Night Time Yoga Nidra

Also known as yogic sleep, this ancient practice invites you to unwind both the body and mind in a state between wakefulness and sleep. Led by soothing narration and calming background music, this meditation guides you through a systematic body scan and breath awareness, promoting profound physical and mental relaxation.

Transcript

Hi,

And welcome to today's guided meditation.

Tonight our practice will be one of the yoga nidra,

Also known as the yogic sleep.

Yoga nidra is a very special type of meditation that is all about hearing and feeling.

It will bring you into a relaxed state of calm and peace.

To begin,

I would like you to lay down in Savasana or Cope's Corpse Pose.

This is a pose in which you won't move,

Your legs are stretched out and slightly apart,

Your arms are to the side of your body,

Palms facing down.

Find a comfortable position,

Fix your clothes,

Maybe if you have a tight belt or waistband,

You may loosen it,

And just relax.

When you are sleeping and dreaming,

You have no control.

In yoga nidra,

You are in complete control and can create your dream.

Now,

I'd like for you to say to yourself silently in your head,

I will not sleep.

I will now practice yoga nidra.

Take a deep breath in and as you do,

Feel calmness spread throughout your body.

And as you breathe out,

Say mentally to yourself,

Relax.

Now,

I would like you to listen to the most distant sounds.

Try not to identify them,

Just imagine them,

They are music.

Move your attention from sound to sound.

Slowly bring your attention to the sounds that are close to you.

Is there something just outside of the room where you are at?

Now,

Listen to the sounds as close as possible to you.

Now,

Become aware of the room you are in and visualize yourself laying in this room.

See your body perfectly still in savasana pose.

Next,

I would like you to pay attention to where your body meets the ground.

Become completely aware of all of these points.

Pay attention to your natural breath.

Don't change it at all.

Just observe it as it goes into your body and out.

Don't concentrate on it.

Just be aware of it.

Just keep listening to me,

To my voice and be aware that you are breathing.

This is all you need to do.

We will now begin the practice of yoga nidra.

Say to yourself,

I will not sleep.

I will now practice yoga nidra.

It is now time to state your intention silently in your mind.

State it three times to yourself and feel that you mean it.

We will now rotate our consciousness and we will go very quickly.

As I name parts of your body,

Repeat the name of the body part in your mind as you briefly become aware of that body part.

We will begin the practice with our right hand.

Right hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left side.

Left hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right buttocks,

Left buttocks,

The spine,

All of the back together.

Front,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right elbow,

Left elbow,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Nose,

Tip of the nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Whole of the right leg,

Whole of the left leg,

Both legs,

Whole of the right arm,

Whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

Whole of the back,

Whole of the front,

Front,

Head,

Together,

Whole of the body together,

Whole of the body together,

Whole of the body together.

Now I would like you to become aware of the whole body.

Become aware of the space your body is occupying.

Become aware of the whole body.

Become aware of all of the space your body is occupying.

Become aware of the whole body and the floor.

At the same time become aware of the meeting points where your body meets the floor.

There are very subtle meeting points between the body and the floor.

Feel them all.

Can you feel your head on the floor?

Your hands?

Can you feel your heels or calf muscles connect to the floor?

Become aware of all these meeting points simultaneously.

Feel these points distinctly.

Do not fall asleep,

But actively feel these points.

Now focus on the meeting points where your eyelids meet.

Feel the upper and lower eyelids meet.

Switch your attention to your lips.

Can you feel how your lips meet?

Focus on the line between your lips.

From the lips we move to our breath.

Become aware of your natural breath going in and out.

Become completely aware of the respiration from navel to throat.

How the breath is moving up and down in your body.

Don't concentrate on it.

Just be aware of it.

Observing the natural flow.

Now silently in your mind begin to count backwards as you breathe.

We will start at 27.

3 2 1 Now I want you to imagine that it is freezing cold.

Feel how your body is very,

Very cold.

Imagine you are walking on a very cold floor in the winter.

Feel the cold in your feet.

Now I want you to feel the warmth.

It's a blazing hot summer day.

You are sweating.

Imagine yourself walking on hot sand or stone.

Feel yourself getting heavy.

Very heavy.

Your body is sinking into the ground.

Switch to absolute lightness.

You are as light as a feather and the wind can carry you away.

You have never felt this light before.

Next I want you to remember pain.

Physical or emotional.

It hurts.

Remember it.

Now switch to pleasure.

Remember the most pleasurable experience you can remember.

It felt so good.

It felt so good.

Now imagine in front of you an infinite empty space.

You can project everything into that space.

It's a friendly and warm space.

Don't get entangled with it.

Just watch it.

Observe this infinite space.

You are now walking into a beautiful park.

It is early in the morning,

Before sunrise.

Some birds are singing.

You see amazing trees and it's a very blissful experience.

In some distance you see a mystical glow.

As you come closer,

You realize that it is a small temple.

You are walking to this temple and enter inside.

There is a fountain inside.

On the walls,

Pictures of saints.

You sit down on the floor and close your eyes.

Incredible silence and peace fills your every fiber.

This is the most profound peace you have ever felt.

It fills your entire being,

Every cell,

With the deepest peace and joy.

Let us remain here for a moment.

As we now leave the temple and the park,

You will become aware of the infinite space in front of you again.

Only be aware.

Don't be attached.

Don't concentrate.

But be aware of colors and sensations.

You are still radiating peace and tranquility.

Now in this space,

Silently in your mind,

Repeat your intention from the beginning of your practice.

Repeat it again another three times to yourself.

Now become aware of your breathing again.

Now become aware of your body.

Feel the connections to the floor.

You'll now develop complete awareness of the room you are in.

The sounds in your body.

Now become completely external again.

Begin to move your hands,

Arms,

Start moving your legs,

And open your eyes.

Stretch as big as you can,

But take your time.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Thank you so much for meditating with me.

Till next time,

Bye-bye.