This Vagus Nerve Stretch Offers a Much-Needed Nervous System Reset in Just 15 Seconds

In addition to our own personal challenges, current events are rattling our nerves and making us more stressed and anxious than ever before. Fortunately, experts say that dedicating a few minutes a day to doing a vagus nerve reset stretch with eye movements can help us find relief. 

A vagus nerve reset stretch is exactly what it sounds like: It helps reset your nervous system through gentle movement and breathing, lowering your heart rate and helping you feel more relaxed. We spoke with experts to learn more about the vagus nerve and how it plays an integral part in your body’s response to stress.

What Is the Vagus Nerve? 

“The vagus nerve starts at the medulla, which is where your brain and spinal cord connect,” explains Kurush Saliev, licensed massage therapist at ORA and certified personal trainer. “It runs throughout the body, carrying signals between your brain, heart, and digestive system. The vagus nerve is usually triggered by stress, anxiety, pain, or fear and is constantly sending sensory information to the brain. This is your ‘fight or flight’ response. When we are relaxed and at ease, the vagus nerve is less stimulated as well.”

More specifically, the vagus nerve is known as the 10th cranial nerve, or cranial nerve X, which runs down each side of your body, says Meghan Kenny, licensed massage therapist and CEO of META Bodywork. Activating and stimulating your vagus nerve helps induce relaxation and reduces stress, which is why it’s the focus of many meditation and mindfulness practices.

Because the vagus nerve runs through your face and controls your senses, your eyes play a big role in how you feel at any moment, Saliev says. By focusing on the eye movements while doing this specific vagus nerve stretch, it helps put your mind at ease.

Here’s how to do the stretch correctly and reap its stress-relieving benefits.

Interested in learning more? Check out Holistic Vagus Nerve Stretches for Immediate Relief

How to Do the Vagus Nerve Reset Stretch With Eye Movements

Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or exhausted, this 15-second vagus nerve stretch with eye movements can do wonders for your mental and physical health.

“It is thought that stimulating the vagus nerve through eye movements can help reduce stress and anxiety by promoting the parasympathetic nervous system’s ‘rest and digest’ mode, as well as lead to benefits such as improved mood, improved digestive health, better sleep, enhanced cognitive function, and pain management,” Kenny says.

Here, Kenny breaks down how to do the stretch.

1. First, find a relaxed, comfortable position, whether you’re sitting or lying down.
2. Take deep, diaphragmatic breaths by inhaling slowly through your nose for a count of four. You should see your abdomen rising and feel your belly filling with air. Then, exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Focus on doing a longer exhale, as it can activate the vagus nerve and promote relaxation, Kenny says.
3. Next, incorporate a neck stretch by gently tilting your head forward, bringing your chin toward your chest. Hold this position for a few seconds to feel a stretch in the back of your neck. Return your neck to a neutral position, then gently tilt your head backward, looking up at the ceiling for a few seconds. This helps to stretch the front of your neck.
4. Now, add the eye movements while you’re holding your neck stretch: Without moving your head, shift your gaze to the left as far as you comfortably can. Then, shift your gaze to the right as far as you comfortably can. This gentle eye movement is believed to stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs close to the eyes, Kenny says.
5. After doing the neck stretch and eye movements, bring your head back to a neutral position and continue the diaphragmatic breathing for a few more cycles to help you relax even more. You can repeat the neck stretches and eye movements while maintaining a slow, rhythmic breathing pattern, for as many sets as you’d like.
6. There are several ways to do the vagus nerve reset stretch, such as interlocking your hands behind your head or tilting your head from one side to the other.

Other Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve

Meditation, breathwork, massage or touch therapy, and even smiling are additional ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and help reduce stress and anxiety, Saliev says. “When we do these things, we send subconscious signals to the brain and naturally feel more relaxed.”

Kenny also recommends the following:

• Gargling with warm saltwater or plain H₂O. Doing this “can stimulate the vagus nerve by activating the muscles in your throat. Try gargling in the morning and other times of the day.”
• Humming, singing, or chanting, which can also stimulate your vagus nerve since it runs through your vocal cords. “Singing or chanting ‘OM’ or other soothing sounds can be particularly effective,” Kenny explains.
• Doing some cold water exposure, such as splashing cold water on your face or neck, or taking a cold shower, can stimulate the vagus nerve.
• Practicing yoga and tai chi, which are mind-body movements that incorporate deep breathing and gentle stretching, can activate the vagus nerve and help you feel more relaxed.

4 Acupressure Points to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve

If you’re not able to get access to acupuncture, lightly massaging certain acupressure points in your body that the vagus nerve runs through can also promote relaxation.

“When stimulating these acupressure points, it's important to use gentle pressure and focus on deep, slow breathing to enhance relaxation,” Kenny says.

Here are four acupressure points to focus on for stimulating the vagus nerve, according to Kenny.

1. Yin Tang

This point is between your eyebrows on your forehead. Stimulate it by gently pressing this point with your thumb for one to two minutes.

2. Conception Vessel 17

This point is located in the center of your breastbone (sternum). Stimulate the conception vessel 17 by gently pressing it with your fingers for one to two minutes.

3. Shen Men

If you’ve ever tried ear seeds, you might have heard of the Shen Men, also known as the “Spirit Gate,” which is located in the upper center part of your ear. Stimulate the Shen Men by applying gentle pressure and massaging this point with your thumb and fingertip for one to two minutes on both ears.

4. Sympathetic Autonomic Point

This point is near your earlobe, in the lower part of your ear. Massage this point with your thumb or fingertip in a circular motion for one to two minutes on both ears.