As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp,
Allow yourself to slow down and embrace the gentle transition into rest.
Autumn Wind Down,
A cozy yoga nidra for rest and renewal,
Is a deeply relaxing guided practice designed to help you release tension,
Quiet the mind,
And ease into a state of deep rest.
Inspired by the rhythm of autumn,
This session invites you to let go,
Just as the trees surrender their leaves,
Making space for stillness,
Renewal,
And inner warmth.
Through soothing,
Visualization,
And gentle breath awareness,
You'll feel yourself soften,
Grounded in the present moment,
Ready to drift into restorative sleep or deep relaxation.
This yoga nidra is perfect for unwinding after a long day,
Transitioning into sleep,
Embracing the slower pace of autumn,
Or letting go of stress and mental clutter.
So wrap yourself in a blanket,
Get cozy,
And allow this yoga nidra to be your invitation to rest,
Restore,
And realign with the season's natural flow.
In yoga nidra,
The idea is to get as cozy as possible,
Normally lying down on your beard,
Or just somewhere really cozy where you can completely relax.
Gathering any props,
Such as an eye mask,
A cozy pillow under your head,
A warm blanket,
Perhaps some socks.
Getting yourself as cozy as you possibly can,
Feeling completely supported and enveloped by that support beneath you.
Knowing that you can move at any time if you need to,
And if you fall asleep,
That is okay too,
Because that's probably what your body needs right now.
Taking two sips of air in through your nostrils now,
And then a long exhale out.
Again,
Two sips through your nostrils,
Long exhale out,
Doing that two more times.
As you settle into stillness,
Feel the gentle rhythm of your breath,
Like waves lapping against the shore,
Steady,
Soothing,
And unhurried.
With each inhale,
Imagine drawing in the crisp autumn air,
Refreshing and cool.
With each exhale,
Feel yourself letting go,
Releasing any tension like golden leaves,
Drifting effortlessly from the trees.
Now take a moment to set your sankalpa.
A sankalpa is a positive affirmation in the present tense,
Something that deeply resonates with you right now,
Or something that you would like to bring into your future,
Something that really sits well in your heart.
An affirmation such as,
I am slowing down in life,
Or,
I am completely rested and at peace.
Bringing that sankalpa to mind,
Whether it's one of my suggestions,
Or one of your own that resonates with you,
Bringing it into your mind,
And then repeating it silently to yourself three times,
Giving you space to do so now.
Connecting now with your inner refuge.
Your inner refuge is a safe place within yourself that you can go to at any time.
It might be the image of the embrace of someone you love.
It might be your favorite place or destination where you feel safe and at home.
It might be any particular colors or feelings or anything visually that you can see.
It's your safe haven,
Your home,
Your inner refuge.
Maybe with autumn in the air at the moment,
Maybe it involves some autumn leaves or some orange colors,
Or some soft lapping waves.
Maybe it's by the beach.
Maybe it's cozying up with a loved one on the couch.
Just bring whatever it is to mind and know that you can come back to it at any time when you need it.
Just connecting to the space.
Now I'm going to guide you through a rotation of consciousness,
A visualization of different parts of your body,
And as I say them,
Simply just bring them to mind.
Just notice,
Feel,
Sense in whatever way feels right to you,
Starting with the very tip of your head down to your third eye or the space on your forehead in the center.
Trailing down the ridge of your nose to the tip of your nose.
Feeling any flutter of air on the tip of your nose.
Down to both nostrils,
The inhale and exhale of air.
The curve from your nose to your top lip.
The outline of your lips.
The entire row of your top teeth.
The entire row of your bottom teeth.
The full length of your tongue.
The back of your throat.
Your entire mouth all connected.
Your jaw,
Your tongue,
Your throat,
Your teeth all connected to each other.
Your chin.
Your jawline.
The outer ridges of both of your ears.
Trailing up to your temples.
Across to your eyebrows.
The space between your eyebrows softening.
Both eyes sitting back in their sockets.
Relaxing back.
Both cheekbones softening.
Down the ridge of your throat,
Your outer throat.
To your collarbone.
The entire space of your chest area.
Both shoulders relaxed down.
Both elbows.
Wrists.
Your thumbs.
Second fingers.
Third.
And your little fingers.
Down to the sides of your ribcage.
Your belly button.
