Breathing and your gut health

I’m keeping this short and sweet today: your breathing has tremendous impact on your gut health.
The vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the human body, connects your heart, brain and gut. It plays a key role in regulating your heart beat and breathing. When I help clients manage their stress and improve their gut health, one way I do that is through breathing awareness.

You see, when you breathe quickly and shallowly, you reinforce the stress response (if you’re breathing like this, it’s likely because you are stressed!)…and your body will release chemicals like CRH, the precursor to your primary stress hormone cortisol, that can damage your gut lining (leads to food sensitivities, digestive complaints, gas, bloating, reflux, possibly IBS).
So do yourself a huge favor right now and take some mindful breaths. Slow your breaths down, make them a little deeper and allow yourself an opportunity to re-center.
Do this often. Your gut will thank you!
Have a terrific week.

In health, & happiness
~Rebecca