Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest And Nourishing Sleep

Hello friends,

My name is Stella and you are so welcome here.

This practice is crafted to gently guide you into deep rest or deep sleep.

There are moments in life when we all need assistance and support in falling asleep or taking rest.

Perhaps during times of uncertainty,

Heightened anxiety,

Changes in routine or the general challenges that life can present sometimes.

All of these things can make sleep and rest feel more elusive.

Whether you are seated on a plane or bus,

Laying down on the floor or cosily tucked up in your own bed,

This practice serves as a soothing balm leading you into deep nourishing rest.

Take a wee moment to make yourself 10% more comfortable,

If possible adjusting external factors to enhance your comfort,

Dimming the lights,

Silencing devices,

Closing doors or modifying the volume of this recording.

Invite subtle movements or adjustments to provide extra support to your beautiful physical body.

Once you've found your restful position,

The invitation is to close your eyes and commit to granting yourself the gift of rest.

Now,

Gathering any worldly challenges,

Events leading up to this moment that may have caused stress or anxiety,

Any apprehension about the future,

Inhale deeply through the nose as if you're drawing in these concerns into the body and as you exhale,

Perhaps through the mouth,

Release them,

Accompanied by a gentle sigh.

Imagine that you are placing them down on the earth next to your feet.

Recognise that now is the time for rest,

Not productivity,

Not helping others,

Not worrying.

Take one more breath in,

Gathering any remaining concerns and as you exhale,

Slowly through the mouth,

Releasing them,

Relinquish them,

Place them down,

Just for our time together.

Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm,

Breathing in and out through the nose.

No need to control the breath or manipulate it.

Let your breath find its own natural state of harmony.

Sense the effortless movements of breath within you.

With each inhale,

Feel the gentle rise of your physical body and with each exhale,

Experience your body falling.

Now as you settle into a calm state,

The invitation is to set your intention or deep resolve.

This is also known as a sankalpa.

You are invited to silently repeat a heartfelt statement that reflects your deepest desires.

It's a bit like planting a seed in the fertile soil of your mind's eye.

This practice not only helps you to drift into sleep or deeper rest,

But it also helps to shape your inner mindset.

Call in something that you genuinely want,

A quality you genuinely wish to cultivate,

Or the way that you would like to turn up and be present and be seen in the world,

So that you might be in more service to yourself and those around you,

Your community.

Whisper this intention in the quiet recess of your mind a few more times.

Feel the power of your words as they penetrate your being.

Let it be a quiet promise to yourself.

Feel the weight of this intention as it resonates within you,

Like a stone dropped in a still pool.

Let it be a guiding principle as you continue into conscious rest.

Let your intention settle,

Subtly shaping your dreaming and resting world.

In the natural ebb and flow of your breath,

Let your sankalpa or deep resolve find its place.

Find ease in this moment.

Know,

Without intellect,

That your intention is planted,

Ready to grow in the fertile soil of your mind's eye.

The rest that comes with deep sleep will be the water that nourishes the sapling of your resolve.

Now,

As we turn our focus back to the physical body,

We will gently shift our focus across different parts of the body.

As each body part is mentioned,

Let your awareness rest on it.

You might visualize a soft,

Comforting light envelop that part of your body,

Or simply feel a gentle awareness settle there and see if that part of the body can melt or soften in your mind's eye.

However you experience it is absolutely fine.

All sensations are welcome.

Know that all is welcome here.

Do your best to stay present and maintain a steady pace,

Without rushing forwards,

Trying to anticipate what's going to come next,

Or lagging behind.

Let's start now.

Let's start with the right hand.

Bring your attention to the right thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger,

The palm of your right hand,

The back of your right hand,

Right wrist,

Lower right arm,

Right elbow,

Right upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Right armpit,

Shift to the right waist,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right kneecap,

Back of the right knee,

Right calf,

Right ankle,

Right heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Now shift to the left side.

Become aware of the left hand,

Left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger,

The palm of your left hand,

The back of your left hand,

Left wrist,

Left lower arm,

Left elbow,

Left upper arm,

Left shoulder,

The left armpit,

Moving to the left waist,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Left kneecap,

Left calf,

Left ankle,

Left heel,

The sole of the left foot,

Top of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Now transition to the back of the body.

Shift your awareness to the right shoulder blade and the left shoulder blade,

The right glute,

The left glute.

Have a sense of the spine in its entirety and sense the whole back of the body simultaneously.

Now shift awareness to the crown of the head,

The forehead,

Both sides of your head,

The right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between your eyebrows,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid,

All of your eyelashes heavy and ready for rest,

The right eye,

The left eye,

Both of your eyes heavy and relaxed together,

The right ear,

The left ear,

Opening the space between your ears,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

The space between your cheeks,

The jaw fully relaxed,

The tip of your nose,

The space around your nostrils,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The corners of your mouth gently parted like a wee child ready for the dreaming world,

The chin,

Inside your throat,

The right chest,

Left chest,

The middle of your chest,

The navel,

The abdomen.

