The Polyvagal Chart: Free Printable PDF

ByHamza K. Siddiqui

This free polyvagal chart shows the three nervous-system states on one page, in colour, with how each one feels and how to move between them. It is the fastest way to spot which state you are in, and it is built to print and stick somewhere you will actually see it.

4 min read. Written by Hamza K. Siddiqui, nervous-system educator. Educational content, not medical advice. Full disclaimer below.

Grab it, put it on the fridge or inside a journal, and the whole polyvagal ladder idea stops living in your head and starts being something you can glance at when you need it.

What the chart shows

  • The three states as coloured rungs: green ventral (safe and calm), amber sympathetic (fight-or-flight), blue dorsal (shutdown).
  • For each one: how it feels inside, the visible signs, and a way back toward calm.
  • The direction of travel, down under stress and back up through the middle.
  • One page, printable, free. Enter your email and we will send the PDF.

Get the free PDF

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Prefer a fillable version to work on your own states? Grab the mapping worksheet too.

How to read it

Start at the top. The green ventral band is your calm, connected state, the one you are aiming for. The amber sympathetic band in the middle is anxiety and fight-or-flight, too much energy with nowhere to go. The blue dorsal band at the bottom is shutdown, the numb, heavy, checked-out state that people often mistake for calm but is really the crash floor.

The point of the chart is not to judge which band you are in. It is to notice it. When you can name your state (“amber, racing, scanning for threat”), you are already halfway to shifting it, and the chart’s right-hand notes point you to what tends to help. For the full walkthrough, see the polyvagal ladder, and for the practices, the exercises page.

Questions people actually ask

What is a polyvagal chart?
It is a one-page visual of the three nervous-system states from polyvagal theory, ventral (calm), sympathetic (fight-or-flight), and dorsal (shutdown), usually colour-coded, showing how each feels and how to move between them. It is a quick reference for spotting your own state.

Is the polyvagal chart free to download?
Yes. Enter your email above and we will send you the printable PDF at no cost. You are welcome to print it for personal use.

What do the colours on the chart mean?
Green is the calm ventral state, amber is the mobilized sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state, and blue is dorsal shutdown. Some charts use red for the most extreme end instead, so schemes vary; ours uses green, amber, and blue.

Can therapists use this chart with clients?
Many do use simple state charts for psychoeducation. Ours is a free educational reference, not a clinical assessment tool, and it pairs naturally with the mapping worksheet.

Is the chart based on real science?
It reflects polyvagal theory, which is influential but scientifically contested. The chart is a useful map for noticing your states, and the calming practices it points to have their own support regardless of that debate.

Where to go next


This content and chart are for education only. Not medical advice. Polyvagal theory is a scientifically contested framework, and we describe both its ideas and the criticism of them.

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