16/07/2025
🧠💨 The VOO Breath: It’s Not Just a Sound — It’s Science
You’ve probably heard people chanting “VOO” in somatic or trauma-informed practices. But this isn’t just woo-woo — it’s neuroscience and physiology at work.
✨ What’s Happening?
When you vocalise “VOO” on a slow exhale, the vibration in your vocal cords stimulates the vagus nerve — the longest cranial nerve in your body, which runs from your brainstem to your gut. It’s the main highway of your parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for down-regulating stress and restoring balance.
🔥 Sympathetic OFF, Parasympathetic ON
In stressful moments, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in — increasing heart rate, tension, and alertness (fight/flight mode). The VOO breath activates the vagal brake, telling your brain and body: It’s safe to slow down. This triggers the parasympathetic response — lowering cortisol, slowing your heart rate, improving digestion, and calming the mind.
🎯 Why “VOO”?
The “VOO” sound creates a low-frequency resonance that vibrates through the chest and diaphragm — key areas innervated by the vagus nerve. This kind of vocal toning has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of nervous system flexibility and resilience.
💡 Bonus Science:
Stimulating the vagus nerve also boosts production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that reduces inflammation and enhances neuroplasticity.
It improves gut-brain communication, supporting digestive health and mood regulation.
🌀 Science + Somatics = Empowerment
Every VOO breath is a neural signal of safety. It’s a direct way to self-regulate your nervous system, release stored stress, and restore a sense of calm connection — without needing to talk about it.
🗣️ Try it:
Inhale deeply
Exhale on a deep, slow “VOO” (let it vibrate in your chest)
Repeat 3–5 times, slowly
Notice: More grounded? Softer? Clearer?
This is about remembering how to feel safe. 🫶 Life will feel a lot easier and joyful when you are within the parasympathetic nervous state of mind.
Enjoy and relax 😌.
Yours Miriam ✨️
www.thesoulfulnutritionist.com
