Self-Acceptance Yoga Nidra | 15 Min

Gently settle your nervous system and soften self-judgment with this 15-minute yoga nidra. Designed to help you rest in safety, compassion, and acceptance, there’s nothing to fix and nowhere to go—just be. Breathe slowly, relax, and allow yourself to fully receive a moment of peace and self-kindness.

Transcript

Welcome,

You've arrived in this moment.

This yoga nidra practice is a safe space to rest,

Release and return to yourself.

There is no specific way you need to be and there's absolutely nothing you need to fix.

This is a space simply for softening,

For allowing,

For receiving and for rest.

So I invite you to begin by maybe lying down in a really comfortable position.

If lying down doesn't work for you,

Maybe you're going to do this practice sat in your chair or lay on your couch.

Really you just want to be as comfortable as you can be,

Whatever that means for you and it may be that there are parts of your body that just are not comfortable this evening,

This afternoon,

This morning,

Whenever you're practicing.

So maybe we just have to have some acceptance around that.

But see if for now you can support your body as needed.

Do you need some cushions or pillows?

Do you need to lay something over your eyes to make it a little darker?

Maybe you're just going to close your eyes or maybe you're just going to keep them softly open.

So just take the next couple of moments to get settled.

It's always worth the fidgeting at the beginning for the benefit of the rest of the practice.

So just really when you get ready,

When you get into your place,

When you allow your body to start to settle,

I invite you to take a long slow breath in,

A long slow breath out.

Just know that you are held,

You are safe,

And that you are welcome exactly as you are.

So in Yoga Nidra we work with what's called a Sankalpa.

This is a heartfelt intention.

So ideally you could let this just be a quiet whisper from your soul.

It's not a goal but kind of a remembering.

So some examples could be I am whole even as I heal.

Or maybe I accept all parts of me with compassion.

Or maybe I am learning to love myself one breath at a time.

And what you really want to cultivate for your Sankalpa is something that you either aspire to have in your life,

Something that you're working on.

You know if you're in any kind of therapeutic environment or having any sort of counselling or if you're doing some sort of particular self-development or even maybe in recovery.

Maybe it's something related to that.

So what is it that you're working on at the moment maybe?

What is it that you need?

I'm going to be quiet just for a moment just so you can allow hopefully your soul to whisper rather than your mind.

And just see,

Just see what arises.

Try not to overthink it.

It's not a one-time job.

You can change it next time you do Yoga Nidra if you want to.

But what does your soul whisper for in this moment?

And just trust what arises and know that there's absolutely no way to do this wrong.

So now let's gently bring awareness to different parts of the body.

So there's no need to move.

We're just trying to notice.

It may be that this is easy in some places and hard in others.

If you've never done Yoga Nidra before the whole thing might feel difficult.

But just know even the process of trying to do it is the practice of Yoga Nidra.

So letting go of any outcomes.

Letting go of any need for this to be a particular way.

Just let each part be acknowledged with curiosity and care.

So we're going to start over at the right hand thumb.

The index finger.

The middle finger.

The ring finger and the little finger.

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

The wrist.

The forearm.

The elbow.

The upper arm and the shoulder.

The right side of the chest.

The right side of the waist.

Down into the right hip.

The right thigh.

The knee.

The shin.

The ankle and the heel.

Awareness of the sole of the foot and the top of the foot and then all five of the toes.

Now let's move over to the left side into the left hand thumb.

Index finger.

The middle finger.

The ring finger and the little finger.

The palm of the hand.

The wrist.

The forearm.

The elbow.

The upper arm.

Into the shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

Left side of the waist.

Down into the hip.

The left knee.

The shin.

The ankle.

The heel.

The sole of the foot and the top of the foot and then all five toes.

You move your awareness now up the spine.

Can you feel the back body?

The lower back.

The middle back.

The upper back.

Into the shoulder blades.

Can you feel the back of the neck and the back of the head?

Either resting on the ground or the pillow or even in space.

Now let your awareness travel to the front of the body.

Into the forehead.

Temples.

Eyebrows.

The eyes.

Cheeks.

The jaw and the lips.

Travel down into the throat.

Travel further down into the chest.

Into the heart.

Down into the belly.

The hips.

The legs and the feet.

Let your body be heavy and held.

Really feel the support that's beneath you.

Now notice your breath.

Can you notice without any effort,

Without the need to change anything?

Can you feel the breath rising and falling?

You feel cool air entering the nose and can you feel warm air leaving?

And just know that this breath right here is enough,

That each breath is an act of self-acceptance.

And when and if your mind wanders,

That's okay.

That's what the mind does.

Just gently come back to the breath.

Now just watching the breath for a few more moments.

Feel the cool air coming in and the warm air going out.

Now I invite you to begin to tune into the emotional body,

Into your emotional self.

So what's here right now?

Maybe there's sadness and grief.

Maybe there's tenderness and peace.

Just take a moment to notice.

Maybe there's no emotion.

Or maybe there's a mixture that's too difficult to name.

The act of noticing is all we're interested in.

There's no judgment.

We're just witnessing what is or isn't there.

And you might start to imagine holding your heart like a child with softness.

Especially if you're feeling some big feelings,

Some big emotions.

And you might choose to repeat these words to yourself.

Even this part of me is worthy of love.

I forgive myself for all the ways I abandoned myself in the past.

I choose to come home to myself now.

Can you let these words ripple through the cells of your body?

Now we invite you to imagine a warm golden light above your head.

And this is the light of unconditional acceptance.

Can you feel,

Imagine it pouring into the crown of your head?

Washing over your face,

Down your throat and into your heart.

Can you let it fill your belly and your pelvis,

Your legs and your feet?

This light is you,

Whole,

Worthy and healing.

And if it feels okay to do so,

Maybe you might even imagine your inner child just watching you rest here.

Allowing them to feel safe.

Allowing them to feel seen.

Allowing them to know that they are loved by you.

Let's just take in the next few moments in this space.

Being with whatever is or isn't arising.

Maybe really feeling into that safety,

That love.

And if you're not there yet and that's what's,

That isn't arising,

Know that that's okay too.

Healing is always a process.

Takes time.

Some days it's a lot easier or harder than others.

So just taking a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up here today.

For engaging in this self-acceptance.

Yoga needs your practice.

Let's start to externalize awareness again.

Feel the ground or the bed,

The chair,

Whatever is just sat on beneath you.

Feel the support beneath you.

Can you notice the points of the body that are in contact with something else?

Maybe deepening the breath,

Really filling the lungs with fresh breath,

Fresh oxygen.

Starting to wiggle your fingers and your toes.

And maybe just taking a moment to place a hand over your heart or your belly or one on each.

And just take a moment to thank yourself for showing up,

For being here.

And when you're ready,

If your eyes are closed,

Maybe slowly starting to blink your eyes open.

Just take your time,

Maybe just looking around.

Just really sort of re-engaging with the physical senses.

We invite you to see if you can carry this sense of self-acceptance with you into the rest of your day,

Into your sleep.

Please know that whether you realize this or not,

You are whole.

You are enough.

And that you're healing beautifully and bravely in your own time.

This might be a beautiful one to do as and when you need it.

But until next time,

Thank you for being here.