Waist.
Your thighs.
Knees.
Shins.
The entire surface of the top of your feet.
Your heel.
Your heel.
The arches of your feet.
Your big toes.
Second toes.
And fifth.
Sensing your entire body.
Your entire body at rest.
Envisioning a warm orange glow all around you.
A toasty,
Warm,
Comforting,
Rusty orange glow around you.
Like the colour of autumn leaves.
As you sense your entire body.
At rest.
Noticing now a blue,
Deep blue ocean wave or flow.
Flowing around the right side of your body.
Notice it trickling down from the top of your head.
Starting from the right hemisphere and trickling down.
Around the ridges of your body.
This blue,
Velvet wave.
Sensing that right side of your body enveloped in this blue wave.
With the left side of the room that you're in enveloped in water.
In this blue,
Velvet water.
So the right side of your body with the left side of the room.
Sensing both at the same time.
Sensing now as that all dissipates.
This blue,
Velvety wave.
This deep blue trickling down from the left hemisphere of your body.
From the top of your head.
Washing all over the left side of your body.
From top to toe.
Flowing liquid.
Sensing now with the right side of the room,
The space you're in filled with this blue,
Velvet water.
This deep blue.
Sensing the left side of your body and the right side of the room together.
Sensing as that all dissipates,
The natural rise and the natural fall of your own breath.
Sensing that flow of blue into your nose.
This deep blue,
Ocean blue into your nose.
And out of your body as you notice your natural breath.
The natural flow in and the natural flow out.
Picturing yourself now in a quiet forest at dusk.
Wrapped in the warmth of a soft golden light.
The trees around you glow in shades of amber,
Russet and deep crimson.
Leaves swirl gently in the cool evening breeze.
Spiraling down to the earth in a slow,
Graceful dance.
Notice the feeling of ease as you too surrender to the rhythm of nature.
Releasing all that no longer serves you.
Now imagine the sky above shifting from soft gold to deep indigo.
Like the ocean at twilight.
The waves roll in and out,
Unhurried and steady.
Guiding you deeper into stillness.
The cool blue of the evening sky and the warmth of the autumn leaves blend together.
Wrapping you in a cocoon of peace.
Settling in a great sense of rest and renewal.
Imagine yourself now being cozy at home where you feel safe.
Maybe you can hear these ocean sounds.
And sense the moon in the sky.
The leaves rustling outside your window.
The gentle falling of these rustic leaves.
As you feel completely at peace within yourself.
You feel the sense of slowing down.
Which then creates a sense of renewal and ability to do other things.
Resetting your entire nervous system.
Just completely witnessing now yourself being completely at rest.
Witnessing your body on the beach or wherever you're lying.
Just completely relaxed.
Letting go.
Surrender.
Winding down for the months ahead.
And witnessing your pure,
Purest self.
Who you really are.
That whole self that's at peace.
While we lay here,
Bringing forth the sankalpa that we integrated at the start of this nidra.
The sankalpa you brought to mind.
Just silently bringing that to mind again.
And integrating it in your deepest state.
Really sink in.
Just as nature slows down in preparation for winter.
So too does your body,
Your mind,
Your breath.
There is nothing to do.
Nowhere to be.
Only this moment of deep,
Nourishing rest.
Allow yourself to drift and be carried by the waves of your breath.
Wrapped in the soft glow of autumn's embrace.
As you slowly start to re-ground and connect with your physical body.
Doing that by starting to sense the support beneath you.
Sensing any layers of blankets or clothing on your skin.
Sensing the air around you.
The atmosphere.
Maybe sensing how you feel and how different you feel to when you first started.
Noticing your breath.
And just starting to make really subtle movements to your body.
Maybe wriggling your fingers.
Wriggling your toes.
Bringing your hands up to your face.
Cupping your hands over your eyes.
Giving some slight taps to your forehead.
Down your nose.
Across your cheekbones.
Down to your jaw.
Tapping your chest.
Maybe stretching your arms out over your head.
And giving your entire body a whole lengthy stretch.
Giving it so much love.
Thanking it for today,
For this session.
Rolling to one side.
And then sitting up when you're ready.
Thank you so much for being here for this autumn.
Slowing down,
Integration.
For taking the time for yourself to rest.
I appreciate you.
Namaste,
Nicole.
