Simple vagus nerve exercises rooted in Polyvagal Theory to calm the nervous system and ease anxiety, depression, trauma, migraines, and chronic neck pain

The bestselling guide
Dr. Stanley Rosenberg, PhD, offers an easy-to-understand overview of the vagus nerve—and helps you regulate your body’s innate capacity to heal from stress, trauma, anxiety, and injury.

A sigh, a yawn, a swallow: these small reflexes show that the nervous system has shifted out of defense and into safety. Dr. Rosenberg's exercises are designed to bring about that shift in a minute or two.

Building on Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory, Rosenberg shows how the vagus nerve and four other cranial nerves govern breathing, digestion, heart rate, and our ability to connect with others. When these nerves aren’t working well, the body can stay locked in fight-or-flight or sink into shutdown. Rosenberg links those patterns to anxiety, depression, trauma, migraines, and chronic neck and back pain. Most meaningfully, instead of chasing each symptom, he works with the source. Drawing on more than thirty years as a Rolfer and craniosacral therapist, he offers:

The Basic Exercise, a simple eye-movement technique that takes less than two minutesA quick self-check of vagal function by looking at the soft palateThe Salamander exercises and stretches for stiff necks, tight shoulders, and forward head postureSelf-massage for migraine trigger points, plus a four-minute natural faceliftA clear map of the five states of the nervous systemInsight into autism, sound sensitivity, and the middle ear
With a foreword by Stephen Porges, this is a hands-on guide for readers who want to work through the body, not just the mind, to calm the nervous system and support emotional and physical health. Grounded in neurobiology research, clinical stories, and easy-to-follow exercises, this book gives you the tools to bring your body back into a state of safety, balance, and optimal functioning.