65-Minute Yoga Nidra for Physical, Mental & Emotional Health

Welcome!

It's great to have you here.

My name is Stefano,

And I'll be guiding you through Yoga Nidra,

A meditation that mirrors the physiological process of sleep.

I'll be guiding you through a sequence of meditation,

Mindfulness,

And relaxation techniques that will help you relax at the level of the physical body,

The breath,

The mind,

And through deeper aspects of your being.

Yoga Nidra is a form of NSDR,

Non-sleep deep rest.

It is a practice that will provide many of the same benefits of natural sleep.

The ultimate goal of Yoga Nidra is to reach a state where you can remain conscious even in the deepest levels of non-dreaming sleep,

Where you reach delta brain waves.

However,

That naturally arises on its own.

You may catch glimpses of it in this practice,

But there's no need to set an expectation.

It will happen by itself.

And the more you practice,

The better you'll be able to maintain awareness during deeper and deeper levels of relaxation,

And you'll be able to carry these benefits throughout your waking life.

Just allow this time to be an opportunity for rest,

Relaxation,

And restoration,

And surrender your body to the surfaces that provide support.

There's nothing to do or achieve now.

Just follow along and allow all tensions and worries to melt away.

All you need to do is find a comfortable position,

Either lying down in shavasana,

Shavasana,

The corpse pose,

Using either a yoga mat or your bed or any comfortable surface with support under your knees and maybe a pillow for the back of your head.

For the corpse pose,

Simply lie down on your back,

Allow your legs to separate,

And let go of all holding in your legs.

You don't need to keep them straight.

Just allow your feet to fall open to either side.

Bring your arms alongside your body,

And slightly separate them from your torso at a 30 or 60 degree angle,

Whatever feels most comfortable.

And turn your palms to face the sky without trying to keep them open.

Maintain a position that allows your fingers to curl inward.

Tuck your shoulder blades onto your back for support,

Without strain.

Once you have set up your limbs,

Release any effort from holding them in position.

Allow your whole body to relax,

Dropping any expression from the face,

And allow your whole body to feel heavy as you surrender your weight to the field of gravity.

It's recommended that you it's recommended that you have a blanket,

Maybe an eye pillow,

If it feels more comfortable.

And again,

Don't worry if you fall asleep or if your mind wanders.

The moment that you're able to come back to my voice and listen to the instructions,

Gently guide your attention back and follow the instructions to the best of your abilities.

If you can,

Remain as still as possible.

But if there's any discomfort or pain,

Notice it for a few moments.

And if it goes away,

Continue with the guidance.

And if it doesn't,

Gently readjust yourself so that you can be 10,

5,

Or even 1% more comfortable.

Allow yourself to completely relax during the practice.

And if you need to,

You can always assume a comfortable meditative posture in the seated position,

Making sure that you have a straight spine,

Allowing your neck to be tall,

Keeping your chin tucked in,

Chest forward,

And making sure that your hands are going to be on your lap with palms facing upward.

Also,

While maintaining a seated posture,

Make sure that your shoulders are dropped and relaxed,

Allowing yourself to maintain this posture with ease and without strain.

You can even practice yoga nidra while standing up if you have any pain in your spine.

Again,

Choose the position posture that is most comfortable to you.

And allow yourself to make any adjustments at the beginning so that you can become deeply focused on your inner experience as the practice continues.

Typically,

We practice yoga nidra with the eyes closed.

But if for any reason this is not accessible to you or it produces discomfort,

Know that you can practice with your eyes open while maintaining a very soft gaze to the distance.

No matter what position or posture you assume,

Just make sure that your limbs and extremities are not making contact with other objects in the room.

As you continue to practice yoga nidra,

You will become more and more sensitive to touch,

Especially in your fingers and toes.

So make sure to keep your extremities away from a wall or bedpost.

Just make sure you have enough space to practice comfortably.

Also,

Know that as you practice yoga nidra,

It is common for your body temperature to drop as it mirrors natural sleep.

