Yoga Nidra To Ease Insomnia

Hello,

This is Jax and I am extending you a warm welcome.

Today,

Our shared journey is through Yoga Nidra,

This gentle offering crafted to cradle you into a restful sleep.

Let's begin by finding a really comfortable position for your practice.

If you're lying down,

I really encourage you to settle into your bed.

Creating an environment for relaxation and sleep can really help your body associate this practice with restful slumber.

So consider using any supportive props like pillows,

Eye masks,

Blankets,

Anything to enhance your comfort.

And take a couple moments here to wiggle around if you need,

Allowing yourself to find a position of utmost comfort and ease.

Before we settle completely into the Yoga Nidra practice,

Is there anything you can do right now to make your body 1% more comfortable?

Make any final adjustments or choices you need before settling completely into stillness.

So let's do some light breath work to find ease.

In a moment,

We're going to do straw breathing.

We'll inhale through the nose for a count of four,

And then we're going to exhale out through the mouth for a count of six,

Like we're blowing out a birthday candle or blowing out a straw.

Let's go ahead and do three rounds together.

Give me a regular breath.

So just a regular deep breath in and a releasing deep breath out.

And then inhale through the nose for one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale like you're blowing out a birthday candle for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

One.

Inhale.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale through the mouth for six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Take a soft breath in and a softer breath out.

Now direct your attention to your facial muscles.

Gently ease any tension from your forehead,

Allowing your eyebrows to soften.

Relax your eyes,

Releasing any strain from your temples and cheekbones.

Let your jaw loosen,

Creating space between your lips and allow your tongue to rest softly in your mouth.

Send a gentle message to your face,

Inviting it to soften and relax completely.

Allow your awareness to shift to your torso,

Softening your shoulders,

Arms,

And hands.

Encourage them to release and soften,

Surrendering any lingering tightness.

And could you extend this message down to your hips,

To your thighs,

To your ankles and your feet,

Prompting them to relax and release.

Enabling yourself to settle deeper and deeper into stillness.

And as you settle,

Can you allow this state of stillness to become effortless,

Using this practice as an opportunity to truly let go,

To settle,

To allow relaxation and ease to occur.

Know that if your mind begins to drift throughout the practice,

Just acknowledge this and gently,

Mindfully redirect your attention back to the sound of my voice,

Allowing me to gently guide you back into the present moment,

Guiding you towards a state of deep relaxation and ease.

And know that this space is yours to inhabit fully,

To embrace the stillness that surrounds you,

Allowing yourself to sink even deeper into relaxation.

And if it feels right,

Can you indulge in the tranquility of doing nothing,

Simply resting in a way that feels most comfortable to you.

Remember,

The more we can cultivate stillness in the body,

The more it reflects in the mind.

Embrace this invitation to invite stillness,

Remaining soft and relaxed throughout your experience.

Feel the effortlessness of your practice increasing with each passing moment.

And could you focus less on thinking and more on simply experiencing each sensation as it arises.

As you settle into this state of calm,

Notice the underlying stillness that exists beneath the surface of movement.

Allow yourself to deeply surrender to gravity,

Releasing any need to think or analyze.

This is a practice of feeling.

So let go the need to engage in mental chatter.

Instead,

Immerse yourself fully in the experience of simply being,

Allowing each moment to unfold naturally.

Take a moment to bring your awareness to your heart center,

The space in the middle of your chest.

Feel the warmth.

And this is where we'll begin to reflect on what it is that you truly wish to cultivate in this yoga nidra.

This is known as your intention,

Your sankalpa.

So allow it to arise naturally from within you.

So allow it to arise naturally from within you.

It may come in the form of a simple phrase such as,

I am allowing myself to rest deeply.

Or,

I am at ease and fall asleep naturally and effortlessly.

Once you've identified your sankalpa,

Repeat it silently to yourself three times with clarity and conviction.

Feel the power of your intention resonating throughout your entire being,

Knowing that you have started on the path.

So allow yourself to travel as we go deeper into our journey of inner stillness.

In a moment,

I'm going to guide you to different areas of your physical body.

And following the guidance of my voice,

This is going to be a body scan.

And following the guidance of my voice,

This is going to be a body scan.

We just go from point to point,

Being with the body and focusing on the areas mentioned.

You might feel sensations like temperature,

Pressure,

Tingling,

Or buzzing.

Or maybe everything just feels neutral.

All you have to do is just be,

To just let this be a place of rested awareness as you allow yourself to go deeper and deeper on your journey of inner stillness,

Starting with the right side of the body.

