Yoga Nidra For Stress Relief

This is Carly,

And I'll be guiding you through a Yoga Ninja practice focusing on stress relief.

There is nothing you need to do,

But listen to my voice and allow your brainwaves to go on their own journey toward rest.

I invite you to come into a very comfortable position,

Traditionally lying down.

Support yourself with any props that you need.

You may like to place a small pillow under your head,

A pillow under the backs of your knees,

Cover yourself with a blanket,

And cover your eyes with an eye pillow or a small towel to block out any light.

Honor this time you've carved out for yourself to practice and receive the restful medicine of Yoga Nidra.

As you relax,

Close down your eyes if you haven't done so already,

Scan your physical body and make any adjustments you need to drop into stillness.

Feel the parts of your body resting on the surface beneath you.

Relax those parts even deeper into the earth below you.

Take some deep breaths.

Feel the rise and fall of your chest and belly.

Experience your mind,

Body,

And spirit in this moment in time.

Begin to notice if your energy has been outside of yourself,

Perhaps giving energy to others,

Experiences,

Conversation,

Work,

Or anything else.

With the presence of longer,

Deeper breaths,

Begin to draw your energy back to yourself,

Grounding your energy back to this present moment.

Relaxing your physical body and nurturing your energy body,

Grounding your energy by effortlessly relaxing and resting all parts of yourself here and now.

Nothing you need to do,

Nowhere you need to be,

Just resting with awareness.

During Yoga Nidra,

You are guided to notice and feel physical sensations,

The breath,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

And to experience yourself as the witness of all things coming and going.

Whatever you experience is perfect,

Just as it is.

This witnessing presence that is welcoming everything,

And as you welcome whatever is arising,

Your body and mind are learning to remain at ease with whatever arises,

Discovering this place within you that is always at ease.

Begin peeling back layer by layer as your body,

Mind,

And spirit is nourished by rest.

Layer by layer,

Unfolding your heart space and your sankalpa,

Or intention.

Your sankalpa,

A heart's desire,

Is spoken in the positive as if it's already happening.

You may be working with the sankalpa or choose to repeat,

I am honoring my body with deep rest.

I am honoring my body with deep rest.

Repeat your sankalpa three times now.

We will now move through a rotation of consciousness,

Experiencing sensation of energy in each point,

Moving point to point.

You may like to imagine a healing light touching each point name and welcoming in sensations of prana life force energy.

Beginning on the right side of the body,

Feel sensation of energy in the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger.

Sensation of healing light inside the palm of the right hand,

Back of the hand,

Middle of the wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder joint,

Armpit.

Right side of the chest,

Heart center.

Sensation of energy travels down the right side of the waist,

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot.

Feel energy in the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Sense the sensation of prana life force energy lighting up the entire right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body alive with prana life force energy.

Take your time to float your awareness of sensations of energy over to the left side of the body.

Feel sensation of energy in the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger.

Sensation of healing light inside the palm of the left hand,

Back of the hand,

Middle of the wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder joint,

Armpit.

Left side of the chest,

Heart center.

Sensation of energy travels down the left side of the waist,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot.

Feel energy in the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Experience the sensation of prana life force energy lighting up the entire left side of the body.

The whole left side of the body alive with prana life force energy.

Now feel the whole left side and the whole right side simultaneously.

Feel both sides together as a whole field of sensation.

Feel the right foot for the left foot,

Right leg,

Left leg,

Right hip,

Left hip,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Right arm,

Left arm,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Mind's eye center between both eyes,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear.

Experience the sensation of energy between both ears,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Tip of the tongue,

Base of the tongue.

Right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Center of the throat,

Heart center,

Solar plexus,

Navel center,

Root center.

Experience the whole right side,

Left side,

Front,

Back.

Sensations of prana life force energy lighting up the whole body together.

Begin to feel the waves of the breath,

Effortlessly breathing.

Feel the breath wash through you as though your body was an ocean flowing with breath.

Writing the waves of each breath.

As you inhale,

Feel the natural expansion.

And as you exhale,

Feel the natural release.

Feel the whole body breathing.

Feel a wave of breath moving into the right nostril.

And down through the right side of the body.

Like a river carrying peace and calm energy down through the entire right side of the body.

Now,

Feel a wave of breath moving into the left nostril.

And down the left side of the body.

Like a river carrying peace and calm energy down through the entire left side of the body.

Now,

Feel the waves of breath through both the right and left nostril.

Wave of peaceful,

Calm life force energy moving through both the right side and left side.

The entire body filled with waves of peace and calm energy.

Let your body settle deeper into relaxation.

And allow your breath to become your guide into a deeper state of peace.

With each exhale,

Imagine yourself drifting further from the physical space you occupy.

Traveling to a sanctuary crafted by your mind's eye.

Envision yourself standing at the beginning of your journey.

Standing at the beginning of a small,

Winding path.

It's surrounded by tall,

Lush trees that sway gently with the breeze.

The path is so soft beneath your feet.

Covered with a blanket of fallen leaves.

With each step you take,

The sound of the leaves crunching softly underfoot brings a wave of relaxation through your body.

As you continue down the path,

Notice a small stream to your right.

The water flows gently.

The sunlight catching its surface and creating a dance of light that plays on the rocks.

The sound of the water flowing is soothing.

And you pause for a moment to enjoy the tranquility it offers.

Walking further,

The path leads you to a clearing where the sun filters through the trees.

Walking further,

The path leads you to a clearing where the sun filters through the tree canopy in warm patches.

In the center of this clearing is a comfortable seat just for you.

A large rock,

A soft patch of grass,

Or perhaps a bench.

Approach this place and sit down,

Feeling completely safe and at ease here.

From this vantage point,

You can see the entire valley below,

Covered in a quilt of autumn colors,

Or maybe vibrant spring greenery.

Depending on the season you imagine.

The air is fresh and crisp,

Filling your lungs with purity with each breath.

The beauty of this place is overwhelming.

And as you sit there,

Your heart fills with peace.

Allow yourself to absorb the tranquility of this environment.

Every detail here is designed by you,

For you.

This is your place,

A sanctuary where no stress can reach you.

Every breath you take builds more peace within you.

Rest here for a few moments,

Basking in the serenity that surrounds you,

Letting it permeate every fiber of your being,

Healing and relaxing you completely.

Let your visualization go for now.

Know that everything is being taken care of,

And you can deeply rest.

Enjoy resting in blissful awareness.

Know that you are perfect and whole,

Just the way you are.

Resting here in silence.

Start to notice your breath,

And the subtle movement it creates in your body,

In your chest,

Belly.

I invite you to gently rub your thumb across each of your finger pads,

Inviting back the sense of touch.

Find any other gentle movements to bring you back into your present space.

I wish you calmness and peace.

Namaste.