Let's begin with three deep breath cycles.
As you exhale,
Perhaps feeling any tension in your body releasing,
Feeling your bones and muscles relaxing into the surface that is holding you up,
And ever so gently allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
And as you do so,
I invite you to softly close your eyes or soften your gaze by staring at the floor or your lap,
Settling in to your chair or your mat or your bed.
Slowly turn your attention to your nervous system,
An intricate web of nerves that run all throughout your entire body,
Working diligently to send signals from your brain to the rest of your body and back.
What does your nervous system feel like right now?
Can you feel it relaxing?
Does it feel tense?
Can you feel it sending messages throughout your body?
The main communicator to your nervous system is your vagus nerve,
A series of two nerves that run down the sides of your neck,
Behind your ears,
And communicate all the way down your spine.
This epicenter of information sends signals to our body,
Telling our brain if we are safe,
Calm,
Peaceful,
Happy,
Then the appropriate hormones and chemicals are released into the body to induce that feeling.
The same nerve communicates if we are scared,
Frightened,
Sad,
Angry,
And then the brain releases the appropriate hormones and chemicals to induce that feeling.
I invite you to use your breath as it passes through your nostrils and down your neck to communicate to your vagus nerve.
If you got to choose what to tell it,
What would you tell it?
Imagine that words and thoughts travel with your breath past your vagus nerve,
Whispering how you would like to feel,
Using your breath to communicate to your vagus nerve.
Notice any responses that your body has as you continue to breathe,
Passing messages to your vagus nerve with each breath.
Notice your body relaxing.
Notice your muscles softening,
Your shoulders loosening.
Continue focusing your attention on your breath,
Passing through your nose,
Passing through your throat,
Delivering messages to your vagus nerve,
Signaling your body,
And sit with this feeling for a few rounds of breath.
Using your breath to communicate with your vagus nerve is a practice that can be done anytime,
Anywhere.
The longer you practice it,
The more you train your nervous system that you are safe,
That you are peaceful,
That you are calm.
But this practice can be done with only a few breaths.
When you notice overwhelm or stress,
When you feel anxious,
Imagine that your breath is delivering messages to your vagus nerve as it passes by down through your throat,
Calming your nervous system and releasing hormones and chemicals that tell your body that you are safe.
When you are ready,
You can open your eyes and return to your day.
