Design Your Day (Morning Yoga Nidra)

Step into your strength, clear morning anxiety, and intentionally design your day with this deep morning Yoga Nidra and guided visualization practice. Designed specifically for busy women who wake up feeling rushed or overwhelmed, this restorative somatic practice bridges the gap between deep rest and mindful action.

This practice guides you into a profound state of nervous system relaxation using breathing exercises, a sankalpa, and a traditional rotation of consciousness. Once your mind is clear and still, you will move into a powerful morning visualization practice where you will mentally rehearse your day with a sense of calm steadiness, grace, and empowerment. Give yourself the gift of a peaceful morning sanctuary to plant your daily intentions, soften stress before it starts, and begin your day knowing you already have everything you need.

Music: Meditation for Sleep by Alex Wit, from Pixabay

Transcript

Hello and welcome to She'll Love Yoga and Breath. My name is Natalie and this is your morning yoga nidra practice. It can be profoundly transformative to begin your day with an intention. Today's practice is an invitation to step out of the early morning rush and to consciously design how you want to show up for the day ahead. I suggest that you listen to this meditation before you get out of bed for the day, But please know that listening at any time in the morning will still be beneficial. Let's get ready for Yoga Nidra. Lie down on your back with your body straight from head to toe, With your arms by your sides, Palms facing up. If that's not accessible to you, You may take any position that feels best to your body. You may choose to cover yourself with a blanket, Place a pillow underneath your head and your knees, And cover your eyes with an eye pillow. Once you are settled in, Try to make yourself even just 1% more comfortable. Gently close your eyes, Relax your face. Relax your neck. Relax your shoulders. Relax your abdomen. Your arms. And your legs. Develop a deep feeling of relaxation in your body like the feeling that comes just before sleep. Begin to notice your natural breath. You don't need to change it, Just notice yourself breathing. We will now move into a breathing exercise called the physiological sigh. Daily practice of this breathing technique helps decrease anxiety and overall stress, Slow the heart rate, And improve mood. We'll take a deep and slow inhale through the nose, Filling the lungs with air. Then we'll take another sharp sip of air and then slowly exhale with a sigh through the mouth until the lungs are empty. We'll repeat this four times. Let's begin. Inhale through the nose, Filling the lungs with air. Take a sip of air. And slowly exhale with a sigh through the mouth. Inhale through the nose, Take a sip of air, And slowly exhale with a sigh until the lungs are empty. Gently let that go and return to your natural breath. We will now turn to your Sankalpa. A Sankalpa is a short positive statement phrased in the present tense as if it's already happening. For this practice, Your sankalpa might be I choose how I want to show up. With every breath, I get to begin again. Another option is. . . I remain rooted and grounded as I move through my day. Pick any one of these that feels right to you, Or choose another phrase that may have arisen on its own. Choose the Sankalpa that feels most supportive to you right now. Once you've chosen your Sankalpa, Repeat it silently to yourself three times. We'll now move into a body scan. When I name a part of your body, Simply bring your awareness to that area. There's nothing you need to change or do. Simply notice and then allow your awareness to move on to the next area, Following the sound of my voice. Top of the head. Forehead. Right eyebrow. Left eyebrow. Space between the eyebrows. Right eye. Left eye. Nose right cheek. Left cheek. Upper lip. Lower lip. Jaw. Throat. Heart center. Right shoulder. Upper arm. Elbow. Forearm. Right wrist. Back of the hand. Palm of the right hand. Right thumb. Index finger. Middle finger. Ring finger. Little finger. Palm of the right hand. Back of the hand. Right wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Heart center. Left shoulder. Upper arm. Elbow. Forearm. Left wrist. Back of the hand. Palm of the left hand. Left thumb. Index finger. Middle finger. Ring finger. Little finger. Palm of the left hand. Back of the hand. Left wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Heart center. Upper belly. Lower belly. Pelvis. Right hip. Right thigh. Me. Shin. Ankle. Top of the right foot. Big toe second toe. Third toe. 4th toe. Little toe. Sole of the right foot. Heal calf. Back of the knee. Thigh. Right hip. Buttocks. Left hip. Bye. Me. Shin. Ankle. Top of the left foot. Big toe. Second toe. Third toe. 4th toe. Little toe. Sole of the left foot. Heal. Calf. Back of the knee. Thigh. Left hip. Base of your spine. Lower back. Middle back. Upper back. Back of the shoulders. Back of the neck. Back of the head. Back of the whole body. Back of the whole body. Front of the whole body. Front of the whole body. Whole back and whole front of the body together. Whole back and whole front of the body together. Whole right arm. Whole left arm. Both arms together. Whole right leg. Whole left leg. Both legs together. Both arms and both legs together. Both arms and both legs together. Whole back of the body, Whole front of the body, Both arms and both legs together. Whole body together. Whole body together. Whole body together. Feel the weight of your body being held by the surface beneath you. Allow yourself to be supported. Allow yourself to feel grounded Allow yourself to feel centered. And now, Bring your awareness back to your breath. Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing. There's nothing to change. Simply notice. Begin counting the breath backward from 24. With each breath, Silently count down by one. Inhale 24 Exhale 24 inhale 23 Exhale 23 continue on your own in your own time with your own natural breath and if you lose count, That's okay, Simply return to 24 and begin again. And now allow the counting to fall away. Bring your attention to your mind's eye, The screen of your imagination. Picture yourself waking up for the day ahead. See the morning light filtering into the room. Feel the temperature of the air on your skin. You place your feet firmly on the ground, Feeling the texture of the floor beneath you, And you pause. You are not rushing. You are entirely present in this moment. Today, You choose to move through the day with deep intention. You slow down. Take a breath and you ask yourself, How do I want to show up today? Allow yourself to imagine the day as if watching a movie of your day unfolding in alignment with this intention. Maybe you see yourself pausing before you speak. Maybe you feel calm steadiness in your body. Maybe you meet each challenge with grace. Knowing that you have everything that you need. What will your day look like? Let this vision of your day settle deep into your awareness. Allow your visualization to gently fade away as you bring your awareness back to your sankalpa. The intention from the beginning of this practice. Repeat your sankalpa silently three times, Allowing the words to settle into you. And when you're ready, Begin to notice your body resting here. Notice the surface beneath you. Notice the sounds around you Slowly begin to awaken your body, Bringing gentle movement back to your fingers and toes. Stretch your arms. Stretch your legs. Move your head from side to side. Take a deep, Grounding breath. When you're ready and only when you're ready. Gently open your eyes, Carrying this clear awareness with you. Know that you can return to this space as often as you like, Benefiting from the cumulative positive effects of Yoga Nidra. Before you move back into your day, I invite you to pause and leave a comment below to let me know how you are feeling and what your intention is for the day. I would genuinely love to connect with you. I wish you a beautiful, Peaceful day ahead. You've got this. Namaste.