Welcome to this New Year Yoga Nidra practice.
As we stand at the threshold between what was and what will be,
This practice offers you space to honor the journey of 2025 and open yourself to the possibilities of 2026.
Find a comfortable position lying down on your back.
You may wish to support yourself with a bolster beneath your knees,
A blanket over your body,
Or a pillow beneath your head.
Allow your arms to rest alongside your body with your palms facing up in a gesture of receptivity,
Or place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Take a moment to adjust anything that needs adjusting.
Wiggle your toes,
Roll your shoulders,
Find your perfect stillness in this practice.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes and begin to notice the weight of your body surrendering to the earth beneath you.
Feel yourself held,
Supported,
And safe.
Now,
Take three deep breaths.
Inhale fully through your nose,
Filling your lungs completely,
And exhale slowly through your mouth,
Releasing any tension.
Again,
Breathing in renewal and breathing out what no longer serves.
One more time,
Breathing in this moment and breathing out into this practice.
Now,
Bring to mind your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention for this new year.
This is not a goal or a resolution,
But rather a seed,
A seed of truth that already exists within you,
Waiting to blossom.
Your sankalpa might be a quality that you wish to embody,
Perhaps courage,
Presence,
Joy,
Or ease.
It may be an affirmation.
I am enough.
I trust the unfolding.
I welcome what comes with an open heart.
Allow your sankalpa to arise naturally,
Stated in the present tense as if it's already true.
And when you've found it,
Repeat it silently to yourself three times,
Feeling its truth resonate in your body,
In your heart,
In your whole being.
Now plant this seed deeply within.
We will return to it at the end of our practice.
Now we begin the rotation of consciousness through the body.
As I name each body part,
Simply bring your awareness there.
No need to move.
No need to do.
Simply notice,
Acknowledge,
And move on.
Right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the right hand.
Back of the right hand.
Right wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the rib cage.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Sole of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Pinky toe.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Left hand palm.
Back of the left hand.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Left side of the rib cage.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the left foot.
Sole of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Space between the eyebrows.
Right eyelid.
Left eyelid.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
The upper lip.
The lower lip.
The chin.
The jaw.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Throat.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
The center of the chest.
The heart space.
The abdomen.
The pelvis.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
The whole back body.
The whole front body.
The whole body together.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
No need to change or control it.
Simply observe.
Notice the cool air as it enters the nostrils.
The gentle rise and fall of your entire chest and belly.
The warm air as you exhale.
Breathing in,
Imagine you are bringing in the freshness of this new year.
Breathing in clarity,
Possibility,
Light.
Breathing out,
Imagine releasing what you've carried from the past year.
Any heaviness,
Disappointment,
Or pain that you're ready to let go of.
Breathing in newness.
Breathing out contraction.
Breathing in trust.
Breathing out fear.
Continue for a few more breaths,
Honoring this exchange.
This sacred rhythm of letting go and welcoming in.
Now imagine an image to form in the mind's eye.
You are standing on a beautiful bridge.
Behind you is the landscape of 2025.
All the terrain you've traveled,
The mountains you've climbed,
The valleys you've moved through.
The unexpected turns in the path.
The moments of sunlight and the moments of shadow.
Take a moment to look back with compassion,
With acknowledgement.
See the year that was.
Notice what you learned,
How you grew.
What changed you and what challenged you.
What surprised you.
And see all of it with the wisdom of distance.
Now in your hands,
You're holding a bundle.
It's everything from 2025 that you wish to release.
Perhaps old patterns.
Maybe it's limiting beliefs.
Maybe relationships that have run their course.
Or versions of yourself that you've outgrown.
This bundle might feel heavy.
It might feel light.
Simply notice its weight.
You walk to the railing of the bridge and with gratitude for the lessons these things taught you,
You release the bundle.
You watch it drift away,
Dissolving into light as you let the bundle fall.
Imagine returning to its source.
Feel the lightness in your hands now that you've released.
In your shoulders and in your heart.
Now turn and face forward on this bridge.
Before you is the landscape of 2026.
Mysterious,
Shimmering with potential.
You cannot see all the details yet and that is okay.
The path reveals itself one step at a time.
Notice how you feel as you look forward toward this new terrain.
There's space here for curiosity rather than certainty.
And for wonder rather than worry.
As you stand here on the bridge,
In this liminal space between years,
You notice the sunrise beginning to paint the horizon with colors.
Rose gold,
Amber,
Soft purple,
Luminous blue.
This is the dawn of your new year.
As you begin to walk forward across the bridge,
With each step you feel yourself becoming more present,
More rooted.
This is where you have the most power.
Not in the past,
Not in the future,
But here in this sacred present moment.
And as you reach the end of the bridge,
You step down onto the ground of 2026.
You feel the earth beneath your feet.
You are here.
You are ready.
You are enough.
Now bring your awareness back to your sankalpa.
Your heartfelt intention for this new year.
See it shining before you like a star guiding you forward.
Repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Feeling it anchoring into your body,
Into your heart,
Into your consciousness.
This intention is your companion for the journey ahead,
And it's already true,
It's already yours.
Begin to deepen your breath and notice the air moving in and out of your nostrils.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest and belly.
Start to bring small movements back into your body.
Wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
Roll your wrists and your ankles,
And stretch your arms overhead if that feels good.
Drawing your knees into your chest,
And when ready,
Rolling to your side.
Find fetal position,
A symbol of rebirth,
Of new beginnings.
Rest here for a few breaths.
Using your hands to support you,
Slowly press yourself up to a comfortable seat.
Allow yourself to arrive fully and bring your palms together at your heart center.
A gesture of gratitude.
Thank yourself for showing up for this practice.
Thank your body for carrying you through 2025 and into 2026.
Thank your breath for sustaining you,
And thank your heart for its courage to begin again.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Welcome to 2026.
May you walk forward with clarity,
Compassion,
And an open heart.
Namaste.
