Yoga Nidra Extra Long Body Scan

This Deep Rest recording is an extra-long body scan from the tradition of Yoga Nidra. In this track, we go through the entire body scan two times. This extra-long body scan is wonderful for resetting your nervous system from fight-flight-freeze to deep relaxation and inner peace. You will be guided back to continue your day at the end of the track, but also invited to let yourself fall into sleep, if you choose to listen to this at bedtime.

Transcript

Namaste.

This is Elara from Heartful Way Yoga and Wellness.

And this is an extra long body scan from the tradition of Yoga Nidra to facilitate non-sleep deep rest and to reset the nervous system.

We will do the entire body scan two times.

If you do wish to give yourself permission to drift off into a deep unconscious sleep towards the end of the body scan,

You will be invited to do so.

Otherwise,

I will be guiding you back at the end of the body scan to continue with your day.

Enjoy the process as we begin.

And while this body scan is only a one technique from the tradition of Yoga Nidra,

It is a particularly powerful one to move your energy from the busy mind,

From the head into the body,

Thus helping to move from the sympathetic stress response,

Which can become chronic,

Into a deep healing of the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system.

We'll begin with the physiological sigh.

This is where we inhale in two parts and then take a long,

Slow exhalation out through the mouth.

So let's inhale and exhale.

And again,

Inhaling in two sips,

Long,

Slow exhale,

Releasing tension and stress from the body and mind.

And one more,

Long,

Slow exhalation,

Letting go even more.

Let your body rest onto the support beneath you.

Let your breath find its own natural,

Comfortable rhythm now.

And now,

Follow my guidance as we move awareness throughout the body.

Tuning into the sensations throughout the body.

We'll begin by bringing awareness inside the mouth.

Notice the sensations throughout the mouth,

The floor of the mouth underneath the tongue,

The ceiling of the mouth,

Inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek.

Sense the gums and the teeth,

And the root of the tongue,

Tip of the tongue,

And the whole tongue.

Notice a lingering taste,

Perhaps,

Inside the mouth.

Now,

Follow sensations toward the right inner ear.

Sense the ear canal.

And then towards the outer ear,

Sense the folds of the ear,

The earlobe.

And follow sensations back through the inner ear into the mouth.

And over to the left inner ear,

Sensing the ear canal.

And towards the outer ear,

The folds of the ear,

The earlobe.

And now,

Sense the space between the two ears.

Let the space be at ease,

And sense the forehead,

The spot between the eyebrows,

The right brow,

Right eyelid and eyelashes,

The right eye itself resting deep in the eye socket.

Sense the little muscles behind the eye,

Sensing the spot between the eyebrows again,

And the left brow,

Left eyelid and eyelashes,

The left eye itself resting deep in the eye socket.

And sense the little muscles behind the eye.

Sense both eyes simultaneously now,

Like radiant orbs of sensation,

Deeply resting and relaxing.

Sense the right temple,

The right cheekbone,

The right side of the jaw,

The whole right side of the face.

Now,

Sense the left temple,

Left cheekbone,

Left side of the jaw,

And the whole left side of the face.

And the whole face together.

Now,

Sense the air at the nostrils,

At the right nostril and the left nostril,

And both nostrils together.

Sense the whole nose,

Upper lip,

And the lower lip together.

Now,

Sense the upper lip,

Lower lip,

The space between the lips,

And both lips together.

Sense the chin and throat.

Sense the back of the neck and the back of the head,

Sensing the whole skull and the whole head.

Feel the whole head as sensation.

Like a radiant orb of sensation.

And now,

Sense the right shoulder and shoulder blade,

The right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the right hand and the back of the hand,

The right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Sense all five fingers of the right hand and the space between the fingers.

Can you tell where the fingers end and the space between the fingers begins?

Or does it feel like the fingers are dissolving into the space in and around the fingers?

Just notice.

Now,

Sense the energy,

The aliveness in the whole right hand,

The wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

And the whole right shoulder,

Arm,

And hand together.

Sense the right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Left shoulder,

And shoulder blade.

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the left hand and the back of the hand,

Left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Sense all five fingers of the left hand simultaneously and the space between the fingers.

Can you tell where the fingers end and the space between the fingers begins?

Or does it feel like the fingers are melting into the space in and around the fingers?

Now,

Sensing the aliveness,

The vitality in the whole left hand,

Left wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder.

Left shoulder and the whole left arm and hand together as sensation.

Sensing now both right and left shoulders,

Arms,

And hands simultaneously as sensation.

