Vagus Nerve - Part 4
How to Support Your Vagus Nerve
Part 4: How to Support and Strengthen Your Vagus Nerve
Small shifts. Gentle tools. Real change.
You’ve learned what the vagus nerve does, how it becomes dysregulated, and why that impacts almost every system in the body.
Now comes the best part! What you can actually do about it :).
Supporting your vagus nerve doesn’t have to be complicated. It might even seem too easy.
You don’t need to do everything perfectly, force yourself to relax, or following a rigid protocol. In fact, it’s the opposite. Your nervous system responds best to consistency, safety, and small signals that say: you’re okay now.
The goal here isn’t to “fix” anything. It’s to gently guide your body back into a state where it feels safe enough to heal. Let’s walk through some simple ways to invite that shift.
1. Breath is your superpower
Your breath is one of the most direct ways to influence your vagus nerve. Slow, intentional breathing tells your brain, “We’re safe. We can slow down.”
Try this:
Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 seconds
Exhale even more slowly through your mouth for 6–8 seconds
Repeat for just 2–3 minutes, once or twice a day (or whenever you feel overwhelmed)
This longer exhale stimulates the vagus nerve and helps shift you into your parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode. You can do it anywhere, no special setup required.
A few minutes early for an appointment? Great! Just enough time to calm your nervous system :)
2. Use your voice
The vagus nerve runs through your throat, which means sound is another gentle way to stimulate and strengthen it.
Hum, sing, or chant (in the shower, in the car, wherever)
Gargle with warm salt water for 30–60 seconds once a day
Talk or read out loud, especially with warmth and emotion in your voice
It might seem simple, but these vocal vibrations activate the vagus nerve and remind your body that it’s okay to settle.
3. Feed it with nervous system-friendly nourishment
Since the vagus nerve plays such a huge role in digestion, what and how you eat matters.
Focus on warm, easy-to-digest meals when you’re feeling off
Eat in a calm environment as often as you can (without multitasking or screens)
Try a few slow, deep breaths before meals to shift into “rest and digest” mode
Support your gut with fermented foods, prebiotic fibers, and hydration
Your diet doesn’t need to be perfect, instead, think about sending consistent signals of safety while giving your digestive system the support it needs to communicate clearly with your brain.
4. Move your body gently and regularly
Movement helps regulate the nervous system, but it doesn’t have to be intense to be effective.
Go for slow walks, especially in nature if you can
Practice restorative yoga or light stretching
Do any kind of movement that helps you feel more at home in your body, not more exhausted
Rhythmic movement (like walking, swimming, or swaying) is especially supportive because it mimics calming, repetitive patterns the body associates with safety.
5. Build micro-moments of safety into your day
Your vagus nerve is always listening for cues of safety or danger. When you create small rituals that feel calming and predictable, it helps strengthen vagal tone over time.
You need to do these intentionally. Think of it as practicing the art of calm.
The more you practice, the easier it will be to find that calm space. You’re literally building new neuropathways and you’re strengthening your Vagus Nerve :).
So, this step might feel easy to skip, but it’s the most important one :)
Try integrating moments like:
Listening to calming music
Sitting in morning sunlight
Wrapping yourself in a warm blanket or holding a hot mug
Cuddling with a pet or giving yourself a gentle hand massage
Journaling with a simple prompt like “What feels safe today?”
Be intentional in these moments. Really be present and feel the sunlight on your skin or pay attention to the music. Your vagus nerve wants and needs your presence.
6. The power of connection
Human connection is one of the most regulating forces we have. When we feel safe with others, our nervous system relaxes. This doesn’t require a huge party, just small, authentic moments of connection.
Text or call someone you trust
Make eye contact with a friend, loved one, or even a stranger
Spend time with someone who makes you feel seen (even if it’s over Zoom)
If social connection feels hard right now, that’s okay too. Start with connection to yourself, like kind words, warm hands, slower mornings. That counts too.
7. Herbal + Nutritional Support (For When Everything Feels Like Too Much)
Sometimes, even with the best intentions, calming practices just don’t land. You know breathwork would help, but you can’t get a deep breath. You want to journal or stretch, but your system is in shutdown or stuck in high alert.
