Deep Sleep Yoga Nidra: Hour Body Scan & Visualization

Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra for deep,

Restful sleep.

Find a comfortable position lying down on your back.

You may want to cover yourself with a blanket as your body temperature will naturally drop during this practice.

Allow your feet to fall open naturally and let your arms rest alongside your body.

Take a moment to adjust your body in any way that supports your comfort.

Make yourself completely at ease.

Now take a deep breath in and let it out slowly and completely.

Feel the support of the earth beneath you,

Holding you,

Supporting you completely.

And finally,

Gently close your eyes.

Know that this is your time,

A sacred time set aside for deep rest.

There's nowhere to go,

Nothing you need to do.

Simply be here and allow yourself to fully receive this practice.

This Yoga Nidra is designed to help you release into deep,

Restful sleep.

The intention is to guide your body and mind into a state of deep relaxation,

Allowing you to let go completely.

As we move through this practice,

You may drift in and out of awareness,

Or you may fall asleep entirely.

Both are perfectly natural and welcome here.

Your only task is to allow your body to relax,

To soften,

To release all holding,

And to trust in your body's innate wisdom to find the rest it needs.

We begin by planting a seed of intention,

A sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a short,

Positive statement made in the present tense,

As if it is already true.

For this practice,

You might choose something like,

I fall asleep easily and sleep deeply,

Or I rest peacefully throughout the night.

Or sleep comes naturally and effortlessly.

And if you already have a sankalpa,

Repeat it now silently to yourself three times with full feeling and conviction.

And now release your sankalpa,

Giving thanks.

And bring your awareness now to your whole body.

Feel your entire body from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.

Notice the points of contact where your body meets the surface beneath you,

The back of your head,

Your shoulders,

Your upper back,

Your hips,

Your legs,

Heels.

With each point of contact,

Feel yourself becoming heavier,

More supported,

More grounded.

Your body is completely supported.

You can let go.

You can surrender to sleep.

Feel the natural rhythm of your breath,

Not changing it,

Just observing.

The gentle rise and fall of your belly,

The soft expansion and release of your chest.

Your breath is your anchor to this present moment.

Your breath is the bridge between your conscious and the unconscious.

We now begin the rotation of consciousness throughout the body.

As I name each part,

Simply bring your awareness there briefly and then move on.

There's no need to move or tense the body part I name.

Simply bring your inner attention there like a soft beam of light.

We move systematically through the body and the only effort required is to follow along with your awareness.

If your mind wanders,

Simply return to the part being named.

Begin with the right hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the torso,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot,

The right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Bring your awareness to the left-hand side,

Left-hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the torso,

Left waist,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the left foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Bring awareness to the back of the body,

Right heel,

Left heel,

Both heels together,

The right calf,

Left calf,

Both calves,

The right glute,

Left glute,

Both together,

The lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Both shoulder blades,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head.

Moving to the front of the body,

Bring awareness to the top of the head,

Your forehead,

The right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

The right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

The right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

The nose,

Tip of the nose,

The right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

The upper row of teeth,

Lower teeth,

The gums,

The tongue,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

The right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Center of the chest,

Your heart space,

Upper abdomen,

The navel,

Lower abdomen,

All 10 fingers together,

All 10 toes,

Both hands together,

Both feet together,

Bring awareness to the whole right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

And both legs together,

The whole right arm,

Left arm,

And both arms together,

The whole right side of the body,

The whole left side of the body,

The whole head together,

The whole front of the body,

The whole back of the body,

The whole body together,

The entire body lying here,

Completely relaxed,

Completely supported,

Completely at peace,

Awareness of the whole body together,

And now we move through the body once more,

And this time more quickly,

Like a wave of awareness washing over you,

Bring your awareness now to the right hand thumb,

The pointer finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger,

The little finger,

Palm,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Torso,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Torso,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Back of the body,

Heels,

Calves,

Thighs,

Glutes,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Shoulders,

Neck,

Head,

Front of the body,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyes,

Nose,

Cheeks,

Lips,

Chin,

Throat,

Mouth,

Chest,

Heart,

Belly,

Navel,

Abdomen,

The whole right side,

The whole left side,

The whole front,

The whole back,

The whole head,

The whole body,

The whole body completely relaxed,

Melting into the earth,

Releasing,

Softening,

Resting.

Now bring your awareness to the natural flow of your breath,

Not controlling or changing.

Again,

Observing.

Notice the cool air entering through your nostrils and the warm air leaving.

Feel the gentle rise of your belly on the inhale,

The soft fall on the exhale.

Notice the pause between breaths and the still point of silence.

Let your breath be like a wave,

Rolling in and out,

In and out.

With each exhale,

Feel yourself let go a little more,

Release a little more,

Soften,

Letting go.

And now begin to count your breaths backwards from 26 like this.

Inhale,

26.

Exhale,

26.

Inhale,

25.

Exhale,

25.

And so on.

If you lose count,

Don't worry,

Just begin again from 26.

Let go now of the counting of the breaths.

Now we explore the experience of opposites,

Moving between two polarities.

Simply recall the feeling or sensation as I name it,

Allowing the experience to arise naturally without force.

First,

Feel your body becoming very heavy,

So heavy you're sinking down into the earth as if your body is made of lead.

Feel heaviness throughout the body.

Now feel your body becoming very light,

Weightless.

You are as light as a feather,

Floating as if you might drift upward like a cloud.

So light.

