Still Lake, Soft Lotus: A 27-Minute Guided Yoga Nidra

Welcome to this yoga nidra session,

A state of conscious rest where your body lies still and deeply relaxed,

While your awareness remains gently alert.

It's now time to find a comfortable laying down position,

Grabbing any extra pillows,

Anything you need to help you find the maximum level of comfort.

We'll begin here by settling into stillness,

Allow any small or unconscious movements to fade and give your body full permission to rest.

Take the deepest breath you've taken all day,

Inhale through your nose,

Filling your belly,

Ribs and chest.

Pause at the top and notice where you're holding tension,

Your jaw,

Your shoulders,

Your belly.

See if you can soften those areas,

Then gently exhale.

Let's take another breath just like that,

Inhale fully,

Belly,

Ribs and chest,

Then hold.

Notice that energy building now and see if you can soften into it.

Relax your grip,

Maybe sip in a little more air,

Then exhale slowly and fully,

Letting it go with a sigh if that helps.

Let your whole body arrive here.

From now on,

Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.

Let your body settle even more,

My voice will guide you through the next part of this practice.

Bring your awareness now to your whole body,

Slowly scan from the crown of your head down to your toes,

Then reverse,

Traveling from your toes back up to the crown of your head.

Notice what you feel without getting caught in any one sensation,

Just keep moving through,

Continuing that body scan.

Feel your whole body lying here,

Still,

Grounded and heavy.

You could move if you wanted to,

But you choose not to.

Let that choice bring a sense of calm,

Settle into the stillness and let it hold you.

Take a moment to tune in,

Softening through your face,

Unclench your jaw,

Allow your shoulders to rest,

Let go of any effort.

Return your attention to your breath,

Let it be natural,

Notice how your belly gently rises with each inhale and falls with each exhale.

There's no need to change it,

Just observe.

The breath travels in through the nose,

Down to the belly and back out again.

Inhale expansion,

Exhale release.

We're now moving into the practice of yoga nidra,

The body rests while the mind stays aware.

All you need to do is listen and follow my voice.

If you need to make any last adjustments,

Do so now.

Then allow your body to become still and heavy,

Let go.

Silently repeat to yourself,

I choose to remain awake and aware during the practice of yoga nidra.

I choose to remain awake and aware during the practice of yoga nidra.

Keep your eyes closed,

Let your awareness stay inward,

There's nowhere else to be.

Yoga nidra has now begun.

Start by tuning in to the sounds around you,

Within the space you're in.

Listen without naming or identifying.

Notice one sound then let it go and shift your attention to the next.

Move from sound to sound without holding on to any of them.

Now bring your awareness to the more subtle sounds,

Your own breath,

Your heartbeat,

The flow of blood through your body.

Deepen your perception of sounds within the body and let your listening become more internal.

Tune in to the rhythm of your breath,

Follow its natural pattern,

Inhale the body rises,

Exhale the body softens.

With each breath in feel a gentle expansion,

With each breath out feel the body grow heavier and more at ease.

We'll now take you through a guided body scan for deeper relaxation.

So sending your awareness all the way down through your body,

Letting it land on the tips of your toes.

Relax your toes,

Toes are relaxed.

Relax the sole of your foot and your heel,

Sole of the foot and heel are relaxed.

Relax your ankles,

The top of the feet,

Ankles and top of the feet are relaxed.

Feet are relaxed.

Relax your calves and your shins,

Calves and shins are relaxed.

Relax the back of the knee,

The kneecap,

Back of the knee and kneecap are relaxed.

Relax your hamstrings and quads,

Hamstrings and quads are relaxed.

Relax your pelvis and your glutes,

Pelvis and glutes are relaxed.

Legs are relaxed.

Relax your lower back,

Your obliques,

Lower back,

Obliques are relaxed.

Relax your stomach,

Your mid-back,

Stomach and mid-back are relaxed.

Relax your shoulder blades,

Your chest and your neck,

Shoulder blades,

Chest and neck are relaxed.

Torso is relaxed.

Relax your shoulders and upper arms,

Shoulders and upper arms are relaxed.

Relax your elbows and forearms,

Elbows and forearms are relaxed.

Relax your wrists,

Your palms and back of the hands,

Wrists,

Palms and back of the hands are relaxed.

Relax your fingers and thumbs,

Fingers and thumbs are relaxed.

Hands are relaxed.

