The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body that originates in the brain, travels down the neck and connects to the digestive system, liver, spleen, pancreas, heart and lungs and regulates digestion, heart and respiratory rate. It has a key role in reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure and balancing our hormones and helps us recover from stress.  A good description is that it's the superhighway of your body, transporting vital information between your brain and the rest of your internal organs.

Unfortunately these days many of us spend far too much time in “Fight flight” mode which, whilst designed to help us escape life-threating situations, is not a healthy state to be in for more than a few minutes. With your heart rate and blood pressure increasing to move blood, nutrients and oxygen to your major muscle groups, pupils dilating to see better and heightened senses and stress hormones circulating throughout your body, you're shaky and tense halting your normal body functions. Even our memory IQ and creativity are reduced!

Meanwhile, the “Rest and Digest” mode is the biological opposite when healing and regeneration occur and the body performs activities like digesting, detoxifying, eliminating, and building immunity.  That's where we want to be especially when we are stretching.

Improving your vagal tone improves the function of many body systems, causing better blood sugar regulation, reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, improved digestion and reduced migraines. Higher vagal tone is also associated with better mood, less anxiety and more stress resilience.

Stephen Porges Polyvagal theory goes beyond the traditional theory of these two states and puts social relationships front and centre with a more sophisticated understanding of the biology of safety and danger, based on the subtle interplay between the visceral experiences of our own bodies and the voices and faces of the people around us. It explains why a kind face or a soothing tone of voice can dramatically alter the way we feel and why knowing that we are seen and heard by the important people in our lives can make us feel calm and safe. He provides new approaches to healing that focus on regulating the vagus nerve which include stretches and eye movement to remove restriction of blood supply and improve functioning of the vagus nerve. We can easily integrate these into your stretch routine. You can also improve vagal tone with cold water therapy, even splashing your face with cold water in the morning and before bed, as it activates a primal reflex called the mammalian dive reflex, designed to slow our bodies down when diving into water. Using your voice, chanting, singing, laughing and even gargling activate the vagus nerve and slow you down.

And of course our breathing patterns reflect vagal tone. Slower and deeper breathing quietens a fired up system. This beautiful breathing pacer is a lovely way to practice breathing slowly to settle your nervous system https://youtu.be/AWsWaa29HHk.

Here's a simple daily routine you can follow to improve your mobility and flexibility and might just be a secret to reversing the ageing process. They are based on the Five Tibetan Rites, an ancient yoga practice created by Tibetan monks over 2,500 years ago. 

The practice works on the body’s energy fields (chakras) said to contribute to the aging process. Just like any form of stretching, regular practice helps to relieve joint pain and stiffness, improve circulation, manage anxiety and enhance sleep, and improve energy, mental clarity, strength and coordination.

For maximum effect you need to do them 21 of each per day, hmm that’s quite a lot! Start with 5 of each and build up if you want to, but even doing 5 of each per day will make a difference.​

​(Source: Healthline.com)
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Rite 1

Sit on the floor with legs straight ahead, feet shoulder-width apart and palms faced down on the floor beside you. Drop your chin to your chest then inhale and gently drop your head back as you lift your hips and bend your knees into a tabletop position with your head gently tilted back. Keep holding your breath and contract your muscles, then exhale and relax as you come down to sitting position, sitting up straight. 
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Rite 5

​Plant your palms in front of you and extend your feet behind you, shoulder-width apart. Straighten your arms and arch your spine, then, inhale and lift your hips, moving your body into an upside down “V” shape referred to as ‘Downward facing dog’. Move your chin toward your chest and straighten your back, then exhale and move back into ‘Upward-Facing Dog’.

If you're going to give it a go, start gently and only do a low number of reps. And talk to your doctor if you’re prone to dizziness, are pregnant, have heart or breathing problems, neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease or Multiple sclerosis or if you've had recent surgery. 

With the use of a percussion massage gun, vibrations are transmitted to your body that cause your muscles to contract and relax.

It is actually a pretty old therapy technique that dates back to the 1800’s and has been used around the world for a wide range of health issues. During the Russian space program, doctors found astronauts suffered from bone loss and fractures at a much younger age than normal and used vibration therapy to help strengthen astronauts’ bone mass and muscles. NASA continues to use Vibration Therapy on astronauts to prevent bone loss.

