NSDR: Relax, Reflect, Recharge (10 min Non-Sleep Deep Rest)

Welcome & Thank you for joining me for this non-sleep deep rest session. I’m Jake from wakenjaketv.com & I’ll be guiding you through powerful techniques to control your relaxation state and your overall state of mind with this powerful #NSDR session.
Our focus here is on the power of breathing and perception. Breathing in specific ways can put us into a state of deep relaxation by slowing down our heart rate. Also, by controlling our perception, where we focus our sensations, we can shift our brain state from stress and anticipation to one of pure sensation and relaxation.
Let’s begin by finding a comfortable place. You can either be seated or lying down. If you’re not already in one of these positions, please make the necessary adjustments now. Once you’re comfortable, gently close your eyes. Keeping them closed throughout this process will help enhance your focus and deepen your relaxation.
Throughout this session, breathe normally unless instructed otherwise. I’ll guide you through specific breathing patterns. At times, I’ll ask you to inhale deeply, ideally through your nose, but if that’s not possible, you can inhale through your mouth. Try that now. Following the inhale, exhale all of your air through your mouth. Let’s try that again. Inhale deeply and then exhale completely through thinly pursed lips, as if through a small straw. –   Repeat this two more times. These long, extended exhales through the mouth are key in slowing our heart rate and relaxing our nervous system.
Now, let’s engage our mind’s eye. Imagine yourself standing over your own body, looking down at it from above. In your hand, you hold a flashlight or a spotlight. You direct this light towards your feet. Focus your attention on whatever your feet are in contact with; socks, shoes, or just the air. It doesn’t matter what it is. The goal is to focus your attention specifically on the bottoms of your feet and perceive whatever sensations they are experiencing.
Now, expand the spotlight to include more parts of your body. Include the tops of your feet, your shins, your calves, and then extend it further to your thighs, hamstrings, and up to your waist. With your entire lower body illuminated in your mind’s eye, take a deep breath through your nose or mouth, and exhale completely through thinly pursed lips. Repeat this twice more. Each time you exhale, imagine your lower body sinking slightly into the surface below.
Move the spotlight to your abdomen. As you inhale and exhale, your stomach moves out slightly and then sinks back down. Extend the spotlight to your upper abdomen, chest, and neck. Then, expand the spotlight to include your arms. Continue to breathe normally. Now focus on whatever contact points your back happens to be touching; a shirt, a chair, a sofa, anything. Focus your attention and perception on those points of contact. As you inhale and exhale, imagine your back and upper body sinking slightly into the surface beneath you.
Continue to breathe normally and move the spotlight up to include your face, the top of your head, and the back of your head. As you continue to breathe, focus on relaxing the muscles of your face. Try to extend the duration of your exhales ever so slightly. Expand the spotlight downward to include your neck, chest, arms, abdomen, waist, legs, and down to your feet.
Now, imagine yourself looking down at your own body, fully illuminated inside of this spotlight. Deliberately dim the spotlight in your mind’s eye. Inhale deeply again, and as you exhale, imagine your entire body sinking into the surface that it’s in contact with.
While continuing to breathe normally, move your toes slightly, acknowledging that you are in control of your nervous system, your perceptions, and your actions. Bend your knees just a little, move your upper body from side to side, nod your head a bit, move your hands, lift your arms slightly and set them back down. Slowly open your eyes.
You’ll notice that usually, your nervous system is bombarded with sensory information, mostly visual, which you’ve eliminated during this non-sleep deep rest session. You have been able to control your perception by focusing on your sensations, and you can control which sensations you perceive by directing your attentional spotlight. This is the remarkable power of your brain. It can direct your actions and perceptions to bring you into heightened states of alertness or, as you’ve done now, into a state of deep relaxation.
Thank you for joining me in this non-sleep deep rest session. Remember, this powerful tool is always at your disposal whenever you need to relax, de-stress, and rejuvenate.

This NSDR video was influenced by #huberman #yoganidra #hubermanlab