Yoga Nidra For Calmness And Focus

So just start by making yourself comfortable.

You can lie down on your back,

On your side,

On your belly.

Whatever is most comfortable for you.

And also make sure you're warm enough.

Your body might cool down a bit.

And then start by drawing a circle around yourself.

This is a protective circle of energy.

It might have a color,

A scent or warmth that suits you.

And it's up to you to decide how large or small the circle is.

You can even create multiple circles if that feels right.

These circles are meant to protect you and keep out anything that doesn't serve you during this yoga nidra session.

So within these circles you are absolutely safe.

And we'll continue with opening the senses.

So you can start by bringing your attention to the inside of your mouth.

And what do you feel?

Perhaps you notice your tongue touching your teeth.

Maybe there's a taste,

Something bitter,

Something sweet.

Let your jaw be heavy,

Your tongue relax in your mouth.

Feel how your throat softens.

And then shift your focus to your ears.

And what do you hear?

Maybe there are sounds close by,

Maybe some further away.

And then focus on the sounds that are furthest away and from there let your attention go from sound to sound to sound.

And notice how all of the sounds stay outside of the circles that you are in.

Then bring your attention to your nose.

Feel how cool air is entering your nostrils,

Warm air is leaving.

You might notice a scent,

You might feel this subtle difference between your left and right nostrils.

Then bring your awareness to your eyes.

See if you can rest your eyes in the eye sockets.

Let them be heavy and relax.

And relax all the small muscles in and around your eyes.

You don't need to see anything here,

Just relax.

Soften your forehead and your temples.

Feel how your entire face is becoming softer.

And then bring your attention to your skin.

Can you feel your own skin?

Maybe you sense a little bit of air on your skin.

Maybe some places in your body feel warmer,

Others feel cooler.

Perhaps you feel your clothing softly against your skin.

And just let your skin relax and open.

And we will continue with the body scan.

So bring your awareness to your right foot.

Feel the toes,

The arch,

The heel and the top of your foot.

Let your attention gently flow through the entire foot.

From the toes to the heel.

Notice every sensation in your right foot.

Whether it's tension,

Warmth,

Coolness or maybe nothing at all.

And then shift your attention to your left foot.

Sensing the toes,

Arch,

The heel.

Let your breath flow through your feet.

Releasing any tension you encounter.

And then move your awareness to your ankles,

Both of them.

Feel the sensations in this area,

Let them soften.

Bring your focus to your lower legs,

Your calves and your shins.

Feeling the muscles that are wrapped around your bones.

And let your legs become heavy and soft.

Slowly shift to your knees.

Feeling the space around the knees,

Including the kneecaps.

And allow your knees to completely relax.

Like they're bearing no weight at all.

And then focus on your thighs.

Feel the muscles and their connection to your body.

To your hips.

Let your thighs grow heavy.

And move your awareness to your hips and your pelvis.

Feel the entire pelvic area,

Its weight and the connection to the mat.

And let this whole area be heavy,

Sink down a little deeper into the mat.

Now shift your focus to your lower back.

And notice how your lower back touches the mat.

And with each breath you allow your lower back to relax a little bit further.

Feeling your spine lengthen and soften.

And then bring your attention to your belly.

Feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly with each breath.

Let your belly feel soft and open.

And then focus on the center of your chest.

Feel how your ribs expand slightly with each inhale.

And relax with each exhale.

Notice your heartbeat and the spaciousness in your chest.

Now move to your shoulders.

Feel any tension you might be holding.

Allow your shoulders to grow lighter as they relax.

Shift your attention to your arms and hands.

Feel your right arm from the shoulder to the wrists,

Down to your hand.

Relax your arm and hand and all the fingers of the right hand.

Feel your left arm from the shoulder to the wrists,

Down to the left hand.

And all the fingers of the left hand.

Notice how both arms become heavier and heavier.

And focus on your neck and throat.

Let your shoulders soften downward.

Release any tension in your throat.

And finally bring your awareness to your face.