Have a blanket on the ready in case you need it.

Make sure that you take a few moments to pick a setting where you won't be distracted or disturbed.

Yoga nidra is typically practiced in an environment that mimics sleep.

So a cool,

Dark,

Quiet room would be optimal.

But again,

See what is available to you in the moment and go with that.

We'll be practicing different styles of yoga nidra.

The practice we'll do today will be of the amrit style of yoga nidra.

This is I am yoga nidra,

The integrated amrit method of yoga nidra.

I will give you a reminder of all of these things,

But make sure that you take a few moments now to get ready and you can assume a comfortable position to follow along without interruptions.

And take a mental note of how you're feeling now in body and mind.

When you're done with the practice,

Notice any changes,

However subtle you may experience,

So that you can begin to assess the impact of yoga nidra above body.

And now we'll begin the practice.

Any sounds or music in the recording will gently fall away.

As we begin the practice,

Place the arms on the floor above your head.

Inhale,

Stretch the arms and legs in opposite directions.

Stretch,

Stretch,

And release.

And release,

Keeping the arms above the head.

Again,

Inhale,

Stretch,

Stretch,

Stretch,

And release.

Last time,

Stretch,

Stretch,

Stretch.

Now let go completely.

Allow the arms to come to the sides.

Take one last breath in and release the tension in your belly with the outgoing breath.

Feel a blanket of heaviness washing over the face,

The arms,

The weight of the spine,

The legs,

Whole body.

Maintaining this inner awareness,

Gently begin rubbing the palms together to the degree that you feel comfortable.

Place your fingertips on your eyelids,

The entire surface of the palms touching your face.

Start now by massaging the face,

The fingers working from the eyebrows up to the hairline,

Moving out to the temples,

Circling the fingers at the temples,

Moving down to the joints of the jaw,

Along the jawline to the chin.

Massage around the parentheses of the mouth,

Up to the bridge of the nose,

Around the orbits of the eyes,

Moving to the ears,

Massaging in front of and behind the ears.

And maybe even a gentle pull on the earlobes,

Feeling tensions and holding melt away.

Melt away.

Squeeze the back of the neck and maybe even the shoulders.

Now place the entire surface of the palms on the face,

Fingertips on the eyelids.

Drop all expression from the face.

Take a deep breath in and let go.

Take another deep breath in and let go even more.

Release your arms to your sides.

You may cover your arms and place an eye pillow over your eyes if you like.

Feel the impact flooding the whole body and the entire being.

Bathe in the sensations.

Now bring your attention to the face.

With your next exhalation,

Allow all expression to drop from the face,

Releasing the tiny muscles around the eyes,

Allowing the eyeballs to rest back in their sockets,

Releasing the tiny muscles around the mouth,

Tongue resting in the mouth,

Lower jaw gently opening,

Softening,

Allowing the cheeks to soften towards the floor,

Scalp resting on the skull,

Neck softening,

Easing.

Simply be available to the entire range of sensations in the face and head.

Now drop into a sense of your whole bodily presence.

Embrace this present moment's experience undistorted but white,

Undistorted by what you like or don't like.

Let go of what is going.

Let come that which is coming.

This becomes your connection to source.

Close your eyes and allow your attention to turn inward.

Bring your attention to the breath.

Feel the body beginning to relax with each progressive exhalation.

Now let's take a deep breath in together and chant the sound of OM.

Allow the vibrational impact of the sound to bring outwardly focused attention inward.

Be still.

Let go of all thoughts,

Worry,

And tension.

Give yourself fully to a higher power.

Relax,

Trust,

And let go.

Breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh and again.

Breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh and let go even more.

Feel a deep sense of contentment and peace in your heart.

Now bring your intention into your awareness in the form of words,

Images,

Or as a felt sense.

If you're unclear about your intention,

Just see what appears in your field of awareness.

Repeat your intention silently three times.

During this time,

I will participate wholeheartedly in this process and trust that whatever issues are in the way,

My perfect health will be released spontaneously and effortlessly.

