Return To Wholeness Yoga Nidra

Welcome.

My name is Leah,

And this is a short,

Deeply relaxing yoga nidra,

The practice of conscious rest,

A journey inward where the body sleeps,

But awareness remains awake and present.

Please find a comfortable lying down position on your back,

Arms slightly away from your sides,

Palms facing up,

Legs resting naturally apart.

You could lie on your yoga mat in a supported shavasana with cushions or bolsters under the knees,

Head and spine,

Or rest on the couch or in a reclining chair,

Or even cosied up in your bed.

Make sure that you are cosy and nested.

Take the time to settle in fully,

Using cushions or a blanket if needed,

So that you feel fully supported and warm.

An eye covering or a piece of cloth is also helpful to block out any light if you are in a bright space.

Let the eyes gently close and feel the eyelids soften.

The face becomes neutral.

The jaw unhinges slightly.

Invite a sense of ease across the brow and around the temples.

Now bring your attention to your physical body.

Feel the points of contact where your body meets the surface beneath you.

The back of the head,

The shoulders,

The elbows,

Spine,

Hips,

The backs of the legs and the heels.

Feel yourself being held by the earth.

Nothing is needed right now.

There is nowhere else to be.

You are safe.

You are supported.

Now bring awareness to your breath without changing it.

Notice the natural rhythm of the inhale and the exhale.

Feel the movement of breath in the nostrils,

The rise and fall of the chest or belly,

Like gentle waves coming and going.

Breathing in,

Know that you are arriving.

Breathing out,

Know that you are letting go.

With each exhale,

Releasing tension.

Feel the weight of the body sinking deeper as the ground receives you.

And now become aware of the space around you,

The temperature of the air,

The sounds near and far.

Let all sounds be part of your experience without needing to label or follow them.

This is the beginning of turning your attention inward,

Welcoming a sense of inner spaciousness,

A still presence that is always here,

Waiting to be discovered.

You are moving into a state between waking and sleeping,

Where deep rest,

Healing,

And insight naturally unfold.

Stay aware.

Stay effortless.

Let your body rest in stillness.

Let your breath be natural.

Let your mind be free.

Feel your whole body resting like a boat floating on still water,

Held in quiet presence.

No effort,

No doing,

Just being.

Feel into the weight of the body again,

From the crown of the head all the way down to the soles of the feet.

Sense gravity drawing you downward,

Anchoring you.

Let the bones be heavy.

Let the muscles be soft.

Let the breath become more subtle.

Now bring your awareness to the face.

Feel the eyes floating effortlessly in their sockets,

The skin of the forehead smoothing out,

The cheeks releasing,

The tongue resting heavy in the mouth.

Draw this sense of release down the neck and shoulders.

Let the shoulders melt into the earth.

Arms heavy,

Hands relaxed,

Fingers open and empty.

Travel now through the torso,

Feeling the chest expanding with each inhale,

Softening with each exhale.

Feel the belly rise and fall like the ocean tide,

Effortless.

Let this soft wave of awareness flow through the pelvis,

Hips relaxing,

Thighs softening downward,

Knees,

Calves and ankles.

Down to the soles of the feet and the toes.

Let every part of the body now rest in a field of stillness.

And now draw your attention to listening.

Open the ears,

Not just to sounds,

But to space.

The spaciousness that holds everything.

Listen not with effort,

But with curiosity and ease.

You are present,

You are aware,

You are resting in pure being.

And now begins the journey of yoga nidra.

From this quiet and open state,

Gently invite into awareness your sankalpa,

Your heart's intention,

A vow or seed of truth that supports your path of healing and wholeness.

Let it come softly and naturally.

Perhaps a word,

A phrase,

A prayer from deep within your being.

Choose something that feels relevant to you at this time and is phrased in the present moment.

It could be a word,

A small sentence or even an image.

It might be something like,

I am at peace.

I am already whole.

Or simply,

I am resting in awareness.

If no words arise,

Rest in a feeling of inner refuge.

A place inside where you feel safe,

Connected and true.

Let your sankalpa or inner sanctuary gently emerge,

Not from the mind,

But from the heart space.

Let it be simple,

True and felt.

And now mentally repeat your sankalpa slowly,

As though planting it like a sacred seed in the soil of your awareness.

Say it with full feeling and then let it go,

Trusting that it will unfold in its own time.

Repeat your sankalpa three times to yourself,

Here.

You are now aligned with your deeper self,

Ready to journey inward with intention and trust.

Now we begin a rotation of awareness through the physical body.

Moving your attention gently and methodically,

Without effort,

Without judgment.

Simply sensing each part as it's named and then releasing it.

Let the awareness move like a beam of golden light,

Touching each part of the body briefly and then passing on.

We begin with the right side.

The right hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Right side of the chest.

Right waist.

Right hip.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Shin.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the right foot.

Top of the foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth toe.

Now shift awareness to the left side.

Left hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

Left waist.

Left hip.

Left thigh.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the left foot.

Top of the foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth toe.

Now move to the back body.

Back of the head.

Neck.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Upper back.

Middle back.

Lower back.

Right glute.

Left glute.

The whole spine from top to bottom.

Now to the front of the body.

Forehead.

Eyebrows.

The space between the eyebrows.

Eyelids.

Eyelashes.

