Breath-Work & the Vagus Nerve: Calming the Brain and Body for Emotional Regulation

Stock Image Cover Photo from Pexels

Breathing is the most natural thing we do — and one of the most powerful tools we have for emotional healing and nervous system regulation. When emotions are intense, the body often feels out of control: heart racing, chest tightening, thoughts spiraling. But what if the way we breathe could interrupt that cycle?

Recent research in neuroscience and poly-vagal theory shows that intentional breath-work can directly influence how we think, feel, and respond — not by changing our thoughts, but by calming our nervous system through the vagus nerve.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the science of breath and the brain, and share practical, research-backed breathing techniques designed to help you regulate anxiety, reduce stress, and return to emotional balance.

The Breath-Brain Connection: Why Breathing Impacts Emotions

Your breath is closely linked to your nervous system — specifically the autonomic nervous system, which governs automatic bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and the stress response.

When you’re calm and grounded, your body is in the parasympathetic state, sometimes called “rest and digest.” When you’re anxious or stressed, your system shifts into the sympathetic state, or “fight, flight, or freeze.”

Here's where breathing comes in, though. You can’t directly control your heart rate or blood pressure — but you can control your breath. And your breath sends signals to the brain and body about whether you are safe or under threat.

Meet the Vagus Nerve: Your Built-In Calming Pathway

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body, connecting your brain to your heart, lungs, and digestive organs. It plays a crucial role in emotional regulation, social connection, and the ability to recover from stress.

Stimulating the vagus nerve through specific types of breathing can:

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure

• Reduce cortisol and other stress hormones

• Improve digestion and immune response

• Decrease inflammation

• Promote a sense of safety and calm

  
  

*In short: when you activate the vagus nerve, you signal to your body that you’re safe — and your emotional state begins to shift.

Four Research-Based Breathing Techniques That Stimulate the Vagus Nerve:

1. Psychological Sigh (Fast-Acting Vagus Stimulator)

How to Do It:

1. Inhale deeply through the nose

2. Take a second, shorter inhale on top of the first

3. Exhale slowly and completely through the mouth

4. Repeat 1–3 times

   
   

Why It Works:

This technique mimics a natural reflex your body uses to reset after crying or stress. It quickly reduces levels of carbon dioxide and activates the vagus nerve, making it one of the fastest-acting breath-work tools for anxiety and overwhelming feelings.

2. Humming Breath (Vocal Vagal Stimulation)

How to Do It:

1. Inhale slowly through the nose (4–6 seconds)

2. Exhale through the nose while humming (e.g., “mmmm” or “om”) for 6–8 seconds

3. Focus on the vibration in your face, throat, and chest

4. Continue for 1–2 minutes

   
   

Why It Works:

The vibrations produced by humming stimulate the vagus nerve and naturally extend the exhale. It’s soothing, quiets the mind, and creates a felt sense of safety in the body.

3. Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing

How to Do It:

1. Sit or lie down with one hand on your belly

2. Inhale through your nose so your belly rises (not your chest)

3. Exhale slowly through your mouth or nose

4. Continue for several minutes, focusing on the rise and fall of the belly

   
   

Why It Works:

This form of breathing increases oxygen intake and relaxes the nervous system by gently massaging the vagus nerve through movement of the diaphragm. It’s a foundational skill for emotional regulation.

4. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

How to Do It:

1. Use your thumb to close your right nostril

2. Inhale through the left nostril

3. Close the left nostril and exhale through the right

4. Inhale through the right nostril

5. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left

6. Repeat for 1–3 minutes

   
   

Why It Works:

This technique balances brain hemisphere activity and slows the breath rhythm, supporting both mental clarity and nervous system downregulation. It’s especially helpful when feeling emotionally fragmented or overstimulated.

How to Integrate Breath-Work Into Daily Life

Breath-work doesn’t have to be a long or formal practice. It can be used:

• To start or end your day

• In the middle of a tough conversation

• While commuting or waiting in line

• After a triggering or overstimulating event

• To transition from work mode to home or rest

Even one intentional minute of breathing can create a physiological shift!

Breathe with Ease 

When life feels overwhelming, remember: you don’t have to think your way to calm. You can breathe your way there. Your breath is always available — a built-in tool for safety, clarity, and regulation.

We have therapists that integrate neuroscience-informed and body-based techniques like breath-work into therapy sessions to help you heal from stress, trauma, and emotional dysregulation. If you’re curious about how breath-based tools could support your mental health, we’d love to walk with you on that journey.

Sources:

1. Stock Image Cover Photo from Pexels

2. Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation.

3. Huberman, A. (2021–present). Huberman Lab Podcast. https://hubermanlab.com

4. Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. 

5. Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.