Both arms are relaxed.

Awareness travels back to your head.

Relax your jaw,

Your tongue and your mouth,

Jaw,

Tongue and mouth are relaxed.

Relax your nose and your cheeks,

Nose and cheeks are relaxed.

Relax your eyelids,

Your eyebrow,

Eyebrows and eyelids are relaxed.

Relax your forehead,

The back of the head,

Forehead and back of the head are relaxed.

Head is relaxed.

Whole body is relaxed.

Relaxed.

Relax.

Continue listening to the sound of my voice.

Then counting backwards from 27.

Inhale,

Chest rises,

27.

Exhale,

Chest falls,

27.

Inhale,

Chest rises,

26.

Exhale,

Chest falls,

26.

Continuing the backwards count.

If you drift in and out,

Return back to 27.

Or if you lose again,

Go back to 27.

There is no need to reach the number zero.

That is not the goal.

Continue following the movement in the chest and the backward count.

Then letting go of this count I now ask you to create the following sensations and feelings within the body.

Feelings you have felt previously.

Begin to notice cold spreading through your body.

Feel the chill intensify,

Leading to gentle shivering.

Focus on your breath through your left nostril,

Sensing the cool air in.

Each breath cools your body further and further.

Feel the cold in your arms,

Your legs,

Torso and your head.

Becoming more intense with every breath.

Whole body is cold.

Now focus on creating heat within your body.

Feel a layer of warmth surrounding you from your head to your toe.

With each breath sense hot air entering your body,

Creating warmth throughout your entire body.

Feel as if your whole body is basking in a warm summer's day.

Whole body is hot.

Now develop the feeling of heaviness in the body.

Each part of your body becoming heavier and heavier.

Observe the right leg becoming heavy,

The left leg,

The right arm,

The left arm,

The torso and the head become heavy.

The whole body becomes heavy and you have the sensation of sinking into the floor.

Whole body is heavy.

Now develop the feelings of lightness in the body.

Whole body is light.

Experience the right leg becoming light.

The left leg,

The right arm,

The left arm,

The torso and head become light as a feather.

With each breath the body becomes lighter and lighter as if you could just float away.

Whole body is light.

We will now move through some visual symbols.

See these visions in your mind's eye or that space directly in front of your forehead.

I will repeat each visual symbol three times.

Rose of lavender,

Rose of lavender,

Rose of lavender,

A fluffy white cloud,

A fluffy white cloud,

A fluffy white cloud,

A crackling fire,

A crackling fire,

A crackling fire,

Snow-capped mountain,

Snow-capped mountain,

Snow-capped mountain,

A very old tree,

A very old tree,

A very old tree,

Waves crashing,

Waves crashing,

Waves crashing,

Sunset over the ocean,

Sunset over the ocean,

Sunset over the ocean,

An empty park bench,

An empty park bench,

An empty park bench,

A red desert,

A red desert,

A red desert,

A long winding road,

A long winding road,

A long winding road.

Now bring your attention to your heart.

Imagine the space is a serene,

Still lake,

Calm,

Clear and untouched by any disturbance.

The water stretches out in front of you completely still like glass reflecting the open sky.

There are no ripples,

No waves,

Just this perfect sense of stillness.

At the center of this lake,

Picture a single white lotus flower floating gently on the surface.

The lotus is simple,

Natural,

Yet beautifully vibrant.

Its petals are soft and open as if they're soaking in the peace all around.

As you rest here,

Let yourself feel that same calmness.

Notice how the stillness of the lake reflects a deeper quiet inside of you.

The lotus gently floating without effort becomes a reminder that you can relax into this moment without needing to control or change anything.

Let its energy fill your body with calmness and renewal as if each breath is drawing that energy in,

Filling your heart.

Just stay here for a while with the image of that still,

Quiet lake and the soft,

Open lotus.

Every part of you,

Your thoughts,

Your body,

Your breath can be as calm as the water.

There's no rush,

No need to move.

Just let yourself be in this place,

Connected with your own sense of ease and rest here for the next few minutes.

Now begin to draw your awareness back to the heart center and feel gratitude.

Feel gratitude for all the events in your life,

All the events and circumstances that have led you to where you are now.

Slowly bring your awareness back to the room now.

Come back to your breath.

You might like to invite movement back to the body,

Wiggling the fingers and the toes.

Take a moment here to experience the effects of this practice,

To really feel the sensations.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.