Patricia Mikkelson

Practice: Nurture the Vagus Nerve

12 Ways to Unlock the Powers of the Vagus Nerve

By Thomas Ropp on Tuesday September 5th, 2017

“The vagus nerve is the most important nerve you probably didn’t know you had.” 

This article from Upift.com continues with these words:

 

“Unlike the other Vegas, what happens in this vagus doesn’t stay there. The vagus nerve is a long meandering bundle of motor and sensory fibers that links the brain stem to the heart, lungs, and gut. It also branches out to touch and interact with the liver, spleen, gallbladder, ureter, female fertility organs, neck, ears, tongue, and kidneys. It powers up our involuntary nerve center—the parasympathetic nervous system—and controls unconscious body functions, as well as everything from keeping our heart rate constant and food digestion to breathing and sweating. It also helps regulate blood pressure and blood glucose balance, promotes general kidney function, helps release bile and testosterone, stimulates the secretion of saliva, assists in controlling taste and releasing tears, and plays a major role in fertility issues and orgasms in women.”

Wow! Look at this list of things which can be helped by Vagus Nerve health 

Here is a list of things you can do to strengthen, heal, tone and nurture your vagus nerve. 

  • Deep diaphragmatic breathing with a long, slow exhale, ending in stomach muscle tensing is the ideal (push out all the air)
  • Meditation
  • Reflexology: vagus points on feet and hands
  • Exposure to cold, eg splash cold water or feet in ice bath
  • Yoga, face yoga
  • Connecting with friends
  • Fasting
  • Q gongTai Chi
  • Acupuncture
  • Osteopathy, chiropractic
  • Expanding and contracting the ribs
  • Tmj jaw realignment
  • Ear massage
  • Yawning
  • Humming/singing
  • Prayer
  • Gargling
  • Massage
  • Laughter
  • Tapping EFT
  • Probiotics

Other tips to help the vagus nerve:

Dealing with Chronic pain: https://upliftconnect.com/toning-vagus-nerve-heals-pain/

Here is a simple tip for breathing from this excellent article: https://upliftconnect.com/toning-vagus-nerve-heals-pain/

There are plenty of breathing techniques for different purposes but there are four simple principles, which underpin most pranayama techniques:

  1. Inhalation,
  2. Full retention or holding of the breath after inhalation,
  3. Exhaling; and
  4. Empty retention or holding the breath after exhaling.

A simple breathing practice that anyone can do: 

http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2013/10/balancing-your-nervous-system-with.html

Great tips on yoga practices–including the alternate breathing technique. 

http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2015/07/yoga-practices-to-optimize-vagal-tone.html

This article gives acupressure points on the feet to massage, and some facts about prayer! https://www.organicolivia.com/2016/12/10-ways-to-instantly-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-and-relieve-inflammation-depression-more/

This article gives ideas on how to use acupressure for anxiety. I suspect this helps heal the vagus nerve. https://www.healthline.com/health/pressure-points-for-anxiety#research

A book about the vagus nerve Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: https://www.amazon.com/Accessing-Healing-Power-Vagus-Nerve/dp/1623170249/ref=pd_sim_121_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1623170249&pd_rd_r=PD559CHT7HQ9CSEPX7VE&pd_rd_w=ksYJR&pd_rd_wg=brnsb&psc=1&refRID=PD559CHT7HQ9CSEPX7VE

Singing for health and vagus nerve

https://www.organicolivia.com/2017/03/7-surprising-health-benefits-of-singing-daily-5-vowel-sounds-to-improve-organ-health/

Meditating on kind thoughts to stimulate vagus nerve: https://www.organicolivia.com/2017/01/meditating-on-kind-thoughts-for-others-gives-your-heart-health-a-boost/

Free medicine/practices which help the vagus nerve: https://www.organicolivia.com/2018/12/5-forms-of-free-medicine-you-have-access-to-right-now/

Vagus nerve yoga: http://drarielleschwartz.com/vagus-nerve-yoga-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.WrEP62aZNAY

Videos about vagus nerve

See my channel on holistic health https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK608yoIIyn75p7TOULBHKT_9RrOliDfn

And Vagus nerve channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK608yoIIyn6_t4ag1XO6Lva79oJ4oqnH

Vagus nerve video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=953&v=br8-qebjIgs

Shalom for the body excercise is really helpful to keep our relational circuits open: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X87kwXYiMY0

Mindfulness meditation https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm

Aromatherapy: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201711/aromatherapy-alleviates-anxiety-your-vagus-nerve

Baby weight gain: https://kellymom.com/health/growth/weight-gain_increase/

Great list of things to do for vagus nerve including coffee enemas!

https://www.honeycolony.com/article/vagus-nerve/

This article refers to autism

http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/New-Edge-Science/viva-vagus-what-happens-in-the-vagus-nerve-affects-every-part-of-our-lives/All-Pages.html

Great article with videos on yoga and vagal tone

https://drarielleschwartz.com/vagus-nerve-yoga-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.W7-yNi-ZNAY

In case I missed anything:

What helps stimulate the vagus nerve to function more optimally? Deep breathing exercises, meditation, aerobic exercise (brisk walking, bicycling, running jogging), martial arts training, tap dancing, auditory integration training, interactive metronome therapy, drumming, oxygen therapies (hyperbaric oxygen), spinning, cranial sacral massage, and chiropractic adjustments. Relaxed, positive social interactions with friendly people who like the person and whom the person trusts also help.

I made a play list of great videos about how important it is to nurture the vagus nerve. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK608yoIIyn6_t4ag1XO6Lva79oJ4oqnH

What are your suggestions?

 

 

 

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