Yoga Nidra For Emotional Awareness (25 Minutes) With Music

Welcome to our somatic meditation today,

A yoga nidra practice for emotional awareness.

Emotions are not just stories in the mind,

They are body states.

The nervous system speaks in sensations,

Warmth and coolness,

Tightening and softening,

Heaviness and lightness,

Flutter and stillness.

And when we resist an emotion,

Pushing it down,

Bracing against it,

The body often reads the inner struggle as a threat and turns up its stress chemistry.

The feeling seems to get louder,

Not because it's harmful,

But because we're at war with it.

Allowing is different.

Allowing means letting a feeling exist in small,

Safe sips,

While you stay connected to steadier places in the body.

With practice,

The system learns this is feelable.

And today we'll explore that,

Gently,

At your own pace.

And if you want a touchstone,

Let it be something like,

I notice what I feel kindly.

Are you ready?

So let us begin.

And this is where your yoga nidra practice begins.

So when you're ready,

Make yourself completely comfortable,

Lying on the ground,

The sofa or the bed,

Like a little starfish,

With a soft support beneath the head,

A bolster or a folded blanket under the knees,

And perhaps a light blanket over your body.

If you like,

Use an eye pillow.

And now let your arms rest slightly away from your sides,

Palms resting easy next to you.

Allow the eyes to close or soften.

If soothing touch helps you arrive,

Try a moment of self-havening.

You have three options.

First,

Slowly wrap your palms together,

Like really slow it down.

Connect skin to skin,

Create a little warmth between your palms.

You can stick with this,

Or you start stroking from shoulders to elbows,

Crossing your arms in front of your heart space,

Like a rhythmic,

Moving hug,

From your shoulders down to your elbows.

Last but not least,

If this feels nice,

Softly sweep the cheeks or forehead.

You can stick with one version,

Or you repeat all the three versions for a moment,

Choose a pace and pressure that feels pleasant enough,

And you decide when it's time to let your hands rest whenever you wish.

Feel free to continue the self-havening as long as you wish,

To give yourself this very moment to arrive and to settle,

To let your body and mind arrive.

Continuing the self-havening,

Or stop it at this point,

To bring your awareness to your breath.

Without changing anything,

Sense where your breath is the clearest today.

Is it the cool air at the nostrils,

A glide at the throat,

The gentle widening of the ribs,

The rise and fall of the belly,

Or a subtle spread across the back body?

Choose one place and simply feel three natural cycles of your breath.

While your breath is flowing in and out just naturally,

Notice a nostril dominance.

Is the right nostril clearer than the left,

Or are they even?

How is the air flow through the left or on the right side?

And remember,

There's no need to correct it,

Just name what's true now.

And at some point,

Let the breath soften by itself,

As if the edges of the inhale become a little rounder,

The exhale a touch more unhurried.

Imagine breath volume turning down one notch,

Like lowering the light in the room,

Effortless and natural.

Now sense the body's contact with the ground,

Heels,

Calves,

Pelvis,

Shoulder blades,

Back of the head,

And imagine the ground rising a millimeter to meet you.

Let yourself be held.

And now we'll begin moving awareness through the body,

Using descriptive language,

Temperature,

Pressure,

Movement,

Size,

Edges,

Texture.

No fixing,

Just naming kindly.

Let us start with the crown of the head,

The crown of the head.

Cool or warm,

Spacious or close,

Quiet or subtle pulsing.

Forehead and temples,

Skin smooth or gathered,

Invited to spread like a soft cloth.

Eyes and the space behind,

Resting back,

Edges soft,

Heavy or light.

Cheeks,

Lips,

Jaw,

Jaw hinges loose or braced,

Tongue resting heavy or light.

Throat and front of neck,

Hollow or full,

Open or narrow,

Temperature as it is.

Across the shoulders,

Broadening a little as you inhale,

Settling down and wide as you exhale.

Right arm,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm,

Each finger of the right arm.

To the fingertips,

Tingle warms,

Contact stillness,

The right arm,

The whole right arm.

Left arm the same,

Left arm,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm,

Each finger to the fingertip.

Notice any difference,

Left and right,

Simply name it.

Left arm,

The whole left arm.

Center chest and sternum,

Movement with breath,

Lift,

Spread,

Settle.

Ribs and sides,

Expansion and return.

Upper back,

Between shoulder blades,

Broad or narrow,

Firm or soft,

Warm or cool.

Mid back,

Low back,

Sacrum,

If tension is present name it kindly,

Tight,

Thick,

Hard,

Dull,

If neutral,

Say neutral.

Pelvis and hips,

Heavy or light,

Edges clear or diffuse.

Lower belly,

Rise or fall,

Texture soft or firm,

A gentle internal tight.

Right leg,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot.

