50-Minute Deep Sleep Nidra: Dawn To Dusk Lake Journey

Welcome to this meditation to prepare for deep sleep.

Practicing yoga nidra right before bed allows the mind to slow down and start to transition out of the busyness of your day.

It gives your body a chance to unwind and release any stress that it's carrying and allows you to cultivate a deep sense of calm that you can take with you as you drift off into the dream world.

In this practice tonight,

We'll be imagining resting beside a peaceful lake,

Witnessing the day as it slowly unfolds from dawn to dusk.

And when this practice ends,

I'll gently prompt you to drift off into a deep,

Healing sleep.

Try to maintain a hint of consciousness until the very end of the recording,

But if you do lose track of my voice or you fall asleep,

This might be just what your body needs.

Know that your experience is unfolding exactly as it should.

So as we arrive in this space together,

I invite you to really start to settle down into your bed,

Positioning your body in any way that feels deeply supportive,

Lying on your back or your side,

And taking all the time you need to adjust your sheets,

Blankets and pillows.

Cozying down and finding your perfect position for sleep,

And then allow both eyes to close and soften,

Beginning to release any tension that you're holding onto in your forehead.

Then,

Gently parting your lips,

Unclenching both sides of your jaw,

And allowing all the muscles in your face to be soft,

Loose and heavy.

Allow your shoulders to sink back and down away from your ears,

And imagine that you could lengthen out your entire spine,

One vertebrae at a time,

Softening any tension that you're holding onto in your belly,

Your hips,

Low back,

Allowing all stress and worry to leave your body,

And then taking a deep breath in through the nose,

Squeezing and tightening all the muscles in your body,

Holding the tightness,

And then releasing,

Exhaling and letting go.

Again,

Take another big inhale as you squeeze and tighten every part of your body,

And then exhale letting it all go.

One last time,

A big inhale in through the nose as you squeeze and tighten every part of your body,

And then releasing,

Exhaling and letting go,

And allowing your breath to its natural pattern,

To move in and out in an effortless way,

Allowing each breath to connect you into your body and into the present moment,

Feeling the momentum of your day starting to slow down,

Releasing any thoughts or mental chatter,

Allowing yourself just to feel into the container of your body,

Sensing the location of your body in the room that you're lying in,

Noticing the distance between your body and the ceiling above you,

And the distance between your body and the floor,

And then start to attune to your whole inner landscape,

Mentally starting to scan your body from the crown of your head to the base of your spine,

Noticing as you do if there are any sensations arising,

Any areas of your body that feel alive,

Breathing into any areas that feel tight,

Allowing some space and release as you inhale and exhale,

Noticing now the fluctuations of your mind,

Does your mind feel anxious,

Distracted,

Scattered,

Or does it feel calm and ready for sleep,

Just noticing everything without judgment,

Anything that's arising,

Release any expectations,

Any negative messages or limiting beliefs that you're still holding onto,

How would it feel to accept yourself as you are,

To hold yourself lovingly,

To know that you are already enough,

Remembering that this is an effortless practice and all you have to do is listen to my voice,

Your breath continuing to flow gently in and out,

Whole body slipping further down into rest,

Softening your entire forehead,

Your chin,

The lines at the corner of both eyes and all the micromuscles behind the eyes,

Allowing your eyes to drop down heavy towards the center of your head,

Allowing your lips to gently part,

Releasing any tension in your teeth,

Tongue,

Or jaw,

Allowing your face to adopt a neutral expression,

Allowing all your limbs to sink down and release,

Arms,

Hands,

Legs,

And feet,

Releasing the low back and hips,

A sense of calm and ease to flow through your entire body,

Bringing in now an intention for your practice,

A powerful word or phrase that will imprint on your mind,

Knowing that the most important words are the ones that you say to yourself,

Let go of the judgment and ask yourself what do you most need to bring into your life right now,

What words deeply resonate with you,

Or maybe it's just simply a feeling or an image,

A color or symbol that you're calling in,

Whatever it is,

Welcome your intention into your mind now,

Imagine that this intention is like a seed that you're planting into the deepest layers of your subconscious,

