Yoga Nidra Relaxation At The Lake

This gentle 22-minute guided Yoga Nidra is here to help you relax, release tension, and reconnect with your inner calm. Lori leads you through body awareness, breath visualization, a soothing journey to a peaceful pond, and the setting of a personal sankalpa to support lasting change. Suitable for all levels—lie down, get comfortable, and allow yourself to be held by the practice.

Transcript

People say that the hardest part of yoga is showing up, And you have showed up for yourself today. So start by allowing yourself gratitude for taking this time. As we get ready for our practice, Lie on your back if that is accessible for you, Or on your side if needed, And use whatever props you find to make yourself as comfortable as possible. There is no adjustment too small. If there is any way you can improve your comfort by 1%, Please make that adjustment now as we settle into your practice. If you are lying on your back, Move your legs slightly apart, Allow your feet to fall outwards, Your hands away from your side, Palms up. As you ground into this Shavasana position, Bring your awareness to the spaces between your body and the mat beneath you. Invite your body to soften and rest. As you relax, Notice the spaces between your body and the floor becoming smaller and smaller as you melt like water into your mat. Be aware of the temperature of the room on your face, On your hands. Be aware of how your clothes feel against your skin, How the material touches your chest and your abdomen as you breathe in and out. Feel the weight of your clothing or blanket rest against your legs. And as you are aware of this weight on top of you, Become aware of the way your body flows towards your mat. Feel the mat against your shoulders, Your back, Your legs, The backs of your hands, Backs of your ankles as the space between you and your mat fades away. The only thing that you have to do right now as we begin our Yoga Nidra practice is listen to the sound of my voice. If you fall asleep, I will wake you at the end. Remember that parts of this practice involve silence. If you return to consciousness and do not hear anything, Wait until you hear my voice again for direction and follow along. Be aware of the fact that you are beginning your practice of Yoga Nidra. Sense how your body relaxes as you allow it to. Do not adjust your breath. Simply be aware of it. We will take this time to set our resolve for our Sankalpa. This is a short, Positive statement in simple language that is an I am statement. This may be your heartfelt desire. Your deepest wish. Some examples are I am loved. I am safe. I forgive myself. If you cannot come up with your own resolve, Use the statement I am. And let's repeat this resolve three times with awareness and emphasis as you feel the vibration of it within your body. I am. I am. I am. Now bring your awareness to your breath. There is no need to change it. Simply notice it as it is. Imagine your breath as a gentle stream flowing in and out. With every inhale, Imagine your breath like clear spring water. Cleansing. Refreshing. Nourishing. And with every exhale, Release like a stream carrying away debris, Stress, Tension, Thoughts. Let that drift downstream. Inhale like cool lake water, Still and deep. Exhale, Imagining ripples spreading, Tension melting away. Stay with this water breath. Trust its rhythm, Its wisdom. As you float, Gently held in the current of this breath. We will now begin a rotation of consciousness, A journey as we move through the parts of your body. Become aware of the parts of the body as I name them, But do not move them. Just follow my voice and be aware of your right thumb, Right index finger, Right middle finger, Right ring finger, Right pinky finger, The palm of your right hand, Your wrist, Your forearm, The bend of your elbow, The upper arm, Your shoulder, The right side of the chest, The right side of the torso, The right hip, The thigh, The knee, The shin, The ankle, The sole of the right foot, The top of the foot, Your right big toe, The second toe, The third toe, The fourth toe, The fifth toe, The whole right side of your body, Your left thumb, Left index finger, Left middle finger, Left ring finger, Left pinky finger, The palm of your left hand, The wrist, The forearm, The bend of your elbow, The upper arm, The shoulder, The left side of the chest, The left side of the torso, Your left hip, The thigh, The knee, The shin, The ankle, The sole of your left foot, The top of the foot, The left big toe, The second toe, The third toe, The fourth toe, The fifth toe, The whole side of the left body, The back of the head, The back of the neck, The right shoulder blade, The left shoulder blade, The spine, The whole of the back together, The back of the right thigh, The right calf, The whole back of the right leg, The back of the left thigh, The left calf, The whole back of the left leg, The top of your head, Your right ear, Your left ear, Your forehead, The right eyebrow, The left eyebrow, The center of your eyebrows, The right cheek, The left cheek, The nose, The lips, The right jawline, The left jawline, The chin, The entire jawline, The entire face, The hollow of your throat, The right collarbone, The left collarbone, The center of your chest, Your whole chest, The upper abdomen, The navel, The lower abdomen, The whole abdomen, The whole of the right leg, The whole of the left leg, Both legs together, The whole of the right arm, The whole of the left arm, Both arms together, The whole of the head, The whole of the back body, The whole of the front body, The whole body together, The whole body, The whole body. Bring your awareness back to the ebb and flow of your breath, Not forcing your breath, Just be aware. And as you breathe in and out, We will