I let go of any struggle or effort to make anything happen.

Feel yourself in a place you like to be,

A place where you feel peaceful and calm,

Relaxed and quiet.

No concerns about the future or past.

Simply an overwhelming experience of the rightness of things.

Perhaps sitting on a beach,

Watching waves meet the shore,

The scent of salt air,

The sound of seagulls,

Or a mossy green forest with tall trees,

The smell of wildflowers,

A trickling stream.

Trust whatever images arise in your awareness.

Choose a comfortable spot to sit or lie down,

Perhaps a hollow in the sand that holds your shape,

Or a soft bed of moss.

Let go into it.

Surrender the weight of your body,

Completely supported,

No effort or need to hold yourself up.

Breathe in the scent,

Sight,

Light,

Sounds of this place.

Let the whole experience permeate your entire being,

Absorbed into each and every cell with each breath in and each breath out,

Feeling,

Through bodily sensations,

What it is to be safe and at peace,

Surrounded,

Protected in this place where you can deeply rest.

Feel how restful and calm you are,

Feeling more content,

Relaxed,

More grounded than ever before.

Allow yourself to receive the intention I can experience feeling safe and secure.

Know that you can return to your safe place anytime you want or need to.

Maintaining this inner stillness,

Gently cover yourself,

And if you wish,

Place an eye pillow over your eyes.

As we enter the next phase of Yoga Nidra,

Remain as motionless as possible.

If you need to move or make an adjustment,

Do so mindfully and return to stillness as soon as you're able.

Resolve to remain awake,

Staying in touch with the sound of my voice.

Allow your entire body to respond to my words directly and non-mentally.

Allow any disturbances,

External or internal,

To draw you more deeply within.

In Yoga Nidra,

You enter the subconscious pranic field.

Let your mind merge and melt into the energy body and go beyond the boundaries of body and mind.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Do absolutely nothing from now on.

Simply relax.

Drop into the deepest state of tranquility,

Stillness,

And peace in the third eye.

Drop into the deepest state of tranquility,

Stillness,

And peace at the eyebrow center.

Drop into the deepest state of tranquility,

Stillness,

And peace at the brow center.

Now your consciousness is in direct communion with your energy body.

Now your consciousness is in direct communion with your energy body.

Now follow my guidance as we begin the relaxation breath.

Breathing in deeply,

Fill your lungs from the bottom to the top,

As if you were filling a water bottle.

As you breathe out,

Empty your lungs from the top to the bottom.

Let your breath be slow and steady.

Observe the movement of your abdomen and chest.

Stay connected to the wonderful feeling of the release of tension and the deep feeling of relaxation.

Let this feeling extend to every part of your body.

Let this entire process of breathing be the vehicle for deepening your relaxation.

Now redirect your full attention to your breath.

Create no struggle around breathing.

Use the breath to release any tensions.

Slowly deepen your inhalations and exhalations.

Let the exhalation be longer than the inhalation.

Let the flow of your breath be steady and uniform as much as possible.

As much as possible,

Bring your undivided attention to the movement of your abdomen and chest as you breathe in and out.

With each breath out,

Release any tension held in your body and anticipations in your mind.

Let go.

With each breath in,

Fill every nerve and cell with pulsating healing energy.

Relax.

Breathing out.

Let go of holding anywhere in your body.

Let go.

Even more.

With the next breath in,

Visualize your body renewed and revitalized with new life.

Empty your body and mind and enter deeper levels of stillness and silence.

Now breathe normally and be still.

Empty your body and mind and enter deeper levels of stillness and silence.

Now breathe normally and be still.

Bring your total attention to the pulsating energy field felt in the form of sensations in your body.

Observe how your attention feeds the expansion of the pulsating energy field.

Energy follows attention.

Feel all the tension in your mind and tightness in your muscles.

Melt away.

Let all the tension simply melt,

Drain away,

And dissolve in the expanding energy field.

Now bring your attention to your eyebrow center.

