Wait, vagus what?

by Lizl Pretorius

If you are anything like me, perhaps you weren’t always as aware as you are now.  I mean, I thought, ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas— right?’  Not in this regard.

So, imagine my utter surprise, when this new kid on the block (admittedly perhaps, only new to me) revealed itself roughly 7 years ago.  Note: You can have 35 years of ballet dancing in your body, plus various sports training in tennis, golf, cycling etc. and never have been formally introduced before.

‘Some nerve, hey? Why has no one ever told me about it?’ I wandered out loud (puns fully intended), as of course, the vagus nerve is NOT new on the block. It’s been part of our human design since the beginning of time but was aptly named the wandering nerve (from the Latin word, vagus)  by neuroanatomist Thomas Willis  in 1664 because of the nerve's long and extensive pathway from the brainstem down to the abdomen. 

Vagus, (spelt with an ‘a’ and a ‘u’, unlike the city in Nevada) was definitely not a buzz word, when I was growing up.  It took the school of life, in the form of emotional trauma, leading to heavy episodes of stress related vertigo, for me to pay attention to my wellness in new ways.

Why? Because inevitably the body keeps the score, which will often manifest as pain, causing issues (which CANNOT be ignored) in our tissues. The body’s message becomes subtle, yet at times clear enough to beg for one’s attention. Time to make a change!

As fitness fundi’s, we were, and still are, exposed to the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy. Yet, when attuning to our bodies in new ways, awareness is where the real power lies (NOT in working harder).

I made a mind—body—medicinal connection and so can you. 

In 2018, I had a gut feeling I was onto something marvellous and having been described as a sensitive soul all my life, it’s no small wander.  Why does this matter?  Here lies the fascia-nation, for me anyway (I am on a pun roll…)

The vagus nerve is also known as the ‘soul nerve’ because it connects so many parts of us: body, mind and emotion. It links our brain with our heart, lungs and gut — the places where we most often feel our emotions. And what is e-motion? Simply put: it is energy in motion.

How do we activate this energy shift?

Through movement, of any form or modality, we nurture our body and vagus nerve. When we practice breathing, humming, meditation, gentle movement, spend time in nature or make meaningful connections with fellow humans, all aid us to return to presence, balance, and peace. Activities like these stimulate our vagus nerve— sending signals that soften our heartbeat, deepen our breath and relax our digestion. The exact opposite being true: when we feel stressed or unsafe, our sympathetic nervous system causes us to fight, flee or freeze. It is in this freeze state, that the issues, arrive in our tissues or our bodies start keeping the score and manifesting chronic pain.

Pain is our body's way of telling us to slow down, relax and to take better care of ourselves.  This is my tender-hearted nudge to invite you to do just that. Come experience the joy of gentle barefoot movement with me during a Nia session on Saturdays 8:30- 9:30 am.

Some fun facts about the vagus nerve:

- It’s the longest cranial nerve in the body. If you could uncoil it, it would be about the length of your arm.

- We actually have two vagus nerves, one on each side of the body. - It’s the main nerve of our ‘rest and digest’ system. - It sends most of the messages upward, not down. About 80-90% of its signals travel from our bodies up to our brains, telling our brains how our organs are doing.

Come tap into your vagus nerve. Encounter the alchemy of your body’s own medicine as our ‘soul nerves’ stir and connect.  The Space Between is a safe space to boost your endorphins and mood and to leave feeling grounded. Your body will absolutely thank you and you will enjoy it—this I guarantee. Gutsy’ of me to say, right?