Yoga Nidra For Sleep And Deep Relaxation

Welcome to this yoga nidra practice for deep rest and relaxation.

This short practice will help you nestle into yourself and away from the busy world.

Here you can connect with your breath,

Your heart and your soul.

True rest is one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of our health and wellbeing.

But the practice of yoga nidra offers us the tools we need to repose and rise in a natural,

Easy way.

The practice of yoga nidra is like opening a Russian doll.

It works by peeling back the layers of our body and mind so we may eventually access the bliss body,

The true nature of our spirit.

Take a moment now to relax.

If you are lying down,

Make sure both the legs and arms are resting away from the body,

With your palms facing upwards towards the sky.

Cover yourself with a blanket and place pillows beneath your head and knees for extra comfort.

As you settle,

Notice if you could be more comfortable.

A few final adjustments as you find your still point.

Notice if you are holding any tension in your body.

Relax the shoulders away from the neck and ears.

Gently release any tension that may be held in the jaw or forehead.

Do not worry if you fall asleep during this practice,

Your subconscious will still hear my voice.

If you haven't done so already,

Please gently close the eyes.

Give yourself permission to take this time to rest.

The practice of yoga nidra will now begin.

I'd like you now to notice the subtle sounds that are just outside of the room wherever you are doing this practice.

Simply listen to the sounds as they come into your awareness,

Without attaching any judgement or thought to the sound.

Spread your sense of hearing even further now.

Send it out like a radar beam into the far and distant sounds.

Bring the awareness of sounds back in closer now,

Back to the sounds that are just outside of the room.

The sounds that may be inside the room.

The sound of your own breath.

It is now time to cultivate your sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a short positive statement set in the present tense.

It is something you want to see arise in your life,

Your heart's deepest desire.

If you are not currently working with a sankalpa,

For the purposes of this yoga nidra practice,

You may wish to cultivate something along the lines of,

I sleep easily and effortlessly each night.

I am worthy of deep rest and relaxation.

Whatever comes to you in this moment,

Let it come,

Let it arise.

And repeat your sankalpa silently to yourself three times.

And then let it go.

We will now rotate the awareness through the physical body.

As each body part is named,

I would like you to feel it,

Feel its weight,

Its shape and its energy.

Visualise that body part before moving on to the next as it is named.

Bring the awareness to the right hand thumb.

Forefinger of the right hand.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Small finger.

Palm.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Arm pit.

Shoulder.

Right side of the chest.

Right side of the stomach.

Right hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Shoulder.

Shinn.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sol of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Be sure you are still following my voice.

Be sure you are still following my voice with full awareness.

Become aware of the left hand thumb.

Forefinger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Small finger.

Palm.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Arm pit.

Shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

Left side of the stomach.

Left hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Shin.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sol of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Become aware of the right side of the buttocks.

Left side of the buttocks.

Right side of the back.

Left side of the back.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

The space between the shoulder blades.

The spine from base to top.

The spine from the tailbone through to the top.

Feel the back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Top of the head.

Forehead.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Right eye.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

The eyebrow centre.

Nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Throat.

Chest.

Diaphragm.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

The pelvis.

Feel the whole of the right leg from hip to toe.

The whole of the left leg from hip to toe.

The whole of the right arm.

The whole of the left arm.

Feel the head.

The face.

Both legs.

Both arms.

Trunk of the body.

The whole of the right side of the body.

The whole of the left side of the body.

The whole body.

The whole physical body.

Feel the whole physical body deeply relaxed.

I'd like you now to bring your awareness to your breath.

Feel the subtle breath as it flows in and out of the nostrils.

Feel the expansion as the breath fills the chest and the abdomen.

Feel the release as you exhale.

As you continue breathing I'd like you to silently count backwards from 15 like this.

Breathe in 15.

Breathe out 15.

Breathe in 14.

Breathe out 14.

Continue breathing in this way until you reach zero.

Do not force or analyse the breath.

Simply allow it to do what it was always designed to do.

Simply just breathe.

Just keep breathing,

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

That's it!

Releasing the awareness of the breath now,

I'd like you to feel the body heavy.

Feel the feeling of heaviness throughout the whole physical body.

Every inch and cell of your body feels so heavy it could not be lifted.

Replace this now with a feeling of lightness.

The body feels so light it could dance away on an autumn breeze.

Feel every inch and cell of the body light.

It is now time to bring back to mind your sankalpa,

Your seed of intent that you made at the beginning of this practice.

Once again repeat your sankalpa silently to yourself three times.

And then let it go.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

If you intend to carry on with your day,

Gently start to wiggle the fingers and toes.

Move the head gently from side to side.

And reach the arms overhead for a full body stretch.

When you are ready slowly roll to the right side and take three deep nourishing breaths here before coming back up to a seated position.

Nudge the fingers to the side.

Nudge from side to side.

You You You You You You You