lived experiences, polyvagal applications, research, Self-care

Humming, chanting, gargling – state of social engagement and Polyvagal theory

aleksandrastaneva

Just finished Stanley Rosenberg’s book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve, super accessible and packed with practical and soooo very applicable advice on assessing the state of mine and clients’ vagus nerve (cranial nerves linked to major functions of the parasympathetic-or rest and digest-nervous system) before and after psychotherapy sessions.

In order to influence change and deep healing we need to be in a safe and calm state, this is Psych 101.

However, it is not always thought in school how to ensure we get into this state ourselves and to make sure we support clients into accessing this state prior to each interaction or intervention.

This is what holistic approach to health means to me.

We have such easy and safe ways to get ourselves into calm…

I have been fascinated by Steven Porges approach on the importance of the Vagus Nerve and the Polyvagal theory.

I have been working on activating the 10th sacral nerve or the vagus nerve that travels all through our body, for quite some time, with various and super simple exercises like these. And those working with me know of these:

🌱 longer exhale, deep and slow belly breathing

🌱 humming, chanting and singing

🌱 filling the mouth with saliva or liquid and sitting with it, preferably cold

🌱 gargling of the throat

🌱 dance

🌱 cold water on the face (especially the area between the mouth and eyes)

….

But now I got the theory and understanding behind it.

The best message of the book- to ensure we bring ourselves regularly into a state of social engagement.

#upskilling #vagusnerve #polyvagaltheory #HORO #counselling #pandemiclessons #isolife #silverlining

With connection,

Aleks

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Published by aleksandrastaneva

Aleksandra She, who remembers. I work at the threshold, where psyche speaks in symbols, and the soul remembers. Rooted in Jungian depth psychology and Internal Family Systems, my work invites women and seekers into the quiet, often forgotten places within: the underworlds of grief, the wild terrain of desire, the sacred chambers of the inner child, inner mother, the Shadowlands, and Self. With a background in women’s heath research, in ritual, and in lived experience spaces, I do not offer diagnosis or treatment, I offer devotion to the unfolding Self. On the threshold of becoming- where we always are. Through dreams, parts work, myth, and the body, I walk beside those ready to meet themselves fully, fiercely, and tenderly. This is not fast work. It is sacred work. It is not about fixing, it is about remembering. I do not promise certainty. I promise presence, and a deep trust in the wisdom already within you. My work is rooted in the wild: in the seasons and the body, in the wisdom of the land, and in the deep ecology of the soul. I honour the personal as political, and the psychological as inseparable from the cultural. Feminism, ecopsychology, and embodied awareness are not add-ons here, they are the soil this work grows from. I offer one-on-one soulwork sessions, women’s circles, and immersive psychoeducational experiences that weave together depth psychology, parts work, and embodiment. Some of this work unfolds indoors, some in wild places—always with reverence for the wisdom of nature, the nervous system, and the feminine psyche. Welcome to the HORÓ nest. I think you might just be ready to re-member your Self.

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