I was at the Chiropractor a while back, and I mentioned that the main challenges I am dealing with are digestion-related. After he heard my list of what I have been noticing, he said “You need to work on your vagus nerve. Do you meditate?” Well, yes I do – but I am aware that I am still stressed…

So, of course, when I got home I googled “vagus nerve”. Fascinating! The vagus nerve is the largest nerve in the body, and it helps to counter-balance the effects of stress! It has been called “the great wandering protector”. It connects to the throat, heart, lungs, spleen, liver, stomach, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines. Science is experimenting with stimulating the vagus nerve to treat tinnitus as well as depression!

I found several very good articles – one by Gayatri Devi, M.D. who wrote a book called “The Calm Brain”. I found another good article, which suggests you can calm your vagus nerve with a simple breathing exercise: “Breathe into your belly to the count of five. Breathe out slowly to the count of five. Keep your belly soft. Repeat 5 times.” How easy is that?

After reading a bit, I sat and meditated and tuned into my vagus nerve. I saw a vision of frayed wires. Not a good sign! So, I sat and did Reiki on myself, and breathed slowly, and let my vagus nerve know I was sorry it was so stressed out. Nerves like the energy of metallic gold. So, I saw my vagus nerve smooth and shiny and golden. I have been doing this daily – just listening, breathing, seeing my golden vagus nerve, and also calming my adrenal glands – and amazingly, my digestion has improved significantly!

I have written about our adrenal glands, the ones that get the “fight or flight” response going. In fact, I work on calming the adrenals in myself as well as most of my clients. Now, I am adding the vagus nerve to the mix.

Our bodies are so brilliant, and so willing to be healthy. All we need to do is to listen and love them, and give them what they need. Reiki is such a wonderful tool. When I lay in bed in the morning, I can put one hand on the back of my neck (to access the vagus nerve) and the other on my heart or solar plexus, and let Reiki help to heal my body. I also always put my hands on my back (above my waist, as close as I can get to my adrenals) when I sit in bed and meditate.

So, listen, love, breathe, touch, use Reiki on yourself and others, and have a lovely Autumn day.