This is episode 1,734.

Welcome to the Daily Meditation podcast.

I'm Mary Meckley and I honor you for showing up for yourself today as you get ready to slow down and give yourself a little more peace, energy, and clarity.

In today's episode, you are going to be guided using a breathing technique to calm your mind

and body.

And as you explore this week's theme of mental wellness, mental and emotional wellness,

you will find that breathing techniques are one of the fastest ways to instantly calm your mind and body.

So if you suffer from anxiety or stress or depression, doing a breathing technique can soothe your emotions. So before I guide you through

the breathing technique, I want to share some information with you about your vagus nerve. If you want to look it up yourself

to research this nerve, and I encourage you to do so, because it's important in how you

may respond to stress.

It is spelled V-A-G-U-S.

It is the longest cranial nerve.

So it extends from your brainstem and touches many different organs and areas of your body that it impacts, such as your throat and your heart and your abdomen and it connects it to your brain. This Vegas nerve is so important

because not only does it pass through so many major organs of your body,

but it also impacts the autonomic nervous system, which consists of the parasympathetic and sympathetic parts.

And how this nerve functions is basically it's a circuit that links the neck, heart, lungs, and abdomen

to the brain.

So it impacts your gut health as well as your breath,

as well as your heart rate and inflammation in your body and how you manage fear,

especially stress and anxiety.

When you tone this vital nerve in your body,

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