Yoga Nidra 30 Minutes - Ultimate Rest & Recharge (W/ Music)

Reuben Gray walks you through a 30-minute Yoga nidra to help you reset your nervous system: it can act as a way to centre yourself, like a morning meditation, an afternoon nap to recharge your energy/spirit, or a preparation to sleep in the evening.

Easy Flow Yoga is concerned with making Yoga accessible to all levels, all bodies, all PEOPLE.

Transcript

Welcome to your yoga nidra practice. Please find a space you can hold for the duration of this practice, Either lying down or sitting up straight, Somewhere you're warm and comfortable, Perhaps you use some props, A pillow behind the head or under the knees. Find a place to rest your hands alongside your body or on your knees and allow your body to completely let go and relax. If you're comfortable, Shut off the eyes and keep the eyes shut for the remainder of this practice. Just taking a quick body scan now and see if you can make yourself just 5% more comfortable. In our yoga nidra practice, We aim to calm the nervous system while staying awake, Entering the brain state between waking and dreaming and sleeping. There are many uses for yoga nidra. Right now I want you to try and find the feeling of relaxation without forcing it. You can think about the state of mind we're trying to experience as the state we have right before sleep and we try to hold this space without falling asleep. If you do fall asleep however, You will still experience the unconscious benefits of this practice. All you have to do is follow my directions and remain aware. Detach from your thoughts, Detach from the process of analysis and allow yourself to fall into the practice. Imagine a wave of relaxation rolling down your body from the top of your head to the soles of your toes. Invite relaxation into every muscle, Every limb, Every joint. Feel as another wave rolls over the body. Now I want you to take a deep inhale and when you reach the top, Take another sip of air and then open mouth release. One more time just like that. Big inhale into the belly, An extra sip of air at the top and then open mouth sigh it out. Feel your body sink into the floor, Sink into stillness. Hold the stillness throughout this practice if possible. Before we move into the nidra practice itself, I want you to contemplate a resolve, A sankalpa, An I am statement that includes something of healing value. Whatever comes to mind first is generally a good starting point. This is your intention for today's practice. It could be I am healthy, I am energetic, I am free to flow with the universe. Or simply, I am. Whatever intention appeared for you today, Repeat this in your mind's eye, Quietly, Internally. Now take another deep inhale into the belly, An extra sip at the top and release through an open mouth. Your yoga nidra practice starts now. We start with the rotation of consciousness. Directing our attention to specific parts of the body and inviting them to relax. Encouraging our nervous system to let go, To know that it's safe. Paying soft attention to my voice, Move over your body without judgment, Without holding a position or sensation. We start with our right hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth, And fifth. The palm of the right hand, Back of the right hand, The wrist, Lower arm, Elbow, Upper arm, The right shoulder, Armpit, The side body, Your waist. The right hip, Thigh, Knee, Lower leg, The right heel, The sole of the right foot, Top of the right foot. The big toe, Second, Third, Fourth, And the fifth toe. Moving to the left hand thumb, Second finger, Third, Fourth, Fifth. The palm of the left hand, Back of the left hand, Left wrist, Lower arm, Elbow, Upper arm, The left shoulder, Armpit, Side body, Waist. The left hip, Thigh, Knee, Lower leg, Ankle, The heel of the left foot, The sole of the foot, Top of the left foot. The big toe, Second toe, Third, Fourth, And fifth toe. Moving into the back body now, Starting at the buttocks, The pelvis, The base of the spine, The middle of the spine, Upper spine, The shoulder blades, Moving up to the neck, The head, And then on to the crown of the head, Coming on to the face, The forehead, Eyebrows, The right eye, The left eye, The bridge of the nose, The tip of the nose, The right nostril, The left nostril, The right cheek, The right ear, Left cheek, The left ear, The jaw, The chin, Your mouth, The tongue, Your throat. On to the right collar bone, The left collar bone, The right of the chest, And the left of the chest, Chest centre, The upper abdominals, The navel, The lower abdominals, The whole right leg, The whole left leg, Both legs simultaneously. The whole right arm, The whole left arm, Both arms together, The entire back of the torso, The entire front of the torso, The whole head, Whole body, Feel the whole body at once, The whole body. Check in with your awareness, Remind yourself you are practising yoga nidra, That you are awake, Visualise your body lying on the floor in this room, Visualise yourself awake, Moving into pranayama, Paying attention to our breath, Become aware of the natural rhythm, In and out, Natural, No effort. Follow it gently, Concentrate on the movement of the breath at your navel, The in and out motion, Follow it. Now we count our breath, Mentally we say as we inhale 27, Exhale 27, Inhale 26, Exhale 26. Count backwards, With no intention to reach one, Just going through the practice. If you find that you make a mistake, Restart at 27. Move your awareness of breath to the chest, As it rises with the inhale and falls. Lock into these sensations, And when you are ready, Restart the counting process, Inhale 27, Exhale 27, Inhale 26, Exhale 26. Continue counting backwards, Move your awareness now to the throat, Pay attention to the sensations in the throat, As the breath comes in and out. Hold soft attention on your throat, As you restart counting back from 27 once again. Move the awareness of your breath to your nostrils, Notice the sensations there, And start the counting process backwards from 27, As you inhale and exhale. Relax your attention on the breath, Feel your full body again, And remind yourself you are practicing yoga nidra, That you are awake. We now move to a visualization practice, I will say a number of things, And I want you to develop mental vision on all levels, As best you can. Feel it, Become aware of it, The emotional wave, The imagination process, And each instant, Feel this process unfolding. A flame flickering, A flame flickering, A flame flickering. An endless horizon, An endless horizon, An endless horizon. A deserted pyramid, A deserted pyramid, A deserted pyramid. Heavy hail, Heavy hail, Heavy hail. A lone mountain, A lone mountain, A lone mountain. A temple sunrise, A temple sunrise, A temple sunrise. A coffin in a grave, A coffin in a grave, A coffin in a grave. A fluffy pink cloud, A fluffy pink cloud, A fluffy pink cloud. Jesus on the cross, Jesus on the cross, Jesus on the cross. Shooting stars in the night sky, Shooting stars in the night sky, Shooting stars in the night sky. Crescent moon, Crescent moon, Crescent moon. Buddha meditating, Buddha meditating, Buddha meditating. A vicious sandstorm, A vicious sandstorm, A vicious sandstorm. A calm ocean, A calm ocean, A calm ocean. An active ocean, An active ocean. A calm lake. Bring your resolve, Your intention back to mind. And in the eye of your mind, Repeat it three times internally, Exactly as it was. Relax all effort now. Become aware of your natural breath, The rhythm of the rising and falling. Become aware of your body and where your body is lying. And in the eye of your mind, Say a mental om. Coming back into our space, Into our body, Visualize yourself lying where you are. Visualize the surroundings in your room. Keep the eyes closed and lie quietly in the space. With ever so slight movements, We start awakening our body, Limb by limb, Gradually. Start by moving the toes very slightly and the fingers. There is no rush. Invite movement into the body as you see fit, Perhaps in the ankles. Bending the knees slightly, Raising the arms and releasing them again. Nodding the head ever so slightly. There is no rush as we reawaken our body. As you are ready, Roll to your right side. Feel free to stay here in your fetal position for as long as you need. And when you are ready, Push yourself up to a seat. If your eyes are still closed, Open them bit by bit. Blink them several times. Allow the visual information to come in again. But notice that the stimulation is not alarming. Notice your nervous system is relaxed and that you control your nervous system. Seated here, Take three big cycles of breath in and out through the nose. The yoga nidra practice is now complete.