Silently repeating it three times,

Affirming it as if it is already true,

Continuing to relax and prepare for sleep,

We will now circulate your consciousness through your body,

So as I guide your attention to each body part,

Just notice any sensations or energy arising there,

Can you begin by bringing all your awareness to the sensations in your mouth,

Noticing any and all sensations in your entire mouth,

Awareness now to the tip of your tongue,

The base of your tongue,

The roof of your mouth,

Inside the right cheek,

And inside the left cheek,

Awareness to all your teeth and gums,

And then the entire mouth at once,

Bringing your complete awareness now to the very tip of your nose,

Noticing the air flowing in and out,

Awareness to the bridge of the nose,

And then the entire nose all at once,

Awareness resting now in the space right between both eyebrows,

And then bringing your awareness over to the right eyebrow,

The right temple,

The right cheekbone,

And the entire right eye itself,

And all the little muscles behind the right eye,

The whole right eye at once,

Relaxed and letting go,

Awareness now flowing to your left eyebrow,

And all the muscles behind the left eye,

Warm and filled with sensation,

Attention and awareness now scanning the whole forehead,

Flowing through the scalp and the hair,

And the space between both ears,

Sensing into both hemispheres of the brain,

Imagining the whole forehead,

And the entire brain,

Softening,

Unwinding,

And letting go,

Sensing your way over now to your right ear,

Noticing first the whole outside of the right ear,

The fold of the right ear,

The right ear lobe,

And then deep into the right ear canal,

The entire right ear listening to all sounds,

Awareness flowing to the left ear,

The folds of the left ear,

The ear lobe,

And deep into the inner ear canal,

The entire left ear open and listening to sounds,

All your awareness now to both sides of your jaw,

And the hinge points of both sides of your jaw,

And then flowing your awareness to the very tip of your chin,

Through the throat,

The base of the throat,

And then coming to rest in the very center of your chest,

Lingering here in the center of your chest,

Here at the heart for a moment,

Feeling any sensation in this area,

And then from the center of your chest,

Flowing your awareness down both shoulders,

Both upper arms,

Both elbows,

Through both lower arms,

The back of both hands,

The palms of both hands,

Then flowing into both thumbs,

And second fingers,

Third fingers,

Fourth fingers,

And fifth fingers,

And then flowing your awareness into all 10 fingers,

Awareness flowing from the tips of the fingers up through both arms,

Allowing both arms and hands to relax and let go even more,

Attention flowing back to the center of your chest,

And then down through the navel,

And then sinking down into the pelvis,

Flowing through both hips,

Through both thighs,

Through both knees,

Both calves and shins,

Both ankles,

Both heels,

The soles of both feet,

And the tops of both feet,

And then flowing into all 10 toes at once,

And the tips of all 10 toes,

Now sensing both legs from the tips of the toes to the top of your hips,

Allowing both legs and feet to soften and rest even more,

Sensing the whole trunk of the body at once,

And sensing both arms and hands,

The neck,

Face,

And head,

And then the whole body at once,

The whole body resting deeply,

All the cells in your body welcoming the medicine of presence and deep rest,

Start to observe your breath again,

And feel the air as it enters and leaves your body,

Breath flowing in and out of your nose,

Throat,

Lungs,

Each breath soothing your whole nervous system,

Let yourself rest in the ebb and flow,

Recognizing that the rhythm of your breath like the rising and setting sun is flowing in a constant cycle,

The breath leaves and returns to the body,

The sun rises and falls each day,

Can you start to imagine or sense a rising sun,

Picturing a rising sun in the space of your heart,

A rising sun,

Light and expansive,

Imagining the sun setting in your heart space,

All the various colors and shades as the sun gently sets in the sky,

Moving between these opposites,

Rising sun,

Setting sun,

Rising sun,

Just imagining,

In and out of your awareness as you take each breath,

Releasing the visualization,

Listening to my voice as I guide you down even further,

9x22 start to envision yourself sitting at the edge of a calm still lake,

A beautiful lake of your own imagination,

Imagine that you plan to spend the whole day simply resting at the edge of this lake,

Just beginning to imagine the sun slowly beginning to rise over the lake,

Casting its first rays of light over the water,

The sky filling with shades of pinks and gold,

Noticing that the thin layer of mist that is resting on the surface of the lake is starting to dissolve and fade away,

The birds are beginning to sing their morning song,

And the world is starting to slowly wake up all around you,

Feeling peaceful and at ease as you rest here in the stillness,

Resting by your lake,

And as you witness the beginning of this day,

Time starting to unfold before you and the hours starting to slip softly by,

And noticing the sun slowly inching higher in the sky now,

Sunlight beginning to warm your skin,

Noticing the glints of gold as the sunlight sparkles off the lake's surface,

And witnessing the sky shifting from soft pink to a golden yellow,

With each passing moment noticing the sun's light growing a little warmer,

A little stronger,

And more radiant as the sun climbs higher and higher in the bright blue sky,

As you continue to rest and appreciate the beauty all around you,

Time continuing to gently move forward as the sun starts its slow descent in the sky,

As the light starts to take on a golden soft hue,

And as the sun slowly edges towards the horizon,

The sky begins to turn shades of pink and purple,

And the coolness of the evening starts to settle in,

Observing the last rays of the sun now stretching across the water as the sun dips below the horizon and the sky begins to deepen to a dark indigo blue,

Transitioning out of the day and into the night,

The whole world beginning to slow down as a deep sense of peace and connection infuses your whole body,

Noticing the surface of the lake is now completely calm and still,

The insects and frogs are starting up their nighttime chorus,

The first stars are starting to twinkle in the sky above you,

And as you continue to rest,

Connecting into the stillness and peace,

Connecting with the darkness of the evening,

The sounds all around you,

Knowing that you are part of nature itself,

Part of its fundamental rhythms,

The rhythms of the rising and setting sun,

The rhythm of dawn turning into day,

And day flowing into night,

Releasing the visualization and allowing yourself now to rest back into your true sky-like nature,

Resting back into that pure and spacious presence that is already happening,

Emptying yourself of all stories,

Emotions,

Releasing any patterns of imbalance,

And then planting your intention again in the deepest realms of your subconscious mind by repeating it silently to yourself three times,

Resting into the experience of your intention,

Allowing it to be everywhere,

Releasing all thoughts of today or tomorrow,

Knowing that you have done enough this day,

Feel your body becoming heavier,

Your mind softer,

Ready to flow down into sleep,

The day is complete,

It's time for your body to rest,

To release any last bit of consciousness,

And give yourself permission to drift off,

Letting sleep find you as you sink down into a deep and healing sleep,