Sense the whole of the right leg,

Sense the left leg in its entirety,

Sense both legs together,

Sense the right arm,

The left arm,

Both arms together,

Let your awareness expand to include the entire back body,

Glutes,

Spine,

Shoulder blades and then shift to the front of the body,

Abdomen,

Chest,

Face.

Now sense the entire back and front together,

Sense the whole of your head,

Finally let the awareness envelop your entire body as one integrated entity,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

Your whole body together.

Now let the focus and attention go,

Return to the gentle awareness of your breath,

Feel it light and easy like a feather softly moving in and out through your nose.

Take a moment to really notice how your breath flows.

In a moment we are going to add a simple counting technique to deepen your relaxation.

As you breathe in imagining the number 55 in your mind's eye,

Keep that number in your mind's eye.

Now as you breathe out start counting down to 54,

Repeat this allowing each breath to bring you more calmness and more concentration.

As you breathe the numbers rise and the numbers fall,

If your thoughts wander as of course sometimes they do,

Just gently bring them back to counting,

Each count soothing your physical body and if you lose count don't worry just come back to the number 55 where you can begin again.

Let's start together now,

Inhale imagine the number 55,

Exhale counting down to 54,

Inhale holding the number 54 in your mind's eye and as you exhale counting down to 53 and just continue.

Now letting go of the counting and returning to the safety of your physical body,

Let all the numbers dissipate,

Coming back home to yourself.

In a moment we will move between sensations in the body.

All sensations are welcome here,

All is welcome,

All is welcome.

Allow yourself to simply observe and experience,

Bring your awareness to the sensation of heaviness in your body,

Feel the weight of your bones grounding down connecting you with the earth and as you exhale sense your body simply sinking into a soft surface,

Embrace the sense of rootedness and stability,

Breathe and acknowledge the comforting feeling of heaviness,

Heavy like a stone,

Rooted like the trees.

Now shift your focus to the opposite sensation,

The lightness of your body.

Imagine your body becomes very very light as if you could effortlessly float or rise,

Feel weightlessness,

Gentle like the breeze lifting you up as you inhale,

Embrace the sense of lightness allowing it to permeate throughout your entire being,

Breathe and appreciate the liberating feeling of lightness,

Light like a feather,

Floating like a leaf dancing in the breeze.

Now feel a gentle warmth envelop your body like the dappled rays of sunlight on a summer's day,

Feel this warmth radiating through your skin,

Your whole body warming like an ember.

Take a moment to breathe and soak in the comforting warmth,

Glowing like the core of the earth,

Warm like the solace of the fire.

Now shift your awareness to a refreshing coolness,

Visualize the mother of pearl full moon and the breeze that comes from the moon sweeping across your body.

This breeze offers revitalization of touch,

Sense the coolness and clarity that comes from the moon,

Breathe and embrace the reviving coolness,

Feel the fresh water from the well,

Like the coolness of the first rains.

Now we will feel all sensations together,

Bones heavy,

Inhale light,

Warmth of the exhale and a cool breeze on the surface of the skin that whispers rest.

Then let that go,

Once again return to the wholeness of your body,

Picture the bones of your body resting deeply,

Akin to the slow and steady reposits of calcium,

Mirroring the limestone cliffs and the ancient fossilized underwater worlds.

The relaxation extends even to your teeth,

Nestled in your jaw with the reassurance of approaching rest.

Picture the unseen fluids of your body flowing like streams,

Rivers and oceans,

Moving effortlessly within,

An internal compass gently guiding you towards the flowing state of deep nourishing rest.

Take a moment to visualize the journey all the way down to the cells of your body,

Picture your cells humming and dancing in harmonious preparation for the rejuvenation that embraces all beings during rest and sleep.

Feel the quiet anticipation of renewal,

Like a gentle lullaby rocking you as you transition into this state of deep rest.

Acknowledge your inner landscape,

Let it peacefully settle,

Surrender to the gentle,

Calm and currents of flowing relaxation through all parts of your being.

Once again bring into mind your sankalpa,

That deep resolve that you planted at the beginning of our time together.

Through our practice this intention has taken roots and strengthened.

Visualize your sankalpa,

Sensing the way that it will nourish and flourish and extend its influence to touch the lives of all of those around you.

Envision your intention as roots burrowing down,

Penetrating the clay of the land,

The layers of salt,

Rock,

The layers of crystal,

The ancient shell layers.

Feel your intention growing deeper still,

Burrowing down past the animal homes and dens,

Beyond the underwater streams and wells,

Until your intention reaches the core of the earth that burns bright like the fire.

Know that resting here on the earth and receiving its unwavering support is your birthright,

You don't need to earn this rest.

With each gentle breath feel the magnetic pull towards sleep,

A serene descent into total relaxation.

Your sankalpa now firmly anchored,

Not just within your conscious mind but deep within the subconscious realms,

Where it may gently guide you like a beacon.

Allow this comforting awareness to embrace you as you drift into nourishing embrace of sleep.

Know that you are held,

Dear one,

By the earth and you are held by all that has come before.

Now,

Sweet one,

Rest,

Rest.