Welcome to Grace Yoga Nidra.
This Yoga Nidra guided meditation is designed to help you get to sleep.
No matter what has happened today,
Know that now is the time for sleep and rest,
And that you can let go of anything that happened during the day.
Take in a deep breath in through your nose,
And sigh the breath out through the mouth.
Take whichever position is most comfortable for you,
Either on your back,
On your side,
Even on your stomach.
Most important thing is that you are comfortable.
Cover yourself with a blanket,
Use pillows under your knees,
Between your knees if you're on your side.
Let the pillow cradle your head.
Allow yourself to be completely supported by the bed.
Let it feel as if you are being embraced by the support beneath you,
And allow gravity to pull you deeper down into a sense of ease and comfort.
Breathe deeply into your lower abdomen.
Expand your ribs as you inhale and exhale,
Soften a little more.
Notice how when you exhale,
Relaxation flows in and over your whole body.
Begin to take your awareness to within your body.
Notice your hands,
Feel into your legs,
Your torso.
Feel into the space just outside your body,
Any clothing or blankets touching your skin,
Any air brushing against your skin.
Bring your awareness to your eyes.
Allow your eyes to feel heavy.
Let your eyelids be like warm blankets over the eyes.
Bring your awareness to your neck.
Allow your neck muscles to release and soften.
Let your neck and shoulders surrender to the bed.
Take another deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh the breath out and make any other adjustments that you need so that you can remain still throughout this practice.
Release the desire to fall asleep as this can cause additional stress.
Instead focus on the sound of my voice.
Focus on letting go.
Any distractions,
Thoughts or sounds that arise,
Let them come and like a witness,
Let them go.
Allow them to fade back into the silence from where they came.
We will move on to a rotation of consciousness.
I will say a part of the body.
All you have to do is bring your awareness to that body part without moving it.
Just become aware of it.
You can either have a felt sense feeling into that part of the body or if you are more of a visual person,
You can visualize that body part lighting up with your favorite color.
Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Palm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Shoulder blade,
Right side ribs,
Right side waist,
Right hip,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Bring your awareness to your left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Palm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Shoulder blade,
Left side ribs,
Left side waist,
Left hip,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left heel,
Right heel,
Both heels together,
Left calf,
Right calf,
Both calves,
The left hamstrings,
Right hamstrings,
Both sets of hamstrings,
Left hip,
Right hip,
Both hips,
Tip of the tailbone,
Sacrum,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Back of the neck,
The entire spine,
Left shoulder blade,
Right shoulder blade,
Both shoulder blades,
Back of the head,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Both ears,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyebrow,
Space between the eyebrows,
Both eyebrows,
Left eye,
Right eye,
Both eyes,
Left eyelid,
Right eyelid,
Both eyelids,
Left eye socket,
Right eye socket,
Both eye sockets,
Left cheek,
Right cheek,
Both cheeks,
Left nostril,
Right nostril,
Both nostrils,
The entire jaw,
The chin,
Upper lip,
Both lips,
Lower row of teeth,
Upper row of teeth,
All teeth,
The tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
The whole mouth,
The throat,
The neck,
Left collarbone,
Right collarbone,
Both collarbones,
Left arm,
Right arm,
Both arms,
Upper chest,
Middle chest,
The whole chest,
Left side of the ribcage,
Right side of the ribcage,
The whole ribcage,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
The whole abdomen,
Left leg,
Right leg,
Both legs,
Left foot,
Right foot,
Both feet,
Left side of the body,
Right side of the body,
Left side of the body,
Right side of the body,
Whole body,
Whole body,
Whole body.
Notice how calm the body is.
Be the observer.
Be the witness.
Notice the breath.
The natural spontaneous breath.
Begin to count every exhale from 18 down all the way to one.
Exhale 18,
Exhale 17.
Keep counting down.
If you get lost,
That's okay.
Just start again at 18.
Release the counting of your breath.
Observe the body.
Let your body begin to feel heavy,
Like bronze or stone,
Heavy.
Let your body feel light and weightless,
Light and weightless.
Let your body feel as if it's sinking down deeper and deeper.
Now allow your body to feel as if it's floating.
Release any feelings of opposites.
Let your body feel neutral,
Relaxed.
Bring your awareness to the screen of your mind.
Notice what you see in this dark space.
Maybe you see nothing.
Perhaps you see colors.
Perhaps you see shapes.
Whatever you see or do not see,
Know that that is exactly right.
I will say a series of words.
All you have to do is visualize these words as images in this screen of your mind.
Visualize a tree,
Green leaves,
A red flower,
A drop of rain,
Dark soil.
The roots of a tree,
A seed,
A spoon,
A boat,
A feather,
A vine.
A swing set,
A sand castle,
A big puffy cloud,
A rainbow,
A seashell,
A night sky,
The full moon,
A hammock.
Release the visualizations from your mind.
Let your body fully let go,
Fully relax.
Allow yourself to fall and drift into a gentle,
Relaxing,
Restorative sleep.
