Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra, often referred to as yogic sleep, is a deeply restorative and transformative practice that combines relaxation, meditation, and guided imagery. Rooted in ancient yogic traditions, this technique allows participants to enter a state between wakefulness and sleep, inducing profound physical, mental, and emotional relaxation.

Typically conducted in a lying down position, Yoga Nidra involves systematic guided instructions to release tension from different parts of the body, quiet the mind, and explore a heightened state of awareness. This powerful practice not only promotes relaxation but also enhances clarity, creativity, and overall well-being. It is a gentle yet potent tool for stress reduction, improved sleep, and inner exploration, making it accessible and beneficial for individuals of all levels of yoga experience.

This is a 40-minute yoga nidra.

Music by Chris Collins

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this Yoga Nidra.

Please find your most comfortable position for today,

Either laying down on your back in Shavasana or seated comfortably.

Just place your body in a space where it can relax.

You might want to try a pillow or a blanket to keep you warm and cuddled throughout this practice.

Start to settle yourself in,

Adjust yourself to get 10% more comfort.

If it feels safe to do so,

Start to soften your gaze,

Eyelids become heavy and close your eyes,

Withdrawing from the sense of sight.

During this Yoga Nidra practice,

You should try not to move your body.

If an itch or a discomfort arises,

Just observe it calmly without reacting and feel the true sensation.

You're always,

Of course,

Welcome to move if you must and get out of the practice if you feel activated or not at ease.

Just do so slowly.

Start to relax your head and face,

Your arms and your hands,

Legs and feet.

Relax your torso inside and outside and start to bring your attention to your breath.

Notice parts of your body that you can feel your breath,

Feel your breath arise and fall of your belly,

Your chest.

And now take an inhale through both nostrils and send it to your lower abdomen.

Hold it there for one instant and then exhale completely through your mouth or your nose.

Gently pull your navel in,

Deflate the belly,

All the air out till the very last drop.

And continue this cycle.

Inhale from both nostrils into your lower abdomen,

Holding it there,

Exhaling completely,

Maybe making a sound,

Your mouth or your nose,

Pulling the navel in,

Deflating the belly,

All the air out until the last drop.

Until the last drop.

This time inhale from both nostrils and as you exhale,

Release all tension,

Pulling up from the navel up into the heart,

All that no longer serves you,

Washing it away.

Inhale from both nostrils into your whole abdomen,

Fill the lungs to the rim,

Hold in and focus on the brow point.

Exhale slowly with sound.

Gently engage your pelvic floor and pull your navel in,

Deflate the belly,

All the air out the last drop.

If you wish,

Hold the air out for just one second,

Being aware of how it feels.

When you're ready,

Coming back to a normal,

Gentle belly breath.

Relax your face again,

Your whole body.

Say to yourself in your mind's eye or out loud,

I'm going to practice yoga nidra.

I'm going to stay aware.

I will acknowledge the thoughts,

Feelings and sensations without attachment and let them go.

I will stay focused.

I will not sleep.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Ask your heart,

What is your true desire?

Just let the answer come,

Don't think.

If no answer comes,

This is just as good as any answer.

There's no right or wrong.

Feel into your heart's desire and repeat it to yourself.

Now we'll set an intention for this practice.

Nothing fancy,

A simple intention,

Intention,

Your intention.

It could be just to stay aware,

Relax,

Enjoy the practice,

Whatever you want your simple intention to be today.

Find your intention and repeat it to yourself three times.

Feel in your intention with your body,

Your mind and consciousness.

Start to bring your attention to the sounds around you.

Close sounds,

The more distant sounds,

The inner sounds such as your slow breath,

All the vibrations that touch your eardrums.

Resist the urge to judge them or identify them.

Just listen.

Feel your right leg now.

Squeeze and contract all the muscles of your right leg from top to toes.

Squeeze them hard,

Maybe lifting your leg a few centimetres off of the ground.

Exhale,

Relax all of the muscles on the right leg.

Feel your left leg now.

Squeeze and contract all of the muscles of your left leg from top to toes.

Squeeze them hard,

Maybe lift that leg a few centimetres.

Exhale and relax all of the muscles of the left leg.

Find your glutes,

Squeeze and contract them both equally.

Feel your pelvic floor contracting and release and relax.

Exhale slowly.

Feel your right arm.

Squeeze and contract all the muscles of your right arm from your shoulder to your fingertips.

Squeeze them hard,

Maybe lifting your arm a few centimetres.

Exhale,

Relax all the muscles of your right arm.

