Yoga Nidra For Effortless Rest, Serenity, And Deep Sleep

The practice of Yoga Nidra is a practice of deep yogic sleep that will guide you to the hypnagogic state,

A state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.

You've probably experienced this before,

And it may feel like a rejuvenating nap,

Yet you're awake at the same time.

So I welcome you to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

I'll invite you to move your awareness to various bodily sensations,

Emotions,

And images.

And there's no need to try or concentrate,

Just allow whatever to happen to happen.

And during this meditation,

You'll be able to absorb and integrate what you need most in this moment and leave behind all the rest.

Let go of what no longer serves you.

And if the mind becomes overactive with thoughts or worries,

You can let those go too.

Let it go,

Let it flow,

And just come back to the sound of my voice.

Now let's resolve to welcome relaxation by being both awake and asleep,

By staying in touch with the sound of my voice.

And allow your entire body to resonate and respond effortlessly and naturally to my words,

Allowing them to flow through you,

Through the body and through the mind.

And allowing any disturbances,

Either internal or external,

To draw you even deeper within.

And now I welcome you to shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Doing nothing but breathing and being from now on.

Dropping safely into the deepest state of stillness,

Serenity and equanimity that feels safe for you.

So you can allow your consciousness to be a direct connection with your body and mind.

And now follow my words as they become your words.

We begin with a cleansing yogic breath.

So breathing in deeply to fill your lungs from the bottom of a balloon all the way to the top.

And notice this expanse as you breathe in.

And as you breathe out a little slower,

A little deeper,

Into your lungs from the top to the bottom.

Good.

Now,

Allowing your breath to be steady and slow.

Let it go.

Let it flow naturally and effortlessly.

There is no need to change the breath.

It's as perfect just as it is.

Notice the movement of your abdomen and chest as you breathe,

Staying connected to this wonderful feeling of any and all tension being released and allowing relaxation to be felt even deeper.

Allowing this feeling to extend to every part of your body and mind.

Remembering that the process of breathing is being on the journey for deepening your relaxation and the breath is the path to peace.

And each and every breath is an opportunity to let go,

Breathe and be.

And with each and every breath out,

Releasing any and all tension held in the body,

Letting go of any anticipations in the mind.

That's right.

Let it go.

Let it flow like exhaust exiting your body and mind.

And with each and every breath in,

Breathing in health and healing to every muscle,

Every nerve,

Every cell in your being.

And seeing this radiant energy enter in your body with each and every breath in.

You can breathe naturally and normally,

Noticing this soothing breathing rhythm that is yours,

Yours to rock you to sleep.

This sense of expansion.

And isn't it curious to be both awake and alert,

Yet resting and relaxing all at the same time.

This is the beauty of the body and the being in union.

And in this deep yogic sleep,

Allowing nothing and everything to be from this moment on,

Settling deeper into the silent source of resource in your being.

Now shifting deeper into yoga nidra.

This moment is the moment to create your Sankalpa or restorative resolve.

Allow it to be short,

Positive and nourishing.

A simple statement connecting your heart and mind naturally.

Allow it to arise within you and I welcome you to say it to yourself,

That resolve of yours,

Three more times.

This resolve is planting the seed in the fertile soil of your mind to generate transformative healing.

Feel it take root,

Growing,

Expanding and blossoming in your body and mind.

And also say to yourself,

Now I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am awake and I'm relaxed.

Now shift your attention to be aware of all that's now present in your awareness.

The body,

The outline of your body,

Where the body is making contact with your clothes or with the edges of your cushion or bed.

Shifting awareness to your breath and its soothing rhythm.

And now the awareness of being aware of everything in this present moment.

Sensing what's present for you.

When the sensing is felt from the inside out and then experiencing the edges of yourself expanding,

Expanding more and more so that the edges of yourself are dissolving into the inner connectivity of the open space of this universe.

Because you are the universe experiencing itself moment by moment.

Being safe,

Serene,

Complete,

Whole,

Full and interconnected.

And now something very interesting is going to happen.

This wonderful sensation of paradox as I name the body part.

