Hello,
This is Bhavdina and welcome to Yoga Nidra to drift off to sleep peacefully.
As you're settling in for a night's sleep,
Your mind and body might be carrying leftover energy and excitement from the day,
Which might make it harder for the natural process of falling asleep to arise.
With this practice,
May you allow a release of any residual tension or worries and welcome delicious slumber.
As you settle and prepare your space,
Release any expectations or pressure for actually falling asleep.
Just know that by simply following this guidance,
You will be getting deep rejuvenation no matter how quickly the unconscious sleep actually comes.
If you aren't there yet,
Get yourself into your bed,
Turn off the lights,
Settle into the cozy comfort of your bed,
Snuggle up as if a loved one gently tucked you in.
Take any wiggles until you feel ready to land into stillness.
Closing your eyes,
Knowing that you are right where you need to be.
Imagine your whole body or even the whole bed surrounded by a circle of protection.
That circle can be a colored light or maybe a circle of your guardian beings holding hands.
Whatever will give you a sense of peace knowing that you're safe where you are.
Simply imagining that protective circle.
Whatever shape it takes,
Know that this circle keeps you safe for the entire night.
Nothing can penetrate it so you can rest uninterrupted.
Now as your eyes are closed,
Allow for your ears to be softly listening to my voice without any straining or pressure to hear every word.
This yoga nidra is designed to carry you to sleep so you don't need to worry about being aware as with other people.
Now as you're lying here,
Warm,
Cozy and held,
Notice your breath.
Notice what your breath is telling you at this moment in time and know that breath is your ally when preparing for sleep.
By slowing down the breathing and focusing on the exhalation,
Your nervous system can start shifting gears and slowing down as well.
So let's breathe together through the nose,
In and out.
You might want to start by taking a couple of audible sighs.
So you inhale through the nose first and then with an open mouth let the air out.
Take a couple more like this,
Allowing for each of these sighs to release anything you might be carrying from the day to let it dissipate.
And when you feel like you have sighed out enough,
Closing your mouth,
We'll find a calming rhythm where your inhalation will be to the count of four and the exhale will take about twice as long.
If that feels like too much and it's making you feel uneasy,
You can find the rhythm that supports you more.
If you're ready you can join me.
Inhale for the count of four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Again inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And slow exhale eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale slowly eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Take a couple of rounds counting yourself or maybe you release the count and simply feel into the gentle inhalation and a slow long exhalation.
Allowing for the rhythm of the breath to rock you slowly like a lullaby.
Your own rhythm.
The exhale longer as if it was taking your physical body closer to the ground.
And you can now stop counting the duration of your breath and instead we will count the number of breaths.
So you will take five breaths counting from five to one in your own rhythm.
I'll just start with the first one together and if you get lost or distracted on the way you simply come back to five and count down.
So let's inhale five.
Exhale five.
Inhale four.
Exhale four.
Keep going down.
And as you get to the bottom of your last breath simply release any control,
Any effort and let the inhalation and exhalation come.
There is no need to manipulate your breath anymore.
Simply notice if your body might be feeling a little bit more still,
A little bit more settled.
And in this moment of spacious stillness we'll invite the sun kalpa,
Your heart's desire,
A deep vow.
You might have your own sun kalpa that is present that you might be calling upon or if you would like to you can join me by repeating three times quietly inside your mind the following words.
I fall asleep naturally and receive deep rest and rejuvenation.
And while repeating the words let these words be a vibration that is felt in every cell of your body.
I fall asleep naturally and receive deep rest and rejuvenation.
Repeat it twice more.
Letting the words dissolve within yourself.
Bring your awareness to your physical body resting held in your cocoon.
The bed beneath you,
Blanket above you.
Observe how you're feeling in this moment with no pressure,
No expectations.
Now allow for your brain to rest the back of your head,
Softly unfurling.
Your thinking mind can rest,
Its job is done for the day.
We'll start moving awareness through your body in a gentle sweeping action softly.
