direction of the head tilt so the head tilts left and eyes look right and vice versa. Both hold their necks thirty to sixty seconds.
Full Salamander Exercise
1. Get on all fours
2. Head is facing down
3. Look left without turning head
4. Tilt head to the left
5. Let your left spine twist with the head tilt to the left
6. Hold for thirty to sixty seconds
7. Bring head and spine to center to straighten out
8. Repeat on right side
Other Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
1) Breathwork- diaphragmatic breathing
Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe in, feel your stomach expand, and when you exhale, your stomach should go back down. This is also known as “belly breathing.” This lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.
2) Connection
Community and belonging help you to feel safe and secure. When you are connected, you are calmer and more positive.
3) Diving Reflex
To stimulate the diving reflex, you need cold exposure. You can splash cold water on your face or put ice cubes in a ziploc bag against it. According to Dr. Arielle Schwartz, “The diving reflex slows your heart rate, increases blood flow to your brain, reduces anger and relaxes your body.”
4) Humming, Singing or Gargling
Don’t you always feel better when you start to hum or sing? Your worries are swept away by a song. Well, that’s because it’s activating your vagus nerve! Simply sing to feel better or gargle if you prefer.
5) Probiotics
uOttawa says, it’s “clear to researchers that gut bacteria improve brain function by activating the vagus nerve.”
6) Omega 3 Fatty Acids
You can get these from fish oil, or if you’re a vegan, you can find them in chia seeds, flaxseed, hemp seed oil and walnuts.
7) Mindfulness and Meditation
According to a study, Loving-Kindness-Meditation created a healthy vagal tone in participants. Check out this guide for how to do this mediation here, and know that mindfulness in general is a way to activate your vagus nerve as well. Being present centers you.
8) Yoga
Yoga is a parasympathetic activation exercise that helps with digestion, blood flow and more.
9) ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)
ASMR sends “tingles” from your scalp down your spine and helps calm your nervous system with the use of triggers or tools. This entails whispering, scratching, tapping and other noises that pull you into a trance. There are many on Youtube.
10) ‘OM’ Chanting
If you want to activate your vagus nerve, a great way to do it is by chanting “OM” over and over again. This is often used in yoga, mantras and different faiths such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Whether you perceive it as a spiritual practice or just a meditation practice, it helps to calm you and create inner peace. Studies have shown that this creates greater relaxation.
11) Positive Self-Talk
Christopher Bergland says he uses Cora Harris’s mantra to stimulate his vagus nerve, “The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly.”
This produces positive self-talk even when you are feeling afraid. Act in accordance with your affirmations.
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