Nervous System 10 min read
Calming the Nervous System: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychotherapy
How breath, movement, and contemplative practice help the body return to balance — a psychotherapist and yoga teacher’s view.
In today’s fast-paced world, many people live with overstimulated nervous systems and busy, agitated minds. Anxiety, burnout, panic, trauma and chronic stress are increasingly common experiences. The symptoms of adverse life events such as trauma and grief live not only in the mind but are deeply held within the body.
A path back to balance
The research evidence is increasingly pointing to the awareness that unresolved trauma and grief are deeply connected to the state of our nervous system. Encouragingly, both ancient contemplative traditions and modern psychotherapy offer practical ways to restore balance and help the body return to a state of safety, calm and homeostasis.
Practices such as breath awareness, yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion offer simple yet powerful ways to return to a sense of inner steadiness and balance. By supporting the nervous system and strengthening vagal tone, these practices help cultivate greater resilience, emotional regulation, clarity of mind, and improved wellbeing.
Understanding your nervous system — the two pedals
A helpful way to think about the nervous system is as having two main pedals — one that revs the body up under threat, and one that brings it back to rest. You can usually tell which is in charge by what the body is doing right now.
A small self-check
Pause for a moment. Which side feels closer to where your body is right now?
“Go” pedal pressed
Sympathetic activation
- My chest feels tight or my heart is racing
- My breath is shallow, up in the chest
- My shoulders are pulled up toward my ears
- My jaw is clenched, even when I’m not thinking
- I can’t quite settle, or focus on one thing
- My stomach is unsettled or I’m not hungry
“Brake” pedal engaged
Parasympathetic calm
- My shoulders have dropped a little
- My breath has lengthened, lower in the body
- My jaw is soft
- I notice a yawn, or a sigh
- I can hear sounds in the room without flinching
- I feel hungry, or warm, or sleepy
What is vagal tone?
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, connecting the brain to the heart, lungs, gut and many other organs. It plays a central role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Vagal tone refers to how effectively this nerve helps the body return to calm after stress.
Higher vagal tone is associated with greater emotional resilience, improved stress recovery, better heart rate regulation, and an increased capacity for calm and connection.1 When we live with chronic stress, the nervous system can lose some of its flexibility — but research suggests that vagal tone can be strengthened through simple daily practices.1 In many ways, this is like training the nervous system to remember safety again.
Various models of nervous system regulation also highlight that our bodies are constantly scanning the environment for cues of safety or threat. Much of this happens automatically and outside conscious awareness.2 When cues of safety are present, the nervous system is more able to settle and return to balance. These models also remind us that human nervous systems regulate not only internally but through safe relationships with others — a point I’ll return to.
The body learns safety the way it learns anything else — through repetition. Each slow breath, each moment of attuned connection, is a small instruction.
Ancient practices that support nervous system regulation
Long before modern psychology developed (about 145 years ago), contemplative traditions such as Yoga (5,000 years old) and Buddhist psychology (2,500 years old) had already created sophisticated systems for understanding the mind, suffering and human wellbeing.
The original psychologies
Drawn to scale, modern psychology is a thin layer on top of much older ground.
Yoga is roughly 35 times older than the field of psychology I trained in. The contemplative traditions were exploring the mind—body relationship for thousands of years before there was a clinical word for it.
These traditions are sometimes described as the original psychologies because they explored the relationship between the body, mind and emotional experience thousands of years ago. Their teachings recognised that cultivating awareness of the body, breath and mind can help restore balance and reduce suffering.
Yoga philosophy describes an integrated system designed to support wellbeing through mindful movement and posture, breath regulation (pranayama), focused attention and meditation, and ethical and compassionate living. While many people in the West associate yoga primarily with physical poses, these postures are only one element of a much broader system designed to support mind–body balance.
Similarly, Buddhist psychology explores how patterns of thought, emotion and perception influence suffering and wellbeing. Practices within these traditions cultivate qualities such as awareness and insight, compassion towards self and others, emotional balance, clarity of focus, and equanimity — an inner steadiness that can hold difficult experience without being thrown by it.
