40 Minute Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest And Acceptance

Namaste and welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice,

A Sacred Journey Inward.

My name is Kristen Rose and I feel so honored to be your guide.

Yoga Nidra is a completely effortless guided relaxation practice that effortlessly brings you into a state of wakeful sleep,

Accessing the touchstone of your true nature.

And so in this practice,

We soften the resistance of the mind and open to the spacious awareness within.

Rest into the knowing that there is nothing that you need to do.

Together,

Let's take a deep and generous breath in through the nose.

Hold for a moment and suspend the breath.

Relax the shoulders and exhale completely,

Giving yourself permission to arrive here and now,

Into this very moment.

Take your time to settle down and into a comfortable,

Relaxed position on the earth.

Rest,

Lie down and adjust the body to ensure that the body feels completely supported,

Held and at ease.

As you rest on the back of the body,

You may wish to bring in a pillow in behind the back of the knees or in behind the back of the head,

Allowing yourself to let go completely.

Relaxation is like falling from a tree without moving a muscle.

Allow yourself to completely let go,

For this is the foundation of your Yoga Nidra journey.

Allow the body now to become completely still.

Allow the eyelids to softly close down and begin to allow your awareness to be filled with peace and serenity.

To welcome in all of your surroundings,

Just as it is.

Noticing the room around you now,

Where you are in the room,

The temperature,

The sounds,

Welcoming everything around you,

Just as it is.

Take a gentle breath in,

Hold,

Exhale completely,

Surrender to what is.

Bring your awareness down and into the body now,

Beginning to scan your awareness down and through the inner landscape of your being,

Just as it is.

Noticing sensations on the surface of the skin,

The gentle touch of air,

Warmth or coolness,

The contact points,

Where your body meets the earth,

The texture of clothes or blankets,

Noticing any tastes or moisture inside of the mouth.

Relax the lower jaw,

Soften the muscle of the tongue,

Allow the teeth to part.

Notice the darkness or even little hints of light behind closed eyes.

Soften into this quiet,

Dark,

Inner space that abides here now.

Notice the breath inside of the nostrils,

Any fragrance or aromas,

Just noticing,

Welcoming,

Noticing the sounds in the right ear.

From the right side of the room,

And sounds in the left ear,

Echoing in the left side of the room.

Allow the ears to remain open,

Anchored by the guidance of my voice.

All of your senses now,

Open,

Accepting,

And coming to rest.

Take another slow breath in,

Pause,

Hold,

Exhale,

And accept,

Surrender,

To the experiences happening all around you and within you.

This moment is perfect,

Just as it is,

Just as you are.

Begin to trace three rings of light around the physical body,

From right to left to right side.

Three rings of protective,

Healing light around the whole body.

A light,

A color,

A vibration of your choice,

Cocooning the body in an aura of light,

Stillness,

Peacefulness,

Moment-to-moment awareness.

Turning your awareness inward now,

To rest in the space of the heart,

Nestled in between the lungs,

The heart nourished by the breath.

For the lungs are like wings of the heart.

Every exhale,

Allow your awareness to soften and sink deeper into the space of the heart.

It is now time to bring forth your sankalpa mentally.

You might be working with a word or a phrase at this time,

Or you may wish to borrow.

I welcome and accept life just as it is,

Or I am at peace with what is.

Repeat this now three times internally.

I welcome and accept life just as it is,

Or I am at peace with what is.

Welcome this intention or resolve to be here now,

Alive in every cell,

As the body rests in stillness.

Bring all of your awareness now to rest on sensations that are present inside of the mouth,

Resting as the witness,

Simply observing,

Welcoming,

Accepting sensations that are present inside of the mouth,

The muscle of the tongue,

Sensing the tip of the tongue,

Just as it is to the root of the tongue,

Inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek,

The lower teeth and gums,

The upper teeth and gums,

The lower lip,

Upper lip,

Both lips,

Tip of the chin,

Just as it is,

Tip of the nose,

Sensations inside of the right nostril,

Sensations inside of the left nostril,

Awakened with every breath,

Sensations inside of the left nostril,

Bridge of the nose,

Center of the forehead,

Both eyebrows,

Both temples,

Cheekbones,

Both eyes,

As radiant orbs of warmth and sensations,

The eyelids softening,

From the center of the forehead to the crown of the head,

And all of the sensations in between,

To the back of the head,

The whole scalp and hair,

Both ears,

The outer folds of the ears,

Ear lobes,

Inner ears,

The space between the ears,

Relax into the space between the ears,

Descending awareness to the center of the head,

To the center of the throat,

The pit of the throat,

To the center of the chest,

The heart center,

Alive with sensations,

Life itself unfolding,

Just as it is,

To the right shoulder,

Elbow,

The whole right hand,

And all five fingers,

Starting in the thumb,

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Sensing and feeling all five fingers,

