Guided Relaxation | Menopause Sleep Reset
Menopause Sleep Reset is a guided relaxation to help calm an overstimulated nervous system and support sleep. When hormones are shifting and rest feels elusive, this practice invites your body into deep, steady calm. When it feels like everything is just a little too much and you’re walking that fine line between holding it together and feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. This guided relaxation offers a steady, supportive space, using soft visualization to guide you into a forest sanctuary for rest and nourishment.
Transcript
Welcome to your sacred space of rest.
I'm Phyllis,
And I will be guiding you in your yoga nidra today,
A time to disconnect from the external world and reconnect with yourself,
A time to let go of solving and doing,
Letting go of gripping onto what we were before and opening to whatever is to come and find rest and peace within you.
So come into a position where your body can fully rest,
Lying down or reclining,
Gathering any props that you might need for support,
A blanket as the body does cool down in deep rest,
Something to block out the light or dim the lights.
As you settle down here into your yoga nidra nest,
Let your arms rest comfortably,
Palms open to the sky.
Allow the feet to fall naturally outward.
Feel the back body supported.
Begin to allow your body to surrender to the pull of gravity,
Letting yourself fully arrive here and now.
Bring awareness to the scalp,
Notice any sensations,
Sense the forehead,
The space between the eyebrows.
Let the eyes rest back into their sockets.
Unclench the jaw,
Allowing the tongue to rest loosely in the mouth.
Bring awareness to the neck and the shoulders.
On the next exhale,
Imagine warmth melting across the shoulders,
Allowing them to drop away from the ears and down into the support.
Softening the arms and the hands.
Feel them releasing of any effort.
Bring awareness to the pelvis and the hips.
Feel them releasing of effort.
Soften the legs all the way down to the soles of the feet.
Notice the weight of your heels.
Feel the whole back body sinking down.
The whole body softening,
Letting go of any effort.
Begin to notice your breath slowing down.
Each exhale there is a little more release.
Feel the tension in the upper shoulders flowing down into Mother Earth.
Feel the tension in the back flowing into Mother Earth.
Feel the tension in the hips and the legs flowing down into Mother Earth.
Letting her hold you now.
And now bring awareness to your breath.
Observe the breath moving in and out of the body.
Feel the belly and the chest gently moving.
And now we'll begin to use a breath called Brahmari Pranayama or Bee Breath.
This can help to stimulate the vagus nerve which activates the parasympathetic nervous system to truly rest and promote relaxation and stress relief and build resilience.
So we'll take an inhale through the nose and with the lips closed hum out the exhale a little longer than the inhale.
Keep going with this breath at your own pace for the next few moments.
And then letting that go,
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Notice how you feel after this breathing pattern.
And now gently invite in an intention or Sankalpa,
A gentle whisper from your heart.
A short positive statement that supports you and resonates with you.
It might even be a feeling.
If you don't have one you might use.
I meet change with calm and steadiness and return to balance.
I meet change with calm and steadiness and return to balance.
Repeat your intention three times silently,
Letting yourself feel it.
Trust and know that this seed is planted deep within you.
And we will rotate awareness throughout the body.
Simply follow my voice and let your attention settle on each body part.
There is nothing else required and no way to do this wrong.
Simply stay as the observer for whatever arises.
Bring all your awareness to the crown of the head.
Forehead,
Space between the eyebrows,
The right eye,
Left eye,
Bridge of the nose,
Tip of the nose,
Both outer ears,
Inner ears,
Sense the ears listening,
Both cheeks,
Jaw,
Chin,
Throat,
Base of the throat,
The inside of the right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek,
The teeth and the gums,
Sense the tongue,
The right side of the neck,
Left side of the neck.
And now moving awareness to the right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger.
Feel the entire right hand.
Allow your awareness to float to the left shoulder,
Left elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Left thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger.
Feel the entire left hand.
Bring awareness to the upper chest,
The center of the chest,
The heart center,
Upper abdomen,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Kneecap,
Shin,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Sole of the foot,
Right heel,
Back of the thigh,
Right buttock,
Left heel,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Left heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Right heel,
Fourth toe,
Sole of the foot,
Back of the thigh,
Left buttock,
And sense the whole left leg.
