Yoga Nidra Forest Walk For Relaxation, Stress Relief, Sleep

Now is the perfect time to let go of the day,

Release anything that's not serving you in this moment,

And begin to relax.

I encourage you to stretch your arms up and out,

Wiggling fingers,

Loosening the arms,

Shoulders,

And elbows,

Gently shaking the legs,

Wiggling the toes,

Bending the knees and ankles.

Deeply inhale and let the ribcage fully expand,

Then allow the exhale to release any stress from the day.

Now,

Cozy down into whatever nest you've made for yourself,

And get yourself ultra comfortable.

Settling in,

Continue to fine tune,

Nestling your way down to be 5 or 10% more comfortable.

You can be lying on the bed,

On the floor,

Or even stretched out on a couch.

Let's find your perfect,

Most comfortable position.

During the Nidra,

It's best to stay still,

But you can move if you need to.

Just do it slowly and mindfully.

I'll guide you through the practice,

Which includes a body scan and a comparison of opposite sensations.

It's perfectly fine if your mind drifts.

Just allow my voice to become a safe,

Guiding sound in the background.

It's okay if you doze off,

But you could also tell yourself you want to stay aware and awake.

Allow yourself to stay present while deeply relaxing.

You are also welcome to drift comfortably off to sleep at the conclusion of this practice.

Towards the end of this Yoga Nidra,

You'll be invited to imagine a relaxing place in nature,

Surrounded by trees.

I'll guide you through a quiet forest walk,

But you are welcome to have your own experience if any other images or sensations come to mind.

Let's begin with a soothing heart energy exercise and some simple breath work.

Would you be willing to focus all of your attention on the space inside the ribcage and chest?

Can you feel or even hear your own heartbeat?

Sense into your heart space.

Sense its beating as it works inside the chest cavity.

You may even want to rest your hand gently over it.

Imagine a warm,

Energetic glow within this space.

Allow this energy to expand and contract with each breath.

Notice how this might feel to you,

Whether it's real or something you imagine.

If you don't feel anything,

That's okay.

Just imagine.

Now focus on bringing this warm energy closer to your body,

As if you were wrapping yourself snugly in a warm blanket.

Allow the heart space energy to hover closely around you and bring you comfort.

Notice what this feels like.

Or if you don't feel anything,

Just take note of that without any judgment.

Take another breath and release any sensations.

Now just allowing this heart energy to settle into a loving embrace that supports you however you need.

Now let's bring our awareness fully on our breath.

If you like,

You can inhale through the nose,

Allowing the belly to expand.

And exhale through the mouth with a sigh,

Relaxing the whole body.

Again,

Inhaling through the nose.

Expansion.

And exhaling,

Softening and relaxing the whole body.

With the next inhale,

Perhaps you could notice its length,

Silently counting in your mind.

See if you can extend the exhale.

One or two counts longer than the inhale.

Imagine every last little bit of breath is completely leaving your body.

Then allow the inhale to naturally begin again.

Let's do this one more time.

Inhaling,

Counting.

Then exhaling and extending the count.

And now release.

It's now time to set our intention for the Yoga Nidra practice.

Your sankalpa or intention for Yoga Nidra should be set in the present tense and in a positive frame.

It can be something you deeply desire or wish to be true in this moment.

Something like,

I am calm and relaxed.

Or you are welcome to choose your own.

Repeat your intention now,

Silently to yourself.

With the next three breaths.

And now we begin the body scan.

When I mention a body part,

Just place your focus there.

And if you like,

You can imagine filling each part of the body with a warm,

Nurturing light.

Don't worry if your mind drifts off,

Just notice and allow my voice to come back and guide you.

We'll begin with the head and the neck.

Releasing and relaxing through the forehead,

The cheekbones,

The eyes,

The jaw,

The neck.

Allowing the chest to release and relax.

Letting the spine settle into whatever is holding it below.

Releasing the arms,

The hands,

The legs,

The feet.

The torso relaxing,

The fingers and toes releasing.

And we'll begin on the right side of the body.

Focusing in on the right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger and pinky finger.

Palm of the right hand,

The wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The right shoulder,

The underarm.

Side of the right waist,

The right hip,

The upper leg,

The knee,

The lower leg,

The heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Top of the right foot.

