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During this month's Group Tuning Session, which we held in honor of the Blue Supermoon (if you missed it and want the recording you can get it here), I was asked how the Vagus Nerve is connected to letting go. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure! I had heard Donna Eden mention this concept before, but I couldn't explain it on the spot. So, I did some research and now I'd like to share with you how I believe the Vagus Nerve plays a role in the process of letting go.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The Vagus Nerve is pretty amazing—it's one of the oldest and longest nerves in our body and a major player in the Parasympathetic Nervous System. It starts in the brainstem and extends all the way down to the heart, diaphragm, and intestines, making it a crucial part of the gut-brain connection.
There are two parts to the Vagus Nerve: a primitive part that controls our freeze response, and a more evolved part that helps us relax, connect, and soothe ourselves.
Stress and Digestion
The health of our Vagus Nerve, known as vagal tone, is closely linked to how well we manage stress. When we have good vagal tone, we can release stress quickly and easily. But if we struggle to let go of stress, it can take a toll on our physical and mental well-being, often leading to digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome.
Why is that? The Vagus Nerve is responsible for the entire digestive process, from the moment we eat to when we eliminate waste—another form of letting go.
Habits
We all have habits we’d like to change—whether it’s exercising more, eating healthier, stopping procrastination, or learning to say “no” more often. Changing habits involves engaging our Vagus Nerve because we’re working to let go of the old stories that created those habits in the first place. Since these habits make us feel safe, trying to change them can trigger our Triple Warmer* response, where the Vagus Nerve plays a key role in the freeze part of the fight/flight/freeze reaction.
The Power of High Vagal Tone
When our vagal tone is strong:
Our digestion, from start to finish (a form of letting go), works better.
We release stress more easily and are less likely to get stuck in the “freeze” response.
Letting go of old habits that no longer serve us becomes easier.
We find it easier to speak our truth.
Ways to Stimulate Vagal Tone
Ujjayi Breath (called Darth Vader Breath in Eden Energy Medicine) - While keeping your mouth closed, create a constriction in the throat so that as you breath in and out you create a audible tone, similar to the sound of Darth Vader's breathing. Keep your jaw relaxed. Some people get a little lightheaded, so make sure you are seated the first few times you do this.
4-7-8 breathing technique - breath in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds (or longer)
Humming
Massage the sides of your neck
Trace Your Vagus Nerve
Place your hands on the side of your face with your fingers at your temples.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
With your hands, trace the pathway behind the ears until your fingers land at the base of the ear, right behind the earlobe.
Leave your right hand below your ear.
Move your left hand down to the ribcage on the left side of your body to the Spleen-21 point, which is about the width of one hand below your armpit.
Gargle
Yawn
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