Yoga Nidra For Deep Relaxation

A 25-minute Yoga Nidra to help you find your inner resource and a sense of deep relaxation. Perfect for reducing stress or aiding sleep.
Background music: Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. | Source: incompetech

Transcript

Hi I'm Rachel with Resilience Yoga.

Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.

The theme of today's practice is the inner resource.

This is a tool that will help you experience a sense of wellbeing,

Whatever your life circumstance.

Your inner resource is a personal safe haven,

Somewhere where you feel secure,

Safe and at ease and have a sense of wellbeing and peace of mind.

Your inner resource can be real or it can be imagined.

You might include people,

Animals,

Other objects or symbols or places from nature or the world around you.

Your inner resource is unique to you.

You can use all of your senses to develop and experience it using images,

Sensations,

Sounds,

Smells and even tastes.

As you spend time imagining your inner resource,

Feel it blossoming into a tool,

A powerful and effective tool that you can use at any time.

You can use this when you feel overwhelmed by an emotion,

A thought,

A memory or a situation or when you want your body to enter into a state of deep relaxation.

To begin our yoga nidra practice I'd like you to find a comfortable lying or seated position.

Start to feel your connection to the ground beneath you and the surface that your body is resting on.

Gently close your eyes and come into a position that feels comfortable.

During the session I will guide you to notice and feel different sensations and to experience yourself as the observer.

Whatever you experience is just right,

Just as it is.

So let these sensations come,

Be aware of them,

Be the observer and simply let them be.

Rest in your position and allow my voice to guide you.

During this yoga nidra I invite you to welcome every experience as a messenger.

Explore the sensations,

Emotions and thoughts without trying to change,

Fix or make anything happen.

As you welcome whatever is arising your body and your mind are learning to remain at ease.

You will discover a place within you that is peaceful and calm.

Now feel your body starting to come into a place of stillness.

Bring your attention to your senses,

Notice any tastes in your mouth.

Notice any subtle sounds directly around you.

Notice any smells.

Even with your eyes closed see any colour or images that you can behind your eyelids.

And feel the touch of the air on your skin.

Bring into your mind your sankalpa,

Your intention for your practice today.

How would you like to feel during and after this practice?

Maybe you'd like to bring a sense of inner peace or joy.

Maybe you would like to give some relief from a physical discomfort or an emotional pain.

Your sankalpa,

Your intention can be something very simple.

Take the time now to allow this intention to emerge.

Feel its presence supporting you.

Affirm this feeling and this intention with your entire body and mind.

Release your intention now.

I invite you to allow your heart's deepest desires to arise within.

Something that you want more than anything else.

Maybe this is a desire for yourself directly or for the world around you.

Let this sensation and this feeling rise up.

Welcome it.

Affirm your heartfelt desire in the present tense as if it's true right now.

We'll come back to this desire at the end of the practice.

But for now let this heartfelt desire release.

I invite you now to allow your inner resource to emerge.

This is the place that's unique to you somewhere where you feel safe and secure and deeply peaceful.

Start to imagine that place now and that feeling of serenity.

Whatever your inner resource is,

Imagine it using all of your senses.

Are there any sounds?

What can you smell?

Is there any taste or colour that supports your inner resource?

What are the emotions and the feelings that are coming through as you imagine your inner resource?

As you bring to mind your inner resource,

Feel in your body where you most feel this.

Where you're warm and relaxed.

And know that you can return to this safe place of wellbeing at any time during your practice or during your daily life.

I will guide you now to experience sensations throughout your body.

Bring your attention to your mouth,

To the inside of your mouth.

The roof of the mouth,

The inside of the cheeks,

The back of the mouth,

The tongue.

Feel the entire mouth.

Bring attention to your ears,

Your left ear,

Your right ear,

Both ears at the same time.

Guide your attention to your breath,

Breathing in and out through the nose.

Guide your attention to your left nostril,

Your right nostril,

Both nostrils at the same time.

Guide your attention to your eyes,

Your left eye,

Your right eye,

Both eyes together.

Sense the forehead,

The skin around the eyes,

The scalp,

The back of the head,

The neck,

And the front of the head.

Feel your left arm,

Your left shoulder,

Your left upper arm,

Your left elbow,

Your left forearm,

Wrist,

The palm,

And the fingers.

Feel the entire left arm.

Feel the right arm,

The right shoulder,

The right upper arm,

The right elbow,

Right forearm,

The wrist,

The palm,

And the fingers.

Feel the entire right arm.

Feel both arms together.

Guide your attention to your upper chest,

Your upper back,

Your middle chest,

Your middle back,

Your belly,

And your lower back.

Feel your entire torso and the sensations.

Guide your attention to your pelvis,

To the front of your pelvis,

To the back of your pelvis,

And the sides of your pelvis.

Guide your attention to your left leg,

Your left hip,

Your left thigh,

Your left knee,

Your lower left leg,

Your ankle,

Your foot,

And your toes,

Your whole left leg.

Guide your attention to your right leg,

Your right hip,

Your right thigh,

Your right knee,

Your right lower leg,

Your foot,

And your toes,

The whole right leg.

Feel both legs together.

Sense the entire front of the body,

The back of the body,

The left side,

The right side.

Sense the entire body simply being on the surface that is holding you.

