3 ways to activate your parasympathetic Nervous System
Originally written on Oct 23 2021
Did you know? A healthy nervous system is flexible one.
LET'S START WITH STRESS..
First and foremost, stress is not the devil. In fact, many times stress can be really good. Stress is what pushes us to learn, grow and evolve. Stress motivates nad inspires us to move forward. Without stress (physical, mental, emotional, energetic), we would not have evolved into the person, heck the human we are today.
SO STRESS IS IN FACT HEALTHY.
What is often NOT healthy is our coping mechanisms or really lack thereof, when it comes to stress.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE NERVOUS SYSTEM?
Well, when your nervous system (and mind, and body and soul) experience stress, chemicals are released and your body enters a fight or flight state (IE: sympathetic nervous system.) This helps you survive and tackle big challenges.
A healthy nervous system experiences this kicks into gear, handles the task at hand and then experiences some sort of "coping mechanism" or "rest period" and returns to a rest and digest state (IE: parasympathetic nervous system activates) This rest and digest state helps you heal from illness or injury, digest, and regenerate.
A healthy nervous system can move between states (two most commonly know ones of: fight/flight or res/digest) fluidly and easily. Sometimes requiring assistance but moving through the different state nonetheless. This is nervous system flexibility. The ability to move between states and not get stuck.
This is why stress gets a bad rap. Because we get stuck in one state for too long.
Today, I want to share with you how to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and get yourself into that state.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
Otherwise known as your rest and digest system
This is controlled by your cranial nerves which (all but 2) start in the brainstem at the base of the brain and your sacral nerves which exit the spinal column near your sacrum/tailbone area.
When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your body and brain are signaled to go into rest and digest mode. This is the state you want to be in to heal, eat, sleep and spend a good amount of your time in. When your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, the relaxation response is activated-- your heart rate and blood pressure decrease, muscles relax, stimulates digestion, and activates metabolism. The Parasympathetic nervous system is often associated with the vagus nerve.
3 Ways to Activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System:
LENGTHENING THE EXHALE:
Any breathwork that lengthens the EXHALE stimulates the parasympathetic nervous (rest and digest). Start with simply inhaling for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 6 and see how you feel.
BASIC EXERCISES:
This is an exercise I learned from Stanley Rosenburg’s book “Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve”. This exercises is used to: goal is to enhance social engagement reposition atlas (C1) and thea axis C2), increases blood flow to brainstem where 5 cranial nerves for social engagement originate and have a positive effect on the ventral branch of the vagus nerve. This will help you be in a enter the rest and digest mode or a healing mode. Watch a video on how here: https://youtu.be/uThBg-qZFzc
Self Massage for Trigeminal Nerve:
The trigeminal nerve is a nerve of social engagement (more on that in another post). It has a connection to your Vagus nerve. The Vagus Nerve plays a huge role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system/the rest and digest state. Try these massage techniques : https://youtu.be/t2lTtVhBnzc
These are just a few of my favorite ways to shift into a rest and digest mode. Try them out and let me know what you think. If you want to learn more about these techniques, the nervous system and EVEN more way to nourish your nervous system. Sign up for my Nourish Your Nervous System Challenge below. We don’t start until December but I promise it is worth it!