As a child, I used to get in trouble for humming—usually at the dinner table. I often didn’t even realize I was doing it until someone asked me to stop. By the third or fourth time, it wasn’t just about the humming anymore—I was now “being disobedient.” I’d get scolded for being noisy and for not listening.

What no one realized—including me—was that I was soothing myself the only way I knew how.

It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I learned how powerful vibration can be for the nervous system. Humming, as simple as it seems, actually helps regulate the vagus nerve. That realization changed a lot of things within me.

Suddenly, my body’s behavior made sense. Maybe I wasn’t just a bad kid. Maybe I was a sensitive, wise little girl reaching for safety with the only tool I had—sound.

It was a huge moment of healing to realize:​
​I wasn’t being disruptive.
I wasn’t being defiant.
I was trying to feel okay.

And honestly? It’s kind of incredible that even as a young child, my body already knew how to do that.

Of course, there was grief to process too—grief for all the times I had shamed myself for humming. Especially at the dinner table. I kept doing it into my teens and even into my twenties. And every time someone pointed it out—usually teasingly—I’d laugh along. But underneath the laughter was that sinking thought: “What is wrong with me? Why do I still do this?”

Now, I know.
There was never anything wrong with me.

My body hums when it’s reaching for safety.
Sometimes it hums to find safety.
Sometimes it hums because I am safe.

And now, when I catch myself humming (although I have had to relearn to hum, which has been a beautiful coming back home to myself), I smile.​
Because I know it’s not a problem. It’s a signal.
A reminder.
A gift from a body that’s always been trying to protect me.

​

Sound and vibration are some of the oldest, most natural tools for calming the nervous system

I will be teaching an in-person masterclass about this in my home town this month and since many of you don’t live near me, I wanted to offer you some of the info.

The July focus in my Somatic + Vagal Toning Masterclass is on using our own sound and vibration as tools for vagal toning.
That might sound complex—but it’s actually beautifully simple.

Here’s what it offers us:

When we hum, sigh, or use gentle healing sounds, we create a vibration in the body—especially in the throat, chest, and belly—where the vagus nerve travels. This vibration stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (our “rest and digest” state), helping us settle, soften, and return to safety.

It’s a quick way to shift out of a trauma response or enjoy the safety we might currently be feeling.
And it doesn’t require words. Just sound.

🌬️ Try this 3-minute meditation:

1. Pause where you are. Let your feet land on the ground.
2. Notice your body. What’s alive in your chest, belly, or throat?
3. Take a breath. Let it be full and slow.
4. Choose a sound from this list—whichever one your body is curious about or drawn toward:
   Hmmm, Vooo, Ssss, Shhhh, Chooo, Whooo, Haww, Heee, or a Sigh
5. Let it gently vibrate out on your exhale. There’s no wrong way. Just sound it out.
6. Repeat 3–5 times—or more if your body wants it.

That’s it.

This short practice is enough to offer our system a shift—especially if done slowly, with presence and choice.

Whether your voice has felt silenced, your body frozen, or you’re just curious what sound can do for healing—this space might be helpful you.

We don’t have to wait for the perfect moment, if it has resonated...I invite you to give vibration a try.....

Let your body speak. Let your sound move. Let safety settle in, even just a little.

​
​

Remember, ❤️

You Matter. Your Healing Matters. You Are Worth It!

​​​​

P.S. If you do live near Flagstaff, AZ and want to learn more about how these sounds work in healing or want to practice alongside others, I’d love to have you join my July 7th masterclass. Just reply to this email or click below—I’m always happy to share more. 💛