Be aware of everything that is in the present moment and experience yourself as a field of being.

Become aware of your breath,

The gentle flow of your breath as it goes in and out through the nostrils.

Notice how your abdomen and your chest gently rise as your breath flows in and release as your breath flows out.

Don't change anything about your breath.

Simply let the movement be guided by your natural breath,

Keeping a gentle focus on it.

Start to count on your breath from seven to one.

If you lose count,

Start again at seven and count down to one.

Release your counting now and release that concentration on your breath and be aware of what's currently in the present moment in your awareness.

Feel yourself as the one who's aware of everything that is present.

Sense what is present for you right now.

Remember that anytime you need to feel secure and at ease,

You can return to your inner resource at any moment.

Bring attention to any feeling that may be present in the body.

Is there a warmth or a coolness,

A heaviness,

A lightness,

A comfort,

A discomfort?

Welcome whatever comes up and find the opposite of that feeling.

Welcome the opposite now.

The coolness if you're warm,

The lightness if you're heavy,

The discomfort if you're comfortable.

Find the coolness if you're warm,

The lightness if you're heavy,

The discomfort if you're comfortable.

Find the warmth if you're cool,

The heaviness if you're light,

And the comfort if you're discomfort.

Find that warmth if you're cool,

The heaviness of your light and the comfort if you're uncomfortable.

Now feel both opposites at the same time.

Try not to think,

Just experience this in your body and your mind.

Now bring an opposite of an emotion that is present in your body.

You may recall something that's been particularly strong in your day,

An emotion that comes to you simply and fully.

If an emotion is present see where you feel it in your body.

Allow the opposite of this emotion to emerge.

Where do you feel that emotion in your body?

Take your time and welcome the opposite of the emotion.

If you're happy,

Feel the sadness.

If you're angry,

Feel the joy.

If you're agitated,

Feel a calm.

If you're calm,

Feel the agitation.

If you're joyful,

Feel the anger.

Now invite both of those emotions into your awareness at the same time.

Try not to think,

Just experience how both of these feel in your body and your mind at the same time.

Be aware of what's present for you right now in this moment.

Experience yourself as a field of awareness where everything is arising.

Remember that you're welcome to return to your inner resource at any time.

At any time through this practice and at any time through your life.

Start to welcome a thought or a belief that you sometimes fall into or you take to be true about yourself.

If you have a belief present,

Sense how this belief affects the entire body.

Notice any images,

Emotions or thoughts that arise with this belief without trying to change anything.

Now bring to mind the opposite of this belief.

Hold this belief to be true and see how this affects your body.

Notice any images,

Emotions or memories that emerge.

Be present without trying to change or fix anything.

Alternate between these opposites of belief,

Welcoming one as true and then the other.

Feel how each belief acts on your body and your mind.

Welcome both of these beliefs at the same time without thinking too much.

Feel how this impacts your body and your mind together.

Bring your sense into a state of awareness in the present moment now and all that is present and real for you.

Now bring your attention to the sensations in your body of pleasure,

Of happiness,

Of joy.

Maybe a particular moment from your life arises.

Welcome whatever emerges.

Feel where the sensation arises in your body.

Is your heart smiling?

Is this smile in your entire body,

In your torso,

Your arms,

Your hands,

Your pelvis,

Your legs,

Your feet?

Can you allow this sensation to flow up into your head and your face,

Your mouth,

Your lips and your eyes?

Can you feel this emotion through your entire body radiating throughout with a feeling of joy and well-being?

Now be aware of everything that's true for you in the present moment.

Feel yourself as awareness as you are right now.

Being the awareness in which everything is coming and going,

An awareness in which everything is welcome just as it is.

Practice this now so that everything that is present,

All those sensations,

Emotions,

Beliefs,

Joy and well-being allow these to be simply there and the experience of pure awareness.

Invite everything to be just as it is and allow yourself to be just as you are.

Now come back to your inner resource,

This place of safety,

Security and of inner peace.

Bring to mind your inner resource now and everything that you can feel within it.

Notice your breathing,

Notice your forehead,

Your shoulders,

Your chest,

Your belly,

Your arms and your hands,

Your legs and your feet.

Feel the warmth and the sense of stillness.

Now bring to mind your sankalpa,

Your intention for this practice.

Feel this intention,

Simply allow it to be.

Release your intention,

Your sankalpa now.

Bring to mind your heartfelt desire and the resonance of this sensation in your body.

Bring it into an accomplished fact in this very moment.

Bring this to your mind now and simply allow it to be.

Release your heartfelt desire.

Now taking your time slowly transition to your alert and wide awake state of wakefulness.

Start to sense your entire body,

The room around you,

The space that you're in.

Bring some movement to your fingers and your toes gently opening your eyes to allow the light to re-enter.

Starting to make some small movements in your body,

Come back to the world around you fully alert and wide awake.

Before you end your yoga nidra practice take a moment to welcome and love yourself.

Experience yourself as timeless,

Open and spacious that is perfect,

Whole,

Healthy just as you are.

Understand that you always have your inner resource with you and at any moment you can return to that place to find that sense of well-being,

Of calm,

Of safety and security.

Take a moment now to thank yourself for taking time to practice this yoga nidra together.

Namaste.

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