Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest

Namaste.

I'm Rosalie and this is a yoga nidra meditation for total relaxation.

I'll be guiding your body to deeply relax whilst you keep your mind awake and alert.

You'll enter the hypnagogic states,

The state of consciousness between being awake and being asleep.

During yoga nidra,

We focus on the act of hearing and feeling.

All you have to do is relax and listen to this recording.

Just follow these instructions with your complete attention without trying to analyze anything I say.

Let's begin.

Lie down and find your most comfortable position.

Stretch your legs out and let your feet flop to the sides.

You might like to cover yourself with a blanket,

You might like a cushion underneath your head,

Or perhaps something to cover your eyes.

Make sure you feel completely comfortable,

Warm,

And safe in your own little yoga nidra nest.

Allow your arms to relax by your sides,

Palms facing up.

Take a moment here to shift around and make any last adjustments to find your most comfortable position.

Throughout the practice,

Try to remain completely still.

But if there's anything that prevents you from fully relaxing,

For example if you need to scratch,

There's no harm in moving,

But then return to stillness.

Now I'd like you to silently repeat to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am awake and alert.

With every exhale,

Feel your body getting heavier and heavier,

Sinking deeper and deeper.

Feel all the meeting points between your back and body and the surface beneath you.

With every exhale,

Let any tension drain from the body.

Just letting go.

Now bring your awareness to all the sounds outside your room.

Focus on the most distant sound that you can hear.

Move your attention from sound to sound without judging,

Without analyzing anything.

Now bring your awareness closer and notice all the sounds inside your room.

Let your attention move from sound to sound,

Just observing.

Now feel all the meeting points between your back body and the surface beneath you.

Imagine and feel the walls around you,

The ceiling above you.

Visualize yourself,

Your physical body,

Lying down.

Now draw your awareness inwards and ask yourself what is the one thing you would like to develop or achieve in your life right now.

Just allow that to come to you,

To emerge from within you.

What is the one thing above all others?

Now formulate a sankalpa,

A sacred affirmation,

Based on this desire.

This is a short,

Positive statement in the present tense.

Perhaps I am fit and full of energy.

Perhaps I speak with confidence and clarity.

Whatever it is for you,

Form your affirmation now.

Now I would like you to repeat this affirmation to yourself three times.

Say it the same way each time and really feel as though it is already happening as you say it.

Now let it go.

We will begin now to rotate our awareness through different parts of the body.

All you have to do is relax and listen to this recording.

Simply feel each part of the body as I name it,

Without moving a muscle,

And bring a sense of relaxation to that area.

We will move quickly from one part to the next.

Bring all your awareness,

All your feeling into your right thumb.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Palm of your hand,

The back of your hand,

Your right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Your right shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Your right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Your right ankle,

Sole of your foot,

The top of your foot,

Your right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and little toe.

Allow the whole right side of your body to completely relax,

Whilst keeping your mind awake and alert.

Focus now on your left thumb.

Bring all your awareness,

All your feeling into your left thumb.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Palm of your hand,

The back of your hand,

Your left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Your left shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Your left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Your left ankle,

The sole of your foot,

The top of your foot,

Your left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and little toe.

Allow all the muscles of the left side of your body to relax,

Keeping your mind awake and alert.

Focus now on your back body.

Feel both heels on the surface beneath you,

The back of your legs,

Your bum cheeks,

Your lower back,

Your middle back,

Your upper back and the back of your head.

Allowing all the muscles of the back body to completely relax.

Allowing your whole body to completely relax,

Keeping your mind awake and alert.

Focus now on the crown of your head.

Allow all the muscles of the crown of your head to relax.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to flow downwards,

Through the forehead,

To the right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The points between your eyebrows.

Feel your right eye,

All the little muscles around the eye,

Your left eye,

All the little muscles around the left eye,

Your nose,

Your right cheek,

Your left cheek,

Your upper lip,

Your bottom lip,

Your tongue,

The root of the tongue,

Your gums,

Your teeth,

Your jaw,

Completely relaxed.

Allow all the muscles of your face and your head to relax.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to flow downwards,

Through the neck,

Into your shoulders.

Feel your shoulders melting into the surface beneath you.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to continue down your right arm,

Through the elbow,

All the way down to your fingertips.

Feel only your right arm completely relaxed.

Now your left arm.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to flow from the left shoulder,

Through your elbow,

All the way down to your fingertips.

Feel only your left arm completely relaxed.

Now feel both arms together.

Feel both arms together.

Feel the centre of your chest,

Your belly,

Your hips completely relaxed.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to continue down your right leg,

Through your thigh,

Your knee,

All the way down to the tips of your toes.

Can you feel only your right leg completely relaxed?

