Vagus Nerve Stimulation 101
Sometimes, trying to “relax” feels impossible — your brain’s in chaos, your body’s buzzing or shut down, and nothing’s working. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to start in your mind. You can start with your nervous system.
The vagus nerve is the body’s built-in communication line between your brain and your internal organs. And it plays a major role in whether you feel safe, settled, and socially connected… or anxious, frozen, and shut down.
Certain types of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) can help your body shift back into your Window of Tolerance — that sweet zone where you can think clearly, feel your feelings, and stay connected to yourself and others.
The best part? It can be as simple as humming, splashing water on your face, or gently touching certain areas of your body.
In this article, you’ll learn:
What the vagus nerve is (and why it matters for trauma, stress, and healing)
How vagus nerve stimulation supports nervous system regulation
Gentle ways to stimulate it (even on low-capacity days)
How to know when it’s working — and when to try something else instead
What Is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve (pronounced VAY-gus, like a chill version of Las Vegas) is the longest cranial nerve in your body, and one of the main highways connecting your brain to your organs.
It runs from your brainstem down through your face, throat, chest, heart, lungs, diaphragm, and all the way to your gut. Basically, if your body needs to feel something deeply, the vagus nerve is probably involved.
You’re likely feeling your vagus nerve in action when:
Your chest tightens before a hard conversation
You get a gut feeling that something’s off
Your face flushes when you’re overwhelmed or embarrassed
You feel warm and tingly after a good cry or deep breath
You suddenly sigh without meaning to
Your voice shakes or your stomach churns in high-stress moments
Your vagus nerve’s job is to help your system transition between states. So VNS isn’t just about hitting our body’s ‘calm’ button. What we’re really doing when we stimulate the vagus nerve is practicing our nervous system flexibility — the ability to move through activation instead of getting stuck in it.
How Vagus Nerve Stimulation Works To Regulate Your Nervous System
Vagus nerve stimulation isn’t just about calming down — it’s about helping your body shift states more skillfully and effortlessly. Like a workout for your nervous system! 💪
Your nervous system is always trying to answer the question, “Am I safe enough to enjoy, connect, play… or do I need to protect?”
Your body naturally wants to feel good and remain in a state of homeostasis. But if you feel threatened or overwhelmed, it might react with…
🔥 Fight/flight (adrenaline, racing thoughts, irritability)
🧊 Freeze/shutdown (numbness, fatigue, dissociation)
🧸 Fawn/appeasement (people-pleasing, over-functioning)
…even if we’re not actually in immediate danger 🙃 Our nervous system takes emotional threats as seriously as physical ones!
If you’re physically safe but emotionally or mentally ‘off’, vagus nerve stimulation can help your body shift out of these uncomfortable survival states and get back to homeostasis.
Depending on what state you’re in, vagus nerve activation might help you:
Down-regulate from chaos into calm
Reawaken from collapse into aliveness
Stop fawning and stand in your power
Over time, practicing these little signals builds nervous system flexibility — your ability to shift gears without getting stuck.
It’s not about “staying regulated all the time.” It’s about recovering more gracefully — and knowing how to guide yourself back when you wander off course.
How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
Below are some of my favorite ways to stimulate the vagus nerve. These tools won’t force your system to chill out — they invite it to shift when it’s ready.
You can try one, layer a few, or adapt them to your energy level and current state. Some might help you settle. Others might help you wake back up. All of them help your system remember it has options.
🎵 Hum, Sing, or Chant
The vagus nerve runs through your vocal cords and inner ear, so making sound is one of the fastest ways to stimulate it. Works especially well if you feel flat, shut down, or disconnected.
- Hum a low ‘mmmm’ sound (or whatever song is currently stuck in your head!)
- Sing softly or full-volume, whatever your body can handle (Bonus points if it’s a song that gives you the feels.)
- Chant low vowel tones (the more they vibrate your chest / face, the better!)🧊 Chill Out
Cold stimulates the vagus nerve, especially around the face and neck. Great for high activation, spiraling, or mental overwhelm. It can interrupt loops and help your body reorient.
- Splash cold water on your face
- Press a cool washcloth or ice pack gently to your cheeks or chest
- Take a few cool-mist sprays or sit near a fan✋ Gentle Touch or Pressure
Nurturing, soothing touch near the throat, chest, or face taps into social safety wiring. Best for fawn states, self-abandonment, or when you’re craving co-regulation but don’t have someone with you.
- Tap your sternum
- Massage your face, neck, and chest
- Gently cup your hands over your face
- Give yourself a hug, or stroke your shoulders
- Rest with a small sand bag over your eyes, or a weighted blanket over your torso💨 Breathe Low and Slow
Slow, diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most effective vagus nerve stimulators. Helpful in any state, especially if you’re trying to re-center after a jolt or shift from sympathetic activation.
- Extend your exhale to be twice as long as your inhale
- Sigh or blow through slightly pursed lips
- ‘Fake’ yawn until you trigger a real yawn (Weirdly, works like magic!)⭐️ Try pairing with touch: one hand on your belly, one on your heart. Or add a soft humming exhale.
Rock, Sway, or Walk It Out
Rhythmic bilateral movement gently engages the vagus nerve and supports transitions between states. Beautiful for thawing freeze, anchoring during dissociation, or closing a stress loop.
- Walk slowly and notice your steps
- Sway side to side while seated or standing
- Rock yourself like a baby in a chair or on your feet
How to Know It’s Working (And When to Try Something Else)
You might not feel a dramatic shift right away — and that’s okay. Vagus nerve stimulation is subtle. It’s about helping your body remember that safety is possible.
You can tell your nervous system is regulating if:
You sigh, yawn, or feel your shoulders drop
Your breath deepens without effort
You feel more here — more present in your body or environment
You soften (physically, emotionally, energetically)
Your thoughts slow down or feel less urgent
A stuck emotional state starts to shift — even if it’s just cracking open a little
These are signs of reorientation — your body finding its way back toward safety and connection.
However, if a technique feels uncomfortable, irritating, or overstimulating; if your breath gets tight or you feel dizzy or spacey; or if you feel like you’re forcing it or “doing it wrong”… That’s not failure — that’s feedback. It might mean you need to go slower, gentler, or try a different approach.
Regulation doesn’t always mean “calmer.” It means more choice and capacity — and that looks different for everyone, every day.
Want more ways to come back home to your body?
I’ve got a whole library of mind-body magic waiting for you✨