Welcome,
Everyone.
Today,
We are going to practice NSDR,
Which stands for non-sleep deep rest.
Now this is an umbrella term for practices like yoga nidra that really guide the brain and the body into a state of deep relaxation.
So you're not trying to sleep,
Although sleep may come.
You're simply creating the conditions for your nervous system to really shift into deep rest.
And research does suggest that these kinds of practices can really calm the nervous system,
Reduce stress,
Improve sleep,
And support your body's natural ability to heal.
So even if you remain awake the entire time,
You will still be able to experience meaningful rest.
So in the next 30 minutes together,
We're going to move through three evidence-based techniques.
The first one is slow breathing,
Which is one of the quickest ways to signal safety to your nervous system.
And the second is progressive muscle relaxation,
Which is where we gently release layers of tension that we often don't even realize we're holding.
And then lastly,
We'll spend the most of our time settling into NSDR.
Which is where you will simply rest your attention on different body parts.
And the goal is to get out of your thinking brain and to bring focused attention to your body.
And this is where we really invite the deepest relaxation.
So as we begin,
Make yourself as comfortable as you can.
As we relax,
Our body temperature often drops,
So make sure you feel warm and comfortable.
And grab a layer or a blanket if you need.
And if you're able,
I invite you to lay down.
And really just let your body feel supported.
If you're laying down on your back,
Maybe you get a pillow underneath your knees or your head,
Blanket on top.
And the goal here is relaxation and surrender.
So we'll begin with some slow breathing.
And there's no need to breathe really deeply.
The goal here is slowly.
So exhale all the air out of your body.
And breathe in for a count of four.
And breathe out for a count of six.
Again,
In for a count of four.
And out for a count of six.
Keep going at your own pace.
And if the counting feels distracting or forceful,
Just aim for a slow inhale and a slower exhale.
And give yourself two more like this.
Not forcing,
Just inviting it to be slow.
Now you can keep with that breath if it feels supportive.
But I invite you to move your attention to your physical body in this progressive muscle relaxation.
Any of us carry tension without even realizing it.
So in creating a little more tension first and then intentionally releasing it,
We can help the body recognize the difference between holding on.
And letting go.
We'll begin at the feet.
And move our way up the body.
So bringing your awareness to your feet and on your next inhale,
I invite you to gently curl your toes.
And at the top of the inhale,
Hold the squeeze and the breath for just a moment.
And as you exhale,
Release the toes completely.
See if you notice any difference in your toes.
And just sit with that difference.
And now I invite you to take a deep exhale.
And as you breathe in,
I invite you to gently engage your thigh muscles,
Your hamstrings and your quads.
See if you can give them a little squeeze and hold at the top of the inhale.
And as you breathe out,
Let those muscles melt and soften.
Now inhale and engage your glute muscles.
And squeeze your glutes hold at the top for just a few moments.
And exhale.
Let the glute muscles soften.
Notice the difference.
On the next inhale,
Draw in your belly.
Your abdominal wall,
Firm it up and hold at the top of the inhale.
And then exhale.
Let the belly muscles soften.
Inhale,
Gently squeeze your hands into fists.
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze and hold at the top and inhale.
And then exhale.
Let your hands soften and open.
Notice the difference.
Inhaling,
Lifting the shoulders toward the ears.
A pie.
Holding at the top.
And then exhale.
Release them down.
Let's do the shoulders one more time.
Inhale,
Gently lift your shoulders towards your ears.
Hold at the top of the inhale.
Exhale,
Release your shoulders down.
Next,
Bringing your attention to your face,
Inhale,
Squeezing the muscles around your eyes,
Tightening the muscles of the face.
Molding at the top.
And then exhaling.
Softening the muscles around the eyes and the jaw.
Softening the face If it's helpful to use your hands to really invite in more softness.
To your face.
That can be a hard one to let the tension release.
And just sit with the noticing.
From the muscle relaxation.
Has anything changed in your body?
You feel more softness.
If you notice any other areas of tension in your body right now,
I invite you to try that exercise in that area.
So taking a moment to inhale.
Engage the muscles.
Old at the top.
And then exhale and let it melt away.
Aggressive muscle relaxation is always available to you.
And it can be a very useful way to.
Transition from day active time into rest or sleep.
Now we'll move into the NSDR portion of our practice.
And from this point forward,
There is no movement or muscular activation required.
I will just guide your attention to different body parts and you're simply allowing your awareness to rest on that body part.
There's no need to evaluate the sensations.
It's just about attention.
And if your attention wanders,
Gently just return to your body.
And if you lose track of my voice,
That's okay.
There's no need to try to stay awake.
And there's no need to try to fall asleep.
There's no wrong way to rest.
From a very comfortable and supported position.
Bring your awareness to your left thumb.
Pointer finger.
Left middle finger.
Left ring finger.
Left pinky finger.
Left palm.
Back of the hand.
Left wrist.
Left forearm.
And left elbow.
Left upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Your full attention in your left arm and hand.
Bring your attention to your right thumb.
Your right pointer finger.
Right middle finger.
Right middle finger.
Right ring finger.
Right pinky finger.
Right palm.
The back of the hand.
Right wrist.
Right forearm.
Right elbow.
Right upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Feel the wholeness of the right arm and hand.
Let both arms fully rest.
Feel their weight.
Allow them to get a little heavier.
Bring your awareness to your chest.
Your collarbone.
Your pectoral muscles.
Your heart space.
Your lungs.
The back of the chest.
Your shoulder blades.
And all the space between your shoulder blades and the front of your chest.
Be with this area and with a gentle movement of your breath.
Bring your awareness now down to your belly.
From the chest,
Let it seep down.
Into the belly button.
A whole cavity between your belly button and your lower back.
Rising.
All right.
Notice the belly stretching and softening with each breath.
And moving your awareness down to your hips and pelvis.
Back of the pelvis.
The front.
Notice your deep lower abdominal softening.
The places where your pelvis meets the surface beneath you.
And allow yourself to feel supported.
Moving down,
Bringing awareness down the left leg.
Starting at the thigh.
The large quadricep muscles and hamstring muscles.
Your left knee.
Left shin and calf.
Left ankle.
The arch of the left foot.
Your left toes.
Bringing awareness to your whole left leg.
And beginning at the hip again,
Moving to the right leg.
Right thigh.
Right knee.
Right shin and calf.
Right ankle.
The arch of the right foot.
The right toes.
A full right leg.
Let both legs rest.
Feel their weight.
And allow them to get a tiny bit heavier.
And now sensing your whole body at once.
Not one part,
But the whole body.
Resting.
Breathing.
And see if you can feel your body settling.
There's not a forcefulness about it,
It's just a.
.
.
As though gravity is gently holding you.
To stay with this feeling.
Of full body awareness.
If thoughts appear,
Let them pass like clouds.
You don't need to follow them.
Simply return to resting.
If any tension creeps up.
See if you can surrender it to gravity and let it melt.
Bringing you back into that full body awareness.
I invite you to transition very gently and slowly with three deeper slower breaths at your own pace.
And if your body wants to keep resting.
And you're able.
I invite you to keep resting.
And if you need to move on,
I invite you to gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Maybe stretch a little bit if that feels good.
Take a breath in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
And when you're ready.
Opening your eyes.
Taking your time.
Carrying this softness and restfulness into your day.
Or allow it to carry you gently into sleep.
