“What’s with all of these resets, Deidre?”

Last week it was a lymphatic system reset – what’s next?

First, let me ask you, are you doing the quick lymphatic reset?

It has helped us to start a delightful new habit at our house with 15-20 minutes of weight-bearing exercise – and the lymphatic reset right after our glass of (now alkaline) copper water and before our cup of coffee.

Normal everyday life always requires resets, right?

We’re a day older, and the body is constantly changing; we are responding to new situations; we learn better ways, or we have to figure out new ways to pivot. Resets abound.

So, here’s another tool for our Toolkits for Health: two resets for the vagus nerve.

The Autonomic Nervous System controls many of our automatic body functions and is divided into two main branches: the Sympathetic Nervous System (fight or flight) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest).

The vagus nerve—our “Great Wandering Nerve”—is the longest of the cranial nerves. It leaves the skull, travels through the neck and continues throughout the body, connecting with organs – including the heart and gut. It plays a major role in activating the parasympathetic, rest-and-digest response.

It is easy to see the frantic, stress-filled fight or flight responses ever-present in our lives. Our heads are spinning with often anxious thoughts, worries, and activities.

Hardly a healthful setup for regaining our composure.

How can we calm down in a way that will help us greet the challenges before us?

How to get our vagus nerve humming along in ‘chill out’ mode?

By humming!

Reset number 1: Weather you use a yoga “ohm,” or you hum a tune, by breathing in through the nose and humming closed-lipped, you are stimulating your vagus nerve!

Place your fingertips at the base of your throat/neck. Hum. Feel those vibrations?

Keeping your lips closed, open your mouth as you hum.

Move your fingers around your face and nose, feeling the vibrations as you change how you hum.

You can even feel the vibrations of humming in your chest.

Try humming for two to three minutes while you wash your face in cold water each morning – another great vagus nerve stimulant – and continue while you get dressed, for example.

Anytime, anywhere – an easy tool at our aide.

For more information and a video go here:

Reset number 2: try this delightful set of three head movements that created an immediate positive result for me by Dr. Jon Saunders:

Because we hold so much tension and stress in our head and neck areas, these easy movements can open up the vagus nerve’s calming influence right where we need it the most.

Used together or separately, I found the effect of all three produced an almost magical release in the physical tension I had been dealing with for two weeks in my head and neck. Definitely, something I will be repeating!

Next week, we will change topics as I share a jewel of a story about accepting, over-coming, adapting, and not listening to negative voices. A must read for families, educators, and for all humans who care.

In health –

Deidre