Yoga Nidra To Release Stress & Sleep Peacefully

Settle in and allow yourself to drift into deep rest with this guided Yoga Nidra designed for nighttime relaxation, nervous system soothing, and effortless unwinding. This practice invites you into a spacious, dreamlike state where the body can fully relax while awareness gently remains. Please note I WILL be guiding you out of the practice, from there you may snuggle in for your nights rest (if you are using this before bed!)

Originally guided live on Insight Timer, this Yoga Nidra supports the natural shift from wakefulness into rest -helping you release the day, soften mental activity, and prepare the body and mind for peaceful sleep.

Transcript

So welcome everyone.

I'm so glad you're here.

I'm Kumari Sky,

The Relaxationist,

And that is exactly what I intend to do with you this evening.

I'm just gonna chat a little bit more while you get yourself settled in case this is your first time joining Yoga Nidra.

Really the only requirement is your attention and your comfort.

So do your best whatever way you want to be.

There's no set way.

Yes,

Traditionally this was practiced in Shavasana,

But I find if I just lay flat on my back on a yoga mat,

After about 20 minutes I'm not very comfortable.

So feel free to adjust and take care of yourself.

So getting snuggled in.

Receptive and ready for your deep rest practice.

And can you just come into awareness of the space you're resting in.

You could be listening for the sounds.

Maybe there's more than one sound you can hear,

Something off in the distance.

And in the mind's eye,

Tuning into what it looks like.

One of the four walls hold if you're in a room.

Where's the door?

Seeing this space inside the mind.

Remember the ceiling,

The floor.

And then might you imagine what you're resting on.

Perhaps a couch,

A bed,

The floor,

A hammock.

And could you visualize you,

Just with your inner eye,

See yourself in this space,

Held.

Feeling the comfort of your positioning and making any other little adjustments that could support an even deeper level of comfort.

Just arranging yourself and your body innately knows how to rest and in fact requires rest to continue living.

So dive in deeper with your body's innate knowing.

Let your mind just fall away and come into a feeling place of the energy of your body.

One way to do that is to really start to feel how different areas of your body is resting.

How are your hands and arms,

Your feet,

Et cetera.

Scanning and sensing.

Feeling.

Cultivating a state of human being.

Can let go of cognitions,

Worries,

Stresses,

Even excitements and ideas.

And naturally come into this sacred now where everything arises from.

Becoming one with stillness through this practice.

Simply feeling.

Keep with this and add in the element of feeling the breath.

And maybe even becoming aware of the drum of your heartbeat.

As if you could feel the blood rushing through your veins and arteries.

Your heart,

A drum,

A muscle.

Just let this imagined intensity of the heart remind you of your energetic nature.

And then can you feel the flow of your breath at the nostrils?

Just moving in the canals of the nostrils.

Take a moment to really focus on the right nostril.

And now move to awareness of the left nostril.

And feeling the breath sliding in and out of both nostrils.

Cool on the inhale.

Warm on the exhale.

Might you think of this focus and simplicity on the breath as hypnotizing you inward.

All that is,

Is the breath flowing in and out of the nostrils.

Now allow all of this attention,

Awareness,

Drop down into the sacred,

Energetic heart space right in the center of the chest.

You might even choose to put your hand there.

Can you feel the flow of this breath happening now underneath the ribcage?

And the heart and brain in perfect coherence.

And this space is potent for creation.

What is your intention?

You might use your intention for the year or form that into some kind of a sankalpa,

A statement spoken in the positive present tense.

Many of you are already working with sets and kalpas.

Call them in now.

Listen to your heart.

What resonates with you?

What do you want more of?

What will you over time experience every day?

Speak it into existence now by repeating it three times in the mind.

Allowing your hand to release if you chose to put it on your chest.

Follow my voice.

We'll move around the body like mental acupuncture.

Placing our intention on each area.

Welcoming a deeper release in the physical body simply by attention to it.

