Yoga Nidra To Relax And Sleep- “I Am Whole And Complete”

Welcome,

This is Amelia Andaleon,

Yoga and meditation teacher.

And this is a yoga nidra that I've used in kids yoga classes,

As well as adult classes.

And I experienced it the first time when I was in sixth grade when my PE teacher had a substitute and he was a yoga teacher.

And at the end of what felt like a stretching class,

He had us lay down on our back and he talked about these switches in the body from the top of our head to the tips of our toes.

And I never forgot the experience of complete relaxation,

So much that I used myself as a kid and into my adulthood whenever I had a challenge going to sleep at night.

And then I started bringing it into my yoga classes,

Especially with the kids,

And I found it still effective with the simplicity of turning off a switch.

Now set yourself up for this yoga nidra.

You're welcome to sit or lay down.

This yoga nidra is particularly useful before bed or anytime you feel like you need to turn off your thoughts,

To turn off any buzzing sense of electricity or adrenaline or feeling overwhelmed with emotions,

To let those go.

Take a big breath in and a big empty sigh out.

One more time,

Fill up,

Expand the whole entire body with breath.

Sigh empty out the breath.

And then to the count of four,

Fill up,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

And hold.

Sigh out,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Empty.

One more time,

Fill up,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Sigh out,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Empty.

This time a little bit longer,

Inhale,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Hold.

Sigh out,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One,

Squeeze all that breath out.

This time inhale and hold and sigh it out.

Now create your natural breath,

Your natural inhales and exhales.

And imagine that all over your body there are these switches,

The switches that keep the nervous system alive and ticking,

The muscles contracted,

The skin tight,

The skin tight especially in between the forehead if you're scrunching up in between the eyebrows or anywhere,

Tightness in the jaw,

The shoulders,

Anywhere that's tight.

These switches all over the body,

They're on.

I'm slowly going to lead you to turn off one switch at a time.

So as I name a body part,

Imagine that that switch,

A switch like in a breaker box where you can switch it from on and off and when you turn that switch off,

No more energy,

No more heightened energy to that body part.

It still is alive but let it completely relax.

One more breath in,

Sigh,

Empty out the breath.

So before I start naming the body parts,

Check in with yourself how you feel in the body,

The physical sensations.

Check in with the thoughts,

Not needing to change,

Not needing to fix.

To observe and ask yourself how are you doing in this moment?

Notice the support underneath you whether you're laying on your back or sitting upright.

And can you allow yourself to sink deeper into what is supporting you?

And what is the sensation if you're on your back,

If you're on a bed,

The softness or the firmness,

If you're on a floor or a chair?

Notice what you feel,

The temperature,

Is there a coolness or a warmth?

And as you sink the body into what is supporting you,

Can you notice how that support is surrounding you?

Supporting whatever is touching in the body,

How that support is meeting you softly,

Meeting the shape of your body perfectly.

And that there's this meeting of you sinking in to support,

Allowing yourself to let go and giving yourself permission to receive that support,

To meet you where you are in the body and the mind and the spirit.

So imagining every single body part has these switches,

These electrical switches,

And starting at the top of the head,

Imagining that every single hair follicle has an electrical switch.

And start imagining one by one those switches turning off.

So physically relaxing the scalp,

Whether you have hair on your head or not,

There is a follicle connected to the scalp and that scalp connected to the muscles of the head,

Relaxing the entire top of your head,

One by one switching off.

And now imagining a switch on the forehead,

Switch that off.

And as I name each body part switching,

Switching off any activation,

Any use of that body part,

Inviting it to relax and let go.

So switching off the right eyebrow,

Eyelid,

Eyeball,

The right eyelashes,

The right cheek,

The right jaw,

The right nostril,

The right side of the mouth,

The entire right side of the face,

Switched off and relaxed.

Switch off the left eyebrow,

Left eyelid,

Left eyeball,

Left eyelashes,

Left cheek,

Left jaw,

Left nostril,

Left side of the mouth,

Entire left side of the face relaxed.

Notice the nose,

The entire nose relaxed,

The bridge of the nose,

The tip of the nose,

Both nostrils relaxed as you notice the inhale of the breath in through the nostrils and exhale emptying it out.