Bring awareness to the lower back,
The middle back,
The upper back,
The whole right side of the spine,
The whole left side of the spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The whole back,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
And once again the crown of the head.
Sense the whole body,
From the crown of the head to the tips of the toes,
And bring awareness back to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Notice the breath moving through the nostrils and out of the nostrils.
Feel the gentle rise of the belly as you inhale,
And the softening as you exhale,
Allowing the breath to be natural.
As you breathe out,
Imagine releasing tension and effort.
Each exhale is an invitation to soften and let go.
If thoughts arise,
Let them pass like clouds returning gently to your breath.
And now we will explore opposite sensations.
Here,
Whatever arises,
Simply observe.
Begin by sensing heaviness in the body.
Feel dense sinking into the earth.
The body is so heavy,
Like a rock.
Feel heaviness.
And now feel lightness,
Spacious,
Like floating.
The body feels light,
Effortless.
Feel lightness.
And now move between both sensations,
Feeling heaviness and then lightness.
And then feel both heaviness and lightness together.
Notice heaviness and lightness together.
And letting that go and sensing a quality of rigidness in the body,
A sense of holding without tightening anywhere.
Recall a time maybe when you felt rigid,
Gripping,
Tense.
Sense the effort of it.
The unbending rigidness.
And now shift awareness to the opposite.
Sense ease.
Softness spreading through the body.
A feeling of release.
Muscles loosening.
The absence of effort.
A sense of fluidity and openness.
And now go between rigid and ease.
Sensing each on its own.
And then sensing both together.
Rigid and ease.
Feeling both together.
And then letting that go.
And imagine now you are standing at the edge of an emerald green lush forest.
You sense the trees inviting you to walk through.
You notice some flowering jasmine at the edge of the forest.
And propped against it is a hand carved wooden sign in gold scrolled lettering that reads,
Welcome to your nature sanctuary.
A place of peace and possibility.
As you read these words,
Relief washes over you.
You feel supported and completely at home.
As you step past the sign and onto the path,
Sunlight filters through the canopy and soft golden ribbons warming your skin,
Naturally slowing your heart rate,
Allowing your body to enter a deep healing mode.
You feel the layers of stress and external noise melting away,
Draining down through your feet into the earth.
And the earth absorbs it all.
As you walk along the path,
The trees are close to you,
As if protecting you.
And you reach out and touch them and feel their strength and deep knowing.
They remind you of the strength and deep knowing within yourself.
You move along the path and it begins to wind.
You feel the grounding energy of the earth rise up through the soles of your feet.
You listen intently to the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze.
And the rhythmic,
Calming sound of birds of all kinds singing their symphony.
Each note is a reminder of the lightness of being and pure joy that resides within you.
You notice a swing ahead of you,
Hanging from the branches of a large,
Ancient tree.
As you walk towards it,
You touch the ropes.
They feel soft and yet supportive and strong.
And you sit down on this swing and allow it to hold you and take away any last bit of tension.
The branches of the trees reach out and gently begin to swing you.
And you feel at perfect rest here.
As you swing,
You feel soothed by all of the nature around you and supported in this deep knowing that you already have what you need.
And after a while,
You get off the swing and begin to walk along the path back to the clearing,
Feeling lighter and more at ease.
You pause at the clearing,
Feeling deep gratitude in your heart for the healing balm of nature.
Let your awareness once again rest on the soft rise and fall of the body.
The breath all on its own,
Flowing.
Notice the breath that is already here.
And now gently bring your sankalpa or intention back.
I meet change with calm and steadiness and return to balance.
Repeat it to yourself three times,
Allowing it to settle more deeply.
Now begin to bring awareness back to the physical body.
Feel the weight of the body resting.
Notice any sounds inside and outside your environment.
Notice how this feels in your whole being after your practice.
You might gently invite some movements,
The fingers,
The toes,
Wiggling them.
Perhaps taking a big stretch,
Maybe a yawn.
You might take a nice deep inhale through the nose.
Maybe sigh it out through the mouth.
Take your time returning.
There is no rush.
Rest remains available to you anytime you return to it.
Allow this sense of calm and steadiness to remain with you.