Now,

Become aware of the heart center,

The center of the chest,

The right side of the chest,

The right side of the ribcage,

Right side of the belly,

Right side of the pelvis,

And the right hip.

Sense the whole right side of the torso,

Front and back.

Now,

Become aware of the center of the chest again,

The left side of the chest,

Left side of the ribcage,

Left side of the belly,

Left side of the pelvis,

And the left hip.

Be aware of the whole left side of the torso now,

Front and back.

Now,

Sense the whole of the chest and upper back,

The whole of the ribcage and mid-back,

The whole belly and lower back,

The whole pelvis and both hips.

Feel the whole torso now as sensation inside and outside.

Sensing again the pelvis,

The pelvic bowl,

The right hip joint,

Right thigh,

Knee joint,

Shin and calf,

The right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot and the top of the foot.

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And little toe,

All five toes of the right foot and the space between the toes.

Can you sense where the toes end and the space between the toes begins?

Or does it feel like the toes are melting into the space in and around them?

Just notice.

Now,

Feeling the vitality and the aliveness in the whole right foot,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And hip.

Sensing the right hip and the whole right foot.

Right leg and foot together as sensation.

Sense the pelvic bowl again and the left hip joint,

Left thigh,

Left knee joint,

Shin,

Calf,

Left ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot and the top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Four,

And little toe.

Sense all five toes of the left foot and the space between the toes.

Can you tell where the toes end and the space between the toes begins?

Or does it feel like the toes are dissolving into the space in and around the toes?

Now,

Feel the aliveness,

The vitality in the whole left foot,

Left ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And left hip.

And the whole left hip,

Leg,

And heel.

And foot together as sensation.

Now,

Sense both hips,

Legs,

And feet simultaneously as sensation.

And sense the whole torso again,

Front and back,

Inside and outside.

Both shoulders,

Arms,

And hands together simultaneously as sensation.

The throat and the neck,

The head and the whole face together as sensation.

Sensing the whole head and face,

Both shoulders,

Arms,

And hands,

And the whole torso,

And both hips,

Legs,

And feet together as sensation,

The whole body together as sensation,

The whole body as sensation.

Feel the whole body.

And notice how the sensations shift and change,

Come and go.

Notice the sensations throughout the mouth,

The floor of the mouth underneath the tongue,

The ceiling of the mouth,

Inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek.

Sense the gums and the teeth,

And the root of the tongue,

Tip of the tongue,

And the whole tongue.

Notice a lingering taste,

Perhaps,

Inside the mouth.

Now,

Follow sensations toward the right inner ear,

Sense the ear canal,

And then towards the outer ear,

Sense the folds of the ear,

The earlobe.

And follow sensations back through the inner ear,

Into the mouth,

And over to the left inner ear,

Sensing the ear canal.

And towards the outer ear,

The folds of the ear,

The earlobe.

And now,

Sense the space between the two ears.

Let the space be at ease,

And sense the forehead,

The spot between the eyebrows,

The right brow,

Right eyelid,

And eyelashes,

The right eye itself,

Resting deep in the eye socket.

Sense the little muscles behind the eye,

Sensing the spot between the eyebrows again,

And the left brow,

Left eyelid,

And eyelashes,

The left eye itself,

Resting deep in the eye socket.

And sense the little muscles behind the eye.

Sense both eyes simultaneously now,

Like radiant orbs of sensation,

Deeply resting and relaxing.

Sense the right temple,

The right cheekbone,

The right side of the jaw,

The whole right side of the face.

Now,

Sense the left temple,

Left cheekbone,

Left side of the jaw,

And the whole left side of the face,

And the whole face together.

Now,

Sense the air at the nostrils,

At the right nostril and the left nostril,

And both nostrils together.

Sense the whole nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The space between the lips,

And both lips together.

Sense the chin and throat.

Sense the back of the neck and the back of the head,

Sensing the whole skull and the whole head.

Feel the whole head as sensation.

Like a radiant orb of sensation.

And now,

Sense the right shoulder and shoulder blade,

The right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the right hand and the back of the hand,

The right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Sense all five fingers of the right hand and the space between the fingers.

Can you tell where the fingers end and the space between the fingers begins?

Or does it feel like the fingers are dissolving into the space in and around the fingers?

Just notice.

Now,

Sense the energy,

The aliveness in the whole right hand,

The wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

And the whole right shoulder,

Arm,

And hand together.

Sense the right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Left shoulder,

And shoulder blade.

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the left hand and the back of the hand,

Left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Sense all five fingers of the left hand simultaneously simultaneously and the space between the fingers.

