When it comes to unwinding, meditation is a popular option but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Not even Sundar Pichai's. The Google CEO recently admitted that he struggles with meditation. What does help him relax is walking and NSDR.
In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Pichai said, "Meditation is something I see the value of, but I struggle to do that. Walking is very helpful to me. I find it much easier to think when I’m walking or pacing. Through the pandemic, sometimes it’s been helpful to take my dog out for a walk, and I can relax by listening to podcasts."
"I found these podcasts which are non-sleep deep rest, or NSDRs. So while I find it difficult to meditate, I can go to YouTube, find an NSDR video. They’re available in 10, 20 or 30 minutes, so I do that occasionally. "
According to physical trainer Rory Cordial, NSDR or non-sleep deep rest is a powerful way to relax quickly and deeply. “It can help you produce sleep you have lost or get better at falling back asleep if you wake up in the middle of the night," he said.
The term NSDR was coined by neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman who also incorporated yoga nidra as one of the protocols for the practice. according to him, NSDR enhances learning and memory, and can be used for de-stressing or improving cognitive capacity.
Huberman has also described NSDR protocols as techniques to help people enter a self directed state of calm. A short nap (20 minutes or less) constitutes as a state of Non-Sleep Deep Rest.
Other ways to do it include listening to an instructor or guided videos and following instructions while lying down with eyes shut which helps the body enter a deep state of relaxation and slows down the heart rate.
According to Huberman, NSDR is supported by studies to have the ability to put people into powerfully restorative states, similar to sleep. He also claims that it can be done any time of day or night to rapidly reset the ability to calm, focus, and, when needed, ease the transition to sleep.
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