What is Vagal Tone?

What if behaviour, cyclical thoughts, emotional explosions, detached relationships had a physiological basis?

What if anxiety was a reactive impulse of a chronically dysregulated body?

Say these responses are learnt responses that a body uses to keep it alive - then the body is doing what it needs to do - survive! Good job body.

If a body has learnt dysregulated ways of coping, it could also learn healthy roots to recovering.

Thanks to the work of polyvagal theory we now know that the nervous system affects all other systems of the body.

Even though our nervous system reactions are automatic, there are ways to improve vagal tone, manage trauma conditioned responses to stress, and return more quickly to the open, loving safe space of social engagement mode!

We can harness the power of our bodies to heal our minds and the power of our mind to heal our bodies.

How is my body reacting?

What is my body trying to tell me?

As you begin to work on toning your vagus nerve, it may be helpful to know you will undoubtably experience uncomfortable, internal pushback.

The Vegas nerve is a by directional communication pathway that carries information from your body to your brain and from your brain to your body.

The brain to body conversation is called a top-down process.

Then there is the bottom up process wherein the power of your body to affect your mind is used.

We can consciously choose specific interventions that actively decrease psychological stress, slow the  sympathetic response in our  nervous system, and even strengthen our Musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.

In addition when we activate challenge and tone our vagus nerve in a safe and controlled environment, we build tolerance, and learn how to live with discomfort, which is key to building, resilience;  the ability to recover recover quickly from hardship.