Welcome,
My name is Phyllis and this is a guided yoga nidra practice to help for those nights when sleep is hard to find.
This is a sacred space to drift off into sleep.
Know that whatever happens tonight,
You are entering a deep state of rest.
I will be using yoga nidra and other relaxation techniques to help induce sleep.
If there are thoughts present in the mind that perhaps it wants to solve,
You might say to it gently,
I will focus on that tomorrow,
But for now I am relaxing into sleep.
So,
Allow yourself to get as comfortable and warm and cozy as you can,
However feels most supportive for you to begin to drift off to sleep.
You might be on your back,
On your side,
Or even on your stomach.
Whichever way helps you to let go completely,
Allowing the body and mind to relax deeply,
Feeling the earth supporting you.
Begin to feel the pull of gravity,
Surrender to the pull of gravity,
Settling into rest.
Notice any sounds that you hear from far away.
Allow the ears to be receptive to any sounds from far away.
Notice any sounds within your environment.
Feel the face begin to soften,
Letting go of any expression,
The eyes resting back in the blankets,
The jaw unclenching,
The cheeks relax,
Even the skin of the face relaxes.
Feel the body resting on your bed,
Fully supported.
Sense the gentle touch of air on your face,
The warmth of your blanket,
The softness of your mattress,
And let your awareness sink beneath the surface of the skin,
Into the muscles,
The fascia,
All the cells,
And all the way to the bones.
Feel the bones growing heavy,
Sinking,
Settling down and further down.
Feel the weight of the head,
Feel the shoulders and the arms soften and grow heavy,
The torso softening down and heavy,
The hips and the legs softening and becoming heavy.
Imagine the whole body melting down into the support below,
The whole body settles towards stillness.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath,
Allowing each exhale to let go a little more and a little more.
Each exhalation is an invitation to soften,
The heart rate slowing down naturally.
And we'll begin with a technique that can help to signal safety to the nervous system and activates the parasympathetic response,
The rest response,
Which is regulated by the vagus nerve.
This can be done with eyes closed or open.
Keeping your head still,
Turn your eyes gently to the left and hold them there.
Notice any sensations in the body.
You might start to feel the body begin to relax.
You might also feel the urge to swallow or yawn.
So whatever has happened,
Just allow your eyes to come back to centre.
It's ok if you didn't notice any of the things I mentioned.
And now,
Still keeping your head at centre,
Allow your eyes to turn to the right.
Holding them there.
Notice any sensations in the body.
Perhaps the sensation to swallow or yawn.
And whatever has happened,
Allow it to be and let your eyes come back to centre.
It's ok if you didn't feel any of the sensations that I mentioned.
You might choose to swallow if you didn't.
Allow your nervous system a few moments to notice how this feels for you.
Noticing any changes.
Let your awareness settle back onto the breath.
You might feel the breath rolling in on the inhale.
Moving the belly and the chest.
And rolling out on the exhale.
The belly and chest softening.
Like a wave rolling in on the inhale.
Rolling out on the exhale.
Feel this rhythmic motion of the breath.
Lulling you deeper into relaxation.
Feel this rhythmic motion of the breath.
Lulling you deeper and deeper into stillness and rest.
And now we'll draw in a heartfelt intention or sankalpa to support you tonight.
If you don't have one you might use,
I drift off to sleep effortlessly.
I drift off to sleep effortlessly.
Repeat this mentally to yourself three times.
And now we'll rotate awareness around the body.
When I mention a part of the body,
Bring your awareness there.
Allowing it to soften.
Imagine that part of the body softening into the earth.
Starting with the crown of the head.
The whole scalp.
The forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Right eyelid.
The point of contact with the upper and lower lid.
The whole right eye.
Left eyebrow.
The point of contact with the upper and lower lid.
The whole left eye.
The tip of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Air flow in and out of both nostrils.
Right cheekbone.
Left cheekbone.
Right outer ear.
Right inner ear.
Left outer ear.
Left inner ear.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
The inside of the right cheek.
Inside of the left cheek.
Upper teeth and gums.
Lower teeth and gums.
The whole tongue.
Root of the tongue.
The throat.
Chin.
