"What if your connection to your soul, to your wisest self, lives right here, under your skin, inside of your heart, your belly, your hips. Vagal toning is a way to tap into your body’s intelligence, one breath at a time." -Arielle Schwartz, PhD
Course Timing
The first live online session of this course is September 9, 2025.
Self-paced content will be available starting August 26, 2025.
This is a hybrid course that will meet for 2 hour long sessions on Zoom every third Wednesday at 12 pm ET.
Course Schedule of Live Sessions:
September 9, 2025
September 30, 2025
October 14, 2025
Recordings of previous live sessions will be available on our learning platform.
Course Description
Join Dr Arielle Schwartz, PhD, CCTP-II, E-RYT, an internationally sought-after teacher, therapeutic yoga instructor, and leading voice in healing PTSD and complex trauma. This program offers a unique opportunity to enhance your clinical practice with cutting-edge techniques promoting physiological and psychological wellness. Dr. Schwartz will explain the science of natural vagus nerve stimulation and guide you through an experiential process, allowing you to sense the benefits of these practices for yourself and teach them to others.
Research on vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of autonomic dysregulation associated with chronic physical and mental health conditions including depression, epilepsy, obesity, migraine headaches, among other conditions. Historically, this stimulation has occurred through the use of surgically implanted devices and more recently through external transcutaneous devices. In this course, you will learn and practice a range of natural vagus nerve stimulation techniques using breath, sound, eye movements, self-applied touch in areas where the vagus nerve comes close to the surface of your skin, and gentle somatic movements that are highly effective, easy to implement, and affordable.
Healthy vagal tone is an optimal balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system actions. High vagal tone is linked to improved stress resilience, better mood stability, and autonomic stabilization. Conversely, low vagal tone heightens stress responses, including anxiety, fear, and anger. While most people need to down-regulate their nervous system into the parasympathetic due to busy, stressful lives, some individuals require up-regulating strategies to combat fatigue or collapse. This course will provide you with a wide array of neural exercises to support you and others with nervous system informed care for your emotional and physical health.
Participants in this training course will:
Understand the Mechanisms: Gain a comprehensive understanding of how natural vagus nerve stimulation influences the autonomic nervous system and its implications for mental health
Master Techniques: Learn and practice various neural exercises, including breathwork, mindfulness, sound, mindful-movement, and self-applied touch
Integrate into Practice: Develop skills to seamlessly integrate vagal toning methods into existing therapeutic modalities
Enhance Therapeutic Efficacy: Discover how to use these techniques to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic illness, and trauma
Empower Others: Equip clients, patients, or students with self-regulation tools, fostering their sense of agency and promoting sustained mental well-being
Grounded within the principles of Polyvagal Theory, affective neuroscience, and trauma-informed care, this course with leading Polyvagal Theory expert Dr. Arielle Schwartz will help you gain a better understanding of how your brains and body responds to stress and trauma.
We invite you to a free course info session on Tuesday August 5, 12-12:30pm ET ( link coming soon).
If you can't join us live in real time, the recording will be available here.
Payment Information
This course costs $699. Learners may opt to pay the full fee at registration, or to pay in installments. Learners will have access to the course for 365 days from the registration date.
Course Requirements
There are no pre-requisites for this course.
Course Format
Course Framework
This course rotates between a week of a live session, a week of self-paced lecture, and a week off of “play”.
Within the live sessions, the first hour and a half will consist of a short review of the lecture, a practice and a Q&A. This practice session offers embodied self-compassion and gentle movement practices to provide your brain with proprioceptive and vestibular sensory inputs, enhance brain and body integration, and help you come out of the automatic defensive activation. The Q&A will emphasize how to apply these techniques for self-care or in your work with others. The last 30 minutes of class will give students the chance to connect in break out groups.
This course is 11 hours total, and has CEs pending.
Course Outline:
Introduction: Self-paced lectures from Stephen Porges, PhD and Deb Dana
Discuss the tiered response to threat and hybrid nervous system states.
Assess neuroception of safety and threat.
Pre-Recorded Lecture 1 with Arielle
Describe the relationship between stress, trauma, and health.
Recognize the role of positive neuroplasticity
Learn about Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as related to vagal tone
Fine tune your awareness of the anatomy of your vagus nerve
Understand the relationship between the voice, heart, and vagus nerve
Explore gratitude and savoring practices for nervous system health
Live Class 1 with Arielle
Short review of Lecture #1
Apply practices to fine-tune the nervous system moment-by-moment to reduce chronic stress
Experientially work with your vagus nerve as it travels through your body to cultivate sensory awareness with conscious breathing, self-applied touch, and gentle movements.
Q and A
Pre-Recorded Lecture 2 with Arielle
Explain the science of vagal efficiency
Explore conscious breathing as natural vagus nerve stimulation
Apply principles of somatic movement for nervous system regulation
Understand the relationship between fascia and the vagus nerve
Learn the postural reset for vagus nerve health
Live Class 2 with Arielle
Short review of Lecture #2
This practice builds on the foundations taught in the previous practice session with exercises that gently challenge you to expand your capacity for a wider range of nervous system states. This class focuses on strengthening your ability to handle stress and recovery more quickly.
Explore Conscious breathing for nervous system health
Practice grounding and orientating techniques
Engage in a postural reset practice
Q and A
Pre-Recorded Lecture 3 with Arielle (1.5 hour)
Recognize the benefits of co-regulation and the social engagement system.
