Welcome.
You've made space for this.
For rest that is intentional,
Restorative and deeply supported by your own nervous system.
Before we begin,
Let's find your position.
NSDR works best when your body is completely free of effort.
So take a moment now to set yourself up well.
If you're lying down.
Allow your feet to fall open naturally.
No need to hold anything in place.
Let your arms rest a few inches away from your body,
Palms gently turned upwards.
If that feels uncomfortable,
Palms down is perfectly fine.
If you'd like extra support,
Place a bolster or rolled blanket beneath your knees.
This releases the lower back completely.
You might also choose a light blanket over your body or an eye pillow or folded cloth over your eyes to encourage your nervous system towards safety and withdrawal.
If you're seated,
Let your spine be gently upright.
Hands resting open in your lap,
Feet grounded on the floor.
Once you've settled,
Make one small adjustment.
Something that tells your body,
I'm not going anywhere.
I have nowhere else to be.
This session is grounded in a simple and powerful idea.
That your brain and body restore themselves most efficiently not through more doing but through conscious guided stillness.
Research on non-sleep deep rest shows that even 20 minutes of this practice can replenish neurochemicals,
Consolidate learning,
Reduce cortisol and shift your nervous system from a state of activation into one of deep recovery.
You don't need to make anything happen.
Your only role right now is to remain awake and aware.
Lightly,
Effortlessly aware.
While your body does what it already knows how to do.
Take one natural breath in through your nose.
And a slow,
Easy exhale through your mouth.
Let your breathing find its own rhythm now.
No control is needed.
We'll begin by moving awareness through the body.
As I name each part.
Simply bring your attention there.
No visualization.
No effort.
Just a light touch of awareness.
Like a beam of soft light briefly landing and then moving on.
Become aware of your right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Littlefinger the palm of the hand.
The back of the hand.
The rest.
For An.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Right side of the chest.
Right side of the waist.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Nika.
Car.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe 5th toe Left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
RISK forearm.
Elbow.
At the end.
Left shoulder.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Knee care.
Car.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The back of the head.
Top of the skull.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
The nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chin.
The world.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
The chest.
Upper abdomen.
Lower abdomen.
The whole of the back.
The lower back.
The Butter.
The back of both legs together.
The back of both heels.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole body at once.
Now bring attention to the natural breath.
Just observing the current pattern,
Not changing.
Notice the subtle rise of the belly or chest.
On each inhale.
And the soft release on each exhale.
If thoughts arise,
That's completely normal.
The brain is processing.
Consolidating.
Reorganizing.
Simply notice.
And return to the breath.
Now we'll introduce a slow count to deepen this state of rest.
I'll count each exhale from 27.
Down to one.
If you lose track.
Simply return to 27.
And begin again.
This is not a test.
It's a gentle anchor.
Breathing in.
And exhaling.
Twenty seven.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
26.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
25.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
24 Breathing in.
Exhaling.
Twenty three.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
22.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
21 Breathing in.
Exhaling.
Twenty.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
Nineteen Breathing in.
Exhaling.
18.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
Seventeen.
Breathing in.
Exhale it.
16.
Breathing in.
Exhaling.
Fifteen Slowly let the count dissolve.
Let the breath breathe itself.
You are now in a state between waking and sleep.
What neuroscientists sometimes call a hypnagogic state.
This is where restoration happens most deeply.
The brain shifts into slower wave activity.
Stress hormones recede.
And memory consolidates.
Neural pathways reorganize and strengthen.
Simply rest here.
Imagine now that you are lying in a place of complete safety.
It might be a real place from your memory.
Or one your mind creates entirely.
It could be outdoors,
Beneath open sky.
Always quiet,
Warm room.
Wherever your nervous system recognizes as safe.
Notice the temperature of this place on your skin.
Maybe just slightly warm.
Just right.
Notice any sounds in this space.
Or the quality of its silence.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Solid.
Steady.
Supporter.
There is nothing to solve here.
Or to prepare for.
Your body is restoring at a cellular level.
Your brain is doing exactly what it is designed to do.
Let any remaining sense of effort release from the forehead.
From the jaw.
From the hands.
From the belly.
Rest here now in silence.
Your nervous system has been resetting.
Dopamine levels are replenishing.
The prefrontal cortex,
The seat of clear thinking and emotional regulation,
Coming back into balance.
Rest here.
A little longer.
In this receptive open state,
The mind is unusually available.
Like soft soil,
It receives what you offer it.
If there is an intention you carry.
Something you are moving towards.
Something you are healing.
Something you wish to embody.
Allow it to arise now.
Not as a forced thought.
But as a feeling.
A direction.
A quiet knowing.
Let it land once.
Clearly.
Without grasping.
And with your next exhale,
Release it,
Trusting that it has been received.
Slowly now,
We begin to return.
Become aware again of your breath.
Slightly deeper now.
More intentional.
Become aware of your body resting on the surface beneath you.
The weight of it.
The warmth of it.
Begin to bring gentle movement to the fingers.
And the toes.
Stretch through the arms if that feels right or take a deep slow breath that moves the whole body.
Roll slowly to your right side and rest here for a moment.
This eases the transition from deep rest back into full waking awareness.
When you're ready,
Use your hands to press yourself up to seated.
Slowly,
Without rushing.
Then let your eyes adjust to the light.
Sit quietly for a moment and notice how you feel.
There may be a softness in the mind.
A clarity,
A stillness behind the eyes.
This is your restored state.
And this is available to you again and again through practice.
Take one final full breath in through the nose.
And a slow exhale through the mouth.
