What is non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)?

A guided practice where you lie down and follow audio that walks your body into deep relaxation while you stay awake. It overlaps closely with Yoga Nidra and is used to lower stress and restore focus. This Burst settles you with a walk and some breathing first, then an NSDR-style Yoga Nidra.

Can you really rest without sleeping?

Yes. NSDR and Yoga Nidra are built to give your nervous system a deep rest while you stay conscious, which helps when you are too wired to nap. Even a short session can leave you feeling refreshed.

How long is a non-sleep deep rest session?

This Burst runs about an hour: a walk to come down from wired, a few minutes of breathing, then a longer Yoga Nidra. NSDR audio itself is commonly available in 10, 20 or 30 minute lengths.

Why is this linked to Sundar Pichai?

He has said publicly that he finds traditional meditation hard and uses NSDR videos to unwind, and has described long walks to relax. This Burst is inspired by that; the sequencing is Bearmore's.

Sundar Pichai’s Deep Rest

Quality: Exceptional· 100%Effort: Manageable· 01h

Inspired by Sundar Pichai

Wired after back-to-back meetings and can't switch off?

There’s a way to increase rest outside of sleeping. Walk off the wired feeling, settle with some breathing, then lie down and let a Yoga Nidra do it’s restorative work on you. Balm for a busy brain in under an hour, no techniques to have to learn.

The runsheet

1
A walk to wind down
Being in nature
Pichai unwinds with long walks, often with his dog. Head out and let an easy, aimless walk pull the charge out of a wired mind.
15 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 21 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing being in nature before breath work
This works well because a relaxed nervous system from time outside can prepare the body for structured breathing.
2
Settle with some breathing
Breath work
A short session to help you settle before laying down for the Yoga Nidra, this is added by Bearmore rather than coming directly from Pichai. Slow your breathing and let your shoulders drop.
5 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 7 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing breath work before yoga nidra
This works well because regulated breathing pre-relaxes the nervous system, helping you settle into deeper rest more easily.
3
Lie down for the Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra
Pichai has said he finds it difficult to meditate, so he turns to NSDR videos on YouTube, noting "they're available in 10, 20 or 30 minutes." Lay down and follow along with the guidance, there’s nothing in particular you have to know how to do.
20 min activitySetup 6 min · Reset 6 min · 32 min all-in
Time well spent.
1h spent doing something good for yourself.

The breakdown

Burst evaluation

QualityExceptional· 100%

Sequencing100%

Logistics100%

DifficultyManageable· 0

Total activity60m / 60mGentle

Physical activity5m / 29mGentle

Mental focus35m / 119mManageable

Introspection0m / 29mGentle

Creativity0m / 59mGentle

+ 3 more conditionsHow we assess →

Wellbeing focus

The relative wellbeing focus of this Burst.

HighEmotional

HighPhysical

MedSelf

LowSocial

MedIntellectual

About this Burst

Sundar Pichai is CEO of Alphabet and Google, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in Chennai, India, in 1972, he studied at IIT Kharagpur, Stanford and Wharton, joined Google in 2004 working on Chrome and Android, became Google CEO in 2015 and Alphabet CEO in 2019. He has said he finds it difficult to meditate and instead turns to NSDR videos on YouTube to relax.

A reset Clear my head Desk-bound days Evening Famous faces Under 2 hours

Common questions

Sundar Pichai’s Deep Rest 1h · free in the app1h · free in the app