Where Nerve Meets Muscle: The Vagus Nerve and Pelvic Floor Connection

Makayla Mcintyre
Somatic Therapy Practitioner and Certified Yoga Teacher

Have you ever noticed when you finally pause and take a deep breath, everything in life starts to feel a bit lighter? Nervous system regulation doesn’t always have to be complex, sometimes all it takes is a few intentional breaths or short practices for vagus nerve stimulation or "vagal toning”. The vagus nerve helps the brain and body communicate. Let’s take a look at how we can help improve this communication using techniques to activate the vagus nerve and improve pelvic health.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve runs from the brainstem, along the neck, down to the abdomen and through the digestive system. It helps to manage the parasympathetic response, aka rest and digest and overall nervous system resilience. When we enter a parasympathetic state, our body is at ease, digestion increases, the bladder constricts and our heart rate slows. 

As most of us already know, nervous system dysregulation and pelvic floor health are very closely connected. This can look like a tight pelvic floor, pelvic pain, muscle tension, stress incontinence or sexual pain. As a result, improving vagal tone can increase pelvic floor relaxation, improve digestion, regulate bladder function and enhance emotional and sexual wellness. Pelvic sensation input can influence vagal output indirectly through autonomic pathways and integration. 

What Happens when the Vagus Nerve is Under Activated?

When the vagus nerve is under-stimulated, the body can get stuck in a fight or flight state creating sympathetic dominance. 

The moment our body enters a fight or flight state, our body begins a subtle yet visceral shift to prepare the body for danger. This preparation includes the bladder relaxing for release, adrenaline and cortisol are released, digestion slows, heart rate and blood pressure increases and the breathing becomes more laboured. 

Entering this state is normal and a healthy sign for a well functioning nervous system. The real question is, how long does it take for you to go from “Fight or Flight” to “Rest and Digest”? For most of us, the answer is much longer than it should be.

Being chronically stuck in fight or flight affects your overall physical and mental health in many ways. Physically this presents as, lower immune function, overall muscle tension and pelvic muscle tension, sluggish digestion and shallow respiration. Emotionally this presents as unbalanced moods, higher levels of anxiety and difficulty bouncing back from stress.

Thankfully, the solution doesn’t have to include hours a day spent laying in stillness but rather a few small lifestyle changes and a few short vagal toning techniques. 

What Practices and Tools can be Used to Activate the Vagus Nerve?

Breathing Practices

• Diaphragmatic Breathing — Deep breaths focusing on expanding belly/diaphragm on inhale with a slowly released on exhale.

• Extended Exhale Breath — Exhale longer than your inhale. Example: Inhale 4 & Exhale 6 or Inhale 4 & Exhale 8. Optionally, you can “hold” or pause your breath in between.

• Alternate Nostril Breathing

Vocal Practices

• Humming, Chanting, Singing and Gargling. This action of creating vibration in the throat helps to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Movement, Somatic & Body-Based Practices

• Gentle Yoga - Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga

• Somatic full body Shaking or Dancing

• Gentle Ear Massage

• Neck Massage or Stretching. This helps to relieve tension in the neck muscles which in turn can release compression on nerve pathways.

Mindfulness Practices

• Meditation

• Breathwork:
  Lion’s Breath - Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth with the mouth open and tongue released.
  Bee’s Breath - Deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale creating a hum sound with the mouth closed rather than breathing out.

• Yoga Nidra

• Body Scanning

Lifestyle Practices

• Deep restful sleep

• Sunlight exposure

• Cold exposure

• Laughter

• Social connection

• Being in nature

We Can Help

The vagus nerve is a bridge between pelvic floor health, nervous system health and overall health. Supporting the vagus nerve through simple daily practices can significantly improve your overall mental and physical well being by transitioning the body from tension and holding to rest and ease. Vagus nerve stimulation, activation and vagal toning might be the key to healing, regulation and rest for you and your body.

When was the last time you allowed your body to fully rest? 
Maybe today can be that day.

 Proactive Pelvic Health Center is dedicated to a whole body and collaborative approach to pelvic health, if you’d like to learn more about this approach please reach out. Practices such as those discussed above can be tailored to meet your unique needs and goals in a private somatic therapy or yoga session.