At their core, these traditions recognised something modern science is now confirming: our mental wellbeing is deeply connected to the regulation of the body and nervous system. Today many contemporary psychological approaches draw from these ancient wisdom traditions while integrating them with modern neuroscience and trauma-informed therapy.
What modern research shows
Over the past two decades, scientific research has increasingly validated many of these practices.
A meta-analysis of 39 studies found that mindfulness-based therapy was moderately effective for reducing anxiety and depression in clinical populations, with the largest effects observed in those with diagnosable anxiety and mood disorders.3 Mindfulness practice is also associated with improvements in emotional regulation and changes in brain regions linked to attention and self-awareness.
Research on yoga points in the same direction. A meta-analysis of 42 randomised controlled trials found that interventions including yoga postures were associated with reduced cortisol, lower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure and improved heart rate variability — all markers of better nervous system regulation.4
Slow, controlled breathing has been shown to activate the parasympathetic response and shift the autonomic nervous system toward greater balance.5
Self-compassion: meeting yourself with warmth
Self-compassion practices have also been shown to significantly support emotional wellbeing. Research suggests that cultivating self-compassion can reduce anxiety and depression, improve resilience during difficult experiences, increase emotional regulation, and support healthier ways of responding to stress.6 A structured eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion programme has been shown in a randomised controlled trial to produce lasting gains in self-compassion, mindfulness and wellbeing.7
From a nervous system perspective, responding to ourselves with warmth and understanding helps create internal conditions of safety, allowing the body to shift out of defensive states and return to balance.
Acknowledging our own suffering and cultivating empathy towards ourselves is the antidote to our pain.
Tara Brach · Psychologist and Buddhist teacher
A practice you can try right now
One of the simplest ways to engage the parasympathetic system is also one of the oldest. The breath ratio below — a slow inhale, a held pause, a longer exhale — signals safety to the nervous system through the vagus nerve. The longer the exhale relative to the inhale, the stronger the calming response.
Breathe with the circle
Inhale as it grows. Hold. Exhale as it shrinks. Try three rounds.
Inhale
Inhale 4 · Hold 4 · Exhale 8
Even one or two cycles can shift the body’s state. With regular practice, the nervous system learns the pattern and responds more quickly each time.
Practical ways to support your nervous system
The breath is one entry point. There are others. The following simple practices can help activate the vagus nerve and strengthen the body’s natural calming response. Start with one or two that feel accessible — the goal is not to do all of them, but to find one or two that the nervous system comes to recognise.
Slow conscious breathing
Inhale gently through the nose for 4 counts, pause for up to 7, exhale slowly for 6 to 8. A longer exhale signals safety to the nervous system.
Humming, singing, gargling
The vagus nerve passes through the throat and vocal cords. Vibration there gently stimulates it and promotes relaxation.
Cold water stimulation
Splash cold water on the face, hold a cold pack on the chest or neck, or take a short cold shower — all stimulate the vagus nerve.
Gentle movement
Walking, stretching, yoga or rhythmic movement helps release accumulated stress and reconnect awareness with the body.
Self-applied touch
A hand over the heart, gently holding the arms or shoulders, or noticing bodily sensations — calming sensory feedback to the nervous system.
Laughter and safe connection
Time with supportive people, laughter and playfulness, meaningful conversation. The nervous system regulates through relationship.
Why regular practice matters
At first, your body may take time to respond to these practices. This is completely normal. With regular practice, the nervous system becomes more responsive to calming signals, the time it takes to shift from stress to calm becomes shorter, and the body learns to regulate itself more easily.
Over time, these practices can help reshape patterns of reactivity in the nervous system, strengthen resilience, and increase our capacity to respond more effectively to stress. With regular practice, the nervous system can learn to move more fluidly between states of activation and rest, allowing it to respond to life’s challenges with greater stability and ease.
Rather than forcing the mind to calm down, these approaches work by calming the body first. As the nervous system settles, the mind naturally becomes clearer and more stable.
Integration — healing through safe connection and compassionate presence
In my practice, many strategies drawn from yoga, mindfulness, breathwork and compassion-based approaches are integrated within a broader therapeutic framework such as Attachment Theory (the theory of developing safe and secure emotional bonds) and Neuropsychotherapy. Modern psychotherapy is combined with mindfulness practices, breath regulation, somatic awareness, compassion-based approaches and nervous system regulation strategies.