Bring your attention with kind curiosity to notice the feeling of gently becoming heavier,

As heavy as you want.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of your body with each part becoming heavier and heavier and heavier from gravity effortlessly and naturally.

Safely sinking like a smooth stone in a pleasant pond.

The head is heavy,

The limbs are heavy,

The torso is heavy.

Both feet and every toe heavy like stones so that the whole body is heavy now.

Sinking deeper into your cushion or bed and it wants to rest.

So heavy that it's sinking down even deeper into the bed.

It wants release and rejuvenation.

And now with kind curiosity notice the feeling of gently becoming lighter and lighter so that the body and mind begin to float and drift.

Floating freely like a cloud in the sky as safe as it feels to do so.

Feeling lightness in all parts of the body safely rising above like a dandelion floating in the wind.

Now welcome opposing sensations in the body and mind effortlessly and automatically so that you can feel both heaviness and lightness in the body at the same time.

Maybe one side of your body is heavy while the other is light or maybe perhaps your entire body is both heavy and light at the same exact time.

Isn't this a curious feeling?

Feeling both light and heavy at the same time.

Just like grounded freedom,

Relaxed alertness,

Lively serenity.

Go ahead and release what no longer serves you,

What no longer serves the body or the mind.

You can give it permission to let it go and let it flow so that you can enter and experience the freedom of this new experience.

Feeling liberated now so that the head is light and weightless,

The limbs are light and free,

The heart is light and radiant,

The legs and even the toes so light and so free so that the whole body is light,

Weightless,

And free.

You're rising higher and higher,

Away from the floor and free from any unhelpful thoughts or sensations.

That's right,

Safely drifting and floating with freedom.

Witnessing the body completely at peace,

Resting in stillness.

Your entire body and being freed from any hurt,

Fear,

Or discomfort.

Feeling the natural healing wisdom of the body liberated,

Free,

And being optically functioning.

Just in this moment to make it even more a part of you and your freedom.

That's right,

Feeling this presence of your being by doing nothing at all but breathing and being.

Now this is a space of integration.

Isn't it beautiful,

Safe,

And serene?

Here you can witness all that's happening moment by moment but doing nothing to make it happen.

It just happens effortlessly,

Automatically,

With you as the observer.

And in this space of stillness,

You can hand over all the thoughts and emotions that no longer serve you.

You can always come back to them or,

If you wish,

I can hold onto them until you let me know.

Now shift your attention to an emotion that is present in your body or one that you are working with in your life.

Something easy,

Something that can be workable,

Felt but not,

Distracted or overwhelmed.

A safe emotion to work through.

And once you feel that emotion in your body,

Recall a safe memory that invites a particular emotion into your body.

Welcoming that emotion as simply a sensation in your body.

And just noticing,

Observing,

And inviting this emotion to unfold effortlessly as a sensation in your body.

And if no emotion is present,

Then there's no need to make anything happen.

Perhaps it dissipated or simply welcomed whatever is present and emerging now.

If another emotion is present,

I wonder where you are feeling it in your body.

And allowing this emotion to blossom fully while welcoming thoughts,

Memories,

Or images that bear fruit with this emotion.

And if it's safe and helpful,

Invite the opposite emotion to emerge.

That's right,

Perhaps recalling a memory that invites this opposite emotion into your body.

Now where are you experiencing this in your body?

Taking your time,

Welcoming this opposite of emotion.

Good.

Now something very interesting will happen as being the observer of your sensations and emotions you have the power to move back and forth several times between the opposite emotions.

Finding yourself to experience the first one and then the other.

Seeing how each is experienced in the body.

Switching again and allowing the emotions to flow through you like a wonderful,

Soothing waterfall.

There's nothing to hold onto.

You can't hold water,

But you can observe it,

Seeing it flow.

And now inviting both emotions into awareness at the same time,

See how you can hold them together in your body and in your mind.

There is space for both.

There is stillness for both.

And without thinking or forcing or avoiding,

Simply observing how these emotions arise in the entire body and mind.

And now allowing these emotions to shift,

Transform,

And effortlessly evaporate like clouds in the sky.

Having awareness that your awareness is the sky that holds space for clouds to float on by.

And isn't it curious that no single cloud defines the entire sky?

