Faster Yoga Nidra For Connecting, Rest, Sleep, & Relaxation

Hello,

We will be practicing yoga nidra.

I will not be setting a timer at the end.

So if you are doing this just for rest and need to wake up at the end,

Then make sure you set a timer past the time of this meditation.

Find a comfortable position.

Any position will work.

We just need the body to be able to be as still as possible.

Yoga nidra is a conscious sleep.

We will appear to be sleeping,

But the conscious is actually operating at a much deeper level.

This practice should be equivalent to about three and a half hours of sleep.

So again,

Find a comfortable position,

Any position.

If you tried one and it doesn't work,

Then find a new one.

If you're there,

Maybe you can find 10% more comfort.

Let's set an intention for our practice today.

Some examples could be focusing on deepening my breath.

I am letting go of anger.

I am finding acceptance.

I am building happiness.

I am getting in touch with my body,

My mind,

My emotions.

Maybe you just need a little bit of peace in this moment and you would say,

I am peaceful.

So again,

Let's make sure you're comfortable.

You could be lying on your back,

Sitting in a chair,

Lying on your side in the fetal position,

On your stomach,

Your legs up the wall,

Or whatever.

Maybe you have to put your head down on your desk.

Find some place where you can let go and rest.

Remember,

If you become uncomfortable at any time,

Just change your position,

But try your hardest to keep the body really still.

So the body goes into a deep sleep.

All you have to do here is listen.

It's okay.

Just bring it back to the sound of my voice.

Bring your attention back to the body parts.

I'm saying I will be guiding you,

Bringing awareness to different parts of the body.

There's no need to concentrate too hard.

Don't worry if you miss some of this.

It's perfectly normal to drift in and out of awareness.

If your mind takes over with thoughts and worries,

Then just come back to the sound of my voice.

We are safe where we are.

We're going to go within and find a sacred place within where we can just be ourselves.

Letting go of judgment,

Other people's judgment,

But also letting go of our own judgment against ourselves.

There's no danger within.

We are finding acceptance of where we are mentally and physically today,

Feeling or non-feeling.

Let's check in with those arms and legs.

Are they comfortable?

Do they need adjusted?

Make those adjustments.

Find a little more comfort,

Even if it's just 10%.

Sinking into the earth or the seat or the bed.

Letting our hands and feet go to a relaxed,

Natural place.

The fingers and toes take their natural curves.

Softly closing our eyes,

Letting those eyes float.

Unwrinkling the forehead,

Taking a big yawn if you need to.

Maybe you're holding tension in the jaw.

Not just let the muscles relax.

So you can yawn and stretch them.

Letting the body go into this pose of rest.

Silently,

To yourself,

Say this with me.

I am relaxed.

I am safe.

I am calm.

I am safe.

Nothing else required of you today except for that you just listen.

Letting go of the to-do list,

Letting go of the things on your mind,

Letting go of the responsibility.

There's nothing required of you but to rest and listen.

Becoming aware of any sounds you hear in this moment.

Focus on the closest sound you hear.

Focus on the most distant sound you hear.

Moving your attention from sound to sound,

Not labeling it,

Not holding on to it,

And knowing that it's your choice to just acknowledge they're there and not let them interrupt your peace.

Sounds are going to happen.

Your phone might ring.

Someone might disturb you,

But it's your choice to stay in this peaceful place within.

Visualize the four walls around the ceiling,

The floor,

Visualizing your body,

The position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your face.

Aware of the existence of your physical body separate from your mind.

Be aware of the separation between the physical body,

The mind,

And the soul.

Moving inward,

Seeing if we can find that safe haven within,

A place where we feel secure and calm,

We can just be ourselves,

A place where we can have self-love regardless of anything in our past.

Maybe it would help you to visualize a specific place where you feel safe.

Maybe it's a place that we make up in our mind,

Or it's an actual place that you can visualize.

To that place,

What do you see the color and scape like?

It's a building,

What are the rooms like?

It's taking in everything around you in your safe place.

Now let's bring our thoughts to our natural breath.

Feel it come in and feel it leave the body.

There is no effort for this.

You are just feeling that natural breath coming in and feeling it leaving.

Noticing the nostrils and how the air feels coming in and out of them.

Do you feel a sense of coolness as the air comes in?

Follow that inhale through the throat and into the lungs.

Notice if you feel a sense of warmth as you exhale that breath.

Feeling the coolness as it comes in and feeling the warmth as it goes out.

Allowing our breath to become slower and longer breath by breath.

Taking in a slow deep inhale and an even slower longer exhalation.

Noticing the pause in between the inhale and the exhale and in between the exhale and the inhale.

Continuing to breathe naturally and slowly as we rest.

Letting our body be heavy,

Sinking.

Bringing your attention to the top of the head,

The forehead.

Softening the skin in the corner of the eyes,

The right eye,

The left eye.

Eyes are heavy,

Relaxing and floating.

Relaxing the right eye,

The left eye,

Left eyebrow.

The space between the two eyebrows.

