The vagus nerve is the major nerve of the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) that stimulates the relaxation response . Activating our PSNS stimulates our internal compound pharmacy, a cascade of internal responses that support healthy immune function, recovery, and overall well being – without any unwanted side-effects.

Sometimes the effects of breathlessness can be difficult for the people caring for you. They may find it worrying to see you very breathless and will want to know how to help you. Having shortness of breath can also affect your relationships and make you both feel isolated. It’s important that people caring for you take time to look after themselves well and get support from friends, family, and also from professionals when needed. Til and Whitney talk with self-care expert Jill Miller about her new book "Body by Breath: The Science and Practice of Physical and Emotional Resilience" and other topics including: Do things to help you deal with worries, such as listening to music, practicing mindfulness and doing gentle exercise Be a body-by-breath pioneer and explore the science and practice of physical and emotional resilience. Breathlessness can make daily activities difficult and stop you from being able to get out and about. It’s very normal to feel frustrated and isolated if you find you can’t do the things that you used to do. Many people tell us that it makes them feel overwhelmed, depressed and anxious. It can change your relationships with people and can make you fearful for the future.Doctors, nurses and physiotherapists can help you manage your breathlessness. Speak to your GP about your symptoms – they may be able to refer you to a local exercise class for people with heart conditions or to a clinic to learn more about managing breathlessness. Stress is not the only body thug. T he Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) named Long Covid the #1 disease to watch in 2023. Both Long Covid and Stress share a common quality: the potential to manifest tensional changes in the diaphragm and impact all of the physiological processes that revolve around the breath. The Diaphragm – Your Second Brain Train and modulate your body and nervous system for reduced stress, improved mobility, and whole-body resilienceDiscover the latest findings in breath and fascia research and get the most out of breathwork practice by including more of your body’s parts in the mixMap the vast reach of the diaphragm and feel how it intermingles with everything in your body.

Breathlessness can feel frightening, and you may start having thoughts like “I’m going to die” or “I’m upset people are seeing me like this.” This may trigger feelings of panic, which can lead to rapid breathing, making your breathlessness worse.

These conditions may cause breathlessness for different reasons. If your heart isn’t pumping enough oxygen-containing blood around the body, your body responds by breathing faster to try to get more oxygen into your body, making you feel short of breath. The Path of Breath Embodiment’ – This section delves into the anatomy and physiology of breath, with a particular focus on fascia’s role in healthy breathing. It provides a scientific understanding of the breathing body. The book centres on four core exercises for building resilience: breathwork, movement, rolling, and non-sleep deep rest, offering a wide range of benefits like increased power, endurance, enhanced self-regulation skills, and relief from pain, among others.

As the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide and the creator of Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® Method, she has over 30 years of experience in anatomy and movement. Known as the Teacher’s Teacher, she has trained numerous movement educators, clinicians, and manual therapists in her groundbreaking self-care fitness programming, which is used in athletic and medical facility programs worldwide. For most people who experience shortness of breath related to their heart condition, there are two main forms: Body by Breath is a blueprint for helping work through the physical and emotional storms caused by trauma or injury. It’s like a giant warm hug of the facts for navigating your own body and mind while also being hand-held through step-by-step practices to help build physical and emotional intelligence. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t benefit from this book." - Dr. Theresa Larson

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It is a wry comment on our current condition that we need to be taught how to walk, run, stand, and even breathe. Nevertheless, the research shows the cost of not teaching humans these simple but lost arts is disease and disengagement. Jill Miller has distilled her years of practical work in the field into a reference manual for the modern therapist, parent, or human that respects our intelligence and covers the field with assurance and, best of all, effervescent humor and disarming honesty.” Jill Miller has distilled her years of practical work in the field into a reference manual for the modern therapist, parent, or human that respects our intelligence and covers the field with assurance and, best of all, Jill's effervescent humor and disarming honesty.” - Tom Myers

Body by Breath also describes the vagus’ role in communication and social engagement, as a predictor and protector against cancer, glucose regulation, inflammation, and emotional stress including anxiety, fear, and PTSD – and against Long Covid. The thing that’s really exciting is that we can directly influence the vagus with the pace of our breathing, with pressure in the different zones the vagus innervates, through position and through humming or singing,”states Miller. Jill discovered that “ Mental health does not live in your head; it’s a bodywide phenomenon and breathwork gives you access.” Using breath, practitioners can inspire self-treatment and healing through medicines stemming from the inner compound pharmacy of the body. Body by Breath , Jill explains, offers a n opportunity “to optimize your own prescription pad as a self-healer and reframe the healthcare model into something more self-manageable.”

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In the hierarchy of life, breath always wins. It persists 22,000 times daily, but you get to decide whether the way you breathe is to your benefit or detriment.