Use embodied self-compassion practices to enhance vagal tone
Understand the principles of brain and body integration with bilateral movements
Apply reflex integration skills to support nervous system regulation
Discuss how to teach natural vagus nerve stimulation to enhance physical and emotional health to others
Demonstrate a client vignette with natural vagus nerve stimulation (video)
Live Class 3 with Arielle (1.5 hours and optional .5 breakout sessions)
Short review of Lecture #3
This practice session offers embodied self-compassion and gentle movement practices to provide your brain with proprioceptive and vestibular sensory inputs, enhance brain and body integration, and help you come out of the automatic defensive activation.
Q and A with an emphasis on how to apply these techniques for self-care or your work with others
Recommended Audience
Course Outcomes
Describe the core principles of polyvagal theory
Discuss the tiered response to threat and hybrid nervous system states.
Assess Neuroception of safety and threat.
Recognize the role of positive neuroplasticity
Describe the relationship between stress, trauma, and your health.
Apply practices to fine-tune the nervous system moment-by-moment to reduce chronic stress
Demonstrate grounding and orientating techniques
Recognize the benefits of co-regulation and the social engagement system.
Learn about Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as related to vagal tone
Demonstrate how to enhance health through natural vagus nerve stimulation
Explain how conscious breathing works to regulate the nervous system
Apply principles of somatic movement for nervous system regulation
Explain the science of vagal efficiency as related to the vagal brake
Describe the relationship between the vagus nerve and fascial connective tissue network
Discuss how to teach natural vagus nerve stimulation to enhance physical and emotional health to others
Apply reflex integration skills to support nervous system regulation
Use compassion and loving kindness practices to enhance vagal tone
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What is the attendance policy for a course?Live/Hybrid courses: While specific course policies may vary, we typically allow one absence for a live or hybrid course and require watching the recording and/or sometimes submitting a reflection for the missed session. If a participant is absent for more than the permissible number of live sessions, they may no longer be eligible to receive their certificate. Self-paced courses: Attendance does not apply to self-paced courses as they are designed to be consumed when the student is willing and able to take the course. All material is pre-recorded content, reading, or individual assignments. Please note that if you are enrolled in a course that offers CEs (continuing education credits) and you have opted to earn them, specific attendance policies apply and must be adhered to in order for you to remain eligible to earn CEs at the end of the course. Contact us for details if you are unsure of the attendance policy for your particular course!
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How and where are live sessions held?Live sessions are held online via Zoom. You will find your course Zoom link inside the course content on our Learning Platform once you enroll; email reminders with the Zoom link are sent to enrolled students. While having your camera on is not required, you are invited to turn your camera on during your live course session; this allows you to share in co-regulation with other learners and to build a sense of community.
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What if I am unable to attend a live session?We upload recordings of our live course sessions to our Learning Platform within 72 hours for you to view. (Please see the attendance policy above.)
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How can I tell what time the live session will be in my local time zone?To convert live course session meeting times to your local timezone, please use a conversion website like this.
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Where can I find the course material?PVI uses a Learning Platform (LMS) called Thinkific. Upon enrolling in a course, you will receive an email invite to access the course in Thinkific. This is where you'll find all of the course materials, links, and class community.
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Is this course accredited?PVI is the founding home of Polyvagal Theory, and we believe our courses offer the most accurate and up to date content about Polyvagal Theory and its many applications. There is no accrediting body for this type of curriculum. Our course descriptions will list any continuing education credits (CEs/ CEUs) or other professional benefits that might be available for the course (along with any applicable restrictions). If CEs are not listed for a particular course, then none are available.
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How do I reset my password to the PVI Learning Platform?You can reset your password by going to https://pvi.thinkific.com/users/sign_in and clicking the “Forgot Password?” link. You will then enter the email address you used when creating your account to receive a one-time password reset link. Use the instructions in that email to complete your password reset. If you have any other technical questions, feel free to reach out to us at info@polyvagal.org.
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Is there closed captioning?Yes. Most of our pre-recorded course content is hosted on a platform that offers closed captioning. If you come across a video that does not have closed captioning, please send us a message at info@polyvagal.org and we will be glad to assist you.
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In which currency are your prices listed in?Our prices are listed in USD (United States Dollars). Your credit card or bank statement will likely reflect the price in your local currency.
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Will I be charged sales tax?If you are located in the US or Canada, you will be charged sales tax on the cost of your course.
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Are there scholarships available?Yes, PVI offers scholarships for all of our courses on a rolling basis. You can apply for a scholarship at https://forms.gle/vvfQdyAtw3k79LpM9.
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Are there group discounts?Yes. For groups of five or more participants, a 15% discount is available for each participant. Please contact us at info@polyvagal.org to inquire and to enroll as a group!
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What is your refund policy?We are proud to offer a 30 day Money Back Guarantee for all of our courses (from date of purchase for self-paced courses and from date of first live session for live courses). Please reach out to us at info@polyvagal.org if you'd like to inquire about a refund.
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Can I purchase a gift certificate for PVI courses?Give the gift of learning! Yes, Polyvagal Institute offers digital gift certificates that arrive by email, and can be used towards any of our courses. Gift certificates are a simple way to share polyvagal insight and knowledge that stems from a better understanding of the human experience. Purchase a gift certificate now!
INSTRUCTOR(S)
Arielle Schwartz, PhD
Arielle Schwartz, PhD
