Daily Practices to Balance Your Vagus Nerve
Why the vagus nerve is the central part of overall healing
For the overall healthcare professional, supporting clients in restoring their nervous system balance is the basis of healing. Whether you are dealing with trauma, chronic stress, inflammation, or burnout, one of the most effective entry points is the vagus nerve.
The vagal nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the body, plays an important role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system. It affects heart rate, digestion, immune function, and emotional regulation. If the vagus nerve is high, the client is more resilient, calm and heals better.
As a practitioner, understanding and integrating daily vagus regulation practices into a clinical or coaching approach can greatly enhance client outcomes.
Polyvagal’s Perspective: The Fundamentals of Holistic Care
The Polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, provides a roadmap for understanding how the nervous system responds to safety, danger, and amputation. Identifies three main states:
Ventral vagus nerve (safe and social): calm, connected, and regulated sympathetic nerve (mobilization): combat or flight, anxiety, or panic dorsal vagus nerve (shutdown): freeze, dissociation, or fatigue
Chronic stress or trauma can lead to the locking of an individual in a similar overdrive or dorsal collapse. Supporting the tone of the vagus nerve helps restore access to the ventral vagus state, helping to heal, connect, and promote emotional regulation.
Signs of the nervous system of dysregulation
The client can present:
Digestive problems (IBS, bloating, malabsorption) Anxiety, depression, or chronic fatigue insomnia or irregular sleep patterns Tension headache, TMJ, or chronic pain difficulty emotions management or overwhelming emotional numbness or amputation
Good news: The vagus nerve can be stimulated and strengthened with consistent, accessible daily practices.
Daily Practices to Support Vagus Health
These techniques can be incorporated into client wellness plans or guided during sessions.
1. Diaphragm breathing (abdominal breathing)
Encourage slow and deep inhalation through the nose, and exhale long, gentle breaths through the mouth. Focus on expanding the belly below.
Corkes Why it works: stimulates the vagus nerve through the diaphragm, lowering the heart rate and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Tip: Use a 4-7-8 or 5-5-5 breathing rhythm during the session.
2. Cold exposure (vagus nerve stimulation)
Scattering your face with cold water or taking a cold shower can stimulate your vagus nerve via diving reflexes.
Why corkes work: It triggers parasympathetic responses and improves heart rate variability (HRV).
3. Humming, chanting, or sing
The vagus nerve runs near the vocal cords. Voice vibrations can increase the tone of the vagus nerve.
Bagus activates the vagus nerve and supports emotional expression and balance of throat chakras.
Practice suggestions: Incorporate sound tones and mantras into your breathing work session.
4. Gentle neck and skull massage
Techniques such as skullosacral therapy, fascia release, or gentle self-group around the jaw, ears, and neck support the maze pathway.
Bagal stimulates the end of the vagus nerve and relaxes the main tone areas.
5. Guided body movement and body recognition
Somatic practices such as trauma-based yoga, Qigong, and Felden Clay help clients to safely reconnect with their bodies and regulate their nervous system status.
Corkes why it works: encourages interactions (body recognition) that enhance the regulation of the nervous system.
6. Laughter and social connection
Healthy vagus tones support social bonds, and social bonds strengthen the vagus tones. Promotes secure connection space for group work or client sessions.
Why corks work: ventral vagus activation is associated with trust, empathy and safety.
How practitioners integrate vagus support
As a general practitioner, consider incorporating the following into your work:
Start sessions with Breathwork grounding and orientation, educating clients in simple and relevant terms in Polivagal theory, and daily “neurological hygiene” practices include vagus nerve stimulation in treatment planning (e.g. manual therapy, healthy healing, breathing practice).
Overall Benefits of Vagus Control
Enhanced vagus tone contributes to:
Reduced inflammation and improved immune responses have improved digestion and gut brain health and improved blood pressure and heart rate, improving emotional stability and resilience.
Final Thoughts: Nervous System Health is Basic
In today’s fast-paced, stress-saturated world of nervous system support – is not an option, especially through vagus regulation. That is essential.
As a general practitioner, you have the tools to get your clients back to balance with their balance in mind. Within mind, not in the physiology of the nervous system. Start with small, accessible practices and watch the transformation unfold from within.
Looking for deeper nervous system regulation skills?
Consider training with SomaticExperience®, Polyvagal-based practices, or trauma-based breathing work to empower your clients more.
