Yoga Nidra For Women Experiencing Stress Or Burnout

The practice of yoga nidra is a helpful tool in anyone's self-care toolbox, but it can be particularly supportive for those caring for others professionally or personally. Those of us who support others are often exposed to not only the stress of our own lives, but the stress of lives of those we support and care for. This practise of deep self care can protect us from exposure to vicarious trauma and can lead to compassion fatigue or burnout.

Transcript

Welcome to this gentle yoga nidra for deep relaxation.

Finding yourself your sweet spot,

Your cozy nest,

Your way of being comfortable.

Best lying down,

But if you prefer you may also do this practice in a seated position.

Comfortable,

Alert,

Setting an intention to care deeply for yourself during this time of practice.

Inviting you now to take your right hand to your belly and your left hand to your chest.

Just give yourself a moment now to tune in and notice your breath.

And if you're starting this practice and you are exhausted or you are anxious.

And if you are exhausted or you are anxious,

I want you to let go of those labels and those words.

Like I'm so tired or I'm so worried.

Let go of those words and what those words mean and their connotations.

And instead just really tune in to how your body feels with no labels.

Does your right hip feel heavier on the floor than your left?

Do your shoulders feel achy?

Does your jaw feel tired?

What's physically happening without judgment or labeling?

Just really be in your body.

And then I want you to make your breath a little bit bigger.

I want you to inhale,

Feel your belly rise.

And then the hand on your chest rise and pause and exhale.

Just let gravity make more of you.

Inhale,

Belly,

Ribs,

Chest,

Fill up.

Breathe in big.

Exhale,

Think surrender.

Inhale,

Big.

Exhale,

Just think release.

You can be breathing out of the nose or the mouth,

Your choice.

A few more.

Inhale,

Big,

Belly and chest inflating.

Exhale,

Release,

Surrender,

Even a little.

Just challenging yourself on each inhale to inhale a little bigger than you normally would and then on the exhale,

Letting it go.

Last two.

Breathe in,

Get really big.

Maybe think let.

Exhale,

All the way.

Maybe think go.

Inhale,

Breathe in big.

Invite sensation into the body.

Just feel whatever you need to feel,

Big.

And exhale,

Giving yourself permission to release as you breathe out.

Let your breath just do what it will now.

Let your hands relax where they wish.

And give yourself permission to let go and be taken over by something greater than you right now.

Just let yourself up to be pliable,

To be at ease,

To just release and let go in a safe,

Supportive practice.

Feel your heels on the ground,

Where your heels make contact with the mat or your floor.

I want you to feel your right heel.

So send your awareness into your right heel without moving it at all.

Just imagine,

Like even the neurons in your brain,

Just swooping or swishing down to the right heel.

Feel the right heel.

Just noticing the right heel in your awareness.

Feel the sole of the right foot.

Holding your awareness at the top of the right foot.

Send your awareness into your big toe of your right foot.

Feel your big toe on your right foot.

And send your awareness into your second toe on your right foot.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And pinky toe.

Send your awareness to your right foot as a whole.

Let gravity have more of it.

Think let go.

Send your awareness to your right calf.

Feel the front of your lower leg,

Your shin.

And send your awareness to the back of the lower leg,

Where the calf is in contact with the floor,

The bolster.

Think let go.

And bring your awareness to your right knee.

I want you to imagine your right knee just softening and unwinding.

As if you could screw your kneecap off your body.

And all the tissue around it just naturally and instantly relaxed,

Slackened.

And feel your awareness in your right knee.

Bring your awareness to your right thigh bone.

Feel the front of the right thigh.

Feel the back of the right thigh,

Where it's in contact with bolster,

Pillow or floor.

And bring your awareness the whole right thigh.

Just think let go.

And send your awareness into your right seat,

Where it's in contact with the floor.

Think of gravity having more of your seat.

Say to the right seat,

Let go.

Left side of the body,

Heavy.

Feel the left sit bone,

Heavy.

And the whole left side of the body,

Heavy.

Say to the left seat,

Let go.

And bring your awareness into your left thigh.

Feel the top of the left thigh and the bottom of the right thigh.

Feel them apart and then together.

Tell the left thigh to get heavier.

Let gravity have you.

Say to the left thigh,

Let go.

And then bring your awareness to your left knee.

Imagine the whole left knee softening.

Tissues receive more slack,

More space.

Maybe visualise the kneecap just gently coming off the body.

Say to the left knee,

Just say,

Let go.

And bring your awareness to the left shin,

The top of the lower leg.

Bring your awareness to your left calf.

Feel the top and bottom of the legs separately.

Then bring your awareness to them together.

Say to the lower left leg,

Let go.

Feel the left heel on the ground.

Let it be heavy.

Feel the sole of the left foot,

The top of the left foot.

Say to the left foot,

Let go.

Send your awareness into your left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Feel your awareness in your fourth toe.

Feel your awareness in your pinky toe.

Say to the whole left foot,

Let go.

