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In this episode, we look at practical vagal toning exercises to help regulate the nervous system. Listeners are guided through techniques such as breathwork, sound and vibration, self-touch, and mindful movement. This episode offers trauma-informed, accessible practices for both therapists and their clients. Key exercises include the 4-2-4 and 6-3-6 breathing techniques, as well as stimulating the ear's vagus nerve connections. I also share a trauma-informed approach to introducing these practices to clients, emphasizing the importance of gradual integration and client autonomy.

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I'll be guiding you through simple, powerful tools like breath, work, sound and vibration, self touch and mindful movement, so that you can support client's, nervous system regulation, and help yourself as well. These practices are gentle, trauma-informed and accessible. Even for beginners, if you've been looking for practical ways to bring the body into the healing process.

I'm so happy that you have joined me today. Today's a solo episode and another yoga snack. For those who aren't aware, these are episodes that are 15 to 20 minutes, little bite-sized pieces of practices that you can use for yourself. As well as share with clients. We're gonna look at vagal toning exercises.

Once again in episode two 30, I brought you some of these vagal toning exercises and I noticed I got some good feedback from listeners and had more downloads. So this is part two of more practices for you. If you haven't tuned into two 30, I highly recommend going back and listening to that first. So what is vagal toning exercises?

I'm not gonna get too much in on what it is for this episode because I wanted to have enough time to share these practices with you. So if you're driving, you may wanna pause this and come back to another time because this is all hands-on stuff. Today I have some practices including breath work, self touch and movement, all through a trauma informed yoga lens.

Well, let's get to it. The first one I wanna try is some breath work. So extending the exhale. Longer than the inhale we practiced last time with 6 3 6. That really helps with the parasympathetic activation, can stimulate that vagus nerve. Another thing that we can try today is a little different is to pause after the exhale and I.

You have to look at this from a safety lens that we don't wanna jump in too hard. And I might have mentioned before, I don't teach 4, 7, 8 breath because that is not accessible for everyone. I know. I can't even do the exhale to eight. That is triggering. For some people it can be very difficult. And what we don't wanna do is set clients up so they feel like, oh my God, something's wrong with me.

That sense of calm. We're gonna do 4, 2, 4 breath, and 6 3 6, but let's jump in and experience this first and just make a note how this settles for you and your nervous system. Go ahead and get yourself settled. Feet on the floor. With breath work, we wanna make sure that our spine is straight. So that we can really connect to breath with this practice.

Then pause for two. Try it again. Inhale four, pause for two. Exhale four.

Pause for two this time. Let's go up to three. Inhale four, pause for two, exhale four, pause for three. This time we'll do the pause for four. So inhale four. Pause for two, exhale four,

Six three and I'll teach you that so you know what I mean as we do this. Inhale six,

pause for three. Exhale. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. And one pause for three.

Inhale. Six.

Exhale, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and one. Pause for three. This time we'll try four. Inhale six.

Pause for three. Exhale. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and one. This time we'll pause for four. Inhale six. Pause for three. Exhale. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and one. Pause for four.

pause for three. Exhale, 6, 5, 4. Three, two, and one. And pause for five.

Let that go. Just go back to your natural rhythm and pace of breath. Allow your breath to flow naturally. I. Do your best with this. Notice how you feel now. We did a little short practice with this. You can extend this on your own. Pause this or come back to it later. You can go up with six. Inhale. Pause three, six, exhale, and then go all the way to six after the exhale if you'd like.

Anything with numbers, I would always check with your client first to make sure this feels good for them. I just check in with emotion, sensation after this practice. Hey, therapist, do you have a client who gets stuck in their head and struggle to drop into their body? Are you recognizing the limits of talk therapy but are unaware about the how and when to bring body-based practices in the therapy sessions?

This is a great time that you'll be able to refine your teaching and I can help you with a client case, get. Your individual guidance and support to learn more and start feeling confident bringing yoga into your therapy room. Head to yoga in the therapy room.com/yoga-basics. That's yoga in the therapy room.com/yoga basics.

