What is the Polyvagal Theory?
The Polyvagal Theory describes three different states of your autonomic nervous system and explains the hierarchy between these states — as well as what it takes to move between them.
Our autonomic nervous system, as the name suggests, works without our conscious control. In simple terms, it activates or deactivates certain areas of our body to support us when it perceives danger.
What’s important to understand here is that it responds to perceived threats, not necessarily real danger. Originally, this system evolved to protect us from life-threatening events, like escaping from predators. Today, the stressors we face at work or in our personal lives are usually not immediately life-threatening. However, that doesn’t stop our nervous system from reacting as if we are still surrounded by tigers.
If you picture this, being under constant stress often feels like you have to stay alert all the time — ready to defend yourself at any moment. As you can imagine, this is not a sustainable state for the body to remain in if we want to maintain long-term health and resilience.
How do I know which state I am in?
To help you connect to how these three nervous system states feel in your body, here’s a simple overview:
1. You have likely experienced moments when you feel calm, open, and connected. In these moments, it’s easy to engage with others, and you have a positive outlook on life and what lies ahead.
This is known as the ventral vagal state, often referred to as the “rest, digest & recover” mode. In this state, your body can relax, restore itself, and build resilience.
2. There are also moments when you feel anxious, angry, or defensive. You might feel like you have to protect yourself and find it harder to connect calmly with others. This is the sympathetic state — commonly known as “fight or flight“.
3. Finally, there is the dorsal vagal state. This state is marked by feelings of numbness, hopelessness, and a strong urge to withdraw. You might feel as if you want to give up. This is often described as “freeze” and tends to occur when we feel trapped in ongoing, overwhelming challenges for a longer period of time.
As you can imagine, the goal is to return to the ventral vagal state — where you can recover, connect with others, and maintain a healthy mind-body balance.
A small reflection exercise
As a small exercise for tomorrow, I invite you to pause from time to time and check in with yourself:
Which nervous system state are you currently experiencing?
Noticing your state throughout the day is the first important step toward nervous system regulation.
Where Your Breath Comes Into Play
The signals your autonomic nervous system picks up from your body are closely linked to your breathing patterns.
When we are stressed, we tend to breathe faster and more shallowly into the chest.
Both are strong signals to your body that danger is present.
For example, imagine you receive an upsetting email at work. You might feel a rush of stress and the urge to respond immediately. Without even realizing it, your breathing becomes quicker and more shallow.
Now, if you are able to return to a slow, deep breath after sending the email, your nervous system can shift back into the ventral vagal state (“rest, digest, and recover”).
However, many people today remain stuck in a sympathetic state (fight or flight) throughout the day, with hardly any return to a calm baseline — even long after the stressful situation has passed.
This is where breath awareness and conscious breathing can make a real difference.
A simple breath awareness exercise
If you have already taken a day to observe your nervous system states, the next step is to watch your breathing in detail.
It can feel challenging at first — you might have the impulse to change your breath immediately — but see if you can simply observe:
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Sit comfortably on a chair with your spine upright.
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Bring your attention to your nose. Notice how the air flows in and out.
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Is your breath flowing fast or slow?
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Is your inhale longer than your exhale, or the other way around?
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Now place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
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Notice: Does the breath move more into your chest, your belly, or both?
If you would like to learn more about your nervous system and your breath, take a look at my 1:1 coaching programmes or join me for one of my live online classes.
I would love to hear from you!
Feel free to share in the comments how you experienced the exercises, and what you noticed about your nervous system states and your breathing patterns throughout the day.
