I frequently travel a long stretch of Arizonan highway near my home, on my way to get my roasted coffee beans. This roadway was made famous by an old seventies folk singer, Gordon Lightfoot, when he wrote the song…”Carefree Highway…let me slip away, slip away on you…”
Every single time I pull onto Carefree Highway, I begin to sing that tune. My heart rate slows, my breathing becomes easy. I feel carefree! The name cues me to let go of those fearful narratives creeping into my conscious. The ones that use fear to control their host. Carefree Highway, to me, denotes freedom and lightheartedness and ultimately a scrumptious bag of my precious, aromatic beanie-babies. All of my worries fade, as I “slip away” toward java joy.
I’m essentially activating my parasympathetic nervous system every time! I’m feeding my body much needed “feel good” chemicals as I conjure up the smell, the taste, the experience of that first, warm sip. Just imagining all of this transports me into an altered state of consciousness, contentedness. But how does this really work, this mind-body connection? How can positive mental imagery and restorative deep nasal breathing induce physical changes within my body?
Well…I’ve been reading this fascinating book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg. It basically reminds us all of the power we have within us through of our vagal nerve, to enact calm, combat stress, and nourish our bodies. It’s one of two pathways comprising our autonomic nervous system or ANS.
We all know of our “fight or flight” sympathetic pathway. He’s our fearless protector. He acts without permission. Able to pump blood to our heart, lungs, and muscles within a nanosecond, even if he senses the possibility of danger. Carte blanche arrangement. Kind of like our own personal, muscle-bound bodyguard, just waiting to kick some “A”. He’s very intuitive but not very cerebral. He doesn’t have time to think, he has to be reactive. He’s so loyal he doesn’t know when to step back. Hanging around even when we don’t really need him, leaving us in a chronic state of fear and anxiety. Not a healthy a place to be. Someone really needs to tell him to “cool his jets”.
That’s where our powerful vagus nerve comes into play.
With a few luscious inhales through our nose, followed by a few intentional “letting go” exhales through our mouth, we have the ability to activate one of the most powerful mind-body connections, our vagus nerve. Cranial nerve X, the longest of the XII cranial nerves. She originates in our brain/brainstem and wanders down through our neck, innervating our heart and lungs, our diaphragm, our vital organs, and our digestive tract. A powerful, yet little known stretch of neuronal asphalt built right into our bodies. She’s the “ rest and relax” network that brings about serenity, calming our fear-based thinking. Toll free and never congested. By simply breathing in through our nose and out through our mouth, we’ve entered the byway …telling our sympathetic bodyguard to take a chill pill.
So if you are like me and can easily allow your joys to be overshadowed by fear, disconnectedness, and hopelessness…or you find yourself paralyzed by those annoying “what ifs” looping within your psyche, devoid of solutions…take some time for your deep breathing…summon your vagus nerve. She’s just waiting for you to finally acknowledge her. Witness her power!
”In through your nose…out through the mouth…” she says, gently tiptoeing between our yoga mats.” Let go of each worry as if it were a grain of sand being washed away with each cleansing tidal breath.” As I lay on my back, allowing my body to become one with Mother Earth, I hear her gentle voice telling me to “quiet my mind, acknowledge each fleeting thought…and then just let it pass through you like a gentle summer breeze.”
And just as I raise my legs, butt in the air, hips expanded…grabbing my big toes …settling into that glorious Happy Baby pose…Om…Om…Om…
OMG…did I take my Lactaid?
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