Feel both legs completely relaxed.

Bring your awareness to your belly.

I want you to imagine your stomach just unravelling.

So often we talk about anxiety and the stomach being in knots.

Just imagine now your stomach getting larger,

Relaxing more.

Again,

Slack coming into all the tissues and all the muscles and all the organs.

Feel this happen under your left or your right hand,

If you'd like to return your hand to your belly.

Visualise stomach uncoiling.

Tissues uncoiling.

Getting more slack.

Visualise the stomach to say,

Let go.

And bring your attention to the back of your neck.

I want you to gently,

Gently think of lengthening the back of your head.

So the back of your skull lengthens away from your heart,

Just so gently,

So slightly.

So maybe your chin dips just a little.

From here,

Take the palms to the left and right of the body.

Let the palms drop down to the floor.

Turn them face up and bring your energy and your awareness into your right shoulder.

Let the right shoulder get heavier with gravity.

Say,

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your right bicep.

Top of the bicep.

Let gravity have your upper arm.

Think,

Relax.

Right upper arm,

Where it's in contact with the floor or mat.

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your right elbow.

Relax.

Right forearm.

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your right wrist.

Think,

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your right wrist.

Think,

Relax.

Bring your awareness into the palm of the right hand.

Bring your awareness into the back of the right hand.

And feel and hold your whole right hand in your awareness.

Notice now your right thumb.

Second finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Feel your whole right palm.

Think,

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your right thumb.

Second finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Feel your whole palm.

Think,

Relax.

Feel the whole right side of your body.

Let it unwind.

Uncoil.

Get heavier.

Relax.

The whole right side of your body.

Bring your awareness now to your left shoulder.

Feel it heavy on the floor or the bed or the mat.

Take your awareness to your left bicep.

Feel the top of the arm and the bottom of the upper arm.

So your whole upper left arm.

Relax.

Bring your awareness to your left elbow.

Relax.

Left forearm.

Relax.

Bring your energy to your left wrist.

And relax.

And bring your awareness to the left palm.

And relax.

Bring your energy to the back of the left palm.

And let the whole left hand now relax.

Bring your awareness into your left thumb.

The fourth finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Feel the whole left hand in your awareness.

And relax.

Left arm.

Relax.

Left side of the body.

Let it get heavier.

Unravel.

And relax.

Visualise more space now appearing between all your organs.

So everything is floating a little bit further apart.

Let gravity now continue to sink you down.

Get heavier and heavier.

Without manipulating the breath too much.

Just as you breathe out,

See if you can find the space where you don't really need to breathe in again for a little while.

Creating a little gap between the out breath and the next in breath.

Feel the whole body weighted down.

Bring your attention to your right eye.

And relax the space behind your eye.

Give your energy to the left eye.

Relax the left eye.

But also the space behind the left eye.

Feel your left cheekbone.

Relax.

Left cheekbone.

Relax.

Feel your lips and jaw slacken and relax.

Feel your lips and jaw slacken and relax.

Feel the back of your head on the floor.

Think,

Relax.

Feel the space between your eyebrows.

The third eye centre.

Say,

Relax.

Now visualise on the screen of your mind.

Now visualise on the screen of your mind just the following things for a few seconds each.

The colour blue.

Looking out the window,

Seeing the snowfall,

A snowy day.

A baby laughing.

The sun shining.

You smiling.

And the colour purple.

Just feel yourself and let yourself be held in the most nourishing ocean that's just vast intelligence where everything is uncoiled,

Loose,

Slack,

Supported.

Take that peace and tell your whole body,

Relax.

Allow yourself to feel heavy like lead.

Feel like you're being breathed.

I want you to cultivate the subtle sense that your body is recharging,

Refuelling.

Just held in this healing space,

Whether it's ocean or light,

Whatever you want to visualise.

Whatever you want to visualise,

You are supported,

Suspended,

Recharging,

Refuelling.

Also taking the next 15 or 20 breaths just to refuel as much as possible.

Imagine every part of the body recovered,

Refuelling.

Every cell refuelling and renewing.

Every thought you've ever thought,

Renewing and turning into something more gentle.

So as we finish this practice together,

Taking the transition back into the rest of your day,

Nice and slowly.

Begin by rubbing your thumbs on your fingers,

On the pads of your fingers.

And then slowly wiggling your toes.

Moving very slowly to draw one knee and then the other knee into the chest.

Giving yourself a little squeeze and roll to your right side.

You can use your right forearm as a pillow,

Left hand to your belly and just rest.

And as you're ready,

Slowly,

Slowly press yourself up into a comfortable seat.

Bringing your hands together,

Finding a tall spine.

Breathe in,

Exhale.

Just dip the chin.

Let the back soften.

Just melting now into a gesture of gratitude,

Relief and receptivity.

And let the back soften,

Just melting into a gesture of gratitude,

Relief and receptivity.

Allowing a little space to absorb the benefits of this deep,

Deep practice.