Breathe deeply, take it slow, do nothing for a while. These are the tips you hear everywhere when it comes to relaxing. For a lot of women that only works up to a point. You can breathe calmly on purpose and still feel that your body just isn’t following along. That has everything to do with the vagus nerve.

What the vagus nerve does

The vagus nerve is a long nerve running between your brain and, among other things, your heart, lungs and digestive system. It belongs to your body’s rest and recovery system, the part that lets you settle, digest and heal. Breathing is one of the ways you can influence this nerve, but it isn’t the only one.

Under long term tension, this system can respond more slowly than you’d like. You might breathe calmly on purpose and still notice your body staying on edge. That isn’t a failure on your part, it’s a body that needs more than a breathing exercise alone to truly shift back down.

Why touch offers a different way in

Besides breathing, the vagus nerve also responds to touch, warmth and a sense of safety. That explains why a good massage sometimes achieves more than fifteen minutes of conscious breathing on the sofa at home. Through touch your body receives a signal that words or breathing alone can’t always give it.

In my practice I work with targeted massage aimed at exactly this system. Through pressure, attention and touch I help your body feel that it’s safe to let go, instead of trying to force that through your mind alone.

What this can mean for you

If breathing exercises or moments of rest on their own aren’t quite enough, that’s often a sign your body needs a different way in. Touch can then make the difference between knowing you should relax and actually feeling it happen.

Curious how that works in my practice in Hoofddorp? Read more about your nervous system and tension or make an appointment.