Can you tell where the fingers end and the space between the fingers begins?

Or does it feel like the fingers are melting into the space in and around the fingers?

Now,

Sensing the aliveness,

The vitality in the whole left hand,

Left wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Left shoulder,

And the whole left arm and hand together as sensation.

Sensing now both right and left shoulders,

Arms,

And hands simultaneously as sensation.

Now,

Become aware of the heart center,

The center of the chest,

The right side of the chest,

The right side of the ribcage,

Right side of the belly,

Right side of the pelvis,

And the right hip.

Sense the whole right side of the torso,

Front and back.

Now,

Become aware of the center of the chest again,

The left side of the chest,

Left side of the ribcage,

Left side of the belly,

Left side of the pelvis,

And the left hip.

Be aware of the whole left side of the torso now,

Front and back.

Now,

Sense the whole of the chest and upper back,

The whole of the ribcage and mid-back,

The whole belly and lower back,

The whole pelvis and both hips.

Feel the whole torso now as sensation,

Inside and outside.

Sensing again the pelvis,

The pelvic bowl,

The right hip joint,

Right thigh,

Knee joint,

Shin,

And calf,

The right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot,

And the top of the foot.

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And little toe,

All five toes of the right foot,

And the space between the toes.

Can you sense where the toes end and the space between the toes begins?

Or does it feel like the toes are melting into the space in and around them?

Just notice.

Now,

Feeling the vitality and the aliveness in the whole right foot,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And hip.

Sensing the right hip and the whole right leg and foot together as sensation.

Sense the pelvic bowl again and the left hip joint,

Left thigh,

Left knee joint,

Shin,

Calf,

Left ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot,

And the top of the foot.

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And little toe.

Sense all five toes of the left foot and the space between the toes.

Can you tell where the toes end and the space between the toes begins?

Or does it feel like the toes are dissolving into the space in and around the toes?

Now,

Feel the aliveness,

The vitality in the whole left foot,

Left ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And left hip,

And the whole left hip,

Leg,

And foot together as sensation.

Now,

Sense both hips,

Legs,

And feet simultaneously as sensation.

And sense the whole torso again,

Front and back,

Inside and outside.

Both shoulders,

Arms,

And hands together simultaneously as sensation.

The throat and the neck,

The head and the whole face together as sensation.

Sensing the whole head and face,

Both shoulders,

Arms,

And hands,

And the whole torso,

And both hips,

Legs,

And feet together as sensation.

The whole body together as sensation.

The whole body as sensation.

Feel the whole body.

And notice how the sensations shift and change,

Come and go.

Feeling the body resting and relaxing.

Become aware of the breath in the body.

And take a deep breath in and out.

And again,

Deep breath in.

And one more time.

Allowing the breath to find its comfortable rhythm again.

Sense how the breath feels in the body.

Sensing how the whole body feels.

Feeling and appreciating the life force energy or prana in the body,

The vitality and the aliveness in the whole body.

Taking a moment to marvel at the miracle of the body,

How the body breathes itself.

And beats the heart.

Appreciating and thanking the body for all that it does.

And knowing that just as this intelligence of the life force energy knows how to breathe the body and beat the heart,

That it will also know how to take care of everything for you.

So feeling a sense of trust,

Of comfort,

And support of this energy,

Of this intelligence.

Knowing that all is well in this moment and always.

Knowing that you are loved just as you are in this moment and always.

Giving yourself permission to stay here and rest as long as you like.

And if you are using this meditation to help you fall asleep,

Let yourself drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Drifting off easily and effortlessly into deep unconscious sleep.

If you are ready to go on with the day,

You might just bring a little movement in the fingers and the toes.

Maybe circling the wrists and ankles.

You might take a full body stretch,

Bring the arms up overhead.

Maybe letting out a sigh or a yawn.

Maybe drawing the knees up towards the chest or curling onto your side into the fetal position.

Let yourself feel the safety,

Comfort,

And support of the womb of existence.

And stay resting here as long as you like.

And then when you're ready to go on with your day,

You can sit up and you can get up and take in the peace and relaxation with you in your nervous system.

Thank you for practicing this non-sleep deep rest with me today.

And have a beautiful day.

Until next time,

Namaste.

Reviews

Elara, all my thanks for this incredible meditation. I love the length and the depth you went in to. Fantastic and I was so relaxed that I went into a deep sleep afterwards. 🙏

Nice slow pace, relaxing. Subtle background music. Really enjoyed it 🙏🏻