Feel your left arm.

Squeeze and contract all the muscles of your left arm from your shoulder to your fingertips.

Squeeze them as hard as you can,

Maybe lifting the arm a few centimetres.

Exhale,

Relax all of the muscles of your left arm.

Next,

Inhale,

Start to squeeze and contract the whole of your back.

Release and relax.

Let your back open up and spread wide.

Squeeze your chest and relax.

Squeeze your abdominal wall and relax.

Squeeze your abdomen from the inside and relax.

Squeeze and contract all the tiny muscles of your face,

Your eyes and lips,

Your forehead and your nose.

Squeeze them all hard.

Smile at this.

A big wide smile and release and relax.

Feel your body lying on the floor or in your seat.

Feel the points where your body touches the floor.

Feel them one by one.

Now,

Feel them all at once.

Your connection to the floor,

To Mother Earth,

Your body and the Earth connecting.

Feel your body melting into the Earth.

Now,

You can let your awareness flow through the different parts of our body like a fluid,

Vibrating light,

A gentle energy caressing our body from the inside and the outside.

Everywhere it goes,

It soothes.

It brushes off tension with a silky caress.

Let this vibrating energy flow freely and swiftly from one body part to another.

Don't stop it.

Follow along with the sound of my voice.

Feel this light relaxing the inside of your mouth,

Your teeth,

Your gums,

Your tongue,

Your jaw,

The inside of your cheeks.

Let it flow from the inside to the outside of your right ear and left ear.

Let both ears glow with soothing energy.

Let it smooth over your forehead.

Gently brush your right eyebrow and left eyebrow and the space between them.

Relax your left eyelid and right eyelid.

Feel the place where your eyelids close.

Relax your right eye and left eye.

Relax both eyes together from the inside,

Your cheekbones and your temples,

The top of your head,

The back of your head,

The back and front of your neck,

The inside of your throat.

Let this light flow through your right collarbone and down the right shoulder and shoulder blade to your upper arm and elbow and forearm and wrist,

The back of the hand and palm of the hand.

Warm with light.

Feel it in your thumb,

Your index finger,

Your middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger.

Feel your whole right arm radiant,

Soothed.

Let this prana flow through your left collarbone and down the left shoulder and shoulder blade to your upper arm and elbow and forearm and wrist,

The back of the hand and the palm of the hand.

Warm with light.

Feel your thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger.

Feel your whole left arm radiant,

Soothed,

Relaxed.

Feel both arms radiant,

Soothed,

Completely relaxed.

Concentrate this attention in the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Mound of the toes,

The sole and top of the foot,

Ankle,

Shin and calf,

Right knee,

Thigh and back of the thigh,

Right hip,

Right groin,

Right glute.

Travel to your left side,

Gently brush your left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Mound of the toes,

Sole and top of the foot,

Ankle,

Shin and calf,

Left knee,

Thigh and back of the thigh,

Left hip,

Left groin,

Left glute.

Feel both legs and pelvis radiant,

Soothed,

Completely relaxed.

Be this awareness inside your abdomen,

Gently caressing your organs,

The abdominal walls,

The sides,

The back,

The front,

Your abdomen relaxed from the inside and the outside.

Relax your chest,

The back of your chest,

Your heart,

Lungs,

Your diaphragm,

Your whole torso brushed by gentle and radiant awareness.

Your torso together with your pelvis and legs and arms,

Neck and head and face,

Your whole left side,

Your whole right side,

Your whole body radiant,

Soothed,

Completely relaxed,

Your whole body at ease,

Inside and outside,

Your whole body,

Your awareness of your whole body.

Now,

Let this awareness become breath.

Let your breath become awareness.

Notice the rhythm of your natural breath,

A calm,

Slow breath,

A gentle inhale of pure awareness,

Lifting your abdomen and your chest,

Calming exhale,

Completely relaxed,

Your abdomen and chest lowering down towards your spine.

Your breath,

Aware of itself,

Yourself,

Aware of being the one who's breathing.

Breath,

Energy,

Prana,

Traveling up and down your spine,

From your tailbone to the crown of your head.

Inhale from your tailbone to your sacrum,

Up your solar plexus to the back of your heart,

The back of your throat,

Inside of your head to the crown of your head.

Be aware of your inhales and exhales,

Traveling up and down the whole length of your spine.

Do not sleep.

You're practicing yoga nidra.

You're now in your pranic body.

Awareness of the energy,

Awareness of the breath,

Up and down your spine,

Soothing,

Radiant,

Warm breath from both nostrils equally.