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

The right jaw,

The left jaw.

The skin around the inside of the mouth.

The tongue,

Your chin,

Right side of the face,

The left side of the face,

Full face.

The whole head is soft and relaxed but yet heavy,

Grounded.

Feeling the neck and the throat start to relax.

We have an easy natural breath.

Moving our awareness to the shoulders,

The top of the right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

Right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The whole right shoulder,

The whole left shoulder.

The whole of both shoulders,

They're dropping away from the ears.

Gravity is taking the shoulders.

Imagine two rocks sitting on the shoulders,

Pushing them down with gravity.

Feeling those shoulders melting towards the earth.

Feel the left upper arm,

Right forearm,

The left forearm,

The right hand,

The left hand.

Our arms and our hands are now soft yet heavy,

Focusing on the right thumb,

The right index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger,

The right pinky,

The wrist,

Creased in the elbow,

The elbow,

The right upper arm,

The right shoulder,

The right armpit,

The rib cage.

Feel the right side of the chest,

Feel the left side of the chest.

Feel the chest rise with our inhale,

Relaxing as we exhale.

Feel the right rib cage,

Waist,

The right hip,

That hip,

The front of the thigh,

The kneecap,

The shin,

The top of the foot,

The right big toe,

All of the right toes,

The bottom of the right foot,

The heel,

Knee joint,

The hamstring,

The right glutes,

The left glute,

Hamstring,

Knee,

Heel,

Bottom of the foot,

The left big toe,

Of the toes,

The top of the foot,

The shin,

The kneecap,

The quadricep,

The whole left leg,

The whole right leg,

The whole of the hips,

The hips and the legs,

Soft but yet heavy,

Like rocks are on those hips,

The whole of the legs,

Heavy and grounded,

The left waist,

The left rib cage,

The left armpit,

Feeling down that arm to the left thumb,

The index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky,

The palm,

The back of the hand,

The left wrist,

The forearm,

The crease in the elbow,

The elbow joint,

The upper arm,

The left shoulder,

The whole left arm,

Heavy,

The whole right arm,

Heavy,

The right leg,

The left leg,

Heavy,

All of the limbs are heavy and grounded,

Our torso is light and you feel the air coming in and leaving that torso,

Imagine using your whole torso to breathe,

Bringing the air down to every corner of the torso,

Feel it fall,

The whole back of the body,

Front of the body,

The whole right side of the body,

The whole left side of the body,

The whole body,

Resting,

Grounded,

Safe,

Without any judgment,

Start noticing how you feel,

Noticing any emotions,

What is going on in there,

What we're trying to do is acknowledge how we feel,

We're not trying to change them,

We're not trying to adjust or deny that they're there,

Just acknowledging the feelings and emotions,

Now imagine the feeling of being very hot,

Very,

Very hot,

Sweating,

Imagine the feeling of being very cold,

Very,

Very cold,

Shivering cold,

Imagine the feeling of spaciousness,

Space everywhere,

And then imagine the feeling of constricted,

Imagine you're somewhere where it's very constricted,

And then imagining the feeling of being very angry,

Very,

Very irate and angry,

Then feel the feeling of being calm,

Feel,

And then feel the feeling of happy,

Imagine being very,

Very happy,

And then imagine being sad,

Very sad,

Spending a moment with each of these,

Even noticing how opposite they are,

We experience extreme opposites,

And sometimes in life we can experience both of them at the same time,

Like being happy and being sad at the same time,

You might be happy about one thing and sad about another,

Human existence is full of emotions,

Full of feelings,

And there's no right way or wrong way,

Just acknowledging the feelings we have,

And it's just part of the human experience,

Go to the very bottom of the spine,

Imagine a vibrant,

Beautiful red at the very bottom of the spine,

It may even help you to think of the magma of the earth,

The red hot magma of the sun,

And just build that red hot energy at the base of the spine,

Come up a little bit above the spine,

Above the red area,

But below the navel,

And imagine the color orange,

Imagine a beautiful fruit orange,

Or you could imagine traveling in space away from the sun and how it would glow more orange as you got away from the magma of it,

The red hot magma,

You come back and it's orange,

Put that orange right below the navel,

And let that orange sun glow there,

Spinning and glowing,

And above the navel,

Think of the color yellow,

Think of that sun that we see down here on the earth and how it seems to be yellow,

And put that yellow spinning energy above the navel,

And then think of the color green at the heart,

At the center of the chest,

Think of all the green of the earth,

Everything that's green,

The grass,

The trees,

The plants,

Think of all the shades of green,

Bringing the green energy into the heart,

The color blue at the throat,

Imagine putting on a beautiful blue scarf,

Wrapping that beautiful blue energy around the neck,

Imagine the color indigo or purple at the forehead and the third eye,

Or the middle of the forehead,

Imagine the white healing energy as the sunbeams hit the top of our head,

Imagine that white healing warmth of the sun at the top of the head,

Taking a deep breath,

Notice the breath,

Rest in peace.