Say hello to the vagus nerve, the hero of your parasympathetic nervous system which controls things you cannot consciously control like mood, digestion and immunity. This system also counteracts that stressful fight or flight mechanism, helping us relax and develop healthy emotional regulation.

It may not sound intuitive but the more you stimulate your vagus nerve, the calmer, clearer and more compassionate you will feel. When you develop healthy vagal tone you can expect more clarity and focus, a better immune system, a strong digestive system and also healthy connection and physical health.

The longest cranial nerve in the body, the vagus nerve goes from your brain to your large intestine and serves multiple purposes. According to Medical News Today, “The vagus nerve sends information from the gut to the brain, which is linked to dealing with stress, anxiety, and fear–hence the saying, ‘gut feeling.’ These signals help a person to recover from stressful and scary situations.”

Stay tuned for our next blog post to learn about how to stimulate this nerve.