Feel the sensation of air inside your nostrils,

Connecting at your brow point on the inhale and traveling separate ways on the exhale.

The left breath,

Cool,

The right breath,

Warm.

Now imagine as if you're breathing from alternate nostrils,

Moving your breath with your will.

Inhale,

Left nostril,

27.

Exhale,

Right nostril,

27.

Inhale,

Right,

26.

Exhale,

Left,

26.

Inhale,

Left,

25.

Exhale,

Right,

25.

Continue counting down to one,

Feeling your breath flowing in a triangle from nostril to third eye to nostril,

Totally present,

Breathing and counting.

And if you reach one,

Begin again from 27 and drop.

You're counting.

Be sure you're not sleeping.

Gently draw your inhale from your tailbone to your navel and stop for a moment.

Continue your inhale from your navel to the middle of your chest and pause.

Continue your inhale from the middle of your chest to your throat and release and relax in your exhale.

Continue this progression from your tailbone to your navel and pause.

From your navel to the middle of your chest and pause.

And from the middle of your chest to your throat,

Pause and exhale.

Continue like this.

And when you pause,

Be present.

From your tailbone to your navel,

Pause,

Be present.

From your navel to the middle of your chest,

Pause.

From the middle of your chest to your throat,

Just be and exhale.

Continue at your own pace,

Total presence in your breath,

Fully aware.

Gently draw your inhale from your tailbone to your navel and be for an instant.

Continue your inhale from your navel,

This time all the way through your chest to your throat and pause.

Continue your inhale from your throat to the crown of your head and release and relax in your exhale.

From your tailbone to your navel,

From your navel to your throat,

Just be.

From throat to crown of your head and release and relax in your exhale.

From tailbone to navel,

From navel to throat,

Just be.

From throat to crown,

Pause for a moment here at the very middle of the head.

Exhale and expand into this infinite space behind your eyes.

Focus on the wide black space behind your eyes.

Let this infinite void be the multi-dimensional screen where you witness all the thoughts,

Memories,

And sensations.

Experience them as curious manifestations,

Letting them come and go without attachment.

Let go of the thinking mind.

Acknowledge the you who's witnessing this.

Let go of the thinking mind.

You're in the Chidikasha,

The place where your mind creates the world.

You're awake,

Experiencing into your mental body.

Invite into this space the manifestation of coldness,

A sound,

A feeling,

An image,

A memory,

The archetype of cold.

Cold.

Feel cold.

Now hot.

Invite into your inner space the manifestation of hotness,

A sound,

A feeling,

An image,

A memory,

The archetype of hot.

Hot.

Feel hot.

Feel hot and cold together.

Let go of the thinking mind.

Now invite into this space the manifestation of loudness,

A sound,

A feeling,

An image,

A memory,

As loud as it can get,

The archetype of loudness.

You are loudness.

Silence.

Invite into your inner space the manifestation of silence,

A feeling,

An image,

A memory,

A memory of silence.

Feel silent into universal silence.

Feel loudness and silence together.

Let go of wanting.

Now visualize the scenes I will suggest to you.

Come and go from one image to another without attachment.

A dead tree,

The ocean from a window,

A volcano erupting,

Bright lava,

Birds flying at sunset over a wetland,

The skull of an animal in the bush,

A tornado swiping the plains,

A green tree thriving with fruit,

A small mouse,

A snake with seven heads,

A sunflower,

The milky way on a starry night,

The flame of a candle,

The vast calm ocean,

The immense ocean.

It's in your consciousness.

Let the ocean of your consciousness slowly contract into a single drop of morning dew,

Into a single drop of water.

Let your consciousness be contracted into a single pointed drop of water.

Now let this drop expand to the infinite,

Become an ocean again,

The infinite ocean of all consciousness,

Of your consciousness,

Of universal consciousness,

You and I and everything all the same.

Smile internally,

A calm,

Soothing smile of joy that permeates all the subtle layers of the universe.

Rest this unseparate awareness into the universal smile.

Now come back to your heart's desire.

Repeat it to yourself three times.

Now come back to your intention for the practice and repeat this to yourself three times.

Come back to your breath.

Feel in your natural breath,

Moving your belly and chest up and down.

Come back to your body.

Invite some movement to your toes and your fingers,

Your wrists,

Your ankles,

Maybe your neck.

Just softly start to blink your eyes a few times,

Slowly inviting back the sense of sight in the outside world.

And when you're ready,

Fully open your eyes and the practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.