And come back to the feeling of heaviness,

Sinking,

Grounded,

Solid.

And now light,

Floating,

Weightless,

Free.

And release.

And now feel your body becoming warm,

Comfortably warm as if you're lying in the sunshine.

All that warmth spread through every part of your body.

Warmth.

Warmth surrounding you.

Warmth within you.

Now welcome a pleasant coolness,

Refreshing cold like a gentle breeze on your skin.

Cool air.

Cool.

Now feel warm again,

Glowing with warmth,

Radiating a heat.

Now recall cold,

Refreshed by coolness,

Soothed.

And release.

Recall the feeling of tension in your body,

A tightness,

Holding,

Gripping,

Tension throughout the body.

And come back now to complete relaxation,

Softness,

Opening,

Releasing,

Total relaxation.

Come back to tension,

Tension,

Tightness,

Holding.

And now relaxation,

Softness,

Complete ease.

And release.

Recall a sensation of discomfort or pain you've once felt in your body.

Don't create it,

Simply remember.

And now a feeling of comfort,

Pleasure,

Complete ease and well-being.

And release both,

Returning to neutral awareness.

Now recall the feeling of love,

Warmth in your heart,

Openness,

Connection,

Deep love.

And now the feeling of dislike or aversion,

A closing,

Contracting,

Separating.

Come back to love,

Warmth,

Expansion,

Dislike,

Coolness,

Contraction.

And now release both love and hate.

Return to the vast neutral space of awareness that holds all experiences.

We now enter into visualization.

I'll name a series of images.

Simply allow each image to appear on the screen of your mind and then let it go as the next one arises.

There's no need to try hard or strain,

Simply receive each image like clouds passing through the sky of your awareness.

A snow peaked mountain,

A full moon over water,

A single candle flame,

A red rose in full bloom,

A still blue lake,

A soaring eagle,

A peaceful forest,

A gentle waterfall,

A starry night sky,

A sunrise over the ocean,

A path through tall grass,

A stone bridge over a stream,

A white dove in flight,

A field of sunflowers,

A cozy fireplace,

Golden leaves falling,

A garden gate,

Footprints in sand,

A rainbow after rain,

A butterfly on a flower,

A mountain meadow,

Blue wildflowers swaying,

A crescent moon,

A peaceful temple,

Wind through the trees,

A lake at dawn,

Clouds drifting,

A winding path,

A warm blanket,

A gentle smile,

A cat sleeping,

Birds flying south,

A flower opening,

A tree in bloom,

The vast open sky,

A distant bell ringing,

Hands clasped in prayer,

A baby sleeping,

An ancient tree,

Roots growing deep,

Branches reaching up,

A flowing river,

Golden wheat fields,

A lighthouse by the sea,

Children laughing,

Waves rolling onto the shore,

Soft rain falling,

A snow-covered village,

Infinite space,

Infinite peace.

And now let all the images dissolve,

Returning to the empty screen of awareness,

Vast,

Open,

And spacious.

Now imagine yourself standing at the top of a beautiful staircase.

There are 20 steps leading downward.

With each step you descend,

You move deeper and deeper into relaxation,

Deeper into peace,

And deeper into the healing space of yoga nidra.

At the bottom of the staircase is a place of complete peace,

Safety,

And rest.

See yourself beginning to descend the staircase now.

This is step 20.

You're moving down.

Step 19,

Going deeper.

18,

Releasing further.

17,

Moving down into peace.

16,

Deeper still.

15,

Feeling very relaxed.

14,

Continuing down.

13,

Going deeper.

12,

Releasing further and further.

11,

So peaceful.

10,

You're halfway there and deeply relaxed.

9,

Continuing down.

8,

Deeper and deeper.

7,

You're almost there.

6,

So peaceful,

So calm.

5,

Only 5 more steps to go.

4,

Going deeper.

3,

Almost at the bottom.

2,

You're nearly there.

1,

Only 1 more to go.

And now you've reached the bottom.

A place of complete peace,

Safety,

Deep rest,

Total relaxation.

Rest here in this deep,

Quiet space.

You are not the body.

You are not the breath.

You are not your thoughts.

You are the vast awareness in which all of these arise.

Like the sky that holds all weather,

You are the unchanging awareness that holds all experience.

Rest in this knowing.

In this space there is no effort,

No doing,

No becoming,

Simply being.

Allow yourself to float in this ocean of peace.

Begin to deepen your breath.

And now in this deeply receptive state,

Recall your sankalpa,

The heartfelt intention you created at the beginning of this practice.

Repeat it now,

Silently to yourself,

3 times.

Again with complete feeling and conviction,

As if it is already true.

Feel this truth settling into the deepest layers of your being,

And becoming part of you.

And now release the words again,

Trusting completely.

There is nothing more you need to do.

You can simply allow yourself to drift,

To float,

To dissolve into sleep.

Your body knows how to sleep.

Your mind knows how to let go.

This is your natural state,

Your body's wisdom.

Feel yourself being held,

Supported,

Completely safe.

Like a leaf floating on a gentle stream.

Allow the current to carry you.

Deeper and deeper into rest.

Deeper and deeper into peace.

Deeper into sleep.

Your breath continues.

Soft,

Easy,

Natural.

Breathing you as you sleep.

Nothing to hold on to.

Nowhere to go.

Nothing to do.

Simply drift.

Sleep comes.

Naturally,

Effortlessly.

Allow yourself to rest now.

Peaceful sleep.

Deep sleep.

Healing sleep.

Rest.