Welcome to your sleep sanctuary.
I'm so glad you're here.
This is a space to soften,
Unwind,
And remember that rest is your birthright.
Tonight,
You'll be guided into the ancient and powerful practice of yoga nidra,
Also known as yogic sleep.
Yoga nidra is a deeply restorative,
Meditative journey through the layers of your being.
It allows the body to rest deeply while the mind remains gently aware.
It's especially helpful for anyone who struggles with falling asleep,
Staying asleep,
Or waking up still tired.
This practice speaks directly to your nervous system,
Calming the stress response,
Gently unwinding tension,
And guiding you back to a sense of safety,
Wholeness,
And rest.
With regular practice,
Yoga nidra can reduce anxiety and sleep latency,
Increase deep restorative rest,
Soothe chronic tension,
And support emotional regulation and nervous system healing.
You do not need to try to sleep.
You do not need to focus.
You are allowed to drift in and out.
Even if your mind stays awake,
Your body and brain will receive the benefits of deep sleep.
Let's begin with three belly breaths to ground and settle the body and nervous system.
So I'll invite you to inhale slowly through the nose,
Letting the belly rise into your hand like a warm balloon filling with air.
And exhale gently through the mouth,
Letting the belly soften and fall.
Again breathing in through the nose,
Feeling the breath move all the way down,
Spreading softness and exhaling slowly,
Letting the body melt just a little more.
One more time,
Inhaling slow and full,
Letting the breath find the quiet spaces within you and exhaling gently,
Feeling the weight of your body sinking deeper into stillness.
Now let's set our sankalpa,
A short positive intention that's planted like a seed into the fertile soil of your subconscious.
Your sankalpa is not a goal or a wish,
It is a truth.
Something already within you,
Ready to be remembered.
So allowing one to arise naturally,
Or you may use one of these.
I am safe and whole.
Peace lives within me.
I trust my body's wisdom.
I surrender into rest.
Repeat your sankalpa silently with tenderness and trust.
Let it land gently in your heart.
Let it root itself in.
We'll return to it later.
Beginning to feel the weight of your body,
Let it settle into the ground beneath you,
Allowing the surface to completely hold you.
There is nothing to hold up,
Nothing to fix.
Feeling the shape of your body,
The contact points,
The outline of your presence.
Take a slow breath in,
And sigh it out through your mouth.
Again in through the nose,
And out through the mouth,
And allowing the breath to move naturally like a tide,
Quiet,
Unforced,
And free.
We'll now move through a detailed rotation of awareness,
Touching every part of the body with attention,
Not to fix or judge,
But simply to feel from the inside.
Allow your awareness to flow effortlessly without strain.
My voice will guide you.
Let's start with the right side of the body,
Right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Thumb,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Thigh,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
The spaces between each toe,
And now the left side of the body.
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side of the left chest,
Waist,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole,
Top of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
The space between the toes.
And now for the back of the body,
Back of the head,
Neck,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Sacrum,
Tailbone,
Backs of thighs,
Backs of knees,
Calves,
Heels.
And now the front of the body,
Forehead,
Eyebrows.
The space between the eyebrows,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Jaw,
Throat,
Collarbones,
Chest,
Heartbeat,
Ribs,
Lungs,
Stomach,
Liver,
Right side.
Spleen,
Left side,
Navel,
Pelvis,
Organs inside the pelvis,
Reproductive organs.
Arms,
Hips,
Groin.
Now feel the entire right leg.
The entire left leg.
The entire right arm.
The entire left arm.
The whole face.
The entire spine.
The whole body as one unit.
The whole body as one unit.
Resting,
Soft,
Whole.
Now we'll awaken subtle sensations in the body,
Opposite experiences to balance the nervous system.
Let's begin with heaviness.
Feel your body as deeply,
Deeply heavy.
So heavy it's sinking into the earth.
Bones are weighted.
Muscles slack.
Gravity holding all of you.
No resistance.
Now shifting to lightness.
Imagine the whole body becoming light.
Airy,
Weightless.
As if you are floating slightly above the bed.
Held by sky.
And return again to heaviness.
Dense,
Grounded,
Supported.
And again to lightness.
Floating,
Untethered.
Free.
And bring in the sensation of warmth.
Feel heat spreading through the body.
Perhaps in the chest.
The belly.
The palms.
Like sunlight or warm water.
And shifting to coolness.
A soft breeze on the skin.
Cool air around the face.
The toes.
The fingertips.
Calm and refreshing.
Return to warmth.
Gentle and soothing.
And again to coolness.
Light and clarifying.
Now let all sensation dissolve.
Rest in neutral awareness.
Rest in stillness.
And now,
Silently return to your sankalpa.
Repeating it three times,
Softly,
In your mind.
Planting it into the still,
Stillness.
Quiet soil of your awareness.
No effort,
Just trust.
Let it be received.
There is nothing more to do.
No place to get to.
You are already here.
Already whole.
Let these words drift like feathers into your mind.
I am allowed to rest.
My body knows how to soften.
There is no urgency.
I am supported.
I am guided.
My breath is enough.
Peace is already inside me.
Sleep will come when it comes.
And even if it doesn't,
I am resting deeply.
I am whole.
I am safe.
I am home.