That’s where herbs and supplements can be incredibly helpful. These gentle supports can calm the intensity just enough to make space for the other tools to work.
Here are a few of my go-to options:
Passionflower
This is one of my favorite herbs for calming an anxious, overstimulated nervous system—especially when the anxiety is constant or background-level.
Passionflower can help quiet looping thoughts, reduce restlessness, and ease you into deeper sleep. Many people feel the effects within 20–30 minutes.
Tinctures work really fast, but passionflower tea is also effective. Capsules are handy if you need this everyday, but will take a bit longer to kick in.
Magnesium (especially glycinate or threonate)
Magnesium helps regulate the nervous system, calm muscle tension, support sleep, and reduce the physiological impact of stress. Magnesium glycinate is especially soothing and gentle. Magnesium threonate is great for calming the mind. If you're someone who clenches, cramps, or can't relax physically, this is often a missing piece.
Aim for 400mg - 600mg per day in divided doses (morning and evening)
L-theanine
This amino acid (naturally found in green tea) promotes a calm-but-alert state—perfect for daytime nervous system support without making you feel sleepy. It can help reduce racing thoughts, soothe physical anxiety, and improve focus.
It works really quickly and is great if your nervous system goes into panic easily. You can get it in chewable tablets or it’s naturally found in green tea
Lemon balm
Another beautiful herb for calming both the gut and the mind. It’s gentle enough for daily use, and can be especially helpful if your stress shows up in your digestion (like cramping or bloating when you’re anxious). This is great as a tea.
Adaptogens (like ashwagandha or holy basil)
Adaptogens help your body become more resilient to stress over time. Ashwagandha can calm the nervous system and reduce cortisol levels, especially if you feel wired and tired. Holy basil (tulsi) offers a clear, calm focus and is particularly supportive when your stress feels mental or emotional.
Important note: Always check with your doctor or pharmacist if you're on medications, pregnant, or have any health conditions. Herbs are powerful, and your body deserves support that’s right for you.
Think of these as tools to help start the process and they can make it easier to incorporate the other exercises into your life. For me, I found meditation significantly easier once I calmed my nervous system with passionflower.
How to Start (Without Overwhelming Yourself)
You don’t need to do all of these things. Really.
The most powerful changes happen when we choose one or two simple practices, and repeat them consistently with kindness. Pick something that feels nourishing, not draining. Something you might actually look forward to. That’s where your nervous system will feel safest to soften.
It’s about the relationship between you and your body. Between effort and ease. Between doing and simply being.
How you’ll know it’s working
Vagal tone improves gradually. You might not wake up tomorrow feeling like a brand-new person, but you might notice things start to shift, little by little.
You sleep more deeply
Your digestion feels more stable
You feel less reactive and more resilient
You come back to center more quickly after stress
You start to feel moments of calm in places you didn’t before
These are signs your body is beginning to trust again. That your system is learning it doesn’t have to brace itself for everything.
The bottom line
Your vagus nerve doesn’t need a complete lifestyle makeover. It just needs steady reminders that it’s safe to let go. Your job isn’t to force your body into calm, it’s to create the conditions where calm can naturally arise. Small steps, practiced with compassion, lead to real change. You’ve got this :).
Conclusion: Your Nervous System is Listening
If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this masterclass, it’s this: you’re not stuck like this.
What you’re feeling right now, whether it’s anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues, or just that subtle sense of being off, isn’t who you are. It’s your nervous system trying to keep you safe.
And the vagus nerve isn’t something you have to “hack” or fix. It’s something you can nourish.
With simple, steady support, your body can remember what safety feels like. You don’t have to force healing, you just have to create the conditions that allow it to unfold.
That might look like taking a few longer exhales during your day. Sitting in the sunlight for five quiet minutes. Singing in the car. Eating your meals with a little more presence. These small shifts are powerful and they add up.
They also bring so much joy…a nice bonus when life is stressful :).
Choose just one or two things that feel good and returning to them with kindness and consistency.
Your body already knows how to heal. You’re not starting from scratch, you’re just coming back to what’s already within you :).
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)