Eyes.

Cheeks.

Nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Hinges of the jaw.

Chin.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Center of the chest.

Upper belly.

Navel.

Lower belly.

Now the right leg.

The whole left leg.

Now the whole right leg.

Whole left leg.

Both legs together simultaneously.

Whole left leg.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together simultaneously.

Whole torso.

Whole head.

The entire body as one.

Whole body resting in stillness.

Held in awareness.

Completely relaxed.

Feel the body now as a field of sensation and energy.

Soft.

Open.

And alive.

Allow yourself to remain in this awareness.

Simply noticing.

Simply being.

Now bring your attention gently to the breath.

Soft.

Natural.

Unforced.

Feel the breath just as it is.

Inhaling.

Exhaling.

Arising and dissolving like waves upon the ocean.

Let the awareness rest lightly on the nostrils.

Noticing the coolness as you breathe in.

And the slight warmth as you breathe out.

Now feel the breath in the chest.

Expanding with the inhale.

Softening with the exhale.

And now the belly.

Rising and falling.

As if the breath is being received deep in the centre of your being.

Breathe as though the body is breathing.

Every pore gently receiving and releasing.

Let yourself be breathed.

There is nothing to do.

Only to receive the breath.

To feel it moving in and out of the body.

Effortlessly.

Continuously.

Life unfolding in every breath.

Every cell is breathing.

Now bring awareness to the pause between the breaths.

That subtle stillness after the inhale.

And again after the exhale.

A sacred space.

A gateway to deep peace.

Notice how the breath is not just air but prana.

Life force energy.

Moving through the body.

Nourishing every cell.

With each inhale,

Receive life.

With each exhale,

Release all that is ready to go.

Breathing in calm and energy.

Breathing out softness and letting go.

Continue resting with the breath for a few more moments.

Breath as an anchor.

Breath as a bridge.

Breath as presence.

And now return once more to your sankalpa.

In this receptive and open state,

Let it sink into your deepest awareness.

You may have chosen the sankalpa,

I am at peace.

I am already whole.

Or simply,

I rest in awareness.

If you chose an image,

Rest in this felt sense of your inner refuge.

The place inside where you feel safe,

Connected and true.

And if you planted your own sankalpa,

Repeat it slowly and silently to yourself.

Three times now.

Now it is time to begin to return.

Gently awakening through the layers of your being.

Bringing with you the stillness,

The clarity and nourishment of your practice.

Begin by reconnecting with the subtle essence of awareness itself.

That spacious presence that has held you throughout your practice.

Calm,

Clear and timeless.

From this space,

Sense the wisdom layer.

The Vijnanamaya Kosha.

The inner knowing.

The witness.

The part of you that observes with compassion and trust.

And now allow awareness to descend into the emotional body.

The Manomaya Kosha.

Feelings.

Memories.

Dreams.

All held in a soft field of acceptance.

Let them be there,

Without holding or grasping.

Bring your attention to the energetic body.

The Pranamaya Kosha.

Feel the gentle hum of life from the tips of your toes to the top of your head.

The breath moving once again with a little more depth.

The flow of prana beginning to awaken and circulate.

And now arrive fully in the physical body.

The Annamaya Kosha.

Feel the contact of the body with the ground,

The earth.

The texture of clothing on your skin.

The temperature of the air around you.

Feel the weight of your limbs.

The boundaries of your form.

Take this time now to slowly reawaken the body.

To integrate the stillness,

The insight,

The nourishment of your practice.

Begin with the breath,

Inhaling gently.

And feel the breath touching the body from the inside.

Exhale and feel the body resting more fully.

The body in presence.

Let the breath deepen.

Feel it expanding through the ribs,

The chest,

The belly.

Like the first breath of morning.

And now begin to invite subtle movement into the body.

Wiggling fingers,

Moving the toes.

Making small gentle circles with the wrists and ankles one way and the other.

Sense your energy returning as aliveness in every cell.

Feel your spine from the base to the crown.

Lengthening as though waking from a long nourishing sleep.

Begin to stretch and if it feels natural,

Reaching the arms overhead.

Extending the legs.

Yawning if it feels good.

And now roll to one side slowly.

Curled up and cosied in.

Rest here for a few breaths.

Allowing yourself to arrive fully in this moment.

Connected.

Grounded.

Alive.

From here,

Gently press into the hands and rise to a comfortable seated position.

Spine tall,

Face soft,

Heart open.

Feel the ground beneath you.

A steady foundation that supports you.

Feel your breath.

Feel your body.

Feel your presence.

Notice any subtle shifts.

The calm in the nervous system,

The quiet in the mind,

The spaciousness in your heart.

And take a moment to silently offer yourself gratitude for making space for this inner work.

For allowing yourself time to rest,

To heal,

To return home to yourself.

And now bring the palms together in front of the heart in Namaskara Mudra.

Feel the warmth,

The pulse,

The life between them.

And if you wish,

Offer a final intention.

A prayer or the simple recognition,

I am here.

I am whole.

I carry this peace with me.

Take a final breath,

Inhaling fully through the nose.

Exhaling slowly through the mouth as if you were gently blowing out a candle.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

May you have peace in your mind,

Peace in your heart,

And peace in your life.

And may this practice serve to bring peace to all beings.

And may we be free.

Namaste.