by Maxwell Gauthier, Rapid Transformational Therapist –
Have you ever heard of the vagus nerve? It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this nerve acts as a communication superhighway between your brain and vital organs all the way down to your stomach. This includes your tongue, lungs and heart.
When you feel anxious or tense, the vagus nerve helps bring your body back to a calm, balanced state. In other words, it is responsible for slowing down your heart rate, improving your mood, and even boosting your immune system. Think of it as your body’s superpower for relaxation – a built-in reset button for stress.
But the vagus nerve isn’t just about feeling calm: it also plays a huge role in mental health and trauma recovery. When the vagus nerve is strong and well-functioning, or has “good vagal tone,” it can help you feel more connected, resilient, and able to handle stress. But if it’s weak, you might feel overwhelmed, anxious, or even experience hidden symptoms like headaches, low energy or digestive problems. People who have experienced trauma or who live with high levels of stress often have lower vagal tone, making it harder to calm down when life gets tough. If this sounds like you, know that your vagal tone can be improved over time by doing exercises that activate the nerve directly.
As a hypnotherapist, I use vagal toning exercises with all of my clients. The goal of these exercises is to help calm the body and take it out of the “fight-or-flight” default state it may be in. This has allowed my clients to process trauma more effectively and improve their psychological baseline.
And the good news is: you don’t need fancy equipment or hours of practise to stimulate your vagus nerve and start feeling better right away! Here are three of the most effective ways I’ve discovered to tone your vagus nerve, all validated through work with clients:
Cold Exposure. Splashing your face with cold water or taking a short, cool shower triggers the “diving reflex” – a body response that slows your heart beat and creates an immediate state of calm after exposure is completed.
Humming/Singing. Vibrating your vocal cords causes the vagus nerve to vibrate as well, as both run through the larynx in your throat.
Endurance Exercises. Participating in moderate- to high-intensity exercises, such as jogging and swimming, can increase Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a key measure of how well your body responds to stress.
If you’d like to explore the benefits of Vagal Toning, you may decide to do one of the above exercises for 30 seconds, once a day. You may also find it useful to set an alarm as a reminder of this new habit. Practising these techniques regularly has helped me create much more calmness and resilience in both my mind and body. Happy Toning!
