Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest And Healing

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.

Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is a meditative practice that allows you to increase the awareness of your body and your inner world.

It brings you to a level of consciousness between waking and sleep where your deepest consciousness will still be actively listening.

Some of what I say will resonate and some will not.

Leave what doesn't.

Making yourself as comfortable as possible lying down either with a cushion under your knees or your legs slightly elevated.

Maybe you put a blanket to keep yourself warm and a little bit of support under your neck and head.

Really trying to make yourself really comfortable so that you can remain as still as possible and your body will not distract you.

Take a moment and connect to your heartfelt desire,

Your sankalpa.

Thinking of a short positive present tense statement of something you'd like a little more of in your life.

For example,

I am living joyfully and managing my stress with ease.

Or I am living with abundant health,

Wealth and happiness.

Taking a moment now to think of your sankalpa.

And then gently take a long deep breath in,

Fill the lungs as much as you can,

Hold at the top.

And then exhale out through the mouth and just drop your body down into the earth.

Breathe in,

Fill the lungs,

Hold the breath,

Hold it.

And exhale,

Drop a little deeper,

Releasing.

Relaxing through your toes,

Your soles of your feet,

Your calves,

Your knees,

Your thighs,

Your hips.

Melt your belly,

Allow the lungs to fold to the back of the ribcage as your shoulders soften,

Your arms,

Your wrists,

Your palms and your fingers.

Release your head,

Your neck,

Allow your facial muscles to soften,

Tongue melting in the mouth,

Eyes gently drop back into the sockets.

The whole body releasing and surrendering.

Repeating to yourself in your own mind's eye,

I will move at the end,

I will move at the end.

Make any last minute adjustments.

And allow your awareness come to settle on your ears and your sense of hearing.

Expand your sense of hearing to hear anything outside of your space,

Sounds of traffic or people.

Expand your sense of hearing to hear anything outside of your space,

Sounds of traffic or people.

The breeze whistling through the trees.

And then move your awareness into the room that you're laying.

Listening to the creaking of the walls,

The hum of white noise.

And then bring your sense of hearing a little closer to home.

Listening to the sounds you make as you breathe.

Maybe the rhythm of your breath,

Maybe the digestive system,

The rustling of your clothes as you breathe in and out.

Bring to mind your sankalpa,

Your intention.

And in your own mind's eye,

Repeating it three times,

Feeling and trusting it will work.

We will now move our attention and awareness around our body,

Copying the fluctuation of our mind patterns.

I invite you to welcome all sensation as it is.

Bringing your concentration and your focus on the sensations of your right thumb.

Your right thumb.

Your index finger.

Your right index finger.

Your middle finger.

Middle finger.

The right ring finger.

The right ring finger.

The little finger on the right hand.

The little finger on the right hand.

The back of the right hand.

The palm of the right hand.

The right wrist.

The right wrist.

The forearm and the right elbow.

The forearm and the right elbow.

The upper right arm.

The upper right arm.

The top of the right shoulder.

The right armpit.

The right side waist.

The right hip.

The right thigh.

The back of the knee.

The calf.

The heel of the right foot.

The sole of the right foot.

The right big toe.

The right big toe.

The second toe.

The third toe.

The fourth toe on the right foot.

The little toe on the right foot.

All of the toes on the right foot.

The top of the right foot.

The right ankle.

The shin.

The front of the knee.

The right thigh.

The whole right leg.

The whole right arm.

The whole right side of the body.

Move your attention to the sensations of the left thumb.

The left thumb.

The left index finger.

The left index finger.

The middle finger on the left hand.

The ring finger.

The little finger.

The back of the hand.

The palm of the right hand.

The left wrist.

The left forearm.

The left elbow.

The upper left arm.

The top of the left arm.

The top of the left shoulder.

The left armpit.

The side of the left body.

The left hip.

The back of the thigh.

The back of the knee.

The calf.

The left heel.

The sole of the left foot.

The sole of the left foot.

The left big toe.

The second toe.

The middle toe.

The fourth toe on the left foot.

The little toe on the left foot.

The top of the left foot.

The front of the left shin.

The knee.

The left thigh.

The whole left leg.

The whole left arm.

The whole left side body.

The right sit bone.

The left sit bone.

The lower back.

The mid back.

The right shoulder blade.

The left shoulder blade.

The top of the shoulders.

The right collar bone.

The left collar bone.

The sternum.

The front of the chest.

The ribs.

The soft belly.

The lower belly.

The pelvis.

The whole torso.

The whole torso.

The whole body.

The neck.

The back of the head.

The top of the head.

The right temple.

The left temple.

The right ear.

The left ear.

The right eyebrow.

The left eyebrow.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

The right eye.

The left eye.

The right side of the jaw.

The left side of the jaw.

The whole jaw.

Sensations of the whole jaw.

The chin.

The bottom lip.

The top lip.

The space between the lip and the nose.

The top of the nose.

The sides of the nose.

And the tip of the nose.

The whole body.

Concentrate as if seeing it from outside.

Your whole body.

Your whole body.

Awaken the sensation of lightness in the body.

Imagining the body as a whole.

Imagining the body like a feather light.

And then the sense of heaviness in the body.

Rooting,

Grounding,

Heavy.

Awaken a sense of heat in the body.

As if you're sitting in front of a fire.

Heat.

And then cold,

Ice cold sensations through the body.

Awaken the sensation of pain in the body.

Not concentrating on the source.

Just feeling and thinking a sense of that pain.

And then allow yourself to sense pleasure in the body.

Pleasure in the body.

Allow your whole awareness to come to the space between your eyes.

Imagining a huge screen.

Awakening the awareness and feelings and emotions.

As you make this screen as visible and as wide as you can.

Allowing yourself to imagine the image of a candle flame.

A candle flame.

Flickering flames of a fire.

Flickering flames of a fire.

Trees swaying in the breeze.

Trees swaying in the breeze.

A black horse galloping.

A black horse galloping.

A black horse galloping.

Tall green trees.

Tall green trees.

A red rose.

A red rose.

White clouds floating in a blue sky.

White clouds floating in the blue sky.

Deep still water.

Deep still water.

A garden of wild flowers.

A garden of wild flowers.

Sunrise over a lake.

Sunrising over the lake.

Laughing with friends.

Laughing with friends.

The desert night.

The desert night.

A foggy morning.

A foggy morning.

A deer running through the forest.

A deer running through the forest.

A snow-capped mountain.

A snow-capped mountain.

An eagle.

A snow-capped mountain.

An eagle flying in the sky.

An eagle flying in the sky.

Sunset over the mountain.

Sunset over the mountain.

A warm embrace.

A warm embrace.

A pretty garden path.

A pretty garden path.

Your body lying down.

Your body lying down.

Allow yourself to become a witness of your awareness.

Not your body.

Not your mind.

Not your emotion.

Being conscious of anything that could manifest.

Just witness.

Allowing yourself to remember your intention,

Your sankalpa.

And once more repeating three times in your own mind's eye feeling and trusting this short positive present tense statement to be.

Drawing all of your awareness back to noticing your body heavy,

Resting.

Take a long,

Deep,

Nourishing breath in.

And as you exhale,

Slowly start to move your fingers,

Your toes.

Head lightly moves from right to left.

And then drawing your knees to your chest.

Roll to your right.

Just taking a few moments here in this nourishing fetal position,

Our first ever pose.

Allowing yourself to feel grateful that you get to carve out this little bit of time to nourish,

To heal,

And to be with yourself.

Staying here,

Resting a few moments if that feels right.

And when you're ready,

You can gently bring yourself up to sit and return to your body.

Welcome to your day.