20 Minute Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)

ANDREW HUBERMAN: Welcome to this

20-minute non-sleep deep rest

protocol.

Non-sleep deep rest

is a powerful tool

that can allow you to

control the relaxation

state of your nervous system

and your overall state of mind.

It can restore mental

and physical vigor,

and it can be done any

time of day or night.

It can even partially offset

the negative consequences

of getting too little sleep.

Non-sleep deep rest takes

advantage of the fact

that specific forms

of breathing place us

into a state of deep relaxation

by slowing our heart rate down.

It also takes

advantage of the fact

that we can control

our perception--

that is, which sensations

we are focused on.

Sensations are

simply the conversion

of physical events in

the world into a language

that our body and

brain can understand.

It's a process by which

things like photons

of light, mechanical

pressure on our skin,

sound waves, and so

on, are converted

to electrical and

chemical signals

in our neurons, or nerve cells.

Perception is simply

the sensations

that we happen to be focused

on at a given moment.

And perception is an incredible

aspect of our nervous system.

We can't directly control

what sensations are around us

and inside of us,

they are just there.

But we can control our

two kinds of perceptions.

One kind of perception

is called exteroception,

and is when we pay attention

to things around us

beyond the confines of our skin.

The other type of perception

is called interoception,

and it's when we pay

attention to things

at the level of the

surface of our skin

and inward, inside our body.

With non-sleep deep rest, you

can shift your brain state

from one of thinking, stress,

planning, from anticipation

of any kind, positive

or negative, to one

of pure sensation

and deep relaxation.

It's very simple to do.

You'll want to do this

protocol seated or lying down.

So if you're not already seated

or lying down, please do so now.

You'll also want

to close your eyes.

So if your eyes aren't already

closed, please close them now.

Throughout this

protocol you'll want

to breathe normally, unless

instructed to do otherwise.

One pattern of breathing

you'll be asked to do

is to Inhale deeply,

ideally through your nose.

But if you can't do

it through your nose,

inhale through your mouth.

Try that now.

Inhale deeply through your nose,

and then exhale all of your air

through your mouth.

Let's do that again.

Inhale deeply through your

nose and then exhale completely

through your mouth.

And as you exhale, exhale

through thinly pursed lips

as if through a small straw.

Let's repeat that

two more times.

Inhale deeply through

your nose, and then

exhale completely through

thinly pursed lips.

One more time.

Inhale deeply through

your nose, and then

exhale completely

through your mouth

through thinly pursed lips.

Breathing in that way,

that is, inhaling deeply

through your nose and

then exhaling completely

through the mouth through

thinly pursed lips,

is known to slow your

heart rate down and relax

your nervous system.

Feel free now to simply

breathe normally.

Now, in your mind's

eye, imagine yourself

standing over yourself, looking

at your body which is seated

or lying down, and

imagine holding

a flashlight or a spotlight

and directing it at your feet.

Focus your attention on whatever

it is that your feet happen

to be in contact with.

It could be socks, sandals,

shoes, or merely the air.

It doesn't matter.

Focus your attention

specifically

on the bottoms of

your feet, and try

to perceive whatever

it is they are sensing.

They could be tingling.

They could even be numb.

It doesn't matter.

Now imagine expanding

that spotlight

to include the tops of your

feet, your shins, your calves.

Expanding that spotlight

further to include

your thighs, your hamstrings,

and up to your waist.

Now, with your entire

lower body illuminated

inside the beam of light

from that spotlight,

inhale deeply through your

nose or through your mouth.

And then exhale completely

through thinly pursed lips

until your lungs are empty.

Repeat that twice more, and

each time as you exhale,

imagine your lower body

sinking down about a centimeter

into whatever surface you happen

to be in contact with now.

Now continue by

breathing normally.

Inhale deeply.

And as you exhale,

imagine your body

sinking another centimeter

into the surface

you are lying or

sitting down on.

As you inhale, remember to

have your belly expand ever so

slightly.

And as you exhale, your stomach

will fall ever so slightly.

As you breathe in

this manner, continue

to imagine the spotlight

illuminating your entire body.

As you Inhale, you can

imagine that spotlight

getting slightly brighter.

And as you exhale,

imagine the spotlight

getting slightly dimmer.

Continue to inhale and to

exhale while imagining your body

sinking down.

Now pay attention to the

muscles of your face.

And as you continue

to breathe normally,

try to relax the

muscles of your face--

at first only slightly.

And then with each

subsequent breath,

relaxing the muscles of your

forehead and face more and more.