Each toe,

Pulsing,

Tingling,

Steady pressure,

Temperature as it is.

The right leg,

The whole right leg,

The whole right leg.

Left leg the same,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot.

Each toe,

Left leg,

The whole left leg,

The whole left leg.

The whole back body,

Contact and weight,

Like an imprint in soft sand.

The whole front body,

Space,

Temperature,

Subtle movement.

The whole body at once,

The whole body at once,

Surface and depths,

Still and moving.

The whole body,

The whole body,

Health.

This is where you are right now,

The whole of you,

Inviting one present emotion,

Small to moderate in its intensity.

It doesn't have to be the hardest one,

Choose something you're willing to meet today.

Ask the body,

Where is this living right now?

Right,

Left,

Center,

Maybe global?

Is it superficial or deep?

How big?

Coin sized,

Palm sized,

Even larger?

What shape does it have?

A line,

A knot,

A cloud,

A sphere?

What about the texture?

Tight,

Pulsing,

Buzzy,

Heavy,

Hollow,

Glassy,

Velvety?

The temperature,

Is it warm,

Cool,

Maybe neutral?

Does it move,

Drift,

Drop or stay still?

Name two to three qualities silently to yourself.

It's like labeling a specimen with care.

And we'll start penulate,

Visiting the sensation briefly and then return to steadier ground.

So stay with the emotion sensation for two soft breaths.

Notice edge,

Shape,

Intensity.

And then shift to a neutral or pleasant area.

Perhaps the warmth in the palms,

The broadness of the pelvis,

The gentle weight of the blanket on your chest.

And stay there for four breaths,

Natural cycle of your breath.

And allow the exhale to remain unhurried.

When you're ready,

Return to the emotion sensation for two breaths again.

Has anything changed?

Size,

Temperature,

Movement,

Edges?

And then go back to the pleasant or neutral place for four breaths.

Feeling the steadiness and the unhurried breath.

Repeat once more if it feels supportive.

If anything spikes beyond comfortable,

Widen attention to include the whole back body.

Open the eyes if you wish.

Name three colors and two sounds.

And feel the support beneath you to let the breath soften again.

Remember you're in charge of that volume knob.

And maybe your emotion sensations are still present.

So let these gentle questions open permission.

After each line,

Feel the body's response,

However small.

What if it's okay to feel this just as it is right now?

What would it be like to make space for this feeling without resisting it?

What would it be like to let it be here without denying it?

What would it be like to allow it without needing to fix it?

What if all my emotions are valid and worthy of care?

What if it's safe enough to feel what I feel at my own pace?

What if softening is possible here instead of judgment?

What if the more I allow,

The more I reconnect with myself?

What if every feeling here is trying to guide me back to myself?

What if allowing is a good step towards deeper healing and greater peace?

And maybe now one short phrase arises.

Like your body's yes.

I can allow this.

This too.

Yes,

It belongs.

Soft and spacious.

Place it like a warm hand over this sensation.

And let the whole experience gather into a single felt sense.

The overall wordless impression of now.

If a handle comes,

A color,

Or a hum,

Or a simple word,

An image,

Whatever it is,

Just try it on and wait for the small click of recognition.

That's it.

And ask yourself quietly,

What do I need?

Just 1% right now.

More space,

Less pressure.

A slightly slower exhale.

Warmth,

Reassurance.

Offer one tiny kindness.

Slide the shoulder blades wider,

Soften the jaw.

Place a hand where contact helps.

Or simply whisper your phrase again.

Feel the after sensations ripple and settle.

And now sense the entire body again.

Temperature,

Pressure,

Movement density,

Size,

Edges.

An honest map of this very moment.

Notice any shifts since we began.

A little more space here,

A gentle weight there.

Or simply clearer contact with what's true.

All of it is welcome.

Maybe touch your intention lightly once more.

I notice what I feel.

Kindly.

I notice what I feel.

Allow the breath to remain soft.

As you slowly widen your awareness to the room you're in.

Feel the exact places you meet the ground.

Notice the air on your face.

The blankets weight.

The ordinary sounds around you.

And slowly invite small movements back into the body.

Fingers,

Toes,

Wrists,

Ankles.

Perhaps a yawn or a soft hum.

If it feels good,

Reach long through fingers and toes.

And then release.

Relax.

Roll to one side and pause.

Head heavy,

Belly soft,

Breath steady.

And when you're ready,

Come up to a seated position with a gentle gaze.

And silently name two words to mark your state now.

One sensation word.

Something like warm,

Steady,

Buzzy,

Clear,

Spacious.

And if present,

One emotion word.

Calm,

Tender,

Relieved,

Present.

That is enough.

Your yoga nidra practice is now completed.

Thank you for taking time for yourself and thank you for joining me today.