And now your left leg.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to flow from your left hip,

Through your thigh,

To the knee,

All the way down to the tips of your toes.

Can you feel only your left leg completely relaxed?

Now feel both legs together.

Feeling both legs together.

Now feel the whole of your back body.

Feel the whole of your front body.

Now feel your whole body as one.

Feel your whole body as one.

Lying here,

Completely relaxed,

Completely still,

Keeping your mind awake and alert.

Now bring your awareness to your breath.

Just feel the flow of the breath in and out of the body.

And as you notice the natural rhythm of the breath,

Counting down from 10,

Inhale for 10,

Exhale for 10,

Inhale for 9,

Exhale for 9,

Inhale for 8,

Exhale for 8,

Continue all the way down to zero,

Following your own counts.

Now let it go.

Feeling your whole body completely relaxed.

But keeping your mind awake and alert.

Invite now the feeling of heaviness into your body.

Feel your body so heavy it starts to sink deeper and deeper into the surface beneath you.

Now lightness.

Invite the feeling of lightness through the whole body.

Feel your body so light you start to float upwards,

As light as a feather floating upwards.

And now coldness.

Invite the feeling of coldness through your whole body.

It's wintertime.

You're lying outside on the cold frozen ground.

Feel the coldness on your skin,

Your bones,

And deep within.

And now heat.

Invite the feeling of heat through your whole body.

It's nighttime.

You're sitting outside in front of a huge bonfire.

Feel the heat from the flames on your skin,

On your clothes,

And deep within.

And now sadness.

Remain detached.

Remember an event or situation that brought you deep sadness.

Notice what comes up for you.

Notice what sadness feels like in your body.

And where you feel it in your body.

And now joy.

Invite the feeling of joy through your whole body.

Remain detached.

Remember an event or situation that brought you deep joy.

Notice what comes up for you.

Notice what joy feels like in your body.

And where you feel it in your body.

And allow this feeling of pure joy to flow through every cell in every part of your body.

Now let it go.

Lying here completely relaxed with your mind awake and alert.

Bring your awareness back to the point in between your eyebrows and visualize yourself lying in a field of green grass.

The grass is so thick and soft beneath you.

Feel your whole body being supported by the earth beneath you.

Imagine the scent of flowers in the air,

The sound of birds in the distance,

A gentle breeze in the warmth of the sun caressing your skin.

Imagine a vast blue sky above you,

Lying here feeling completely relaxed,

Completely at ease,

Completely free.

Just allow your mind to drift.

Keeping your mind open and receptive to whatever comes.

Allowing any messages,

Any insights,

Any visions to bubble up to the surface.

Perhaps asking the question,

What do I need to know?

Ask the question and then let it go.

Ask the question again,

What do I need to know?

Allowing any insights,

Any messages to come forth.

Ask yourself one more time,

What do I need to know?

Now let it go.

I'd like you now to come back to that sankalpa,

That affirmation that you said at the beginning of this practice.

And I'd like you to visualize what you look like with this in your life.

Make this picture as clear and as detailed as you can.

Notice where you are,

Is there anyone with you?

Notice the expression on your face.

Ask yourself,

How does it feel for this to be a part of you?

Allow all those feelings to come forth.

Really feel what it's like for this affirmation to be true and manifest.

Allow all those feelings to flow through every cell in every part of your body.

Allow all these good feelings,

All this good energy to start to expand and radiate outwards.

With the power of your mind,

See if you can send all this good energy,

All these good feelings above you.

Send them beneath you,

To the right and to the left.

So you're lying here,

Completely encircled in a big bubble of good feeling.

Really feel this.

From this space,

Repeat your affirmation to yourself three times.

Say it the same way each time and really feel as though it's already happening as you say it.

Now let it go.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

It's time to come fully back into your body,

Fully back into this space.

Remember this feeling of being completely relaxed is always here waiting for you.

It's just a few breaths away.

But for now,

Bring your awareness into your right thumb.

Slowly make little circles with the thumb and then brush it across your fingertips.

Bring all your awareness into the left thumb.

Make little circles with the thumb and then brush it across your fingertips.

And then perhaps starting to make little circles with the wrists and bring your awareness down into your toes.

Start to wiggle through the toes,

Perhaps making little circles with the ankles.

And in your own time,

Go ahead and give yourself a really nice big stretch.

And when it feels right,

Just start to bend your knee.

Allow your knees to fall over towards the right.

Curl yourself up into a little ball.

Just pause here for a moment,

Noticing any shifts,

Any changes from your practice today.

And remembering what it felt like to have all those good feelings flowing through you and around you,

What you felt moments ago.

And perhaps setting an intention to allow all those good feelings to follow you into the rest of your day,

The rest of your week.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today.

Have a wonderful day.

Namaste.