5 Vagal Toning Exercises for Vagus Nerve Activation

Stress relief is one of the biggest reasons we exercise. And, when you perform low-impact workouts at FS8, your body releases endorphins that make you feel good. This reduces stress hormones and stimulates something called your vagus nerve.

Vagus nerve activation is a key reason your mental health benefits from exercise, as activating your vagus nerve benefits your nervous system and helps improve your general health. Below, we’ll explore what the vagus nerve is, what activation of the vagus nerve can do for your body and mind, and how – through the five vagal toning exercises we’ll explain in detail below – you can stimulate it.

What is the vagus nerve?

Your vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves in your body. Cranial nerves relay information between your brain and various parts of your body to enable normal functioning. The vagus nerve is the longest of the cranial nerves: originating in the medulla of the brainstem, running throughout your body, and ending in your gut.

Because your vagus nerve passes along many of your internal organs, it controls a variety of involuntary processes in your body. This includes your breathing, hearing, heartbeat, blood pressure, taste, circulation, digestion and gut health.

Your vagus nerve is also a part of your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which helps you feel calm and relaxed.

The benefits of vagus nerve activation 

A foundational learning you can take from calming the vagus nerve is that everything– and we mean everything – is connected.

Generally, the healthier your body, the healthier your mind – and vice versa. Which means that, by performing stress-relieving exercises, you can develop your muscles and your mental wellness at the same time.

Read on for FS8’s top three benefits of vagus nerve activation.

Disease prevention

Through activation of the vagus nerve – which, you’ll remember, is attached to many of your internal organs – you’re helping your immune system protect these organs, and their ability to keep your body firing on all cylinders. 

This is because your vagus nerve plays an integral role in your body, constantly communicating with your brain, immune system and your gut to keep you healthy. Stimulating your vagus nerve supports your inflammatory response and activates your neuroimmune circuits, helping to prevent a range of health conditions: including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and heart failure1. 

Mental wellness

Mental wellbeing is all about finding balance within your nervous system. And one thing that can cause you stress is an overactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – the same system responsible for setting off your “fight or flight” response.

The fight or flight response does, of course, have its uses – but when your SNS is constantly being triggered, you may find yourself stressed more often than you should be. Fortunately, this is where vagus nerve exercises for anxiety and your parasympathetic nervous system can balance your wellbeing – helping you stay calm, reduces feelings of stress and depression², and reboot your mental health.

Creativity

When you’re relaxed and thinking clearly is often when you’re at your most creative – and vice versa. To this end, activities like puzzles, drawing, painting and other art can stimulate your vagus nerve. Similarly, performing vagus nerve breathing during yoga exercises or while meditating can help you boost creative problem solving³ .

FS8’s top 5 vagal toning exercises to help you relax

There’s a reason FS8 workouts include yoga techniques, controlled breathing and mindful movements. It’s because these actions encourage activation of the vagus nerve, empowering your physical and mental wellness.

There are many ways you can stimulate your vagus nerve, either at your local FS8 studio or at home. So read on to learn more and browse our top five vagal toning exercises to boost your mood, calm your body, and feel your best, most creative self.

1. Slow, diaphragmatic breathing

Deep breathing and the vagus nerve are closely intertwined – which is why we encourage our members to master pilates breathing techniques.

When you’re stressed, your breathing can become short or rushed; to stop this, try breathing consciously and deeply through your stomach. This will send signals to your body to relax and, gradually, help your mind do the same.

To practice diaphragmatic breathing:

1. Lie down on a comfortable surface, with a pillow under your head and knees.

2. Place one hand on your upper chest, and the other on your diaphragm (this is the muscle at the top of your stomach that helps you breathe in and out).

3. Slowly breath in through your nose, consciously drawing the breath toward your stomach and pushing your stomach outwards against your hand. Your chest should stay still.

4. Slowly breath out through your mouth, letting your stomach deflate.

5. Repeat this exercise for five to ten minutes.

2. Meditation

Meditation is an ancient technique for feeling content and calm that incorporates elements of breath work – including diaphragmatic breathing and other deep breathing practices that stimulate the vagus nerve.

There are many different types of meditation, such as focused, progressive relaxation or moving meditation. One element that all forms of meditation include, however, is a focus on exercises for a vagus nerve reset.

To start meditating:

1. Sit down in a comfortable, quiet place with your legs folded.

2. Set a peaceful timer for ten minutes.

3. Close your eyes.

4. As deeply as you can, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

5. Stay as still as you can, resisting the urge to move (you may still move and that’s okay!).

6. Placing no judgement, observe and accept your thoughts and feelings as they arise, linger, then eventually pass away.

7. Carry this out until your timer goes off.

3. Cold water immersion

A quick way you can trigger activation of the vagus nerve is through brief exposure to cold water (sometimes known as “cold plunging”). Immersing your body in cold water can reduce your body’s natural response to stress, which in turn helps boost your immune system⁴ while acting as a powerful form of active recovery.

There’s a range of ways to carry out cold water immersion – and not all of them have to involve expensive ice baths or trips to fancy health spas. A cold shower or ice bath will do the trick; and, if you live near the ocean, a river or lake works great as well. Other than that, many day spas or fitness centers have a cold plunge pool.

4. Humming and singing

Ever wondered why people make that “ohm” sound while meditating?

It’s because the vibrations that humming and singing produce stimulate your vagus nerve. However, you don’t need to be in a meditative position to enjoy the benefits of this vibration. When humming, the idea is to create vibrations when you exhale: you’ll feel this first in your face, then slowly throughout the rest of your body.

Prefer to sing? That works too, so go for it however you like. (The louder, the better!)

So, hum or sing whenever – and wherever – you feel comfortable. If you don’t want to block out time for this, hum or sing while doing your chores, or in the shower: technically, you’re performing vagal toning exercises.

5. Massages

Sometimes stress can feel very physical – almost like a small weight or ball is lodged in a certain part of your body. In these cases, different types of massage can be effective vagus nerve exercises for anxiety⁵. Vagus nerve massage aims to gently stretch, apply pressure, and slightly raise the temperature of sensory neurons in your body, indirectly stimulating your vagus nerve.

Because many vagus nerve massages will involve touching your ears or neck, we recommend following a guided massage online, or seeking professional assistance.

You can practice many of the vagal toning exercises we’ve discussed here at home, or with the expert trainers and friendly community at your local FS8 studio. To read more, explore how pilates can strengthen your pelvic floor today.

Sources:

1https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9093220/
2https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9685564/
3https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29326067/
4https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518606/
5https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22314629/