Recognize your deep connection to the original source of life force,

The life energy that sustains your life and is an extension of your soul.

From that very relaxed,

Unified state,

Follow my guidance as we begin Sohum breath.

Now start breathing in through the nostrils and guide your breath and attention steadily from the brow center,

Along your spine,

Ending at the base of the spine.

As you exhale,

Guide your breath and attention upwards along the length of the spine to the brow center.

Continue with this breath.

Stay focused and feel the energy follow your attention along the spine.

Now we will integrate this breath with the non-vocal sound of Sohum.

With each inhalation,

Feel the sound of So as the breath flows from the brow center to the base of the spine.

And with each exhalation,

Feel the sound of Hum flowing up the base of the spine to the brow center.

Remain totally absorbed.

The subtle vibration of sound and energy moving along the spine,

Sound,

Breath,

Sensation,

And attention in complete synchronicity.

Experience it.

Be totally engaged in the sacred presence of that I am.

Be deeply engaged,

Totally absorbed,

And completely merge into oneness.

That I am.

That I am.

I am that.

Now,

Breathe normally.

Bring your attention to rest at the brow center and bathe your whole body and being in the unified experience of Sohum sound and breath.

Experience a deep sense stillness extending everywhere.

Experience a deep stillness extending everywhere.

Feel your whole body lying still.

Feel safe and comfortable and give yourself permission to enter the deepest level of relaxation right now.

Let go.

Let go completely.

Enter an effortless state being.

On your next inhalation,

Draw the breath from the tips of the toes up to the top of the head.

As you exhale,

Draw the breath down from the top of the head to the tip of the toes.

Repeat for the next few breaths.

This time,

As you inhale,

Draw the breath in from the ankles up to the top of the head and exhale the breath down from the top of the head to the ankles.

Now,

Draw the breath in from the knees up to the top of the head and exhale the breath down from the top of the head to the knees.

Inhale from the perineum at the base of the spine up to the top of the head and exhale the breath down from the top of the head to the perineum at the base of the spine.

Inhale from below the navel up to the top of the head and exhale the breath down from the top of the head to below the navel.

Inhale from the solar plexus up to the top of the head and exhale the breath down from the top of the head to the solar plexus.

Inhale through the heart center,

Exhale out through the crown of the head.

Inhale through the throat,

Exhale out through the crown of the head.

Inhale through the third eye,

Exhale out through the crown of the head.

Merge into a subtle upward flow of energy.

Become one with the boundless field of energy extending everywhere.

All separation dissolving in a background of evenly hovering awareness.

Bring your attention to a constricted or dense part of the body.

Though you may not consciously recognize the cause of this feeling,

The innate intelligence of your body knows how to resolve it.

Breathe into this area,

Make space for it,

Give it room to move,

Loosen,

Disperse,

Dissolving,

Lightening,

The body releasing whatever it no longer needs.

Now sense the body's healing energy streaming towards this area.

Now sense the body's healing energy streaming toward this area as if it were attracting it like a magnet.

Watch this part of your body returning to wholeness,

Vitality as it is surrounded by this healing light.

Each inhalation,

Begin to sense the body as more energy than density until the whole body is felt as a pulsing,

Tingling energy field.

Any emotions,

Thoughts,

And fears that may have contributed to the imbalance can now be released and resolved.

See and feel the whole body healed and whole.

Now bring your attention to the center between your eyebrows and drop into the deepest level of relaxation.

Feel completely safe and comfortable as you hand yourself over to the power and protection of the presence.

Let your mind merge and melt into the presence and enter the sanctuary of silence.

Remain empty and free from all doing.

Here,

Your intention and your affirmations are actualized and fulfilled with effortless ease.

If you have an intention,

Bring it into your awareness three times in the form of words,

Images,

Or as a felt sense.

If you do not have an If you do not have an intention,

Just remain silent and let spirit,

Who knows what is best,

Do it for you.

Allow this intention to go to the deepest levels of recognition with no hesitation.