Become aware of the right hand,

And the right hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger,

The palm of the right hand,

And the back of the hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the back of the hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the wrist of the right hand,

And the kneecap,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel of the right foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

And the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

Through the whole right side of the body,

The right foot,

Leg,

Hand,

And arm,

Rested awareness in the whole right side of the body,

And can you find your awareness now shifting from the right side of the body to the left side?

Become aware of the left hand,

And the left hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger,

And the palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Bicep,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

The left side of the ribs,

Left side of the waist,

Hip,

Front and back of the left thigh,

Knee,

Kneecap,

The lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel of the left foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

And the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

Through the whole left side of the body,

The whole left side,

The left foot,

Foot,

Leg,

Hand,

And arm,

Rested awareness in the whole left side of the body,

Find your awareness now shifting from the feet,

Up the legs,

Past the torso,

Past the arms,

All the way up the spine,

And landing in the center of the chest,

The left side of the chest,

The right side of the chest,

Left collarbone,

Right collarbone,

Hollow of the throat,

Sides of the neck,

Inside the throat,

Bottom of the tongue,

Roof of the mouth,

Chin,

Hinges of the jaw,

The lower lip,

Upper lip,

Space in between the lips,

The left cheek,

Right cheek,

The left nostril,

And the air flowing in and out of the left nostril,

The right nostril,

And the air flowing in and out of the right nostril,

Awareness at both nostrils,

The tip of the nose,

Bridge of the nose,

And the space in between the eyebrows,

And the left eyebrow,

Eyelid,

And all the micromuscles behind the left eye,

Left temple,

Left ear,

Earlobe,

The left ear listening,

Awareness traveling from the left ear to the space between the ears,

And landing at the right ear,

Earlobe,

The right ear listening,

Right temple,

Eyebrow,

Eyelid,

And all the trillions of muscles behind the right eye,

Awareness flowing up to the middle of the forehead,

The left hemisphere of the brain,

And the right hemisphere of the brain,

And finally your awareness landing at the crown of the head,

Become aware of the whole body together,

The whole body,

Effortlessly resting,

Allowing gravity to support you as you find the whole body settling deeper and deeper into the surface beneath you,

And start to become aware of your breath,

Notice the natural rise and fall of your breath,

Expand your attention to feeling your entire body breathing freely,

Allowing the breath to flow without any effort,

Carrying you into a state of calm awareness,

Can you sense the in-breath,

Can you feel the out-breath,

We'll use the breath to go deeper into the practice,

Counting down from 10 to 1,

Inhaling 10,

Exhaling 10,

Inhaling 9,

Exhaling 9,

And continuing like this until you get to 1,

And if you get lost along the way,

Just start over from the beginning,

And now we'll use the power of visualization to feel at ease,

So I want you to visualize yourself lying in a peaceful meadow,

Surrounded by tall green grass,

And purple and pink wildflowers surround you,

Swaying gently in the breeze,

As you lie here,

You feel the warmth of the sun on your skin,

And you can hear the wind flowing and rustling through the grass,

You feel at ease here,

And as you lie in this peaceful meadow,

Can you imagine a sense of calm and serenity washing over you with each breath,

Feeling yourself sinking deeper and deeper into a state of profound relaxation,

And as you gaze up towards the sky,

This pale blue sky,

You look at the soft clouds,

Almost like mist,

Just effortlessly passing by,

A couple of birds fly through the sky,

And you feel a ray of sun on your heart,

And as you effortlessly look up at the sky,

You see your sankalpa written in the clouds,

Affirming that you are resting deeply and effortlessly,

And bring your awareness to your breath once again,

Noticing the gentle rise and fall of your chest,

With each inhale,

And each exhale,

Allowing your breath to become slow and deep and rhythmic,

As if you were gently rocking yourself to sleep,

And as you continue to breathe in this way,

Allow yourself to let go of any thoughts or concerns that may arise,

Simply acknowledging them,

And then letting them drift away like those passing clouds across the pale blue sky,

And now bring your awareness to the sensation of heaviness in the body,

Feel yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the surface beneath you,

As if you were being gently pulled down by gravity,

And allow this sense of heaviness to spread throughout your entire body,

From the crown of your head to the tips of your toes,

And feel yourself becoming completely relaxed and at peace,

And just feel the whole body now,

The whole body resting naturally and effortlessly here,

And now go quiet now,

So that you can drift off into a world of rest and relaxation,

Along with the soothing sounds of this recording,

I hope you find sleep and ease,

I know that this track is always here to support you,

This has been Jax,

And I hope you have sweet dreams.