Quieting Your Mind, Relaxing Your Body; Preparation For Deep, Restful Sleep

Hello and welcome.

The following is a yoga nidra technique called rotation of consciousness,

Used to quiet your mind in preparation for deep relaxing sleep.

Take all of your preparations for sleep now,

Getting comfortable and quiet in your bed.

If possible,

It's best to lie on your back.

Take your time to get comfortable and then lie as still as possible.

As I name various parts of the body,

You simply move your awareness from one part to another.

Try not to physically move your body at all,

Just stay completely relaxed and perfectly still as much as possible.

As you move your awareness from one part to another,

It might help to mentally repeat each part after me.

Your mind will become quiet,

Your body will become deeply relaxed,

And you will naturally sleep very peacefully.

Just let this practice create a sense of calm awareness,

Which will naturally become restful sleep.

Thank you for joining me.

I hope you find this very helpful.

Peace.

Begin your relaxation practice by taking six very slow,

Deep breaths in and out through your nose.

Soft,

Easy breath,

With each breath becoming more and more relaxed.

Feel your body becoming heavy,

Sinking down comfortably,

Melting into the cushion,

Releasing any remaining tension anywhere in your body.

Let go of any busyness in your mind.

Relaxed in your body,

Relaxed in your mind.

Take a slow,

Deep breath in,

A deep inhale.

As you exhale,

Release all tensions and worries.

As you take another deep breath in,

Feel your body expand with the breath,

Your lungs gently stretching,

Your body quietly energized.

And as you exhale slowly,

Imagine all worries,

Tensions,

Any dark clouds of energy that linger floating out of you with the exhale.

Those dark clouds drifting away like clouds on the wind.

Feel your body warm,

Comfortable,

And relaxed,

Lying flat in this safe space,

Surrounded by comfort and peace.

Allow yourself to rest comfortably in this safe space.

In Yoganidhra,

You're functioning on the level of the subconscious mind.

You need only relax and absorb the vibration of my voice.

Don't worry if you don't hear everything I say.

It's common to drift in and out a bit.

Your deepest level of consciousness will still hear and absorb my words.

Do your best to remain still and to stay awake,

But do not concentrate too intensely.

Concentrating and analyzing will disturb your relaxation.

Allow the experience to be exactly what it was meant to be.

Come back to breath awareness now and feel the natural flow of the breath in and out,

Breathing softly through your nostrils.

The breath is natural and effortless,

Soft and smooth.

You are not doing the breath.

The breath does itself.

You are the one who watches the body breathing.

In your mind,

Repeat after me.

I'm going to practice Yoganidhra.

I will remain awake,

But completely relaxed.

I will not sleep.

Now is the time to create your intention,

To plant the seed of intention for your practice.

We call this sankalpa.

Think of a brief phrase of intention or just one single word,

Some positive intention with deep meaning,

Something you would like to develop in your heart,

In your mind,

And in your life.

Repeat it three times with deep feeling and intention and with absolute faith that it will be realized.

This sankalpa you create in Yoganidhra will become reality.

We now create a deeper sense of relaxation and restful awareness through a process called rotation of consciousness by mentally mapping the body.

There's no need to move any part of your body.

Try to remain completely still.

Only move your awareness from part to part as it is named.

If you'd like,

You can mentally repeat each part after me as you become aware of that part of the body.

We start with the right side of the body.

Go to the right hand.

Go to the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Right arm,

Right side of the rib cage,

Right waist,

Right hip,

Buttock,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to the left hand,

Left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Left palm,

Back of the hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Under arm,

Left rib cage,

Left waist,

Left hip,

Left buttock,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Take your awareness to the right hand,

Left hand,

Right hand thumb,

Left hand thumb,

Right second finger,

Left second finger,

Right third finger,

Left third finger,

Right fourth finger,

Left fourth finger,

Right pinky finger,

Left pinky finger,

Right palm,

Left palm,

Back of the right hand,

Back of the left hand,

Right wrist,

Left wrist,

Right forearm,

Left forearm,

Right elbow,

Left elbow,

Right upper arm,

Left upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

Right rib cage,

Left rib cage,

Right waist,

Left waist,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right knee,

Left knee,

Right shin,

Left shin,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Right heel,

Left heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the right foot,

Top of the left foot,

Right big toe,

Left big toe,

Right second toe,

Left second toe,

Right third toe,

Left third toe,

Right fourth toe,

Left fourth toe,

Right fifth toe,

Left fifth toe.

Now go to the back side of the body.

Starting from the bottom,

Become aware of the sole of the right foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Back of the right heel,

Back of the left heel,

The right ankle,

Left ankle,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Back of the right thigh,

Back of the left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Sacrum,

The lower back,

Middle of the back,

The space between the shoulder blades,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

The back of the neck,

The whole spine,

Back of the right arm,

Back of the left arm,

Back of the right hand,

Back of the left hand,

The base of the head,

The back of the head,

Crown of the head.

Now to the front side of the body,

Beginning with the feet,

Top of the right foot,

Top of the left foot,

Right ankle,

Left ankle,

Right shin,

Left shin,

Right knee,

Left knee,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right hip bone,

Left hip bone,

The lower abdomen,

Navel,

Upper abdomen,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Center of the chest,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Throat,

Front of the right arm,

Front of the left arm,

Palm of the right hand,

Palm of the left hand,

Tips of the right fingers,

Tips of the left fingers.

Now to the face,

The right jaw,

Left jaw,

Chin,

Lower lip,

Upper lip,

Tongue,

Teeth,

Roof of the mouth,

Soft palate,

Base of the tongue,

Tip of the tongue,

Inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Tip of the nose,

Bridge of the nose,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Space between the eyebrows,

Forehead,

Right side of the head,

Left side of the head,

The crown of the head.

Become aware of the whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

And now both legs simultaneously.

Both legs.

Become aware of the whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

Both arms,

Both arms.

Become aware of the whole back,

The whole back,

The whole front,

The whole front.

The whole head,

The whole head.

Both legs,

Both arms,

Back,

Front,

Head.

Now the whole body.

Become aware of the whole body.

Become aware of the awareness of the whole body.

Become aware of the space occupied by the body.

Body and space.

Body and space.