Erica

Eau Claire, WI, USA

Use NSDR techniques and focused visualization to shift your nervous system into a state of deep, restorative rest.

English

NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) is a style of guided meditation popularized by Andrew Huberman. It draws on techniques from yoga nidra and other relaxation techniques. You'll be guided through the physiological sigh, breath awareness, and a body scan with a spotlight visualization. NSDR is an effective way to shift your nervous system. The more you practice, the easier it will be to self-regulate and reduce the negative effects of stress. This meditation offers a break from work, studying, and other daily tasks. You can also use after exercise as a way to support recovery. 

If you enjoy this track, check my teacher profile for upcoming events. I would love to connect with you and practice together live!      

This is a lightly edited recording of a live event. Female voice, no background music, & ending chime. During the second half of the recording the mic picked up bird sounds. It's included in the snippet so you can decide if it would be disruptive to your practice.

NSDR Coffee Break: 15 Minute Guided Relaxation

So for today's practice, I'll invite you to either lay flat on your back, or to choose a supported seat. Finding that comfortable position for yourself, and whether you're seated or resting on your back, pay attention to your spine. Noticing if there's anything you could do to support the alignment of your spine, maybe shifting your neck a little bit. You might like to close your eyes for this practice, or perhaps just softening the gaze and picking a place to look at, maybe a spot on the ceiling or a spot on the floor. Letting your body settle here. This practice of NSDR, or non-sleep deep rest, is a way that we can communicate with our body and our nervous system using breath, using awareness, and those tools can help shift the state of our nervous system so that we can enter that rest and digest state, that parasympathetic nervous system state. And you might just take a moment to bring an intention into this practice. Maybe it's, I want to rest my brain, I'm here to listen and receive, to re-energize. Whatever brought you here, just hold that in your mind for a moment. We'll begin our session today with some rounds of the physiological sigh. This breath is two inhales through the nostrils and one sigh, deep exhale through the mouth. The first inhale, we fill the belly. Second inhale, fill the chest. And exhale everything together. Taking our two inhales, and sigh it out. And do this four more times, going at your own pace. And one more like this, two inhales and sigh it out. Returning to your natural breath, whatever is the most comfortable way for you to breathe. Sitting with that breath, and we'll count down from ten to one. With each round of breath, I'll invite you to soften and release a different part of the body. And you might imagine this happening, or you might even notice a sensation of softness or relaxation in that part. Inhale ten, exhale, releasing through the back of the body, nine, softening the shoulder blades, eight, releasing the back of the hips, seven, softening the back of the legs, six, opening the front of the legs, five, relaxing the belly, four, opening the front of the shoulders, three, softening the throat, two, releasing the tongue, and one, melting away tension across the forehead. And I'd like you to imagine now your body, to see your body at rest. And imagine yourself above your body, and you're holding a flashlight. When you click that flashlight on, you can illuminate your body with a little circle of light. And as I name different body parts, see that light. And with that light, bring your attention, bring your focus to that body part. And imagine shining that light on the top of your head, and pulling all of your focus to this point, in the center of the forehead, shining that light in the center of the forehead, and the tip of the nose. That spotlight shifts to the tip of the nose, and the base of the throat, bringing all of your focus here, in the center of the chest, and now imagining that circle of light gets a little bit bigger, becoming more of a spotlight, so your whole chest and abdomen illuminated with that light, and that light getting a little bit bigger, welcoming in the arms, the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and palms. Sensing both arms, and the whole torso together. Sensing all of these parts together, taking in a deep breath through the nose, and exhaling that out like you're blowing through a straw. Once more like that, in through the nose, and out through your straw. Imagining the whole top half of the body could sink down into the support beneath you. Looking back to that image of your body, where you are above your body, directing this light, bring that light down to the feet, the soles of the feet, the toes, the top of the feet, and again make that spotlight bigger, and it lights up the calves, the shins, the top of the knees, and larger again to include the thighs, the hips, becoming aware of the bottom half of your body, both legs and feet, sensing them all together, and again taking that deep breath through the nose, and blowing out through your straw. One more breath, seeing if you could make the exhale just a little bit longer, and imagining the bottom half of your body could sink down into the support beneath you, and coming back to that spotlight, making it larger once again to include the entire body, feet, legs, torso, arms, neck, head, the whole body together, welcoming a sense of energy, noticing how nourishing this breath and this time of stillness have been for you, and with your next inhale begin to welcome back movements, tip your head left to right, bringing some gentle movement back into the neck, and as you're ready, fluttering the eyes open, and noticing any shifts in your nervous system, any changes in your body, what has the short practice given you today? If you have time and you would like to rest a little bit longer, feel free to do that, and if this is the end of your break, I hope that you are feeling a little more energized and ready to continue on with your day.