welcome to this 30-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 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 perception 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 inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale completely through thinly pursed lips inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale completely through your mouth through thinly pursed lips inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale completely through your mouth through thinly pursed lips as you do so imagine your entire body sinking into the surface that it's in contact with as you do so imagine your entire body sinking into the surface that it's in contact with now while continuing to breathe normally move your toes ever so slightly even though you moved your toes continue to keep your body completely relaxed allow for your forehead and your facial muscles to just drape if you need to breathe through your mouth as you do that that's fine otherwise continue to breathe through your nose and your mouth or purely through your mouth or purely through your nose now deliberately move one or two of your fingers on each hand and as you do so take notice of the fact that you made that decision you control your actions then allow your hands to be still once again then allow your hands to be still once again now let's repeat the pattern of breathing that you've done now several times before with a big deep inhale through the nose until your lungs are full and a long slow to lungs empty exhale through your mouth through thinly pursed lips as you do this several times over pay attention to the natural movement of your body your belly your belly expanding upward as you inhale and falling back down as you exhale notice that some of your body movements are created by your breathing but that you are still completely relaxed focus your attention focus your attention on your jaw notice if the muscles of your jaw have any tension within them and if they do on your next breath try to relax those muscles by 50% breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth allowing your jaw to relax and the skin and the muscles of your face to drape now for the next three breaths you're going to imagine you're going to imagine your entire body sinking deeper and deeper still into the surface that you are lying or sitting down on you may feel as if your body rises up a bit as you inhale you may feel as if your body rises up a bit as you inhale but as you exhale your body sinks down in your mind's eye imagine tracing a big circle around your body from your head out and around your arms your legs your feet and up again the other side to the top of your head and up again the other side to the top of your head follow the path of that circle one more time around one more time around now you will move your chin and head just slightly to the right-hand side to the right-hand side move it just a centimeter or so and then move it back to center now move your chin and head to the left side again again about a centimeter or so and then back to the center you'll notice that you are in control of your nervous system you direct your perceptions and your actions move your ankles bend your knees just the slightest bit you can move your upper body from side to side move your head from side to side or nod ever so slightly from side to side or nod ever so slightly 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 the 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 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 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 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, try 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 . . . . and 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. And 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. Continue to breathe properly. 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. 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. 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. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us.

Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Transcription by CastingWords