To that more calm, connected state. If you're not used to using chanting, singing, or sound with yoga practices, it may take some getting used to. I know when I first started to do this summer, remember I took Amy Wein trap's training for therapists on integrated yoga. She uses so much sound. I was overwhelmed 'cause I had never done chanting or any of that.

But now to the point in my yoga practice, I'm like, you know what? This is something I definitely wanna bring into my personal practice and with clients, 'cause I've seen the impact, the positive impact with this practice. We're gonna inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, making a voo sound.

all the way out with your breath, and then pause. Try it again. Inhale. Exhale with your VU

and see if you can experiment with different tones. Pause and one more. Inhale. Exhale and VO.

Now, this sounds weird, but the vagus nerve goes through our ear and there's a branch of it called the Arnold's nerve, which runs through the parts of the outer ear, interestingly enough. So if you take your forefinger in your thumb and move it towards the tragus, which is that flap of cartilage. Where your ear starts and meets your face, your jaw area, and just stimulate that.

Just go ahead and squeeze gently giving a little massage. There can also take the forefinger and thumb and gently pulling on the ear lobe, massaging along the ear, outside of the ear, squeezing, gently rubbing. Can also bring the forefinger into the ear, near the ear canal, around that area, and just make some circles.

To set themselves up for feeling a little calmer, maybe opening the window of tolerance a little bit more. And I didn't wanna end this episode without some movement and breath 'cause this is yoga in the therapy room. So of course we combine movement and breath and yoga. Asana is important as well. A very favorite of.

You can look up and then come back and round the back. Chin to chest. If you wanna bring breath with us, inhale just forward and you don't have to go all the way. You can go just a little bit, experiment what feels good today, and then exhale rounding to cats. I often bring the word cat in for clients because they know what the cat stretch is.

Even that simple movement with just a few minutes can really make a big difference in that nervous system regulation. One practice we're not gonna do today, but you can practice for homework after this episode is legs up the wall or legs up the chair. So that's when you scoot yourself up to the wall and bring legs up straight.

You can allow hands facing down towards the earth, stretched out to the side, or hands up. If you want more energy. You can do this on a chair. So if you scoot up to a chair. And allow your knees to bend onto the chair at a 90 degree angle. It works the same. Sometimes that's a little more accessible to do.

That's just a safety warning for that. But other than that, just see how you feel as you do it, and then that's something you can bring in for clients as well, knowing that. I've done it in session, it's okay. Or you can assign it as homework for them to practice at home. I did wanna share a trauma informed way to introduce toning practices to your clients.

So I wanted to model this for you. This could be a way to invite them in, and here's an example of what you can say. Let's pretend for a moment that you are my client and I'm the therapist, so let me introduce us to you. I'd like to share a gentle practice that can support the nervous system in feeling more settled.

When the vagus nerve is toned, it becomes easier to feel grounded, connected, and present. We'll be using tools like breath and Movement to gently invite the body into a state of calm. As we go through this, I'll offer options and reminders to check in with yourself. There's no right way to do this. It's all about what feels supportive to you in the moment.

Well, that brings us to the end of another yoga snack, and I hope this was helpful for you. And again, just as a reminder to subscribe, if you're not a subscribe to this podcast so you can get. All the episodes every Wednesday, and I thank you so much for joining me and I wish you well from these practices.

And I have a question for you. Are you feeling the limits of talk therapy and you want some more somatic tools for clients? Introducing my digital Trauma-Informed Yoga Basics course, a self-based course designed specifically for mental health therapists who wanna bring the body into the healing process ethically, safely, and with confidence.

Only available till May 31st. Go to yoga the therapy room.com/yoga-basics. That's yoga in the therapy room.com/yoga-basics. And once again, this is Chris McDonald sending each one of you much late in love. Till next time, take care. Thanks for listening to today's episode. The information in this podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only.

It's given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher. Or the guests are giving legal, medical, psychological, or any other kind of professional advice. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. Yoga is not recommended for everyone and is not safe under certain medical conditions.