Holiday Peace - Yoga Nidra For Stress Relief - 30 Minutes

Hello beautiful soul.

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra guided meditation.

Today we'll be focusing on cultivating peace during the busy holiday season.

My name is Wendy and I'm so glad you're here.

You're giving yourself the gift of rest during what can be one of the most demanding times of the year.

While the holiday season can be beautiful,

It also brings added pressures,

Endless to-do lists,

Social obligations,

Financial concerns,

Family dynamics,

And the constant push to make everything perfect.

Today you're choosing differently though.

You're choosing to pause,

To rest,

And release the weight of these expectations.

You're choosing to simply be.

For the next 30 minutes or so,

There's nothing you need to do,

Nowhere you need to be,

And nothing you need to fix or manage.

This time is yours.

Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.

You may lie down on your back with your legs extended,

With your arms resting by your sides and your palms facing upward.

Or if lying down doesn't feel comfortable,

You might sit in a chair with your back supported and your feet flat on the floor.

You might want to place a pillow under your knees.

You might want to cover yourself with a blanket.

And perhaps you like to use an eye pillow to block out any excess light.

Make any adjustments you need so you feel completely at ease.

Once you're settled,

Allow your eyes to gently close down if that's available to you.

And take a moment to feel your body supported by the surface beneath you.

The earth is holding you and you can let go.

And now let's set your sankalpa,

Your intention for your practice today.

Your intention is like planting a seed in your subconscious mind.

During this holiday season,

Your intention might be something like,

I am peaceful and calm.

Or I move through this season with ease and grace.

Or perhaps you have your own intention that's calling to you.

Choose what resonates most deeply with you.

And when you have your intention,

Repeat it silently to yourself three times.

I am peaceful and calm.

I move through this season with ease and grace.

Now let your intention rest.

It'll do its work beneath the surface of your awareness.

Bring your attention now to your entire body.

Lying here or seated.

You're perfectly still.

Notice the weight of your body.

And feel how you're being held and supported.

Notice the points of contact.

Your body touching the floor,

The chair,

Wherever you are.

You are safe.

You are supported.

You can completely relax.

Now bring your awareness to your natural breath.

Without changing anything,

Simply observe your breath flowing in and flowing out.

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

The soft expansion and release of your chest.

The coolness of the inhale.

The warmth of the exhale.

Perhaps you notice your breath is shallow from the busyness of your day.

That's perfectly fine.

Just observe.

Your breath is your anchor.

Your reminder that in this moment,

Right now,

You are okay.

And continue to breathe naturally and effortlessly.

And now we'll begin the rotation of consciousness.

This is where we take a gentle journey through the body by bringing awareness to the different parts of your body.

No need to move the part of the body.

Just notice the area and relax it.

You can even think of this as a gentle massage.

And if your mind wanders,

It's completely natural.

Gently bring your attention and your focus back to my voice.

Let's begin.

Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb.

Right index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the right hand.

Back of the right hand.

Right wrist.

Forearm.

Right shoulder.

Right side of the chest.

Right side of the waist.

Right hip.

Right thigh.

Right knee.

Right shin.

Top of the right foot.

Sole of the right foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

And fifth toe.

Now bring your awareness to your left hand thumb.

Left index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Left shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

Left side of the waist.

Left hip.

Top of the left foot.

Bring your awareness to your right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

The entire spine from the base all the way up to the crown of your head.

Right side of your face.

Left side of your face.

Chin.

Both lips together.

Left nostril.

Both nostrils.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right eye.

The space between the eyebrows.

Bring your awareness to the whole body.

Feel your body as one complete whole.

As you rest here,

Bring to mind any tension you've been holding from the holiday season.

Perhaps it's the pressure to create perfect moments.

The exhaustion from trying to be everything and everywhere for everyone.

Financial stress or worry about getting the right gifts.

Complicated family dynamics or difficult relationships.

The grief that can surface during this season.

Missing those who are no longer with us.

Whatever it is,

Acknowledge it now without judgment.

See if you can locate where this stress lives in your body.

Is it tightness in your shoulders?

A heaviness in your chest?

A knot in your stomach?

Just notice without trying to fix or change anything.

Now with your next exhale,

Imagine you can breathe out some of that tension.

You don't have to release all of it.

Just a little.

Inhale peace.

And exhale tension.

Inhale ease.

And exhale stress.

Inhale calm.

And exhale overwhelm.

Continue breathing in this way.

Releasing what you can.

And knowing you can come back to this peaceful place whenever you need to.

And now I invite you to journey in your imagination to a peaceful winter sanctuary.

This is a place of complete safety and rest.

Created by you,

Just for you.

Perhaps it's a cozy cabin with a warm and glowing fireplace.

Maybe it's a quiet forest with gentle snow falling all around.

Or perhaps a serene room filled with candlelight and comfort.

Whatever appears for you is perfect.

So imagine yourself arriving at this sanctuary.

Notice what you see.

The colors.

The light.

The surroundings.

And notice what you hear.

Perhaps a crackling fire.

The peaceful silence of falling snow.

Or gentle music playing softly.

And notice what you feel.

Warmth.

Comfort.

The softness of a favorite blanket.

Or the support of a comfortable chair.

This is your refuge from the busyness of the holiday season.

Here there are no obligations.

No one needs anything from you.

You can simply be.

As you settle into this space,

You notice a sense of deep peace washing over you.

The pressures of the holiday season exist outside this sanctuary.

They cannot enter here.

The to-do lists.

The expectations.

The rushing.

They're far away now.

Here you remember what this season is truly about.

Not perfection,

But presence.

Not doing,

But being.

Not stress,

But joy.

You feel your body softening even more deeply.

Relaxing into this truth.

You don't have to earn your worth through how much you accomplish or how perfectly you celebrate.

Your presence,

Just being you,

Is the greatest gift.

You are doing enough.

Let this truth sink deep into your heart.

From this peaceful place,

You can see the holiday season with new eyes.

You see what truly matters to you.

You feel empowered to say no to what drains you and yes to what nourishes you.

You give yourself permission to celebrate in ways that feel authentic to you and release the pressure of how things should be.

Rest here in your sanctuary for a few more moments,

Absorbing this peace,

This clarity,

This sense of coming home to yourself.

Gently bring your awareness now back to your breath.

Once again,

Noticing the natural rhythm of your breath.

The gentle rise and fall of your chest with each inhale and exhale.

Each breath is reminding you that peace is always available right here and right now.

And now bring your intention back into your awareness.

I am peaceful and calm.

I move through this season with ease and grace.

Know that this intention will continue to work within you,

Guiding you through the days ahead.

And now begin to deepen your breath,

Taking fuller,

Richer breaths.

Start to bring gentle awareness back to your physical body.

Feel the surface beneath you,

Supporting you.

Become aware of the room around you,

The sounds,

The temperature.

There's no rush.

Take your time.

Ready.

Start to bring some gentle movements into your body.

Perhaps wiggling your fingers and your toes.

And maybe stretching your arms overhead,

Giving your body a gentle yet full body,

Luxurious stretch.

Take a moment now to notice how you feel.

Perhaps there's a softness,

A quietness,

A sense of having returned home to yourself.

I encourage you to carry this feeling of peace with you as you move forward with your day.

Remember that you can return to your inner sanctuary anytime you need to.

Peace is not something you have to create.

It's something you can access within yourself,

Especially during this busy season.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today.

May you move through this holiday season with grace,

Ease,

And deep inner peace.

Until we meet again,

I'm sending you so much love and many blessings.

Namaste.