Hello,
Sweet friend.
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice for deep rest.
This journey will allow you to release whatever your body is holding in during the day or in the middle of the night,
And surrender into a relaxed state to reset your nervous system,
Balance your hormones,
And settle a racing mind.
Yoga Nidra,
Often called Yogic Sleep,
Is a guided meditation that leads you into a state between wakefulness and sleep,
A place where the body restores,
The mind unwinds,
And the heart softens.
Take a moment and prepare for your practice.
Find a comfortable place to lie down on your back.
Use a pillow or a bolster under your knees.
Feel free to cover your eyes.
And as you settle in,
Know that there is nothing to do,
Nothing to fix,
And nowhere to go.
Simply listen,
Breathe,
And allow yourself to be held by this moment.
Let the rhythm of your breath rock you gently into tranquility,
Like a lullaby being sung to a restless child.
During this journey,
We invite the soft whispers of a spring evening to help guide you into a restful slumber,
A sky full of stars,
The hush of a warm breeze,
The soothing song of peepers in the distance.
Let this night cradle you.
Let rest find you.
Before we begin,
Gently set your intention for this practice.
If you're working on your own intention,
You're welcome to use it.
Now,
Simply whisper the one that resonates with you silently to yourself three times.
I am safe,
Held by the night.
Or I am at peace,
Drifting into rest.
Or I am open to deep healing sleep.
I am safe,
Held by the night.
I am at peace,
Drifting into rest.
Or I am open to deep healing sleep.
Again,
I am safe,
Held by the night.
I am at peace,
Drifting into rest.
Or I am at peace,
Drifting into rest.
I am open to deep healing sleep.
Breathe these words into your heart,
Allowing them to take root within you,
Just as spring flowers stretch toward the moonlight.
Now,
Bring your awareness to your precious breath.
Inhale two sips through your nose,
Then open your mouth and sigh it out.
Let's repeat that two more times.
Take two sips in through your nose,
Open your mouth and sigh it out.
One more time,
Two sips in through your nose,
Now open your mouth and sigh it out.
Normal breath in.
Bring your attention to your nose as you inhale.
What do you smell?
Are there any scents or fragrances,
Aromas,
Lingering in the air surrounding you?
Bring your awareness to your mouth.
Soften the lips.
Gently separate your teeth,
Releasing any tension in your jaw.
Feel the tongue pull away from the teeth.
The roof of the mouth.
Relax the root of the tongue.
Notice,
Is there anything activating your taste buds?
Now bring your awareness to your ears,
The right ear.
The left ear.
Both ears listening.
Now listen to the gentle sounds of life around you,
In the space that you're in.
Perhaps here you hear the comforting sounds of your home or the safe place that you're resting.
Now extend your sense of hearing to the sounds outside your space.
The sounds of life taking place around you.
Now bring your attention back to your space.
Listen to your body.
Hearing the sounds of your precious body living.
Digesting the food that you've eaten.
The body circulating the blood and the nutrients within your body.
The nails and hair growing.
The soft sound of your heart beating.
The exchange of oxygen on each inhale and exhale.
Normal breath in.
Normal breath out.
Now feel the body resting on the surface beneath you.
Letting go of tension within all of the muscles,
The ligaments,
The tendons.
Let the fingers naturally curl inward.
Soften the tiny muscles of the forehead and around the right eye and the left eye.
Feel the eyelashes gently resting on the skin below your eyes.
Bring an awareness to the lips.
The top lip.
The bottom lip.
Place a gentle smile across your lips,
Softening the contour of the lips.
Savoring this moment of slowing down.
Of letting go.
Of surrendering to this healing sleep.
There is no place to go.
There is nothing to do.
Except rest the heels of the feet.
The arch of the right foot.
The arch of the left foot.
Soften the bridge of the feet.
Allow the softness to extend the length of each toe.
Feel the right side of the body softening.
Resting deeply.
The left side of the body deeply resting.
Easing both sides of the body together.
Both sides of the body.
Feel the front side of the body.
Surrender to this safe space of soothing comfort.
And feel the back side of the body.
Surrendering into the stillness.
Deeply resting.
Savoring this peaceful feeling.
In your mind's eye,
Imagine yourself lying beneath a vast spring sky.
Wrapped in the soft embrace of the earth.
The air is velvety and warm,
Carrying the scent of honeysuckle and fresh rain.
A gentle breeze whispers through the trees as if nature itself is exhaling.
Releasing the last remnants of the day.
In the distance,
A symphony of peepers begins.
Tiny voices filling the night with their rhythmic soothing song.
Their lullaby calls to you.
To surrender to the hush of twilight.
Above the moon rises in her silver glow,
Casting a soft shimmer across the landscape.
She is ancient,
Watching over you with quiet wisdom.
Illuminating your path into deep,
Effortless rest.
As you breathe,
Notice how the night sky stretches endlessly above.
A canvas scattered with brilliant stars.
Some flicker like tiny lanterns.
Others burn steady and bright.
Their light traveling across time to meet you in this moment.
You are part of this vast,
Peaceful night.
You are weightless,
Floating on the gentle rhythm of your breath.
As if cradled by the moon,
Swaying you,
Comforting you,
Lulling you into a deep rest.
A soft golden warmth spreads through you,
Starting at your heart and expanding outward,
Discovering any tension,
Any lingering thoughts,
Washing away the worries from your day.
Your body is melting into stillness,
As if the crescent moon itself is holding you,
Whispering,
Right?
Slowly bring your attention back to your heartfelt desire you set earlier in this journey.
Breathe these words into your heart,
Allowing them to take root within you.
I am at peace,
Drifting into rest.
Or simply,
I am open to deep,
Healing sleep.
As this journey draws to a close,
Let the quiet comfort of the night remain within you.
Know that rest is always here,
Waiting for you,
Like the stars that return each evening without fail.
Feel the gentle rhythm of your breath,
Steady and slow,
Like the tide kissing the shore.
With each inhale,
Peace fills your body.
With each exhale,
You release,
Sinking deeper into the arms of sleep.
There is nothing more to do.
Sleep is here.
Rest is here.
Sweet dreams.
Until next time,
Just breathe.