Now, regardless of the

environment you're in,

try to listen to sounds

within that environment.

Whatever happens to be

surrounding you, try to hear it.

Perhaps you can only hear the

sound of your own breathing.

Perhaps there are

noises in the room.

Regardless of the sounds you

hear, tried to focus on them.

Now you will breathe in the

same manner you breathed before,

with a deep inhale through your

nose until your lungs are full.

And then a slow, complete exhale

through slightly pursed lips.

Let's repeat that again.

Inhale through your nose

until your lungs are full.

Then exhale slowly through your

mouth with slightly pursed lips.

Now, in your mind's eye, try

to imagine your body again

illuminated by a spotlight.

Imagine looking

down at yourself,

and your entire body is

illuminated by that spotlight.

Dim that spotlight in

your mind by about 50%.

And as you do so, deliberately

relax the muscles of your legs.

Then deliberately relax

the muscles of your hands,

sensing your palms,

wrists, and fingers.

Continue to breathe normally.

And in your mind's eye,

dim the spotlight 50%

further still so that the image

of your body in your mind's eye

is barely a silhouette.

Now, in your mind's eye,

make the spotlight brighter.

Try to see any portion of

your body in your mind's eye--

your hands, your arms,

your torso, your feet.

No matter if you see one or all

of these parts, try to see them

as if you are staring

down at yourself.

Now move the spotlight

to your abdomen

and focus your

attention on whatever

it is your abdomen is sensing.

As you inhale, your stomach

should move out slightly.

And as you exhale,

it should sink down.

Expand the spotlight to

include your upper abdomen,

your chest, your neck.

And now in your

mind's eye, imagine

that spotlight is expanding

to include your arms as well.

Continue to breathe normally.

Now focus your

perception on whatever

surface your back happens

to be in contact with--

a shirt, a chair, a sofa.

Whatever surface it

happens to be contacting,

focus on that contact now.

Simply bring your attention

and your perception

to those points of contact.

And as you do so, inhale

deeply again through your nose

or through your mouth.

And then as you exhale, imagine

your back and your upper body

sinking about a centimeter

into whatever surface

they happen to be

in contact with.

Now move the spotlight

to include your face,

the top of your head, and

the back of your head.

And as you continue

to breathe normally,

focus your perception

on relaxing

the muscles of your face.

And as you continue

to breathe normally,

see if you can extend the

duration of your exhales

ever so slightly.

And now in your mind's eye,

expand the spotlight downward

to include your neck, your

chest, your arms, your abdomen,

your waist, your legs,

and down to your feet.

Imagine yourself looking down

at your own body, illuminated

inside of the spotlight.

And in your mind's eye,

deliberately dim that spotlight.

Make the illumination

less intense.

Inhale deeply again through

your nose or through your mouth.

And then exhale completely

through thinly pursed lips.

And as you do so,

imagine your entire body

sinking into the surface

it's in contact with.

Now, while continuing

to breathe normally,

move your toes ever so slightly.

You'll notice that you are in

control of your nervous system.

You can direct your

perceptions and your actions.

In doing so, you'll

notice that you

are in control of

your nervous system,

meaning you direct your

perceptions and your actions.

Move your ankles and bend your

knees just the slightest bit.

You can move your upper

body from side to side,

your head from side to side,

or even nod just slightly.

Now move your hands.

Lift your arms just a tiny

bit, then set them down again.

And now, whenever you are

ready, slowly open your eyes.

And as you do so, you'll

notice that normally

your nervous system is bombarded

with sensory information, mostly

visual information,

which you have

eliminated during this

non-sleep deep rest protocol.

As you have now

experienced, you are

in control of your perceptions.

Controlling your perceptions is

simply directing your attention

to specific sensations,

and you control

which sensations you

perceive by directing

your attentional

spotlight to whatever part

or parts of your

body that you choose.

This reflects the remarkable

power of the human brain.

You can direct your

actions, your perceptions,

and you can do so in order to

bring about deep relaxation.

You can also do that to achieve

heightened states of alertness

or attention to any sensation

outside of you, or within you.

Non-sleep deep rest

protocols such as this one

can help you restore your sense

of mental and physical vigor,

can partially offset the effects

of not getting enough sleep,

and can also help you get better

at falling and staying asleep.

It can be done any

time of day or night

when you feel you need a

mental and/or physical reset.

Thank you for joining me

for this non-sleep deep rest

protocol brought to you

by Huberman Lab and AG1.