Attention moving to the surface of the tongue.

The surface of the tongue.

The right side of the tongue.

The left side of the tongue.

The space underneath the tongue.

The roof of the mouth.

The inside of the right cheek.

The inside of the left cheek.

The gums and the teeth.

Sensing the inside of your mouth.

Energetic,

Alive,

Maybe even tingling.

Sense the lips.

The jaw.

Both ears.

Both ears listening.

To the eyes.

Sense the orbs of the eyes.

Inside the lids.

Could you even sense the eyelashes and the eyebrows?

To the third eye center.

Expanding awareness to fill the entire forehead.

And then the whole scalp.

Maybe even a slight tingliness in the whole scalp.

Each hair follicle vibrating.

Now the back of the head.

The back of the neck.

Awareness cascading down the whole spine.

To the sacrum.

To the tip of the tailbone.

Just imagining the entire spine from the base of the skull to the tip of the tailbone.

Now sense the whole upper back.

And the lower back.

The glutes.

The backs of the thighs.

The backs of the knees.

Aware of the right calf.

The left calf.

Both calves together.

The heels.

The soles of the feet.

All attention draining into the soles of the feet.

And into all ten toes.

The soles of the feet tingling with sensation.

Now aware of the tops of the feet.

The ankles.

The shins.

Shins.

Right knee.

Left knee.

Both knees together.

Tops of the thighs.

The right hip joint.

The left hip joint.

And now the flesh of the hips.

Sense the lower abdomen.

The upper abdomen.

And now the navel.

The right ribcage.

Left ribcage.

The solar plexus.

Expand into awareness of the whole chest.

The whole chest filled with energy.

Up into the collarbones.

The shoulders.

Upper arms.

The creases of the elbows.

Forearms.

Wrists.

Palms.

Settle attention into the palms and all ten fingers.

Welcoming energy.

Both arms and hands together.

The whole head.

The whole body.

The head.

The body.

One radiant vessel of life force energy.

Your whole body resting back.

Whole body sensing.

Drifting.

Welcoming the awareness of the more subtle layers of you.

Feel the prana moving within you as breath.

The observer of the breath that was already happening once you noticed it.

Observe the breath.

Not needing to change the breath,

Simply being with the breath.

Begin to imagine each breath could expand the whole body like every cell expanded with breath.

Rest awareness at the third eye.

Moving the energy of the breath,

Just imagine breathing in through the third eye and then out the crown of the head.

Sense,

Feel,

Imagine this energy happening.

As if the breath were a wave of energy.

A ribbon of light.

Now attention can rest at the nostrils.

Tune into the simplicity of the breath at the nostrils.

Can you rest your attention back at the heart center?

And from here,

Breathing in through the heart center and then up and out the crown.

Sense,

Feel,

Imagine the ribbon of energy moving in through the heart and out the crown of the head.

Return awareness to the nostrils.

Now,

Sense the temperature of the breath at the nostrils.

Now we move to the navel center.

Can you imagine breathing in through the navel center and then pressing the breath out up through the crown of the head?

Just knowing however this is,

Is perfect.

You can't get this wrong.

Fixating attention on breathing in through the navel and out,

Up through the body,

Out the crown.

Back to the nostrils.

Feel the heartiness of the physical breath moving in and out.

Now come back to the energy of the breath.

And send attention all the way down to the toes.

Breathe in the breath.

From the toes all the way up the body to the crown.

And then release the breath energetically all the way back down the body to the toes.

Breathing the breath up and down the body like a wave.

And now returning again to the nostrils.

Filling and emptying effortlessly.

Take time to give all of your attention to the right leg and foot.

Feeling the density and shape of the right leg and foot.

Tune in to the weight,

The heaviness.

Right leg and foot,

Fill your awareness.

Now the same for the left arm.

Arm and hand,

Slowly move all of that awareness into the left arm and hand.

Feel the left arm and hand as heavy.

