From the class: OH heck, I need help with my neck!

Client handout

Here are a few of the techniques we covered. Not all are listed a they will be taught in future classes. Please consider signing up for a private session (click here) so we can create sessions specifically for your needs.

Basic Vagus Nerve Exercise (created by Stanley Rosenberg, DO)

To begin:  Pretest by turning your head to the left and to the right to feel your range of motion. Notice any pain, or stiffness.  

Instructions:

  1. Interlace your fingers with each other. 

  2. Put your hands behind your hand with your head resting comfortably in your hands

  3. If you have a stiff shoulder and cannot do this, you can use one hand.  We use our hands just to stabilize our head so that it does not move.  Only your eyes will move.

  4. Now, keeping your head in place, just move your eyes and  look to the right as far as you can, do not turn your head, just move your eyes  and keep looking to the right and breathe.    

  5. After a short period of time up to 30 -60 seconds, you may want to swallow,  or yawn, sigh, burp  or take a big inhale/exhale.  This is involuntary and isa sign of relaxation of your autonomic nervous system. 

  6. Now, once you feel that release, slowly bring your eyes back to looking straight ahead.  If you did not feel the release of the swallow, yawn, sign, big inhale/exhale or burp that is ok, because we will have two more exercises to do and I am confident your body will relax even if you don’t feel the change.  

  7. Now, Move your eyes to the left

  8. Hold your eyes there and breath  until you notice a sigh,yawn, burp, swallow or big inhale exhale

Now that you have completed this exercise re- evaluate, is your movement different, is your breath different?  Notice what is different, if you had pain,  is the pain reduced?  

This is very surprising for most people.  Better movement helps circulation to the brain which helps the ventral branch of the vagus nerve. 

 

Vagus nerve stretching and Neck Mobility

1. Variation 1 — balloon lift
Pretest — sidebending, rotation, roll down and up

Hand anchors skin on chest, balloon slightly lifts ear on the side that needs length.

Breathe in. Exhale. Return to center. Post-test — sidebending
Do other side.
Post-test — sidebending, rotation

2. Variation 2a — turn head, balloon lifts ear facing camera
Hand anchors skin on chest, turn head, add small balloon lift. Breathe in. Exhale. Return to center.
Post-test — rotation, sidebending
Do other side.
Post-test — rotation, sidebending

3. Variation 2b, turn and add balloon, lifting ear that is away from the camera Post-test — notice occiput and head position, check rotation
Do other side
Post-test — check head position, rotation, side-bending

4. Integrative roll down and up

5. Wilted flower technique, just below clavicle in first rib space (for vascular supply to neck muscles)

Work first on the side with tighter muscles or more elevated shoulder

Post-test — notice shoulder position and clavicle, test neck rotation, check side-bending

Do other side, then post-test rotation and side-bending 5. Integrative roll down and up


*If you are intersted in the jaw or the shoulder movements we did, that will be posted under future classes.