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This episode provides you with much more than just a scientific understanding of your vagus nerve or a list of “vagus nerve hacks.” The vagus nerve is your mind-body superhighway, sending nonstop information from your body to brain and brain to body and is the star of the show in optimizing mental and physical health. In this conversation I help you build an understanding of, and relationship with it as part of your entire nervous system in a way that felt tangible and applicable to your healing journey. There is no one size fits all blueprint to improving vagal tone or healing things like anxiety, depression, chronic illness, and so on. But there are a number of research-supported practices that can heal in measurable and tangible ways. There are powerful ways to work with your physiology to shift and heal your psychology. I’ll share many of those with you here. Hit play to learn more!

✨ 3 Takeaways from this episode:

1. High vagal tone is the key ingredient to stress management, decreased reactivity, and overall mental and physical health.

2. Vagal toning is not a "hack", you cannot hack your way to healing, but it is a powerful place to start and a tangible foundation to lay. Vagal toning is a measurable way to support your healing through decreasing stress and increasing your capacity to carry that stress through daily vagus nerve activagtion and regulation reps.

3. ACTION: Invitation to choose one, choose the practice that feels the easisest right now to incorporate into your daily life. Start doing it consistently and trust that it's supportive. Here's the list of practices mentioned in the episode:

   • Cold exposure: Turn your shower cold for the last 30s - 3 minutes

     
     

   • Diaphragmatic breathing (A mouth breather? Consider using mouth tape)

     
     

   • Voo breath

     
     

   • Ear/neck massage

     
     

   • Gargling, humming, singing

     
     

   • Make one small change to improve gut health

     
     

   • Exercise

     
     

   • Morning sunlight

     
     

📘 Resources:

• Want to learn more about the vagus nerve? Check out some of these posts:

  • What is the vagus nerve?

  • How does the vagus nerve impact your mental and physical health?

  • Vagus Nerve Reset "Half Salamander Exercise"

  • How to stimulate the vagus nerve

  • 5 Signs of low vagal tone

  • 3 Daily practice to improve vagal tone

  • 4 ways to stimulate your vagus nerve

  • 4 ways to calm your nervous system when you feel anxious

• Want support on your healing journey?

  • Join me inside RISE, our monthly mental health membership and group coaching space

  • Apply for RESTORE, our 16-week, 1:1 Anxiety & Depression Coaching Program

• Connect with me: Website | Instagram | TikTok

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