Vagus Toning Exercises for a Calm, Resilient Nervous System
- Britt Ritchie
- Jun 17
- 5 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
Holistic Therapy Series: Part 3 of 3
In Part 1 of the 3-part holistic therapy series, we explored mindfulness as your moment-to-moment anchor.
In Part 2, we leaned into breathwork to shift out of stress and into calm.
Today in Part 3, we’re diving into something that sounds clinical but feels like magic once you experience it: vagus toning exercises.
If you’ve ever felt an instant calm after humming along to your favorite song, splashing cold water on your face, or laughing with a friend—you’ve already activated your vagus nerve. This is the science-meets-strange territory where real nervous system healing begins.
And the best part? These exercises are simple, free, and deeply restorative—especially for women who feel emotionally exhausted, burned out, or “always on.”
(P.S. You’ll find two short vagus toning videos recorded by me below—perfect for guided practice.)
Key Points
Vagus toning exercises strengthen your body’s natural stress-regulation system.
They help you shift from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest within minutes.
Consistent practice builds resilience, calm, and emotional regulation over time.
Simple techniques—like humming, cold exposure, and laughter—can reset your nervous system daily.
This is a cornerstone of holistic psychiatry and nervous system recovery.
Why Vagus Toning Exercises Matter
Your vagus nerve is the main communication line between your brain and body.
It connects your brainstem to almost every major organ—your heart, lungs, gut, diaphragm, and vocal cords. When it’s functioning well, you feel grounded, present, and emotionally balanced. When it’s underactive, stress feels endless, digestion struggles, and anxiety runs the show.
Vagus toning exercises “train” this nerve—helping your body remember what safety feels like. Think of it as strength training for your nervous system: each repetition (cold water, humming, breathwork) increases your body’s capacity to recover from stress.
Over time, your system learns: I can calm down faster. I can trust my body again.
How Do Vagus Toning Exercises Work?
When you practice vagus toning exercises, you’re engaging your parasympathetic nervous system—the branch responsible for rest, digestion, and repair.
Here’s what happens behind the scenes:
Your heart rate and blood pressure lower.
Stress hormones like cortisol decrease.
Heart rate variability (HRV) improves—an indicator of resilience.
Your brain receives a signal that says: You’re safe now.
In short, these exercises retrain your nervous system to move out of survival mode and into connection, calm, and clarity.
What Are the Benefits of Regular Vagus Toning?
Immediate (within minutes)
Slower heart rate and deeper breathing
Relaxed muscles and clearer thoughts
A noticeable sense of grounded calm
Short-Term (1–3 weeks of practice)
Better sleep and digestion
Improved mood and energy
More emotional regulation during stressful moments
Long-Term (1–3+ months)
Higher baseline HRV (your “resilience score”)
Improved immune response
Decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, and burnout
Greater ability to stay calm under pressure and recover faster after stress
You’re not just calming down—you’re rewiring your stress response.
What Are the Best Vagus Toning Exercises?
You don’t need fancy equipment, biofeedback tools, or a therapist on speed dial (though I know a good one).
Just a few minutes a day can make a meaningful impact.
1. Cold Exposure
Splash your face with cold water
Press a cool compress on your chest
End your shower with 30 seconds of cold water
Why it works:
Cold activates the “diving reflex,” stimulating your vagus nerve and lowering your heart rate. Over time, this strengthens your ability to stay calm in stressful moments.
2. Humming, Singing, or Chanting
Sing loudly in the car
Hum while cooking
Chant “om” or another resonant sound during meditation
Why it works:
The vagus nerve passes through your vocal cords. Sound vibrations from humming or singing stimulate vagal tone and boost your body’s relaxation response.
3. Gargling with Warm Salt Water
Gargle for 30–60 seconds once or twice a day until you feel mild throat fatigue.
Why it works:
Gargling activates the throat muscles innervated by the vagus nerve—like doing push-ups for your parasympathetic system.
4. Slow, Deep Breathing
Practice belly breathing or box breathing (inhale 4 counts, hold 4, exhale 6).
Why it works:
Slow exhalations activate vagal tone and regulate your heart rhythm. This is a simple way to anchor your body in calm—even in a stressful meeting or busy commute.
5. Laughter, Play, and Social Connection
Watch a funny video or call that friend who makes you laugh
Dance, play, or do something delightfully silly
Spend time with people who help you feel safe and seen
Why it works:
Laughter and connection trigger oxytocin, your “safety” hormone, and strengthen vagal tone. This is why joy and community are essential parts of nervous system health.
What Is HRV—and Why Does It Matter?
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures the subtle changes between heartbeats.
The higher your HRV, the more adaptable your nervous system is.
High HRV = flexible, resilient, calm.
Low HRV = stuck in stress mode, fatigued, reactive.
Vagus toning exercises naturally increase HRV over time, helping you shift from constant fight-or-flight into a more balanced, adaptable state.
How Often Should You Do Vagus Toning Exercises?
Consistency matters more than intensity.
Start with 2–3 minutes daily, then build up to 10 minutes a few times a week.
You can pair vagus toning with mindfulness or breathwork from earlier in the Summer Reset series for deeper results. Over time, you’ll notice that it takes less effort to reach calm—your body learns the pathway home.
Try It Now: A 3-Minute Reset
You don’t need perfect conditions—just a few intentional minutes.
Choose one:
Splash your face with cold water
Hum softly or chant “om”
Then pause. Feel your body.
That gentle shift in calm? That’s your vagus nerve responding.
It’s your nervous system whispering, “You’re safe now.”
How I Can Help
If you’ve been living in constant fight-or-flight and your body no longer feels like a safe place, vagus toning exercises can help you reconnect, recover, and rebuild.
At Mind Alchemy Mental Health in Denver, Colorado, I offer holistic, integrative psychiatry designed for women who want real answers—not quick fixes. As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in female psychiatry and holistic women’s wellness, I take a root-cause, whole-person approach that looks beyond symptoms to uncover why you feel the way you do. Whether you’re struggling with focus, fatigue, mood swings, or that heavy sense of “something’s off,” we’ll work together to help you feel balanced and clear again.
My goal is to help you reconnect with your body and calm your mind through holistic psychiatric care that combines functional lab testing, mindfulness, and vagus toning techniques—science-based tools to regulate your nervous system from the inside out.
Explore more:
The story behind my holistic approach to mental health
My approach & services for holistic women’s wellness
Visit my media hub for podcasts, YouTube videos, and more related to holistic mental health treatment
Vagal toning sounds like…
A medieval instrument
Something I’d buy at a med spa
Weird. But I’m curious.
My new daily ritual (hello, cold plunge!)
Have you tried any of these vagal toning techniques?
Let me know which ones surprised you—or which ones you’re willing to try (even if you feel silly at first).
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