Right side of the jaw.
Left side of the jaw.
The whole face.
The back of the head.
The whole head.
The right side of the neck.
Left side of the neck.
The right shoulder.
Sensing inside the shoulder joint.
Right upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm.
Right thumb.
First finger.
Second.
Third.
Little finger.
Back of the hand.
Right hand.
Softening.
Right wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder blade.
Right arm.
Softening.
Left shoulder.
Sensing inside the shoulder joint.
Left upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Softening.
Right wrist.
Palm.
Left thumb.
First finger.
Second.
Third.
Little finger.
Back of the hand.
Left hand.
Softening.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder blade.
Left arm.
Softening.
Right arm.
Left arm.
Together.
Awareness to the center of the chest.
Feel the heart beating.
Right side of the rib cage.
Right waist.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Top of the foot.
Sense the whole right foot.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Knee.
The whole right leg.
Softening.
Awareness to the center of the chest.
Sense the heart beating.
Left side of the rib cage.
Left waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Top of the foot.
The whole left foot.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Thigh.
The whole left leg.
Softening.
Sense both the right leg and the left leg together.
Softening down.
Sense the whole pelvis.
Front.
Back.
Right side of the pelvis.
Left side.
Sense the pelvic bowl.
The whole pelvis.
Softening.
The navel center.
Lower abdomen.
Upper abdomen.
Rib cage.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
The front of the neck.
Sense the whole front of the torso.
Softening down.
And now the tailbone.
Lower back.
Mid back.
Upper back.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The space between the shoulder blades.
The back of the neck.
The whole spine.
From the tailbone up to the base of the head.
And now the whole back body.
Softening.
And now sense the whole right side of the body.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
Sense the whole body now.
Sinking deeper and deeper down.
The whole body.
Softening into the earth.
Letting the earth hold you.
Letting the earth support you.
To drift and dream.
Become aware of the natural flow of breath.
Moving in and out of the body.
Effortless breath.
And now counting the breath down.
From 27 to 1.
Breathing in 27.
Breathing out 27.
Breathing in 26.
Breathing out 27.
Breathing in 26.
Continue with this breath counting down.
Allow your breath just to be natural.
If you get lost in your counting,
Gently start again.
If you finish,
Start again.
And now let the counting go.
It's okay if you're not finished.
Allow your awareness now to settle on each image that you hear.
A still lake at dusk.
A majestic mountaintop underneath a wide open sky.
A clearing in a moonlit sky.
A clearing in a moonlit forest.
A shoreline with slow rhythmic waves.
A snow-covered landscape,
Completely silent.
An ancient temple.
An ancient sequoia tree.
A wide open meadow beneath the starlit sky.
A desert landscape resting after sunset.
The Milky Way.
The Milky Way.
A warm bed with soft sheets.
A warm bed with soft sheets.
Soothing darkness behind closed eyes.
And now imagine yourself resting at the base of a majestic mountain.
The mountain rises behind you.
Wide,
Ancient and steady.
Its presence invokes a calm and peace deep within.
You can sense its depth stretching far beyond what your eyes can see.
You can feel its strength and calm.
Holding the space for you.
Requiring nothing from you but to let go.
The ground beneath you is soft and warm.
Cradling your body.
Every part of you is allowed to settle.
To sink.
To be held by the earth.
Your muscles loosen as the ground meets you completely.
Allowing your body to rest.
The body no longer needs to hold itself up.
You are supported fully.
Your body can rest deeply.
The breath slows.
The body grows heavier.
And the night grows quieter.
The mountain stands watch as you rest.
Immense and protective.
Holding steady through the darkness.
As you drift deeper and deeper towards sleep.
Relaxing back into your mattress.
Into the arms of the universe.
You are held.
And supported.
Sinking further and further down.
The body is fully surrendered to gravity.
At rest fully.
The mind at rest.
Both body and mind relaxing fully.
Letting go of any effort.
And now welcome back your sankalpa.
I drift off to sleep effortlessly.
Repeat it mentally three times.
It is safe to rest.
Safe to sleep.
Drifting more and more.
Into sleep.
It is safe to sleep.
To drift off into sleep.
Drift and dream.
