Yoga Nidra For The Nervous System
by Ailsa Burns
Join Ailsa for a 34-minute Yoga Nidra for the Nervous System. This voice-only Yoga Nidra is designed to soothe, restore, and reset your entire nervous system. This Yoga Nidra is themed around the Water Element. Ailsa will guide you through intention, a visualisation, body sensing, and breathing, all exploring the theme of water. Get cosy, and let yourself be guided by Ailsa's soothing voice to a state of deep rest and relaxation. Ailsa's voice is female with a soft Scottish accent, and there is no music accompanying the meditation.
Transcript
Beginning this yoga nidra exploring the water element in a comfortable lying down position.
Adjusting your body so that you feel completely supported for going into a deep state of rest and self inquiry.
Beginning this yoga nidra practice in a place that is safe for you to enter a deep state of rest.
Allow your legs to either be apart or together.
Perhaps they're touching with the feet falling to the side,
Arms away from your body.
Palms open to the sky or resting on your torso.
Upper arms resting on the surface supporting you.
You might have support underneath the back of your head so that your chin remains below the level of your forehead.
Assisting the thinking mind to relax.
Support your back by placing a blanket underneath your knees.
If you could be 5 or 10% more comfortable,
Make any adjustments to bring ease and well-being throughout your body and mind.
During your yoga nidra practice,
Welcome every experience as a messenger.
Knowing that you are your own best teacher,
I am simply your guide.
Allow anything that does not align and resonate to wash over you,
Like waves washing footprints from the sand.
Welcome and respond to each messenger with curiosity and openness.
Bring attention to your senses,
Allowing each perception to come to you.
Sounds outside the room that you are in,
Sounds within the room.
The sound of breath moving in and out of your nose.
Any sounds from within your body,
The touch of air on your skin.
Smoothing out the forehead,
Releasing any expression in the face.
Releasing any holding in the hands.
Feel sensations where your body touches the surface beneath you.
The earth rising up to meet your body.
Feel sensations within your body and sense the vibrant aliveness of the body,
Just as it is.
And recall your intention,
Your sankalpa,
For today's yoga nidra practice.
Perhaps to cultivate the qualities of the water element,
Intuitive,
Fluid,
Moving through life like water,
Flowing with the tides of life.
Allowing yourself to let go into the journey of your life,
Like water flowing along the natural grooves of the earth,
Without resistance,
But still moving with purpose and momentum.
You might arrive on your phrase,
Your intention,
Uttered in the positive and present tense.
Or you might use the sankalpa,
I offer you.
I flow with the journey of life whilst remaining steadfast and strong.
I flow with the journey of life whilst remaining steadfast and strong.
Repeating your sankalpa three times,
Silently,
In your mind.
Noticing where the body makes contact with the earth underneath you.
Feel the earth rising to support the entire body.
Allowing the body to let go of any tension it might be holding onto.
Bring attention to your inner resource,
Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.
Today,
Inviting you to explore the theme of the water element.
Turn your attention to a visualisation of water,
From a memory or from your imagination.
A visualisation that nurtures feelings of being secure,
Peaceful and at ease.
Letting go,
Diving into the image that arises in your mind,
Without judgment or the need for perfection.
There is no right or wrong answer.
Can you hold this visualisation in your mind,
Water flowing and rippling,
The natural rhythms of water,
The ebb and flow of water,
Navigating,
Sailing and anchoring you.
Can you visualise the sights around you,
The smells around you,
The sounds around you,
Sparkling,
Glassy,
Glistening water.
The fragrance of fresh and pure water,
The rich swell of salty sea water.
Perhaps you sense the sound of trickling water,
Or the sounds of crashing and surging tidal water,
The momentum and energy of cascading water.
Images that create feelings of being secure,
Peaceful and at ease.
The felt sense of wellbeing throughout your body.
Knowing that you can return to this inner resource at any time,
Day or night.
Throughout your practice of Yoga Nidra.
Whenever you feel the need to be totally secure and at ease.
Now allow my words to be your words as you rotate attention throughout your body.
Sensing your jaw,
Lips,
Teeth,
Gums,
Mouth,
Floor of the mouth,
Ceiling,
Inner walls left and right,
Tongue,
Back of the throat,
The entire jaw,
Mouth and throat is sensation.
Give up being involved with thinking,
Instead welcoming sensations just as they are.
Sensation of the left ear,
Right ear,
Both ears at the same time as sensation.
Left nostril,
Right nostril,
Sensation of both nostrils,
Simply sensing,
Letting go of visualising.
Left eye,
Eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
The entire left eye,
Right eye,
Eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
The entire right eye,
Both eyes at the same time.
Without analysing,
Sensing your way.
Forehead,
Crown,
Back of the head,
Neck,
Sensation along the inner walls of the throat.
Left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm and fingers,
The entire left arm.
Right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm and fingers,
The entire right arm.