Keep your tension on your nostrils,

Inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril.

Do that again,

Inhale through the left and exhale through the right.

On your own,

Continue breathing in through the left nostril and exhale through the right.

So this breath work invites a deep sense of relaxation,

Calming the mind and slowing down the breath.

Imagine a switch at the top of your lip,

Just underneath the nose,

The tip of the nose,

Turn that switch off,

Switch off the upper lip,

The lower lip,

Switch off the tongue,

The teeth,

The gums,

The entire mouth inside and out.

Turn the switch off on your chin and imagine there's a master switch on the skin on the entire face.

Switch that off.

Switch off the right ear,

Switch off the left ear,

Switching off inside the ears,

The cartilage and the skin on the outside of the ears.

Switch off and relax.

And imagine a switch at the back of the head that controls relaxing the weight of the entire head.

So,

Sink that head deeper into the floor,

Into your pillow.

If you're sitting up,

It's relaxing the entire head.

Switch off the throat,

The right side of the neck,

The left side of the neck,

The back of the neck,

The skin on the neck,

Switch it off,

Entire neck relaxed.

Switch off the top of the right shoulder,

The front of the right shoulder,

The back of the right shoulder,

The right bicep,

Right tricep,

Right elbow,

Right forearm,

The inside of the right wrist,

The back of the right wrist,

The palm of the right hand,

The back of the right hand.

Switch off the right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky.

Imagine a master switch controlling the skin of the entire right arm.

Switch it off,

Completely relax the right arm.

Switch off the top of the left shoulder,

The front of the left shoulder,

The back of the left shoulder,

Left tricep,

Left bicep,

Left elbow,

Left forearm,

Inside of the left wrist,

The back of the left wrist,

The palm of the left hand,

The back of the left hand,

Switch off the left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Switch off the left pinky,

Switch off the master switch of the skin on the entire left arm,

Turn it off.

Tire left arm,

Relaxed.

Switch off the upper back,

The middle back,

The lower back.

From the base of the skull,

Imagine traveling down the spine,

Down the vertebrae,

Starting with the base of the skull,

Switching it off.

Traveling down the bones of the neck,

The bones in the upper back of the spine,

Traveling down the spine to the middle back,

Traveling down the spine to the lower back,

All the way to the tailbone,

Turning off the switch that controls the muscles along the sides of the spine.

Switch it off and relax.

Switch off the upper chest,

Starting up at the collarbones,

Traveling down to the breast bones,

Switching off the middle of the torso at the belly.

Switch off the lower torso at the lower belly.

And then switch off the area around the right rib cage.

The front of the right rib cage,

The side,

And the back.

Relaxing the muscles that surround every single rib of the right rib cage.

Relaxing the right lung.

Relax the entire right side of the upper torso.

Relax the left rib cage.

The left lung.

Relaxing the muscles attached to every single rib of the left rib cage.

Relax the front of the left rib cage,

The side,

The back of the left rib cage.

And notice how the breath,

It will continue.

And as you turn off these switches,

Letting go of needing to control,

Trusting that the body will breathe for you.

So,

Imagine there is one master.

A master switch for the skin on the front of the upper torso.

Turn off that switch,

Relax the skin,

Relax the muscles.

And then a master switch in the back body,

Which will turn off anything tight,

Anything clenching in the upper,

Middle,

Lower back,

In the skin,

In the layer under the skin,

The fascia.

Relax the muscles.

And turn that upper torso switch off in the back body.

Bring awareness to the right side of the waist.

Notice if there's any tension there.

Turn that switch off,

Relax and let go.

And the left side of the waist.

Give yourself permission to turn that switch off.

Relax and let go.

Now bring attention to the inner organs.

The heart,

The kidneys,

The liver,

The spleen,

All of the organs.

Give them permission to relax and let go of tightness,

To invite a softness and a tenderness.

Turn that switch off.

And deep inside,

Relax.

And then a special switch for the diaphragm,

Which allows you to inhale and exhale as it rises and falls from the inside out.

The diaphragm will continue to move to allow you to breathe.