Different than the other side.

As if the arm were sinking down.

And now call back awareness of the right leg and foot.

And join left arm and hand,

Right leg and foot.

Simultaneously feeling these limbs heavy and warm.

And now call back attention to rest at the nostrils.

The nostrils.

Now pour attention into the left leg and foot.

Left leg and foot.

Sensed as heavier and warmer.

Separate left leg and foot.

And now it's time to move that awareness all into the right arm and hand.

Right arm and hand.

Heavy.

Filled with attention.

Right arm and hand.

Call back left leg and foot and join feeling both limbs simultaneously.

Both limbs heavier.

Different.

Back to the nostrils.

Awareness saturating the entire body now.

Allow whatever crosses the mind to just happen as I name these things.

A horse galloping through a vast field.

A whole family of horses galloping through the fields.

A waterfall.

A vast,

Vast blue sky,

Not a cloud in the sky.

An alpine lake surrounded by mountains and vast grasslands.

A tiny mouse traversing a little field.

Green grass.

A black bird flying through the sky.

The vast branches of an oak tree.

The branches reaching.

Filled with leaves.

And the leaves fluttering in the wind.

The sound of rustling.

The soothing sound of the sweetest wind rustling the leaves.

Imagine this body resting in a hammock.

Swaying.

Warm and held.

Resting back as pure bliss.

Everything right.

Perfect.

Alignment with your true nature as you rest here.

Welcoming messages.

Deeper knowings.

Swaying and held in this state of deep nourishing rest.

Resting back.

Deep,

Deep peace.

Breathe.

One with all that is.

Your sankalpa,

Your intention,

Joins you now.

Feeling this intention everywhere.

The whole body receiving this sacred truth of your deepest desire.

Speaking this truth back to yourself three more times.

Calling you back from the state of yoga nidra.

Return to the feeling of the breath at the nostrils.

Guide yourself to take in a long,

Slow,

Deep breath.

Relax.

Feel your body move.

Your whole body breathing.

Return to that sense of life force energy pulsating within in the form of your breath.

Starting to come back even more now.

Can you sense the shape of your body on whatever you are laying on or sitting on?

Feel your body.

Your body as a whole.

Just the weight of your body.

How it's being received into what you're on.

You can start to bring slight little movements into your fingers,

Your toes.

If you're ready to move back into a waking state.

But of course,

Feel free to linger and ignore me or turn it off.

Toes and the fingers,

Maybe swirling the wrists.

Ankles.

Nodding the head.

Stretching up the arms,

Reaching through the legs.

Let's take two sips in through the nose.

And a long,

Slow exhale out.

Two more,

Just like that.

One more.

Listening to your body.

Just becoming really aware of how you're feeling.

Just feeling the peace in your body,

Your mind.

And moving on with your next segment,

Whatever that might be,

Depending on where you're located.

I'm really basking in this changed state.

The yoga nidra is a changing state of consciousness.

And the practice and its benefits are cumulative.

There's so much going on behind the scenes in this effortless practice.

Helping with so many ailments.

Bringing balance and relief in so many ways.

I always love to hear from you how yoga nidra has supported you.

You might take time now to reflect by journaling.

Depending on where you are and what you like to do.

A quiet little stroll in nature.

A warm shower.

And as you're ready,

Feeling free to move positions if you haven't already.

Maybe rolling onto your side or sitting up.

And again,

Just really taking in how you're feeling.

How this deep rest practice affected you.

Remember that by meditating,

Being sure that you carve out time for self-care,

This is an act of peace.

The more we can stay regulated,

The more we build community.

And connect and love one another.

We are powerful beings.

And all of that has a profound ripple effect out into our world.

Thank you so much for joining.

Again,

I hope that this practice had a positive effect and that you feel amazing and peaceful and connected to the true nature of who you really are.

Reviews

Lovely practice as ever! would have preferred no educational material at the end so I could drift off. 🙏🧡