Your scores are balanced among the ventral vagal, sympathetic, and dorsal vagal states of the Polyvagal Theory. The ventral vagal state is your natural state when you are regulated, and when you encounter stress you are inclined towards both types of stress responses.

Ventral vagal is our home base of safety and relaxation, and in this state you are calm, collected, and connected.

In the sympathetic state, the body’s way of dealing with stress is to mobilize and jump into action—think “fight or flight.”

In the dorsal vagal state, the body’s way of dealing with stress is to immobilize and conserve resources—think “freeze or faint.”

In the sympathetic state, adrenaline production is increased and your muscles tense as your body prepares to actively defend itself. You might experience tension, anxiety, anger, irritability, frustration, or restlessness. Physical indicators include increased heartrate, rapid breathing, sweating, increased blood pressure, and a sense of shakiness/trembling or “too much energy” in the body.

It is also harder to tune into human speech and read facial cues when you’re in sympathetic mode, making communication and connection with others more difficult.

If the sympathetic system is constantly activated, you are likely to experience symptoms of chronic stress including inflammation, illness, impaired mental/emotional functioning, and interpersonal issues.

Because our nervous system state is controlled automatically, below our conscious awareness, it’s important to send cues of safety directly to your body.

3-minute exercises to regulate the sympathetic state:

• Full-Body Shaking - stand up and shake your body in a way that feels good. Try raising your arms above your head, shaking each leg, shaking your tail and your tongue! The sillier the better, and adding music can help even more by engaging our listening (inner ear) muscles which are also linked to the ventral vagal system.

• Eye-Press Breathing - sit or lie down if possible. Rub your hands together to warm them up. Now place one plam over each eye so that you are blocking the light but not blocking the breath in your nose. Keep the pressure gentle, almost like an eye pillow. Breathe slowly through your nose, and focus on the rise and fall of your belly.

The next time you notice sympathetic activation in your system, take a break and try one of these exercises. Note how you feel before and after the exercise. With experimentation, you can see which tools are the most efficient for your unique system.

I can also support you with curated exercises and personalized guidance. Click here for more information, and book a free exploratory call here.

In the dorsal vagal state, the body shuts down to conserve resourses as an attempt to protect you from being overwhelmed by both physical and psychological pain. You might experience a sense of overwhelm, fatigue, hopeless/depressed feelings, or lack of interest in social connection. Physical indicators include decreased heartrate, slowed breathing, decreased blood pressure, and numbness.

It is also harder to tune into human speech and read facial cues when you’re in dorsal vagal mode, making communication with others more difficult.

If the dorsal vagal system is constantly activated, you are likely to experience symptoms of chronic stress including inflammation, illness, impaired mental/emotional functioning, and interpersonal issues.

Because our nervous system state is controlled automatically, below our conscious awareness, it’s important to send cues of safety directly to your body.

3-minute exercises to come out of the dorsal vagal state:

• Body Tapping - sit or stand up if possible. Ball your fists and tap solidly up and down your arms and legs, increasing or decreasing the pressure as it feels good.

• ENS* massage - sit or lie down and place your hands on your belly. Gently massage around your belly using small, circular movements and playing with pressure and speed. Start at your lower left abdomen, moving across your lower abdomen, up your right side, across your upper abdomen, down your left side, and repeat. Notice any spots that want more or less attention. Even simply resting your hands on your belly sends signals of safety and allows for tension to release.

*Your enteric nervous system (ENS) is your “gut brain.” It regulates mood and immune response, as well as your capacity to be in the blended polyvagal state of safe stillness where we experience intimacy and meditative awareness.

The next time you notice dorsal vagal shutdown in your system, take a break and try one of these exercises. Note how you feel before and after the exercise. With experimentation, you can see which tools are the most efficient for your unique system.

I can also support you with curated exercises and personalized guidance. Click here for more information, and book a free exploratory call here.

In the ventral vagal state, your body able to relax, repair, and thrive. You might experience safety, warmth, openness, confidence, creativity, and a sense of connection to yourself and others. Physical indicators include relaxed muscles, smooth/deep breathing, and normal heartrate variability (HRV).

In the ventral vagal state, our social engagement system is fully online. We are more compassionate and caring towards others, we can more easily tune into people’s words, tone of voice, and facial expressions, and we can better soothe and support others from this state.

The more time we spend in ventral vagal, the more we can improve our resilience and our capacity to remain steady during challenging situations. This state is also highly beneficial for your wellness because it promotes lower inflammation, balanced metabolism and glucose levels, and healthy gut activity.

Anchoring into your ventral vagal state can help you deepen your sense of peace, clarity, creativity, and compassion for yourself and others.

3-minute exercises to anchor the ventral vagal state:

• Heart resonance breathing - sit comfortably with an upright posture and close your eyes. Breathing through your nose, breathe IN for a count of 5 and OUT for a count of 6. Imagine you are breathing in and out of your heart, or the center of your chest (heart chakra). You can place your hand on your heart if you’d like, and imagine a white or golden light glowing in your chest. This exercise is designed for HRV training (scientific measure of vagal tone).

• Tonglen - sit comfortably with an upright posture and close your eyes. Send loving-kindness and compassion to three people: first to your inner child, then someone you love, and finally someone it’s difficult to feel compassion for. You can imagine they are standing in front of you, and on the in-breath, breathe in their suffering. On the out-breath, send them kindness, compasion, and forgiveness.

I can also support you with curated exercises and personalized guidance. Click here for more information, and book a free exploratory call here.