Vagus Nerve Regulation with Bilateral Stimulation & Breath

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This is a Stereo Forest production from StereoForest

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.com.

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Information, resources and opportunities to support the show

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and connect with others are available at StereoForest

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.com slash Daily Reconnect.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes

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only and is not a substitute for medical

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advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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If you have specific mental health concerns, please

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consult with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Now, on to the show!

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Today, let's go outdoors if possible to ground

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ourselves in nature for an exercise that targets

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the vagus nerve.

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Grounding and vagal nerve exercises help activate the

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central vagal pathway, promoting safety and connection.

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Welcome to the Daily Reconnect.

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It's March 26th and I'm your host Jenda

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Han.

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This podcast is designed to help you reconnect

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with the present when feeling detached or unmotivated

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with the world around you, when things just

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feel pretty surreal.

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Together, we'll re-engage with the reality of

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the world and our minds.

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I'm reorganizing the weekly episodes a little bit,

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though they will still cover the same ideas

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and exercises.

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On Mondays, I will share the words of

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motivation and continue later in the week with

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grounding exercises, ones that are designed to help

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you reconnect.

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So, use whatever resonates with you and modify

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or just throw away anything that doesn't feel

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right or doesn't work.

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The exercise for today uses bilateral stimulation.

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This helps you integrate both hemispheres of the

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brain.

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The breathing component of this exercise activates the

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vagus nerve and regulates the nervous system.

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This promotes grounding, safety, and connection.

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In the background, you will hear sounds directly

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from the forest, the one that's right behind

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the studio in my house.

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I invite you to go outside if possible,

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but you can do this exercise indoors or

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out, seated or standing, or while you're moving

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about.

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So, for this exercise, sit or stand comfortably

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with feet flat on the floor or the

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ground.

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If you are walking, adopt a consistent and

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sustainable pace and really feel the feet as

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they hit or leave the ground.

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So, for this exercise, you will alternate taps

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between your thighs or your shoulders using your

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hands.

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You will tap left, then right, then left,

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then right.

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So, take a moment and choose whether or

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not you're going to tap your thighs or

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tap your shoulders and then place your hands

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however they are comfortable in one of those

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two locations.

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So, I will guide you to establish a

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comfortable steady rhythm while you're tapping.

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And while you're tapping, synchronize your breathing.

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Inhale for four taps, exhale for six taps.

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We'll do one to begin so you get

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used to the exercise, and then I will

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continue on for a couple minutes, guiding you

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through the tapping.

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So, let's try it one time.

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Remember the inhale or the exhale will be

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the first tap, all right?

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So, let's try it out.

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So, inhale, three, two, one, and exhale, five,

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four, three, two, and one.

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As you continue the bilateral rhythmic tapping, notice

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the physical sensation of touch while you tap

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your shoulder or your thigh.

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Notice the rhythm of the movement, and notice

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how this might affect your breathing as you

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inhale for four and exhale for six.

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All right, so let's run through this just

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for a few minutes.

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Now, inhale, three, two, one, and exhale, five,

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four, three, two, one.

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Inhale, three, two, one, exhale, five, four, three,

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two, one.

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Inhale, three, two, one, and exhale, five, four,

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three, two, one.

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Inhale, three, two, one, and exhale, five, four,

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three, two, one.

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Inhale 3 2 1 Exhale 5 4

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3 2 1 Inhale 3 2 1

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Exhale 5 4 3 2 1 And

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that's it for today March 26.

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Thank you so much for joining me here

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today and let's connect again on Friday for

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another grounding exercise.

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Thank you for listening to The Daily Reconnect.

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Episodes are released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

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every week.

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This show was created, written, hosted, edited, and

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produced by Jen DeHaan.

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Links to contact information, ways to support the

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show, transcripts, the free newsletter, and our community

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discord can be found in the show notes.

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This is a Stereo Forest production.