Welcoming both arms at the same time.
Waves of sensation,
Flowing,
Rippling,
The ebb and flow.
Upper chest and back,
Mid-chest and mid-back,
Belly and lower back,
Ceiling and floor of the pelvis sacrum.
Letting go of thinking,
The entire torso alive,
Breathing itself.
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin and calf,
Ankle,
Foot and toes,
The entire left leg,
Alert,
Attentive.
Sensing the right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin and calf,
Ankle,
Foot and toes,
The entire right leg.
Welcoming both legs at the same time.
The waves of sensation,
Flowing,
Rippling,
The ebb and flow.
Sensing the front of the body,
The back of the body,
Left side,
Right side,
Sensation deep inside the body,
On the surface.
Welcoming the entire body as waves of sensation.
Rippling and flowing in all directions,
Inwardly and outwardly.
Welcoming your experience just as it is,
Interweaving your inner resource of peace and tranquility.
Feeling secure and at ease.
And note how all of these sensations,
As well as passing thoughts,
Emotions and images,
How all of these are constantly changing,
Coming and going.
The whole body a constantly changing field of radiant sensation.
Sensing all that you are now aware of.
Sensing yourself as spacious,
Unchanging awareness,
In which all of these changing sensations are arising and unfolding.
Changing sensation,
Revealing unchanging awareness.
And sense the body breathing itself.
The natural flow of breath entering and leaving the body.
The inflow and outflow of the breath through the nostrils.
The chest and belly gently rising and releasing.
The expansion and softening of the ribcage.
Breathing fully and freely with ease.
And as you breathe,
Begin to visualize the breath as a circle.
Inhaling to draw a line halfway around the circle.
Exhaling to draw a line along the other half of the circle.
Inhaling from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock.
Exhaling from 6 o'clock to midnight.
You can even imagine the color of the circle.
The texture of the circle.
Is the circle flat or is it three dimensional?
Inhaling to draw a line halfway around the circle.
Exhaling to draw a line along the other half of the circle.
Inhaling from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock.
Exhaling from 6 o'clock to midnight.
Continuing with your body's own natural breathing rhythm.
Body breathing itself.
And now letting go of any conscious attention to the breath.
And simply allow the body to breathe itself.
The natural flow of breath entering and leaving the body.
The entire body breathing itself.
Expanding in all directions.
Inwardly.
Outwardly.
Breathing freely,
Fully with ease.
The whole body one circular flow of breath.
Softly and lightly attentive to all that is now present.
Letting go of thinking.
Simply resting.
Perhaps interweaving your inner resource.
Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.
Staying with the flows of energy and sensation that are present.
As the body breathes itself.
Not analysing.
Simply welcoming sensation.
Note how all of these sensations.
As well as passing thoughts,
Emotions and images.
Are constantly changing.
Coming and going.
The entire body.
A constantly changing field.
A rippling,
Flowing,
Radiating sensation.
Sense all that you are now aware of.
Sense yourself as spacious,
Unchanging awareness.
In which all of the changing sensations are arising and unfolding.
Changing sensation.
Revealing unchanging awareness.
And as you explore the theme of the water element.
Notice the ever changing qualities of water.
Following the natural grooves of the ground.
As it makes its journey across the earth.
And notice the dichotomy of water.
The solidity and strength of ice.
The malleability and flexibility of liquid water.
The ever present quality of gaseous water.
How water holds all of these qualities.
Fluidity.
Flexibility.
A sense of letting go.
Flowing with the natural rhythms.
Each exhalation.
Water flowing and rippling.
The ebb and flow of water navigating,
Sailing and anchoring you.
At rest.
At ease.
If helpful interweaving your inner resource.
Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.
Everything to be just as it is.
Without trying to understand or change anything.
Simply being just as you are.
And everything just as it is.
Being spacious,
Unchanging awareness.
As changing experiences come and go.
Take a moment and reflect back on the journey that you have just taken.
Your journey exploring the water element.
Sense the qualities that have been present or that are present right now.
Feelings,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Sensations and awareness.
In which everything is arising,
Unfolding and passing away.
Recall your intention once more.
Repeat it three times in your mind.
Return to your inner resource.
And take your time now to transition to your waking life.
Sensing the room around you.
Hearing sounds within your body.
Within the room.
Sounds outside the room.
Begin to open and close your eyes.
Returning to your eyes open state of waking consciousness.
Alert.
Awake.
Take a moment to be intentional about transitioning from this part of your day and into the rest of your day.
Perhaps affirming why you choose to practice Yoga Nidra.
Beginning to move your body.
Coming back to your eyes open.
Wide awake.
An alert state of consciousness.
Thank you for joining me.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Namaste.
4.9 (8)
Recent Reviews
David
November 24, 2025
A beautiful wondrous reset floating down stream…another YogaNdra gem from you, Ailsa…ThankyouandBless A five teddy bear meditation:🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