Unlocking the Power of Your Vagus Nerve
Helping your body find calm, balance and resilience naturally
Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling stressed, your breathing becomes shallow, your digestion changes, or your heart starts racing?
One of the key players behind these responses is the vagus nerve—often called the wandering nerve. It is the longest nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, travelling from the brainstem through the neck to the heart, lungs and digestive organs.
Its role is to help your body move from fight or flight into rest, digest and recover. It supports breathing, heart rate, digestion, immune function and the important communication between your gut and your brain.
Why is the vagus nerve important?
When we’re under ongoing stress, it can become difficult for the body to switch off and fully relax. A healthy vagus nerve, often referred to as having good vagal tone, helps us return to a calmer, more balanced state.
Research suggests that healthy vagal tone is linked with improved resilience, emotional wellbeing and overall health. Gentle practices that support the vagus nerve can encourage the body to feel safer, calmer and better able to cope with everyday stresses.
What does the vagus nerve do?
The vagus nerve plays an important role in many everyday functions, including:
- Helping the body relax and recover
- Supporting communication between the gut and the brain
- Calming the fight-or-flight response
- Supporting healthy digestion
- Helping regulate breathing
- Supporting a healthy immune response
- Regulating heart rate
Supporting the vagus nerve
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, here are three simple ways to gently support your nervous system.
- Eye movements
Lie comfortably on your back. Interlock your fingers and place your hands behind the base of your skull. Keeping your head still, slowly look to the left until you naturally sigh, swallow or yawn. Return to the centre and repeat on the right.
- Belly breathing
Take slow, deep breaths into your abdomen through your nose, allowing your belly to gently rise. Exhale slowly through your mouth and repeat for a few minutes.
- Humming
Hum a favourite tune for around 30 seconds. The gentle vibration created by humming may help stimulate the vagus nerve and encourage relaxation.
Everyday ways to support your vagus nerve
Small daily habits can make a real difference:
- Spending time in nature
- Slow rhythmic breathing
- Meditation or mindfulness
- Gentle yoga or stretching
- Singing, humming or chanting
- Gargling
- Cool showers
Functional Kinesiology and the Nervous System
One of the things I love about Functional Kinesiology is that it looks at the body as a whole. Using gentle muscle testing as biofeedback, we explore areas of physical, nutritional, emotional and energetic stress that may be affecting your wellbeing. Every session is tailored to the individual, supporting the body’s natural ability to restore balance.
Final thoughts
Our bodies have an incredible ability to adapt and heal when given the right support. Understanding the vagus nerve is one way of appreciating how closely our nervous system, emotions and physical health are connected.
Sometimes the smallest changes—slowing your breathing, spending time in nature or simply taking a moment to pause—can have a positive effect on how you feel.