Give Your Body an All-Natural "Reboot"

by Jim Donovan, M.Ed.

If you ignore your computer when it starts acting strange, chances are, something is going to stop working soon. The same goes for your health—especially your nervous system.

The nervous system is a highly complex part of the human body. It controls everything from breathing to walking to dreaming.

And just like taking the time to update your computer’s software can help prevent glitches, keeping your nervous system healthy can make all the difference between staying calm and focused—or having a complete meltdown.

What many people don’t realize is there’s a natural way to balance the nervous system without resorting to prescription medication.

In fact, research shows that one way to strengthening your nervous system is easy...and can be done using your body’s natural ability to create sound.

Sounds fun, right?

And the secret to uncapping your potential for calm, rest, and relief lies in something called vagal tone.

Strengthening your body’s chemical superhighway with sound

To better understand vagal tone, it’s important to know about the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It starts at the bottom of your brain stem, and runs through your neck, and ends in your abdomen.

The yellow line in the diagram below shows you the extent to which the vagus touches all your major organs:

The vagus nerve is like an elaborate chemical superhighway in your torso sending signals to and from your brain.

It's amazing and miraculous.

And it has much to do with keeping your body in a state of balance.

Did you ever think of what's happening in your body when it's stressed?

There are two aspects of your nervous system that are important to the work we do here at the Jim Donovan Digest.

The first is the sympathetic nervous system. This kicks in when you are in a stressful or even life-threatening event. It's often called "fight or flight mode."

So everything is on high alert. Stress chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline are pumping through your veins.

Anxiety, panic, and overwhelm are associated with an overactive sympathetic nervous system. 

So how can you turn off the sympathetic nervous system?

How can you get beyond the feelings of anxiety and panic?

How can you get our body out of "fight or flight mode" and into a more calm state?

Enter our good friend the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve, when stimulated with sound, helps to put your body into a “rest and restore mode", which is controlled by your parasympathetic nervous system.

And it’s the strength or “tone” of the vagus nerve that can play a large role in determining how easily you can get out of the "fight or flight" mode of a dominating sympathetic nervous system.

In other words, vagal tone can determine how effectively you bounce back after a stressful event.

Research shows that a strong vagal tone helps your parasympathetic nervous system return your body to a calm state quickly and easily.

And the higher your vagal tone, the better your body is at reaching that ideal resting state.

The good news is, strengthening your vagal tone with sound is easy and available to everyone..

4 simple steps to boost vagal tone

A 2016 study showed how sound healing helped participants turn off their “fight or flight” system. 

You can do this by tapping into your vagus nerve with the sound of your voice.

Here’s a simple exercise that can help strengthen your vagal tone:

1. Slowly inhale through the nose for a count of 5 and fill your lungs and belly with air. Your belly should push out as you slowly inhale. Think of it like filling up your human "bagpipe" getting it ready to make sound. 
2. Exhale through your mouth while making an elongated "humming" sound, also to the count of 5. Huuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmm
3. Inhale again and repeat the cycle. Take your time, there is no rush or competition.
4. For the next week, try performing this cycle a few times a day or whenever you need it.

Remember, strengthening your vagal tone isn’t just a “one and done” activity—the best results come from giving it the attention it deserves on a consistent basis.

But that doesn’t mean you have to carve an extra hour out of your day.

The exercise I just outlined above is something you can do anytime, anywhere—at your desk, in your car, or even in the shower.

It only takes a few minutes a day, but the benefits will last a lifetime.

Be Well,

Jim Donovan M.Ed.

 P.S. - Once you've completed the above 4 step sequence, head over to your discounted access link to every sound healing tool you'll ever need for ultimate vagus nerve stimulation. Get the discount here.

SOURCES:
“Immediate effects of Bhramari Pranayama on resting cardiovascular parameters in healthy
adolescents.” Journal of clinical and diagnostic research. 2016; 10(5): CC17-CC19.
“To Lower Blood Pressure, Open Up and Say “Om.” NPR (www.npr.org), 8/21/08.

The material provided on this site is for educational purposes only and any recommendations are not intended to replace the advice of your physician. You are encouraged to seek advice from a competent medical professional regarding the applicability of any recommendations with regard to your symptoms or condition.

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