There's no need for any sharp focus and if you get lost on the way and drift off you can come back to my guidance until sleep arrives.
So let's begin.
Starting with your eyes.
Bring awareness to your right eye.
Resting deeply into the eye socket.
Muscles around the eye softening.
Your right eyebrow.
Right temple.
Cheekbone.
The tip of your chin.
The left cheekbone.
Left temple.
Left eyebrow.
Your left eyeball.
Resting deeply in the eye socket.
The muscles around the eye softening.
The tip of your nose.
The bridge of the nose.
Nostrils.
Welcoming and releasing air as you breathe.
Space between the eyebrows.
Softening and widening.
Your right ear.
Open and effortlessly listening.
Your left ear.
Open and effortlessly listening.
The back of your head.
Resting and supported by the surface beneath you.
The back of your neck.
The front of your neck.
The pit of your throat.
Your right collarbone.
Right shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
Palm of your hand.
The five fingers.
The right thumb.
The second finger.
Third.
Fourth.
And fifth.
Five fingers on the right hand.
Wrist.
Elbow.
Shoulder.
Right collarbone.
Pit of your throat.
Left collarbone.
Left shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
The left hand with five fingers.
Left thumb.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
And fifth finger.
The whole left hand.
Left wrist.
Elbow.
Shoulder.
Collarbone.
The space between the collarbones.
Your heart centre.
The right side of your torso.
The left side of your torso.
Belly button.
Pupic bone,
The centre of your pelvis.
Right hip.
Knee.
Ankle.
The right foot with the five toes.
Big toe.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
And fifth toe.
The whole right foot.
Ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
The centre of your pelvis.
Left hip.
Knee.
Ankle.
Left foot with five toes.
The first.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
And fifth toe.
The whole left foot.
Ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
Centre of your pelvis.
Heart centre.
The back of your body resting and held.
The front of your body floating,
Spacious.
The back of your body.
Front of your body.
Filled with your awareness.
The entire body resting,
Held,
Soft,
Spacious.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Without trying to manipulate it in any way.
Simply noticing the movement of your abdomen.
The meditative rhythm of your natural breath.
The rocking,
The coming and going of the inhale and the exhale.
Like the waves of an ocean.
The inhalation and exhalation.
And without trying to change the breathing.
Can you simply imagine that each exhalation is draining any worries,
Any constriction,
Any busyness in your body.
Every exhalation is draining it down with the pull of gravity.
With each exhalation,
There's this pull towards the support beneath you.
And with each inhalation,
The spacious release.
Can you now bring your awareness away from the breath that will continue to breathe you.
And become aware of the outside,
The surface of your body.
The skin,
The parts of your body that might be in touch with the surface and the air around you.
And then becoming aware of the inside,
The inner world in your body.
Without overthinking it.
Back to the outside,
The outer layer of your body.
And then the inner layers of your body.
Without over-intellectualizing,
Can you now be aware of both the outside and the inside at the same time.
Allowing for your awareness to involve both the outside and the inside simultaneously.
And then releasing that effort as well.
Resting in this moment in between.
You might now want to imagine your body resting where you are,
In the safety of your circle of protection.
Your body full of beautiful,
Full darkness of the night.
Your body made out of this deep blue without edges.
Full of spacious stillness,
Quiet,
Potential of endless galaxies.
Your body the canvas for little stars,
Flickering far away and here,
Everywhere simultaneously.
Little constellations shining throughout the galaxy of your existence.
And at the center of this galaxy,
Imagine a full moon,
Bright with soft,
Cooling light.
Glowing at the heart center.
Covering you with the loving rays of cooling moonlight.
Like a soft,
Silky blanket.
Feeling the earth beneath you.
Dark,
Calm sky above you.
And the gentle,
Starry darkness of night holding you in a warm embrace.
You can rest worry-less,
Welcome sleep that your body knows so well.
You have been born knowing how to sleep.
So,
In this familiar space of spacious quiet,
Let yourself be held until it is time to wake up.
Just know that there is no rush.
You have time.
And this is your time to rest.
