Hello and welcome to this short yoga nidra for sleep.
My name is Kumari and I will be your guide.
Take some time now to get yourself all cozy and comfortable in your bed.
Be sure your head and neck feel supported and even.
Perhaps slide a pillow under your knees and if your space isn't completely dark you might consider an eye pillow or scarf over your eyes.
Since this yoga nidra is intended for sleep I won't be bringing you out of the meditation at the end and I will also let the music play for a few minutes extra at the end.
So now that you are all settled we'll begin with the tension and release practice.
Gently squeeze both hands into fifth and continue to squeeze all the way up your arms,
Firming the muscles in your arms.
Hold,
Squeeze,
Take an inhale and now let go,
Releasing all muscular tension in the arms and in the hands.
Next reach through your heels,
Flexing the shins and thighs.
Tight,
Tighter,
Take an inhale and let it go.
Completely relaxing the legs and the feet and sense how your body responded to that practice.
Feel all your muscles letting go as you sink deeper into a state of relaxation.
If your mind feels busy try to move your focus from the front of your brain behind the forehead to the back of the brain.
Imagine thoughts and worries dropping back towards the ground.
Let the back of your throat relax and widen and your shoulder blades surrender to the support underneath you.
Let your lungs and organs rest in the back of the body,
Softening deeper with each exhale.
Visualize the muscles of your arms softening away from the bones.
Visualize your skin softening away from the muscles.
Could you imagine your whole body settling into rest,
Your whole body surrendering to rest?
Awareness of your breath,
Your natural breath effortlessly flowing in and out,
In and out.
We'll now begin three rounds of breathing to account with deep inhales through the nose and extended exhales through the mouth.
Ready?
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
And exhale two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Taking natural breaths in between each round.
Ready?
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Exhale two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
One more round.
Ready?
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Exhale two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Continue to observe your breath for another moment,
Your entire body sinking,
Melting,
Softening.
Next,
We'll invite an intention or sankopa into the practice.
If you're working with a sankopa already,
Feel free to use it now or you may use this sankopa specific for sleep.
My mind and body are receptive to a restorative deep sleep.
Repeat after me each time.
My mind and body are receptive to a restorative deep sleep.
My mind and body are receptive to a restorative deep sleep.
My mind and body are receptive to a restorative deep sleep.
We will continue our journey into deep breaths with a rotation of awareness.
I'll be naming different areas of your body and as I do,
I invite you to allow your awareness to spread into these areas.
And as it does,
You are instigating further relaxation and release of stored physical tension.
We'll begin with the inside of your mouth,
Since your tongue tip,
Another root of your tongue,
The roof of your mouth,
The insides of your cheeks,
The gums and teeth,
And your whole mouth,
A cave of subtle sensations,
To your nose,
The right nostril,
The left nostril,
Both nostrils now,
Feeling your natural breath flowing in and out of your nostrils,
The right eye,
Eyebrow,
Temple,
To the left eye,
Eyebrow,
And temple,
Both eyes simultaneously,
To the center of your forehead,
The crown of your head,
The right ear,
The left ear,
Both ears,
The center of your throat,
Down to the center of your chest,
The right shoulder,
The left shoulder,
Both shoulders,
Both elbows,
Both wrists,
To the palms of both hands,
Both palms filled with shimmers of subtle energy,
Vibrating,
And sense this energy moving into your fingers and thumbs,
To the tips of the thumbs,
The tips of the index fingers,
The tips of the middle fingers,
The tips of the ring fingers,
And the tips of the pinky fingers,
And the tops of your hands,
Your hands buzzing with energy,
Sense the hands as mittens of energy,
And awareness traveling up the arms now,
Both arms and hands alive with sensation,
And back to the center of the chest,
Solar plexus,
Navel,
Pelvic bowl,
The right hip,
The left hip,
Both hips together,
Both knees,
Both ankles,
To the soles of the feet,
Awareness of the soles of the feet,
And could you sense a faint energy in the feet now,
Spreading to all ten toes,
The soles of the feet,
And all ten toes,
All ten toes,
The tops of the feet,
Awareness spreading back up both legs,
Both legs and feet filled with shimmering energy,
Shimmering energy now moves up into an awareness of your entire body,
Your whole body exquisitely lit up from the inside out with life force energy,
Your whole body as one unique field of radiance,
Your whole body,
Your whole body,
And come back to sensing your breath,
Your effortless breath flowing in and out,
In and out,
Begin to count your breath from eleven to one,
Like this,
Inhale eleven,
Exhale eleven,
Inhale ten,
Exhale ten,
And so on,
Don't worry if you lose track or finish before you hear my voice,
Simply begin at eleven again.
Now letting go of the counting.
Bring your attention to the front of your body,
From your face all the way through your chest and torso to your legs and feet,
Let your whole front body rest into the back of your body,
Let there be a feeling of weight in your body as your front body settles back,
Resting completely,
Front body rests into your back body,
Imagine how it would feel for your whole body to feel weighty as though you have let yourself sink into the support of the ground,
Let your whole body explore a restful,
Deep heaviness,
Sinking into deep rest,
Now imagine your back body floating up into your front body,
The whole body is light,
Spacious,
Effortless,
Let your whole body feel light as though you are resting weightlessly,
Allow yourself to wander between these two opposites,
No rush,
Feel the body as heavy,
Feel the body light,
Feel the body heavy,
Feel the body light,
Can you feel these opposites at the same time,
Trying to merge the sensations of heavy and light within your whole being,
Can you rest deeply in between the two,
Neither heavy nor light,
In the essence of both without striving or grasping,
Simply resting deeply between the two,
Heavy and light,
Feel into the sense of deep,
Deep rest in your body,
A sense of deep,
Deep rest in your mind,
A sense of deep,
Deep rest in your whole being,
Unchanging,
Whole,
Deep,
Deep,
Whole,
Letting your whole body rest,
Resting in the unchanging nature of your true radiance,
Rest here now dissolving into oneness with all that is.
Thank you.