And when you turn that switch off,

Let go of any tightness and any clenching,

Let it go.

Relax deep into the hip flexors on the right side.

These muscles that are just above the waist,

Turn that switch off.

And traveling down into the hips,

Into the right hip joint,

Relax,

Turn that switch off.

And the front of the right pelvis,

Switch it off.

And the back of the pelvis area,

Relax where you sit,

Your sitz bones.

Turn the switch off in the front of the right hip,

The side of the right hip,

The back of the right hip.

And then travel down the front of the right leg.

Switch off the right quadricep,

The right upper thigh,

The right knee,

The right knee cap,

The right shin,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot.

And travel back up to the back of the right hip.

Relaxing the back of the hip and the glute muscles,

The glute muscles are where you sit.

Relax the back of the right leg,

The hamstrings.

Switch off the back of the right knee.

Switch off the upper calf of the right leg.

The right middle calf,

The right lower calf,

The right ankle,

The right Achilles tendon.

Switch off the right heel.

Feel the bones relax.

Switch off the sole of the right foot.

Switch off the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe.

Switch off the right pinky toe.

Now imagine a master switch for the entire right leg to turn off the skin,

The fascia,

The soft tissue,

Deepen the joints.

Switch off.

Relax the entire right leg.

Switch off the front of the left hip,

The side of the left hip,

The back of the left hip.

And above the waist on the left side,

Relax the hip flexors.

Those muscles deep,

Deep just above the waist.

Then travel down the left leg,

Switch off the left upper thigh,

The quadricep,

The left kneecap,

The left shin,

The top of the left ankle,

The top of the left foot.

And travel back up to the back of the left hip.

Switch off the sits bones on the left side,

The glutes,

The muscles where you sit,

The left hamstring,

The back of the left knee.

Switch off the upper calf of the left calf,

The middle calf,

The lower calf,

The left ankle,

The left Achilles tendon,

The left heel,

The sole of the left foot.

Switch off the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Imagining a master switch for the skin,

The muscles,

The fascia,

The joints of the left leg,

The left hip.

Switch it off and relax.

Now bring your attention to the midline of the front of the body.

Traveling back up to the collar bones.

Straight through the midline,

Starting with the upper chest.

Switch off.

Traveling on top of the heart,

The skin and the muscles and the fascia.

Anything here that might feel emotionally tight.

Switch it off.

Traveling down to the solar plexus,

Just underneath the sternum,

The top of the belly.

Switch it off.

And travel to the belly button.

Anything here,

Physical,

Emotional,

Even mental.

Anything holding here with tightness,

Switch it off and relax.

And traveling all the way to the pubic bone and the organs,

The reproductive organs.

Switch off on the right side.

Switch off on the left side.

Now bring your attention to the top of your head,

The crown of your head.

And there's a master switch,

Which will turn off anything that remains.

Any tension,

Any tightness.

It also will turn off any buzzing or electricity of the nervous system.

To invite everything,

Entire body,

Mind,

Emotions.

With that one final switch,

Completely relax.

Give yourself permission to turn off,

To let go,

To surrender,

And to deep,

Deep rest.

Let go of unnecessary efforting.

Enter the space of calm and peace.

And invite this healing mantra,

I am whole and complete.

I am whole and complete.

I am whole and complete.

I am loved.

I am enough.

I am loved.

I am enough.

I am loved.

I am enough.

I am peaceful.

I am calm.

I am peaceful.

I am calm.

I am whole.

I am complete.

I am whole and complete.

I am loved.

I am love.

I am lovable.

I am loved.

I am safe.

I am safe.

I am safe.

I am safe.

I am peace.

I offer peace.

And I receive peace.

Thank you.

I am relaxed.

I am completely relaxed.

I am relaxed from the skin to my bones.

I completely surrender into deep rest.

And I am filled with gratitude for my blessed body,

Mind,

Breath,

And life.

I am filled with gratitude for my blessed body,

Mind,

Breath,

And life.

I wish you peace,

Calm.

May you know you are loved,

Whole and complete.

Namaste.

I am filled with gratitude for my blessed body,

Mind,

Breath,

And life.

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