Know that your higher self recognizes,

Honors,

And accepts your intention.

Have faith and trust that it has been heard and is being acted upon by higher power of the source within you.

There is no need to do anything about it.

Bring your attention back to the center between the eyebrows and feel all the energies of your body from all meridians activated,

Purified,

And balanced.

All channels are open and the life force is flowing freely,

Healing the body and calming the mind.

Open your heart and feel content.

Just experience.

I allow my body to create a profound healing shift right now.

I allow my body to create a profound healing shift right now.

I allow my body to create a profound healing shift right now.

I allow my body to create a profound healing shift right now.

Every cell in my body is filled with the radiant healing light from within.

Every cell in my body is filled with the radiant healing light from within.

Every cell in my body is filled with the radiant healing light from within.

Every cell in my body is filled with the radiant healing light from within.

Every cell in my body is filled with the radiant healing light from within.

The inner healing blueprint of my body is now functioning freely and optimally.

The inner healing blueprint of my body is now functioning freely and optimally.

The inner healing blueprint of my body is now functioning freely and optimally.

At this sacred moment,

Your whole being has made a major paradigm shift.

Establish yourself in total trust and faith that remains free from any need to be in control.

Feel totally unburdened and free to move in life with effortless ease.

Feel the presence of your higher self guide,

Protect,

And bless you.

Feel energy and grace fill you and surround you at all times.

Do not hesitate,

Doubt,

Or dispute it.

Let it come naturally.

Return to the brow center where energies from all the meridians come into deep unification,

Integration,

Harmony,

And balance.

Establish a whole new relationship with reality,

Regardless of how it begins to show up in your life.

Knowing that you are soul,

You can witness life's experiences and let them pass by.

Right response and right actions will come through you.

With that clarity,

Keep your heart open to all conditions.

Begin to become aware of the rising and falling of the breath.

Slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness.

Sense the body resting on the surface beneath you,

The quality of the air as it touches the skin.

Gradually,

You can move as if you're waking from a restful sleep.

Bend your knees and pull them closer to your chest.

Rock sideways gently.

Take your time.

Do not hurry.

Then just turn onto your right side and curl into a fetal position.

Feel the safety,

Comfort,

And protection of the womb of existence.

Bring your intention into your awareness again.

Change nothing.

Every time you find yourself in reaction,

You are empowered to replace it with your intention.

Now,

You can gradually move and begin to sit up with your eyes closed.

Continue to stay deep in this deep inner experience,

Regardless of what you consciously recognize but has or has not changed.

Know that something deep within has shifted to connect you with your intention.

Become aware of your body and bring a deep sense of peace and contentment with you as you bring attention back to the body.

Notice how relaxed the body is,

How relaxed the body is,

How soft the breath is,

How silent the mind is,

How quiet the heartbeat is.

Be still and be grateful.

Know that you can easily enter here again and again.

Now,

Thank you for practicing yoga nidra with me today.

If you found today's practice beneficial,

Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.

If you have any questions or comments,

Please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

I would love to hear from you.

If the meditation provided you with an experience that allowed you to go deeper within,

I would greatly welcome your review.

And if you feel compelled,

Your donations and contributions would greatly help me continue to produce yoga nidras to share the benefits of these guided meditations with others.

If you have any questions or if you would like to share your intention,

For your practice,

Please share below.

Also,

It would be nice to know where and when you started your practice today.

You can check the description of the video for additional information about the practice of yoga nidra as well as this individual recording.

And you're invited to also check out other yoga nidras depending on what you need most right now.

If you've enjoyed this practice today,

Please consider sharing the video with others who would benefit from it.

As the community grows,

I'll include more and more styles of yoga nidra for people to explore the different benefits that can be obtained from this practice.

Not just for sleep,

Not just to reduce stress and anxiety,

But also for developing equanimity and self-realization,

As well as many practical applications to increase focus and energy and vitality.

Thank you again for practicing with me today.

Jai Bhagwan.

May the Spirit be victorious.

Victory to the Spirit.