Yoga Nidra To Overcome Anxiety And Improve Sleep - Fruit Tree

You are about to practice Yoga Nidra,

A deep and relaxing meditation experience that will allow you to let go of distractions and worries and to connect with your deeper self.

Please prepare for the practice by laying down on your back and relax in a comfortable position with the palms of your hands facing up and your feet falling gently out to the side.

Position your head comfortably with your head and neck in a neutral position.

Feel free to place a blanket under your head or a bolster under your knees.

Whatever you need to feel very comfortable and at ease in this relaxed posture.

Now please soften and close your eyes and allow your body to slowly relax and settle into the posture.

Come to a place of stillness and try to remain still throughout the practice.

If you notice discomfort anywhere in your body at any time,

First observe.

If it continues to bother you,

Make any necessary adjustment and then come back to a place of stillness as soon as possible.

Take a deep breath now and as you exhale,

Let go of all worries and distracting sounds.

Allow your mind to relax completely.

Follow the sound of my voice throughout the practice,

Remaining awake and aware.

Now allow the sound and the easy rhythm of your breath to further relax your body.

Allow each breath to flow like a rolling sea wave.

Observe the sounds outside and inside the room,

Noticing them without finding any of them disturbing.

Bring the awareness of the body from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.

Feel the surface your body is resting upon,

Supporting you.

During yoga nidra,

Welcome every experience as a messenger that is inviting you to explore sensations,

Emotions and sounds without trying to change,

Fix or make anything happen.

Become aware that you are going to practice yoga nidra.

You can say to yourself,

I am aware and I am going to practice yoga nidra.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Allow your inner resource to emerge,

A special place where you feel secure and at ease.

Perhaps a room or a place in nature,

An image of a favorite symbol or the feeling of deep peace.

Whatever your inner resource is,

Imagine it using all of your senses,

Noticing sounds,

Smells,

Tastes,

Colors,

Shapes that are present,

Sensing feelings of security,

Ease and well-being as you imagine your inner resource.

Experiencing feelings of security within you that are always available at any moment.

As you do this,

Note in your body where you feel warm and relaxed,

Knowing that you can return to this secure place of well-being at any time during your practice or during your daily life,

Whenever you need to feel secure,

Calm and at ease.

Now come back to your inner resource,

Your place of ground,

Security and well-being.

Notice your breath,

Easy and rhythmic,

Forehead at ease and cool,

Belly,

Hands and feet warm and at ease.

For a moment,

Just follow the breath,

Noticing the movement generated by the breath in your torso,

In your abdomen,

Your chest,

Noticing this peaceful movement with each breath,

With each inhale and each exhale.

When you breathe in,

Be aware that you are breathing in.

When you breathe out,

Be aware that you are breathing out.

Remain awake and aware of your breath.

Now bring to your mind an intention for today's practice.

Ask yourself how would you like to feel during and as a result of your practice.

Perhaps a sense of inner peace,

Joy or well-being,

Perhaps relief from physical discomfort,

Habitual patterns or emotional pain.

Your intention may be as simple as to remain alert throughout this entire practice.

Whatever your intention is,

Allow it to emerge fully,

Feeling your intention as an ally,

Supporting you to be focused and alert throughout your practice and in your daily life.

Affirm your intention and the feeling of your intention with your entire body and mind.

Once you are ready,

Repeat your intention three times mentally.

You are now going to focus on yourself,

Bringing attention to your own body,

Drawing your attention to each part of the body that I will name,

One after the other.

Just follow my voice.

Become aware of your right hand thumb and mentally say right hand thumb.

No movement is required,

Only bring your attention to it.

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Right elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the ribcage,

Waist,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to your left side.

Become aware of your left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the ribcage,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Left lower leg,

Left ankle,

Heel,

Top of the left foot,

Sole of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to the back of the body,

Back of the head,

Back of the neck,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right part of the bottom,

Left part of the bottom,

Right hamstring,

Left hamstring,

Right calf muscle,

Left calf muscle,

Right heel,

Left heel.

Now the front of the body,

The crown,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Whole nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Chin,

Neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Right leg,

Left leg,

Right arm,

Left arm,

The whole of the head,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Become aware of the body lying down in a surrender position.

Feel the points of contact of the body and the surface beneath you.

Both heels are touching the ground.

Your bottom,

Your back,

Your shoulders in contact with the ground.

Notice the points of contact of the head with the cushion or the mat.

Imagine the meeting point of the body and the ground,

The whole body and the ground.

The body is perfectly still on the ground.

Be attentive to sensations throughout the body,

Sensations of pleasure,

Happiness,

Joy or well-being.

Or perhaps recall a particular event from your life that invites feelings of pleasure,

Joy or well-being into the body right now.

Welcome whatever emerges,

Just as it is.

Perhaps experiencing the sensation of joy as an inner smile that radiates from your heart,

The heart smiling,

And the sensation of this smile expanding throughout your entire body,

Flowing out into your torso,

Arms and hands,

Down into the pelvis,

Legs and feet,

Flowing up into the head and face,

Mouth,

Lips and eyes,

Smiling,

The entire body smiling,

Radiant and alive with the feeling of joy or well-being,

Or a sense of being okay,

Just as you are.

Pay attention to all that is present in your awareness,

Feeling yourself as the observer of everything that is now present,

Sensing what is present,

Experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is arising,

Awareness in which everything is welcome,

Just as it is,

Everything just as it is,

Yourself just as you are.

Now imagine that you are a seed that has been planted in the soil.

Feel the soil all about you,

Beneath the soil it is very dark,

It has started to rain,

And the earth above you is getting wet and is making the soil around you very moist and cool.

The sun starts to shine and the earth begins to dry.

You can feel the energy and warmth of the sun.

You would like to see the sun and experience his light.

After some time you send out a tiny shoot,

Breaking the surface of the ground above.

At the same time you start sending roots down into the earth for support and nourishment.

You continue to grow up towards the light of the sun and now you have bright green leaves.

You drink water through your roots and absorb sunlight through your leaves.

These are your food and you produce life-giving oxygen for all the animals and people of the world to breathe.

You are now bearing large flowers and many bees are coming and spreading pollen.

Notice the color of your flowers and how many bees come to see you.

The bees are your friends.

You are now bearing fruit.

What fruit do you wish to produce?

You have many beautiful fruits and children are coming with their baskets to pick and enjoy them.

The fruit makes them very happy.

Now the fruit is falling to the earth beneath and is rotting in the soil.

You are a seed once more hidden within the fruit.

A whole cycle is beginning again.

You become the witness of this new cycle.

Take the time to observe.

You are enough.

Allow yourself to just be.

It is now time to repeat your sankalpa,

The intention that you have made for you today.

Please bring back to your mind the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times mentally.

Take the time to formulate it in the same positive way you did previously.

Relax all efforts now.

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your natural breath.

Awareness of the whole body.

Awareness of your breath.

The right hand.

The left hand.

The feet.

The back.

The shoulders.

The head.

Become aware of the position of the body touching the ground supported by the earth.

Without opening the eyes,

Visualize your surroundings.

Become aware of all sounds around you.

Slowly deepen your breath.

Lie quietly and keep your eyes closed.

Start to move your fingers and toes.

Feel free to make any movement to reconnect with the body.

Take your time to bring back all the sensations.

Take the time to stretch and slowly bring the knees to the chest and roll to one side into a fetal position.

When you are ready,

You can slowly make your way into a sitting position.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

You can soften your gaze slowly to bring back the light into your eyes.