Relax your jaw,

Your eyes,

Your forehead.

Let every facial muscle release tension.

Feel your face soften.

Letting go of everything.

And then bring your attention to the crown of your head.

And from the crown of your head outwards,

Feel the space,

The connection with the air above you.

And then sense your whole body,

Your whole body being heavy and relaxed from the feet to the toes.

From the feet to the top of the head.

And see if you can feel your entire body as one.

The whole body as one.

And then we'll focus on the breathing.

Feel the back of your head resting on the floor.

Feel the eyes resting in the eye sockets.

Notice your jaw.

Take your attention to your right shoulder and then exhale down from your right arm to your right hand and fingertips.

Exhaling from the right shoulder all the way to the fingertips.

Now feel your left shoulder and exhale down the entire length of your left arm to your left hand and fingertips.

Exhaling from the left shoulder all the way to the fingertips.

And notice your upper back.

Middle back.

Lower back.

Lower back.

All resting on the floor.

Feel your pelvic region.

Focus on your right hip.

Exhale down the entire length of your right leg to the tips of your right toes.

Exhaling all the way from the right hip to the toes.

Shift your attention to your left hip.

Exhaling down the length of your left leg to the tips of your left toes.

Exhale all the way from the left hip to the toes.

Now exhale from both hips at the same time to all your toes.

Exhale from both hips to all ten toes.

And then exhale from the crown of the head all the way down to your toes.

From the crown of the head all the way down to your toes.

And just be aware of your entire body as one breathing hole.

And maybe you experience some tingling,

Some movement or vibrations.

These are all signs of life force within you.

And then we'll end this yoga nidra with a visualization for some calmness and grounding and focus.

You can imagine yourself standing in a forest.

And your feet are firmly connected to the earth.

Maybe you're standing on bare feet.

It's very calm and quiet around you.

Maybe you hear some gentle rustling of leaves in the wind.

Maybe a bird is singing a song.

And these sounds of nature bring you to a deep state of peace.

And if you take your attention to your feet,

It's like there's roots growing out of your feet into the earth.

Deep into the earth.

These roots are connecting you to the ground,

Providing you with stability and calmness.

And you sense how the earth is holding and nourishing you.

And you look around you in this forest and you see a clearing in the forest.

And in this clearing stands an ancient tree with a very big trunk,

Deep green leaves.

And you can see that it's an old tree.

And it radiates a lot of strength.

Strength and clarity.

And you decide to sit down quietly at the base of the tree.

And you notice how your roots are connecting with the tree's roots.

In the earth.

So now imagine just sitting here,

Closing your eyes in this place.

And imagine a beam of light forming in your head.

And this light flows down from the crown of your head,

Down your forehead and your eyes,

All the way to your heart.

And this light is your inner focus.

And you can allow this light to grow brighter and spread throughout the body,

The whole body.

Keeping you calm and grounded.

And this light will help you clearly see what truly matters.

So maybe an image or a thought or a wish emerges that represents your focus at this time.

What is important to you right now?

What do you need to focus on?

What do you really need to focus on right now?

Spend a moment with this image or this feeling or whatever is coming up for you.

Calmly keep breathing in and out,

Strengthening this image in your mind.

And just notice how calm and grounded and focused you are.

And know that anytime you are looking for more focus or clarity,

You can come back to this yoga nidra and this visualization.

For now,

Slowly take yourself back to wherever you are.

Noticing your body.

Noticing whatever is going on in your body.

And if you want to stay a little bit longer where you are,

Then feel free to do so.

Otherwise,

You can maybe take a deeper breath in and out.

Slowly start moving your fingers,

Your toes,

Your hands and your feet.

Maybe running that hand or foot ahead from side to side a few times.

And take your time to come on to your side.

And from there,

Push yourself up to a seated position.

Bring your hands together in front of your heart and just take a moment to thank yourself for taking a little time out of your day to find focus,

Clarity and calmness.

Thank you so much for joining me in this yoga nidra session.