Raise your hand if you’re stressed 🙌

Honestly, even if you don’t feel super stressed, your physiology still does.

Spending time inside, under artificial lights, staring at screens, only to go outside and get into your car and drive around is incredibly stressful for your nervous system, whether or not you feel it.

The good news is that there’s only one nerve that’s responsible for relaxation - your Vagus Nerve.

And while you might have heard that meditation and cold showers are great for relaxation, today’s episode will give you the why behind how they work.

Working with your vagus nerve is like improving cardiovascular health through strength training - “healthy” means it’s easier for your body to come back to baseline.

Join me for today’s episode and learn:

• All about the most important nerve for relaxation: the Vagus Nerve
• How long COVID, chronic stress and other health issues are related to vagus nerve function
• How to improve vagal nerve tone for deep relaxation

All the links:

• 2023 Movement Mavens Retreat | May 17-21, www.aewellness.com/retreat/
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing by David A. Treleaven
• A Systematic Review of Associations Between Interoception, Vagal Tone, and Emotional Regulation: Potential Applications for Mental Health, Wellbeing, Psychological Flexibility, and Chronic Conditions (Frontiers in Psychology, 2020)
• The Longitudinal Association of Reduced Vagal Tone with Burnout (Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2019)
• Reduced vagal tone in women with endometriosis and auricular vagus nerve stimulation as a potential therapeutic approach (Scientific Reports, 2021)
• Pilot study suggests long COVID could be linked to the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the vagus nerve
• How to Mobilize Your Diaphragm for Better Breathing and Core Control (AE Wellness YouTube)
• 10 Minute Meditation - How to Meditate with Mindfulness and Breathing (AE Wellness YouTube)
• 30 days to more strength + flexibility with the Mobility Mastery Toolkit
• Movement Mavens has the tools and strategy to support you on your path to enjoying life without pain - www.aewellness.com/mavens
• www.aewellness.com/podcast - Show notes, links and more.
• Join the free Body Nerds FB community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aewbodynerds/
• Come hang out with me on Instagram @hollaformala : https://instagram.com/hollaformala/
• TikTok @ aewellness
• Bodywork Starter Guide - learn the 6 places you need to roll right now for quick relief, plus the reason why what you’ve tried so far has only given you a temporary fix. Download the guide for free now at www.aewellness.com/bodywork
• 818-396-6501 is the Body Nerd Hotline - how do you build consistency and/or where are you getting stuck? Drop me a line and let me know your body nerd hacks - you might just hear your voice on a future episode!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Mobility Mastery Toolkit. Forget icing and stretching - and get a simple program you can do on your own that actually works. The Toolkit includes 30-days of exercises so you know exactly what to do to improve the mobility of your hips, lower back, feet, neck and shoulders. With video demos and a full-body mobility workout calendar, you’re just 15-mins a day from feeling stronger and more flexible. Get $20 off when you use the code MASTERY at www.mobilitytoolkit.co