The benefits of listening deeply to your body’s communication patterns.
If you’ve ever had a “gut feeling,” shivered for no reason, or felt calmer after taking a deep breath, you’ve experienced the power of your body’s incredible information network in action.
We tend to think of the brain as a control and command centre, issuing orders for the body to follow. But the reality is somewhat different. The brain receives a constant stream of messages from the body – more than from the brain to the body.
The vagus nerve – a main highway
The vagus nerve is one of the main communication highways between our body and our brain and acts specifically for the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and relaxation. The vagus nerve influences our digestion, heart rate, breathing, mood and immune response. Around 80% of the communication along the vagus nerve travels from the body to the brain.
Your brain receives messages which are essentially status updates from your body, such as:
- Receptors in your lungs telling your brain how full your breath is.
- Receptors in your blood vessels reporting on your blood pressure.
- Your gut sending updates on nutrient content, microbial activity, and inflammation—the gut-brain connection has been well documented in recent years and up to 500 million neurons are involved in this “second brain.”
- In your muscles, sensors report on position, tension, and load.
- Your skin is constantly communicating about temperature, pressure, and pain.
You will have observed how changes you make to your physical state, such as softening your belly or releasing jaw tension, can trigger a noticeable shift in your mood and perception of situations.
All too often during our busy lives, our body signals that we are under threat and on high alert. During these times we can listen in and influence the narrative, or information flow our body is sending the brain through deliberate rest practices.
The power of listening in – how rest practices can help
A range of modalities inform the rest practices I offer, such meditation, yoga Nidra & NSDR (non-sleep deep rest), iRest somatic (body) based practices and sound therapy. The techniques that I practice and share with you during sessions incorporate aspects from all of these.
Engaging in deep rest will not “fix” or short-circuit the messages generated by the body. Instead, it can facilitate improved communication, remove some of the traffic noise and give your nerves the space to send signals of safety, neutrality, and non-threat back to the brain. And that’s when real shifts start to take place and you can de-escalate the state of being on high alert.
When you rest in a way that is intentional and supported, you’re telling your nervous system “All is well. You are safe. You can stand down now.”
I highlight that this kind of rest is not accomplished by passively sitting on the sofa and scrolling your phone. To be honest, this is likely to exacerbate a state of high alert.
It is called deep rest practice for a reason –a learned technique which needs to be repeated and refined. And when you do, you open up the ability to engage the parasympathetic nervous system and change the traffic messages along the highway.
In physiological terms, changes can occur which send “green light” messages to the brain:
- Heart rate variability increases which is a marker of parasympathetic tone (or fitness) and emotional flexibility
- Stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, can decrease
- Tissue repair and digestion improvements can be noticeable
- Brain wave activity shifts—often moving from high beta (problem-solving) into alpha and theta states (calm, creative, and integrative)
Breathing – the simplest way to engage in deep rest
One of the most powerful and best-known ways to promote feelings of calm in the body is through breathing. While you might not be able to instigate a full rest practice during your day, you can always breathe – at work, while driving, in bed when your mind is racing.
But how exactly does this work? When you take a slow, deep breath, receptors in your lungs, diaphragm, and chest wall send signals up the vagus nerve that something calming is happening. These messages reach the brainstem and trigger a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response. In essence the brain responds to the body’s suggestion.
Rest is not a reward for working hard
Just as you will hopefully be gently and deeply listening in to your body, I gently remind you that rest is not an indulgence or optional downtime. Your body (and nervous system) need rest to stay balanced. If you’re stuck in overdrive, dysregulated, or simply exhausted, the best path forward might not be another productivity hack but a regular deep rest practice to help you send the best signals on your own personal information highway.
For more insights on nervous system regulation and approaches to deep rest and wellbeing, explore my other blogs.
Photo credit: Natalya Letunova