You your pure awareness is the infinite,

Open,

Expansive sky.

Remembering that there's no right or wrong way of doing any of this,

All emotions are beautiful or valid or to be respected because emotions are messengers for what is most important to you.

Find what happens to happen and coming back to your intention,

Your resolve,

Your Samkalpa at any time.

Now go ahead and invite a thought or a story that you sometimes fall into or that you think is true about yourself.

It could be a familiar thought,

Like a familiar story.

And if no story arises,

That's perfectly okay.

Simply being with whatever is present in this present moment.

And if there is a story present,

And if you hold the story to be true to you,

Where and how do you feel the story in your body?

Noticing how this story affects the entire body.

Noticing any images,

Emotions or thoughts that arise with this belief or story.

And there's no need to try to change anything,

Just be with this unfolding story.

You can make space and sit with the story now.

And if it's helpful,

Bring to mind the opposite of this thought or story.

And as you hold this opposite story about you to be true,

How does it feel and affect your body?

Keeping any and all images,

Thoughts,

Emotions or safe memories to also emerge.

Being kind and curious to your unfolding experience just as it is.

No need to force or change or fix anything.

It all belongs.

And now,

Like before,

At your own rate and rhythm,

Alternate several times between the opposite stories like inhaling and exhaling.

Welcoming the first story as true and then the opposite one as true.

Noticing how each thought creates sensations in the body and the mind.

Now invite both stories at the same time to sit and be with them.

While also experiencing how holding both these stories and the entire body and mind affects the entire body and mind.

That's right.

Now feel the space between the two stories.

What is the intersection,

That stillness,

That space between both of them?

What sensations and images are between those two stories?

Allowing the stories to shift,

Transform and effortlessly evaporate like clouds in the sky.

Having awareness that your awareness is the sky.

Holding space for clouds that float on by.

And isn't it fascinating that no single cloud defines the infinite sky?

You,

Your pure awareness is the infinite,

Open,

Expansive sky.

Now come back to your sankalpa,

Your intention,

Your place of ground security and wellbeing.

Noticing your breathing,

Easy and rhythmic.

Noticing your forehead is at ease and it's cool.

While your heart,

Your hands and feet are at ease and warm.

And bring to mind your intention for this practice,

Perhaps the formation of an intention for your next practice.

And you can see this resolve as a radiant resonance of inner light in your body from your being.

Noticing your sankalpa as an accomplishment and feeling your resolve as a radiant resonance of inner light in your body from your inner being.

Experiencing your sankalpa as an accomplished fact in this present moment.

And imagine going about your daily life with this sankalpa.

Noticing sensations,

Emotions and thoughts all constantly changing.

Yet all the while feeling yourself as unchanging and spacious,

The observer of change.

Just like the sky,

Awareness in which everything is coming,

Going and flowing easily and effortlessly.

Now allowing your entire being to respond spontaneously and effortlessly to what I say that is most helpful for you.

So that my words become your words and become your future words.

I have entered a serene state of synergy and balance.

There is abundance in every moment.

I accept myself fully and unconditionally.

I am a brilliant being.

I let the radiant light of my being melt the barriers in my body and mind.

I invite the innate wisdom of my body to heal itself at its own rate and time.

Now feel these words that become your words wash over you and your entire being.

Thinking what is needed and letting go of what no longer serves you.

Now very soon you will reawaken to the present moment,

To your room,

Taking your time transitioning to your alert and fully awake state.

So that you are sensing your body,

Hearing the sounds of the room around you.

Eyes opening as you feel ready.

Perhaps wiggling your fingers and toes and stretching if that feels right to you.

Moving your body and mind back to this alert,

Refreshed state.

So that you know who you are and where you are going in your life.

With that sun-kalpa of yours that is always yours to be used today,

Tomorrow,

And into the next.

Becoming alert,

Fully alert,

And wide awake,

Refreshed and rejuvenated.

Feeling like you had a nice nap and are fully awake for the rest of your day.

So thank you and thank yourself for taking this time to practice yoga nidra.

Knowing that you can easily enter here again and again each and every time you practice.

Feeling fully alert,

Awake,

And refreshed.