This is a yoga nidra practice to fall asleep.
Before we begin,
I invite you to lie in your bed and prepare yourself for sleep the same way you would normally.
Do all the sleep rituals you're used to doing and make sure you do everything needed to be as comfortable as possible to welcome a good night's sleep.
Put your phone on plain mode,
Turn the lights off,
And place your pillow so that it hugs and supports your head.
Then cover yourself to keep warm.
Choose a posture that you are familiar with,
A posture in which your body is completely relaxed.
Take your time.
Make all final adjustments.
And once you're perfectly comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close.
From now on,
Know that you don't have anything to do.
You can let yourself be guided by my voice.
And because the aim of this practice is to find sleep,
I'm not going to let you know when the practice is over.
If at any time you feel sleep coming,
Do not fight it and allow yourself to sink into it,
Even if the practice is not finished.
Now begin to notice the weight of your body on the mattress.
Feel the heavy parts of your body resting against it and effortlessly sinking into its soft surface.
Feel the gentle touch of the bedsheets on you,
The soft contact between the fabric and your skin.
Maybe feel the weight of the blanket on your body.
Your body is wrapped in softness and warmth,
Supported and held.
Notice any familiar smell,
The smell of fresh sheets,
The smell of the air in the room.
Mentally visualize yourself in this bedroom,
Which you know very well.
Without opening the eyes,
Find every element of the room and position it in the space,
The furniture,
The door,
The window.
You know this space by heart.
It's a safe space and you're allowed to let yourself fall asleep peacefully in it.
Now bring your attention on your nostrils.
Feel the air coming in and out of your nostrils,
The cool air of the bedroom coming in and the slightly warmer air coming out.
Observe this flow of air coming in and coming out,
In and out,
Then out and in,
In an endless cycle.
In,
Out,
Cool,
Warm.
Keep your awareness on the ebbing and flowing of the breath.
Receive the inhale and allow the exhale to ensue from the inhale naturally,
To then dissipate in space.
Each breath cycle happening in a spontaneous,
Instinctive and effortless manner.
You don't have to control it or manipulate it.
Your body is being breathed,
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
Effortlessly,
The body being breathed.
Notice if maybe there is a short pause between the inhale and exhale and if so,
Allow the breath to be continuous,
Without pause,
Inhaling,
Exhaling,
In a continuous rhythm,
Effortlessly,
The body being breathed,
Continuously,
Peacefully,
Effortlessly.
Observe the breath spreading into the body,
Penetrating the smallest corner,
Allowing each muscle,
Each tissue,
Each little cell to soften.
You're now going to let your awareness travel to the body parts that I'm going to call.
Place your awareness on this body part and let it soften a little further.
Starting on the point between the eyebrows,
Let the awareness land on the point between the eyebrows.
Then travel to the hollow space at the base of the throat.
Then to the right shoulder,
The right elbow,
The right wrist,
The right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
The crease of the right elbow,
The right shoulder.
Come back to the hollow space at the base of the throat.
Then travel to the left shoulder,
The left elbow,
The left wrist,
The left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
The crease of the left elbow,
The left shoulder.
Back to the base of the throat.
Now travel down to the right side of the chest,
To the left side of the chest,
The center of the chest.
Move down to the navel,
The low belly,
The pelvic floor,
The right hip,
The right knee,
The right ankle,
The toes of the right foot,
The right heel,
The back of the right knee,
The right glute,
Back to the pelvic floor,
The left hip,
The left knee,
The left ankle,
The toes of the left foot,
The left heel,
The back of the left knee,
The left glute.
Come back to the pelvic floor.
Let your awareness move up to the low back,
To the space between the shoulder blades,
The back of the neck,
The back of the head,
The crown of the head,
The space between the eyebrows.
The awareness lands on the space between the eyebrows.
The space between your eyebrows is the door to your consciousness.
It's the border between reality and the world of dreams.
I am now going to tell you a story.
Simply follow my voice and let images of my words come to your mind.
Observe these images without trying to analyze their meaning.
Now enter through the door between your eyebrows and allow your imagination to guide you.
You're lying on grass.
Your eyes are closed.
It's the end of a beautiful day of spring.
The weather has started to change.
It's one of the first day of the season.
The wind is gently stroking your face.
The air is crisp on your skin,
But the feeling is pleasant.
All around you,
The fresh smell of flowering trees.
You open your eyes.
Daylight is starting to decrease.
The sky is tinted with a soft mix of pink and orange.
High up,
A little cloud is passing by in silence.
Two clouds.
Then three clouds passing by.
Silence and calm all around.
The pink hues in the sky.
You lean on your elbows to sit up.
You're at the top of a hill,
Overlooking on the city afar.
You observe the buildings coming out of the earth,
Some taller than others.
From here,
You barely hear the humming of the city.
Silence and calm all around.
It's peaceful.
The flowering trees.
The light is decreasing further.
More and more clouds passing by above you.
You decide to stand up and start to climb down the hill.
The air is now filling up with the heavy scent of rain.
The wind is rising,
Flowers falling off of the trees.
You feel a raindrop on your nose.
You arrive at your house.
The rain is now falling.
You open the door and close it behind you.
You hear the muffled sound of the rain intensifying outside.
You are sheltered and dry.
You take off your shoes and sit on your sofa.
A hot teacup in your hand.
A warm blanket on your lap.
You're sitting back comfortably,
Slowly sinking into the softness of the sofa.
You watch the rain through the window.
Raindrops hitting the glass and slowly dripping down.
A hot teacup.
A warm blanket.
You're relaxing on the sofa.
Your body is softening.
Your eyelids start to get heavy.
Soothed by the distant sound of the rain.
You're drifting off to sleep.
You are asleep.
In a deep,
Restorative sleep.
