The Vagus & Nature Connection: Take a Walk, Calm Your Nerves

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Your vagus nerve—essentially your body's emotional thermostat—responds remarkably well to green spaces. When you step outside mindfully, cortisol levels drop, heart rate variability improves, and your body receives the safety signals it needs to shift into healing mode. The beautiful truth is that you don't need elaborate protocols or expensive supplements to support vagal tone; sometimes the medicine is right outside your door.

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Episode Transcript

Emily Feist (00:00):
Hello, hello.
Let's start today with anhonest moment.
When was the last time you wentfor a walk?
Not on a treadmill, not whilescrolling your phone, not
speedwalking to Target, but justto walk outside in nature, with
zero agenda besides just being?
If your brain just whispered, Ican't remember.

(00:22):
Don't worry, you're not alone.
Hi, I'm Emily and you'relistening to 'It Starts at
Vagus', the place where burnoutand anxiety goes to chill and
your nervous system learns totake a deep breath.
This episode is your gentleinvitation to take your nervous
system on a walk, becausemovement plus nature is the
nervous system's reset that yourbody has been begging Begging

(00:46):
.
.Nature Natureis not just a vibe, it's
healing.
Here's the truth that no onewants to put on a t-shirt.
Healing isn't always found in asupplement bottle or a yoga
pose.
Sometimes it's in a crackedsidewalk with grass growing
through it.
When we talk about improvingvagal tone, we often talk about
breath work, humming or laughingand hey, those are great

(01:08):
options, I use them often.
But guess what else works?
And it's available almosteverywhere and is able to
regulate your nervous systemNature, those green spaces with
the trees, the sound of the wind, even your local park with that
chattering squirrel.
Your nervous system loves greenspaces.

(01:29):
Your vagus nerve is like yourbody's emotional thermostat.
It helps control your heartrate, digestion, mood and more,
and when it's toned and happy,you feel calmer, sleep better
and snap less at the people whoslightly annoy you.
One way to support your vagaltone is by engaging your

(01:50):
parasympathetic nervous system,aka your rest and digest mode.
And nature is a parasympatheticpowerhouse.
Here's what happens when youcombine gentle movement, like
walking, with exposure to greenspace.
First, your cortisol, which isa stress hormone, that level
drops, your heart ratevariability improves, which is a

(02:11):
big vagal tone win, and yourbody feels safe, which is the
cue it needs to shift intohealing mode.
You are literally telling yournervous system hey friend, we're
good, no tigers here, no threat, we can relax.
Now some things you might haveto overcome is the thought of
that I don't have time or myneighborhood is just concrete.

(02:34):
First of all, it doesn't haveto be long to be effective.
Any time is better than no time.
On busier than normal days, Ijust spend a few more moments
outside while I take my dogs out.
It's about being still andpresent, versus multitasking
each waking moment.
Second, if you're walking yourdog, pushing a stroller or just

(02:55):
stepping outside with a cup oftea.
You're halfway there.
Let's bust the myth that has tobe a hike in the mountains,
because it doesn't.
Here's what counts A walkaround your block, sitting on
your porch or under a tree,staring at a plant while doing
some deep breathing, becauseeven that little green will help
.
And then we can even listen tonature sounds.

(03:15):
Those sounds can have a calmingresponse.
And even if you don't have timeto sneak outside, you can
always YouTube a forest video sothat you can have that
background while folding laundry.
And if your only green space isa tiny patch of grass near a
strip mall, guess what thatworks too.
And if you live in a concrete,heavy area, try to look up the

(03:40):
trees, the skies, the birdsthose count too.
And there seems to be somethingmagical about looking up, just
looking up at the clouds and theleaves.
It kind of takes you away fromwhat the hustle and bustle is
around us and lets us be present, because the point is in
perfection is to be present inthe moment.

(04:01):
Now for me personally, I like itto make it a goal to be outside
a minimum of 10 minutes.
Now, I'd really like 30, but 10works.
Most often for me it's momentsof just listening and being
around nature.
I like to kick my shoes off andfeel the grass.
I especially love it whenthere's that morning dew and I
can feel those tiny little dropsof water on my feet.

(04:24):
I love that, and on days whereI don't work right away in the
morning, even my kids sometimescome outside and we enjoy it
together and that warms my heartand that they can really enjoy
a healthy habit and have thatconnection with me.
Then we all start our morningslower and happier.
It is one of my favorites.
So let's build your own Vegaswalk ritual.

(04:44):
There's no rules, justintention.
So here's how.
First, you wanna set a timer.
Now again, most often I'm a 10minute at a time person, but if
that's too extreme for you, evenstart with two.
You can work your way up.
Just let your family know thatyou're gonna be out and about
doing something for a little bitand they might ask questions

(05:04):
and come too.
Next, leave the phone in yourpocket, put it on airplane mode
or, even better, leave it in thehouse or your car.
We don't want to accidentallystart scrolling in those moments
of pausing.
We want to just notice what'sgoing on around us and we're

(05:29):
going to start using your senses.
What do you see?
What do you hear?
How many different birds arethere in your area?
Next, you can go into.
What do you smell.
Even one deep breath in naturehas more benefits than a
10-minute doom scroll, and youcan add breath work if you want.
You can inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale

(05:52):
for six, Do that a few times oruntil you feel like your body is
just calm and peaceful.
Bonus that that breath work isa vagus nerve support on the go.
So now I ask you will you giveyour nervous system 10 quiet
minutes under a tree or layingin the grass?

(06:12):
You don't need to rearrange yourentire day, but your nervous
system does need a break, so whynot give it one?
All right, friends, thanks forhanging out with me today.
If this episode sparkedsomething for you, just share it
with a friend or leave a quickreview.
It helps more than you know, soremember to soothe your nervous
system and reclaim who you areThanks for listening to.
It Starts at Vagus.

(06:33):
New episodes are released everyTuesday.
Make sure you're subscribed andshare this with someone who you
know could benefit.
And until next time, rememberwellness starts at Vagus.