Vibration therapy can cause your body to produce more osteoblasts, cells that produce bone, and help spur muscles to be more efficient. It increases blood flow to the area, providing pain relief and increased the range of motion.
Vibration therapy can reduce joint pain by arthritis. In one study of people with rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, participants’ functionality increased and their fatigue decreased.

Studies show that vibration therapy may help people with Parkinson’s disease by decreasing muscle tremors and rigidity, it is increasingly used to treat muscle-related diseases like MS and stroke survivors can potentially mitigate the frequency of muscle spasms with regular vibration therapy sessions.

A word of caution thought, it is advisable to avoid percussion therapy if you are on blood thinning medication, have advanced diabetes, heart disease, or are pregnant. Also, people with an acute infectious disease, aneurysm, cancer, or have bad inflammation need to be extra cautious.
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We suggest adding 10 minutes of percussion therapy to your next stretch and give it a try! 

​​Performers, like actors, benefit from being looser and more limber, freeing up the body to be more malleable and able to adapt and transform to whatever the scenario requires.


Stretching can help gain control of your body to fully express dramatic intention and expression.
Assisted stretching is an ideal way to release physical tension, free the breath and reach a level of creativity to express what they want to achieve in their body and voice.  
​It also helps to break down postural habits and unlock a more expressive and responsive body which can be enormously liberating and enable new and varied physical and emotional representations.
 
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Whilst you’re at home, you can help to maintain your flexibility through the food you consume.
Staying hydrated is essential to remaining supple and flexible, helping lubricate joints and delivering essential nutrients to your body. As well as drinking lots of water, eat loads of water dense foods such as cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, melon, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, oranges, apples, blueberries, broths and soups, zucchini, celery, yogurt, bell peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, grapefruit and coconut water. 
Try to limit caffeine intake to 100mgs per day. Caffeine dehydrates you and makes you feel stiff in your joints and tissue.
Magnesium rich goods like green vegetables, especially kale and spinach, nuts and seeds and dark chocolate (85%+) help relax muscles, lessen chronic pain, migraines, stress and anxiety and boost energy.
Sulphur rich foods – cruciferous vegetables broccoli and cauliflower - are important for the health of connective tissues
Foods high in Vitamin C, (kiwis, berries, and broccoli) can help the production of collagen and other components that build youthful elastic muscles and connective tissue 
Inflammatory foods, sugar, processed carbs, and unhealthy fats can create stiffness and bloating.  Increase consumption of anti-inflammatory foods - fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, ginger, turmeric, pineapple, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds and berries 
Don’t eat too much protein as excess protein can dehydrate you and make you feel stiff
Avoid toxins like MSG (my body aches after I eat it!)
Try to have a 12-16 hour fast daily – have atleast a 12 hour break between dinner and breakfast
You might also like to consider the following supplements:

•  Magnesium 400-800g before bed
•  B12 and B complex 
•  Omega 3’s triglyceride form, CO2 extracted fish oil or EPA/DHA algae oil 2-3 grams/ day
•  Vitamin D 
•  Sulphur methyl sulfonyl methane MSM 1-2 grams per day
•  Vitamin C helps your body produce collagen which aids the elasticity of your tendons, muscles and ligaments, 
•  Collagen 

There's so much you can do to improve your flexibility simply by making good choices (and a little stretching too!)

The answer is both.  BUT, in quite a different way before than after exercise.

Dynamic stretching before you exercise, particularly if you've just woken up or been sedentary for some time, is essential to warm the body up and prevent injury. But the key is to do DYNAMIC stretches that involve actively moving your limbs to get the blood flowing and moving it through the full range of motion in the joint.  This includes hip and arm circles, walking with your knees up to your chest and doing walking lunges.  You should not be holding stretches in a static way - leave that until after exercise when your muscles are warmed up.

STATIC stretching should be left until after exercise, when your muscles are looser and more willing to give and allowing you to go deeper into the stretch without risking injury.  Static stretching increases blood flow and speeds up your recovery, reducing stiffness, improving the health of your muscles and joints and your overall flexibility and mobility.

So when is the best time to visit us for a stretch? Ideally, don't have an assisted stretch before a heavy gym session or a big run.  Schedule your stretch for after or the day in between.  Try to walk a little before your stretch, but we always have the heat massage to get your blood flowing.