begin to count down from 18. If at any time you lose count, Or if you reach the number 1, Begin again at 18. As we inhale, 18. Exhale, 18. Inhale, 17. Exhale, 17. As you become aware, Imagine the gentle warmth of sun on your skin, A soft golden warmth, Like a late afternoon August sun. Feel the heat on your face, Your arms, Down the length of your legs as the sun radiates you and wraps you in a warm embrace. Let yourself be completely held by this warmth. Let it expand and fill you with heat. Now, Invite the sensation of coolness to your body. Imagine the feeling of a cool stream of water, Clear and refreshing, Like stepping into a gently flowing mountain stream, Or floating in a quiet, Cold pool. Feel the coolness on your skin, A peaceful chill, Gentle and light as the water softens your body and calms your mind. Feel the chill of that refreshing water, The warmth of the sun on your skin, The coolness of the water, And the heat of that sun. Hold both of those sensations as if they coexist, The warmth on your skin and the cool water surrounding you. Rest in this balance. Bring your awareness to the space in the center of your forehead between your eyebrows. As you visualize the images that I list off, Do not get stuck on any one image. Let your mind move from one to another as if there are clouds floating by, A pink sunrise, A quiet forest path, Sunlight on rippling water, The sound of a gentle stream, Raindrops on green leaves, A wooden dock on a lake. A call of birds in the wild, The smell of fresh rain, A golden sunset, A starry night, A golden sunset, A twinkling star, A golden sunset, A dark black night. Now picture that you find yourself at the start of a clear path into poplar trees. You can see a glimpse of bright sunshine not far down the path and you know that this journey will be a short walk. You start down the well-worn path that is sandy and scattered with softened pine needles, Newly emerging green leaves and moss. You can smell the freshness of the surrounding trees as you walk along the path. This path leads you through the poplar trees and it begins to widen to an opening in the forest where you see a clear pond. There's a dock with a red canoe tied to the dock. You inhale deeply, Turn your face up towards the warm sun and feel that warmth on your face, On your skin, And deeply into your body. The grass and sand mixture as you make your way towards the pond look soft and welcoming as you step out of your shoes to feel the heat of the ground beneath your feet. You keep walking towards the dock and step on. The boards are worn smooth and feel soft and familiar against your bare feet. There is no wind, No ripple on the pond, Just the gleaming sun and clear water that allows you to see the bottom surface of the pond, The branches and the stones that lay there, The small fish that swim just below the surface. It feels as if the canoe is calling your name, Welcoming you to sit down and let your cares float away. You step in, Make yourself comfortable, Untie the line from the dock and pick up the oar. The pond is calm and a gentle push off allows you to float effortlessly away from the shore. You dip your paddle into the water to push towards the end of the pond where you see a creek that provides the water. You can hear the ripple in the water as your oar breaks the surface. You can hear the chirping song of the birds nearby, And yet not a breath of wind. You slowly paddle to the mouth of the creek where you witness ducks paddling their feet just below the surface as they swim effortlessly past you, Not at all bothered by your quiet presence. The stillness of the water allows you to witness the effect of your paddle breaking the surface and the ripple spreading out calmly along the top of the water. This allows you to reflect on the ripple of the actions and the choices you've made. The calmness of the water, The song of the birds, The gentle clouds floating by and the clear blue sky allow you to reflect. This serene setting lets you leave here the weight of expectations, Responsibility, Guilt or obligations that wear away at you. You shed your weight here as the gentle current from the creek pushes the canoe slowly back towards the dock. You are not required to paddle, You can just witness the scene that surrounds you from the wispy clouds overhead to the birds in the trees, The wildflowers along the shore, The gentle ripple the canoe leaves as it moves through the water. By the time you are near shore you feel lighter as you've left your worries there on the water. You know that you can pick them back up at any time, But right now you no longer need them as you step gently out of the canoe back to the sun warmed boards of the dock. You notice a lightness to your step as you make your way back to the sandy shore and you're thankful for this experience, The nature you've witnessed, The ripples you've watched spread across the water, The opportunity to shed the weight that you carry with you day to day and you make your way back down the path back towards your day. Recall now your resolve or your zen kalpa. Say this same zen kalpa inwardly with courage and confidence knowing that you have all you need within you. Repeat this resolve three times. Aware of your breath, This room, Your whole body, The position that your body is laying in. Become aware of your surroundings as you slowly invite movement back to your body. Take your time to stretch and move as needed and slowly in your own time and at your own pace bring yourself back to a seated position. Your practice of yoga nidra is now complete. Thank you for joining me today and taking this time for yourself. Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat.

Reviews

This was so relaxing, I loved the visualization of the lake. Thank you 🩷