Each person is unique, and the work is always tailored to what best supports the individual. For some people this may involve learning breathing techniques or mindfulness practices. For others it may involve developing a deeper awareness of the body, emotions and nervous system.
Creating a safe and supportive therapeutic environment is a vital part of this process. Much of trauma is relational in nature. In other words, many of our deepest wounds occur within important relationships, and these experiences can become deeply imprinted in the psyche and the nervous system.
Within my therapy, I endeavour to attune to a client so they are deeply seen, heard, and supported by an attuned and compassionate therapist. Within this foundation, the nervous system can begin to experience co-regulation — a sense of safety and steadiness arising through connection with another. In this unique relational field, the client may encounter a quality of presence, care, and responsiveness that was not previously available to them. Over time, these experiences can help restore a sense of safety and trust in a relationship, offering what is often described as an emotionally corrective experience.
References
- Kok, B. E., Coffey, K. A., Cohn, M. A., Catalino, L. I., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Algoe, S. B., Brantley, M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1123–1132. doi.org/10.1177/0956797612470827
- Porges, S. W. (1995). Orienting in a defensive world: Mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A polyvagal theory. Psychophysiology, 32(4), 301–318. doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.1995.tb01213.x
- Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 169–183. doi.org/10.1037/a0018555
- Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R., & Ski, C. F. (2017). Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 86, 152–168. doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008
- Russo, M. A., Santarelli, D. M., & O’Rourke, D. (2017). The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe, 13(4), 298–309. doi.org/10.1183/20734735.009817
- MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(6), 545–552. doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003
- Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923
Common questions
What is the vagus nerve, and why does it matter for stress?
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, connecting the brain to the heart, lungs, gut and other organs. It plays a key role in the parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” response that helps the body recover from stress. Higher vagal tone is associated with better emotional regulation, faster recovery from stress, and a greater capacity for connection and calm.
Can vagal tone really be strengthened, or are some people just born with better stress recovery?
Both are true. Some baseline differences exist, but research consistently shows that vagal tone is responsive to practice. Daily activities such as slow breathing, meditation, mindful movement, and even loving-kindness practices have been associated with measurable improvements in this calming pathway over time. The nervous system, like any other system in the body, learns through repetition.
How long does it take for these practices to make a difference?
Most people notice small shifts within a few weeks of regular practice — perhaps falling asleep more easily, or recovering more quickly after a stressful conversation. Deeper changes, the kind that feel like a different relationship to stress altogether, tend to develop over months. Consistency matters more than length: ten minutes daily will move things further than an hour once a week.
Is this a substitute for therapy, or a complement to it?
For everyday stress, these practices are often enough on their own. For trauma, persistent anxiety, grief, or relationship difficulty, they work best alongside therapy with a clinician trained in trauma-informed and somatic approaches. The reason is simple: much of trauma is relational, and the nervous system tends to need a safe, attuned relationship in order to fully settle. Self-practice and therapy support different parts of the same process.
What is co-regulation, and why does it matter in therapy?
Co-regulation is the process by which one nervous system helps another settle through safe, attuned connection. It’s how infants learn to regulate in the first place, and the same process is available to adults — particularly within a therapeutic relationship. When a therapist is genuinely present and responsive, the client’s nervous system can borrow that steadiness and slowly internalise it. Over time, the body comes to expect safety rather than threat.
Where do I start if my nervous system has been overactive for a long time?
Start small and gentle. One slow exhale, a few times a day, is enough at the beginning — the goal is consistency, not intensity. If practices that work for others feel activating rather than calming (some people find meditation difficult at first, for example), that’s useful information rather than a problem. It usually points toward needing a slightly different entry point, such as movement, sound, or working with a clinician who can help titrate the work to your system.
Working with Sabine
If your nervous system has been carrying a lot, you don’t have to work it out alone.
I offer individual and couples counselling from my practice in Buderim, Sunshine Coast, and online across Australia. Sessions integrate mindfulness, breathwork, somatic awareness, and attachment-informed psychotherapy — tailored to what your system needs.