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and the pinky toe.

Releasing and relaxing the right side of the body.

Now moving to the left side.

The left thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger and the pinky.

Palm of the left hand,

The wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

Left shoulder,

The underarm.

Left side of the waist,

The left hip,

The upper leg,

The knee,

The lower leg,

The ankle,

Heel of the left foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot.

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and the pinky toe.

Releasing the entire left side of the body.

Focusing now on the back of the head.

Relaxing through the back of the head,

Skull,

Back of the neck,

The right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

Back of the ribcage,

The lower back,

The buttocks,

Backs of the legs.

The calves,

The heels and the soles of both feet.

Releasing through the entire back of the whole body.

Now focusing on the top of the head,

The forehead,

The eyebrows,

The left ear,

The right ear,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid.

The eyes,

The bridge of the nose,

The tip of the nose,

The nostrils,

Cheekbones,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The tongue,

The teeth,

The chin.

The right jaw,

The left jaw,

Front of the neck,

The right clavicle,

Left clavicle.

Heart space,

Solar plexus,

The belly,

Tops of the hips,

The thighs,

The knees,

Shins,

Tops of the feet.

Right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

The upper arms,

The forearms,

Both hands.

Relaxed through the entire front side of the body.

Now focusing on the whole body as one.

Releasing and relaxing the whole body.

The whole body is relaxed.

Now begin to imagine the body is very warm.

Exploring parts of the body that might feel warmer than the rest.

Noting that if you can't find a spot that does feel warmer,

You could choose to focus on the heart space.

Imagining a nurturing warmth there.

Now bring your awareness to any part of the body that feels cooler.

And now bring your awareness to any part of the body that feels cooler.

Perhaps focusing on the area beneath the nose.

Noticing a cool sensation as you inhale.

Moving the attention now back to the warmth,

And again back to the coolness.

Imagining the warmth and the cool begin to melt.

Now bringing the whole body into balance at the most perfect temperature.

And taking a relaxing breath.

Now sensing into the body's weight.

Notice the heavier parts of the body and the parts of the body that sink into gravity.

The heavy head.

The arms.

The heavy torso.

The legs.

Settling into the weight of the whole body.

And now beginning to imagine the body is very light.

Like a feather or a cloud.

Sensing into the entire body as weightless.

Perhaps imagining floating gently as if on a light breeze.

Allow the sensation to fill the whole body.

Now bringing your attention back to the heaviness of the body.

The weight of the whole body.

Allowing it to merge with the lightness.

Letting the body gently settle back down.

Allowing gravity to comfortably and safely hold the whole body.

And now taking a relaxing breath.

I'll invite you now into a forest walk.

See if you can sense or imagine a place in nature surrounded by trees.

A place that makes you feel calm and grounded.

Imagine your bare feet touching the warm earth.

Healing energy flowing into the whole body.

The summer warmth offering the perfect time to take off your shoes and experience the ground beneath your toes.

Rooting down and imagining absorbing the subtle grounding earth energy.

Now begin to sense into walking barefoot along a soft shady path in the woods.

Notice how the warm smooth ground feels beneath your feet.

Sense into the fresh smell of the air.

The filtering light as the trees grow denser along the path.

Begin to imagine all the different shades of green fluttering in the treetops.

Shimmering of sunlight through the leaves.

The sounds in the forest.

Can you imagine birds or small forest animals scampering about?

Breathe in the clean air.

Feel a light warm breeze reaching you through the leafy branches.

Perhaps you discover a clearing and decide to recline on a sunny patch.

Covered with fragrant pine needles on the forest floor.

Can you notice the fresh scent of the leaves around you?

The woodiness of the bark.

The scent of the pine needles.

Allow the earth to hold the body gently as you lie on the soft covered floor.

Allow your mind to drift and release anything that's not serving you.

Take a few more slow calming breaths.

Now it's time to leave this soothing place.

But know that you can come back to it anytime you wish in your mind.

Initiating your slow and gentle return.

You might want to allow yourself to drift gently into a relaxing deep sleep.

Or you can gently roll over to one side.

Making small movements with the fingers and toes.

Notice the stillness and the breath.

Recalling your intention one long breath.

Allowing your body time to relax and rejuvenate.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Sweet dreams and namaste.