Mindfulness

The vagus nerve plays a critical role in stress regulation and feelings of safety, according to both Brad Lichtenstein, ND, BCB, at The Breath Space in Lake Forest Park, Wash. and Courtney Snyder, MD, a holistic psychiatrist in private practice in Louisville, Ky. Known as the "great wandering protector” of the body, it starts in the brain stem and extends all the way down through the colon, affecting most body systems, according to a 2017 article in Gastroenterology. Like a superhighway, it transmits information back and forth from our organs to our brains and vice versa. “The vagus sends signals down to the body to help regulate digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure, inflammation, and more. It also sends signals back up to the brain about what is happening in the body,” said Lichtenstein. According to Lichtenstein, vagal tone — the health of the vagus nerve — is reflective of the ability to relax, which is a critical counterbalance to sympathetic nervous system arousal …