The whole right hand and arm,

Right side of the chest,

Just as it is,

Just as it is,

Just as it is,

Energy itself manifested in the whole right arm,

To the center of the chest,

Left shoulder,

Elbow,

Wrist,

And all five fingers,

Starting in the thumb,

One,

Two,

Three,

Witnessing sensations in all five fingers,

The whole left hand,

Arm,

Left side of the chest,

Right side of the chest,

Resting deeply,

Vibrant with sensations,

To the center of the chest,

To the diaphragm,

The navel center,

The lower belly,

The whole pelvic bowl,

The right hip,

Ankle,

The whole right foot,

And all five toes,

Starting in the thumb,

Resting in the big toe,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Awareness resting in all five toes,

The right foot and leg,

The whole right leg,

Just as it is,

To the left hip,

Ankle,

The whole left foot,

All five toes,

Starting in the big toe,

One,

Two,

Three,

Sensing all five toes,

The whole left foot,

Leg,

Resting deeply,

Illuminated with sensations in this moment,

The whole body now,

Both feet,

Both legs,

The whole torso,

Arms,

Hands,

Neck,

And head,

Sensing and feeling your way through the whole body,

The inner landscape of your being,

Resting deeply,

From the inside out,

The whole body,

Inviting awareness now to the breath,

To the soft,

Natural waves of the breath,

Noticing the gentle rise and fall of the navel,

With each breath,

Just as it is,

Completely effortless in the breath,

Noticing and witnessing the body,

Being breathed,

Breath rolling in,

Breath rolling out,

Following now the pathway of the breath,

From the navel center up to the crown of the head,

And back down to the navel,

Just imagine breath flowing from the navel to the crown,

And all the way back down,

Energy flowing along the central channel,

Ascending and descending,

Breath and awareness,

Along the central channel,

And now inviting all of your awareness to rest in the whole right side of the body,

Sensing and feeling the whole right side of the body,

From the center outwards to the boundary of the body,

The volume of the right side body,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Welcoming the aliveness in the whole right side,

And now awareness flows over and into the whole left side body,

Sensing and feeling your way through the left hemisphere of the body,

From the midline outwards to the boundary of the left side body,

The volume of the left side body,

The whole left side,

And now sensing and feeling both right and left hemispheres of the body,

Simultaneously,

The volume of the whole body,

Resting deeply from the inside out,

An inner constellation of sensations already happening in the whole body,

And now the whole body becoming so heavy and dense,

Like stone,

Consciously welcoming in a full body experience of heaviness into every cell,

And the whole body heavy,

And now allowing the whole body to become so light and spacious,

Like air floating,

The whole body becoming so light,

And now welcoming in both heaviness and lightness at the same time,

And now taking your time to consciously welcome in heaviness and lightness simultaneously,

Resting peacefully,

Quietly witnessing both opposing sensations,

Experiences happening at the same time,

Instilling peace and equanimity,

Welcoming in both at the same time,

Drawing awareness now to the center of the forehead,

Relax into the darkness behind closed eyes,

Imagine yourself as a great mountain,

The highest mountain,

Timeless,

Steady,

And rooted deep into the earth,

All around you,

The winds may howl,

Storms may pass,

The seasons may change,

Snow,

Sun,

Rain,

And yet at your core remains an unshakable stillness,

Acceptance,

Welcoming life within you and all around you,

Just as it is,

Remaining unchanged,

Unwavering,

Rooted,

Resting here,

Witnessing the passing weather of life,

Without grasping or pushing away,

In this vast,

Spacious awareness,

Acceptance arises naturally,

Like the mountain that simply is,

And you are the mountain that is,

Resting now,

For here you are home,

Resting as awareness itself,

Resting deeply,

It is now time to mentally recall your sankalpa,

You may have borrowed the phrase,

I welcome and accept life just as it is,

I am at peace with what is,

Repeat it now mentally,

Three times,

Slowly start to bring awareness back down and into the body,

Noticing the breath,

Sensing the earth beneath the body,

And take a gentle breath in through the nose,

And out through the mouth,

Take a moment to notice how you feel,

Resting as the witness,

Accepting life just as it is,

And if not,

That's okay too,

This practice of acceptance and witnessing can take some time,

You are so welcome to rest in stillness for as long as you need,

When you feel complete,

Slowly start to wiggle fingers and toes,

Nod the head from side to side,

And maybe find a nice long stretch through the body,

Bend the knees,

And roll over onto one side,

To rest,

To reflect,

To integrate,

May you carry the essence of this practice,

And the truth of your Sankalpa with you now,

Rooted like a mountain,

Unwavering,

And see how long the feeling tone lasts,

Again,

My name is Kristen Rose,

Have a beautiful and blessed rest of your day,

Namaste.