Yoga Nidra For Inner Calm

Begin in a comfortable position,

Perhaps lying down onto the back.

Make any movements you need or any adjustments,

Perhaps a blanket under the knees or a pillow under the head,

Or move onto your side if that's more comfortable.

Perhaps cover the body with a blanket as the body temperature naturally drops during the practice of yoga nidra.

As you lie here,

Allow the body to be fully supported by the earth.

Visualise roots drawing down into the earth from the point of contact with the mat or the bed.

There is no need to support the body,

It is fully supported by the earth.

As you lie here,

Extend your exhale and feel the body relax deeper and deeper,

Each long smooth exhale bringing you to a level of relaxation you may not have previously thought possible.

Feel the weight of the head supported by the earth,

Even imagine the brain sinking towards the back of the skull,

Gravity drawing everything down to the earth.

Allow the eyes to close or simply to relax down into their sockets.

We begin the practice of yoga nidra.

Try to remain still throughout the practice,

But if you feel the need to move,

Just move as you feel necessary.

You can try to remain awake by tuning into the sound of my voice as I guide you through the practice.

If you feel your mind wandering,

Come back to the sound of my voice.

We begin the practice of yoga nidra.

Allow the eyes to soften,

The eyes may close or simply soften into their sockets.

Allow the eyes to rest from looking and seeing.

With the eyes closed,

Build a picture of the space around you,

The four walls,

The mat and the earth beneath you,

The roof and the sky above you.

Picture your body lying on your boat,

Picture your physical body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your skin and draw your awareness deeper into the physical body,

Your skin,

Your muscles,

Your bones,

Your organs,

Your cells.

All of your senses are open and aware.

Bring your awareness to the taste inside the mouth,

To the sensation of air inside the nose,

The cool of the inhale,

The warmth of the exhale,

The eyes closed and relaxed,

The touch of your mat,

Of the earth,

Of the clothes on your body,

The areas of your body that are warm and the areas of your body that are cooler.

Listen to the sounds around the body,

Travelling your awareness from distant sounds to closer sounds,

Not naming the source of the sounds but simply hearing the layers of the sound,

Listening with the whole of the body.

Bring your awareness into your breath,

Become aware of the inhale and the exhale,

Not changing the breath but simply noticing the rise and fall,

The ebb and flow of the breath.

Become aware of the space in between the inhale and the exhale and allow the body to take over the natural rhythm of the breath.

Take a moment to appreciate this miracle of the body being breathed.

In this state of total awareness,

The mind and body open and receptive,

You plant the seed of asankalpa,

Your intention of what you would like to cultivate in your practice and in your life.

Ask yourself,

What do you wish to cultivate in your life?

Visualise your life with this desire as a reality and form your asankalpa as a short positive statement in simple language in the present tense and repeat your asankalpa three times silently in your head.

If you struggle to find asankalpa,

You can use I am at peace or I allow myself to rest or I live my life with ease.

Give thanks and release your asankalpa.

Repeat to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am awake and relaxed,

I am exactly where I need to be.

Bring your awareness back into your breath and without changing the natural rhythm of the breath,

Count down your breath from ten to zero.

Inhale ten,

Exhale ten,

Inhale nine,

Exhale nine,

Inhale eight,

Exhale eight.

If the mind wanders or you lose count,

Simply begin again from ten.

When you reach zero,

Release the awareness of the breath and we begin the rotation of awareness around the body.

I will guide you through parts of the body and without moving or adjusting the body,

Simply place your awareness on that part of the body.

Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb,

Right first finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

The space in between the fingers,

The palm of the right hand,

The back of the right hand,

The right wrist,

The right forearm,

The crease of the inner right elbow,

The bone of the right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Right rib cage,

Right side of the waist,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right kneecap,

The space behind the right kneecap,

Right shin,

Right ankle,

The top of the right foot,

The sole of the right foot,

Right big toe,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Little toe,

Space in between the toes,

Left hand thumb,

Left first finger,

Second finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

The space in between the fingers,

The palm of the left hand,

The back of the left hand,

Left wrist,

Left forearm,

The crease of the left elbow,

The bone of the left elbow,

Left upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Left rib cage,

Left side of the waist,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Left kneecap,

The space behind the left kneecap,

Left shin,

Left ankle,

The top of the left foot,

The sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Little toe,

The space in between the toes,

The heels,

The calves,

The bum,

The curve of the spine,

The shoulder blades,

The backs of both arms,

The backs of both hands,

The back of the skull,

The top of the head,

The forehead,

The right temple,

The left temple,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The space in between the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

The bridge of the nose,

The tip of the nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

The space between the nostrils,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Top lip,

Bottom lip,

Top jaw,

Bottom jaw,

Chin,

Top teeth,

The bottom teeth,

The soft palate,

The tongue,

The throat,

The right ear,

The left ear,

The space behind the right ear,

The space behind the left ear,

The right side of the neck,

The left side of the neck,

The right collarbone,

The left collarbone,

The space between the collarbones,

The right chest,

The left chest,

The upper abdomen,

The navel,

The right groin,

The left groin,

The whole right arm,

The whole right leg,

The whole right side of the body,

The whole left arm,

The whole left leg,

The whole left side of the body,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now imagine the whole of the body becoming light,

Feel the body become lighter and lighter with each breath,

The limbs are light,

The torso is light,

The head is light,

As though the body could float up off the mat,

The whole body is weightless.

Now feel the whole body heavy,

Feel the weight of the limbs,

The weight of the torso,

The weight of the head,

Feel the whole body sink into the mat,

Into the air.

Now feel the whole body cold,

The whole body surrounded by cold air,

As though you're outside in the winter,

Cold air surrounds the body and enters into the body.

Now imagine the whole body bathed in warmth,

So the warmth of the sun is radiating around the body,

The sensation of warmth enters the body,

Filling the whole body with warmth.

Now bring to mind the sensation of stress and anxiety,

Imagine the time you have felt stress and feel that sensation in the body without focusing on the source of the stress.

Now feel a sense of calm in the whole body,

Feel calm and peace radiating through the body,

Deeper and deeper to body and mind,

The entire body is calm and at peace.

Now bring your awareness to the space in front of the eyes,

Imagine a screen in front of the eyes behind the eyelids.

I will name a series of images,

You can picture these images projected onto this screen,

See,

Feel and embody each of these images guided by the sound of my voice.

A half circle,

A white lotus flower,

A tall tree,

A shining sun,

A garden path,

A feather,

A dense forest,

A vibrant sunset,

A spider's web,

A present moon,

A shining star,

A calm sea,

Falling snow,

A breeze in the leaves,

A blossoming flower,

A deep breath,

The sound of my voice,

Your body lying on the floor.

It's time to repeat your sankalpa,

Repeat your sankalpa silently three times in your head.

Now come back to your breath,

Come back to the rise and fall of your inhale and exhale,

Come back into your physical body,

Come back to the points of contact between your body and your mat,

You are relaxed and lying on the floor,

Come back to the weight of the body grounded into the earth,

Come back to the space above the physical body,

Keep the eyes closed and visualize the space around you,

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

Keep your eyes closed and when you feel called to move your body gradually make small movements with fingers and toes and feel the tingle of energy through the body,

Feel the cells of the body radiating sense of calm and peace,

You can stay lying or you can roll your way to one side and take your time to press to a seat,

Keeping eyes closed,

Hands come to prayer,

We offer thanks for this practice,

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.