Yoga Nidra is a practice of conscious deep rest that allows your entire nervous system to recalibrate and restore.
Begin by finding a comfortable place to lie down.
Cover yourself with a blanket if you'd like to for warmth or for weight.
Maybe placing a pillow under your knees,
Behind your head for support.
And let yourself be completely held by the surface beneath you.
This is your time to rest and deeply let your whole system find its natural balance.
Take some time to find your most comfortable position lying down.
Adjusting anything that needs adjusting.
Your blanket,
Your pillow,
The position of your arms and legs.
Getting as comfortable as you possibly can.
Let your feet fall naturally open about hips width apart or whatever distance feels easy for your body.
Let your arms rest alongside your body,
Palms facing up if that's comfortable,
Or facing down,
Or hands on your belly.
Whatever feels most restful.
Closing your eyes and taking a deep,
Full breath in through your nose.
Holding it just for a moment.
And then let it all go with an audible sigh.
Again breathe in fully,
Filling your lungs completely,
Pause and release.
Letting everything go.
And now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
You don't need to control it anymore.
Just let it flow.
In and out.
Like gentle waves on a shore.
In this practice,
We begin by planting a gentle intention,
A short positive statement that reflects something that you'd like to cultivate in your life.
This isn't a goal to chase or a problem to fix.
It's more like a seed you're placing in fertile soil,
Trusting that it will grow in its own time.
Your intention should be stated in the present tense as if it's already true.
It might be something like,
I am calm and balanced,
Or I trust the wisdom of my body.
Maybe I am safe and at ease,
Or my mind is clear and peaceful.
Take a moment to let your intention come to you.
Don't overthink it.
Just let it arise naturally.
And now silently repeat this intention to yourself three times,
Like you're whispering it to your heart.
Say it with gentleness and with trust.
And now let it go,
Trusting that it's been planted deep within you.
We'll return to it at the end of this practice,
Where it will have even more power to take root.
And now I invite you to imagine a place,
Real or imagined,
Where you feel completely safe,
Peaceful and at ease.
This is your inner sanctuary,
A place that belongs only to you,
A place where nothing is asked of you,
Where you can simply be.
It might be somewhere in nature,
Perhaps a beach with soft sand beneath you.
A quiet forest with dappled sunlight through the leaves.
A mountain meadow filled with flowers.
Or it might be a cozy room with soft lighting,
Wrapped in your favorite blanket.
There's no right answer.
Just let this place come to you without any effort.
As this place comes into focus in your mind's eye,
Begin to notice the details.
What do you see here?
What colors surround you?
Is there light?
Maybe sunlight streaming through?
Moonlight?
The warm glow of a fireplace or candles.
Let your inner gaze take it all in.
And now notice what you hear in this place.
Perhaps birds singing their evening song,
Waves gently lapping at the shore,
Wind rustling through the leaves,
The crackle of a fire,
Or the beautiful sound of complete silence.
Let these sounds surround you.
What do you feel on your skin?
Maybe the warmth of the sun on your face,
A cool breeze moving across your arms,
The softness of grass or sand beneath you.
The cozy weight of a blanket.
Is there a scent here?
Fresh ocean air,
Pine trees,
Flowers blooming,
The earth after rain.
Or maybe the comforting smell of home.
Let yourself arrive fully in this place and feel how completely safe you are here.
How held,
How peaceful,
How free from worry or demand.
The sanctuary lives within you always.
You can return here anytime you need rest,
Anytime you need to remember that you are safe.
And now while you're resting in this sense of deep safety,
I'll bring gentle awareness to your body.
You're not trying to relax or change anything,
Simply noticing with kindness and curiosity.
Bring your attention to your right foot.
Notice your toes.
All five toes.
The sole of your foot.
The arch,
The heel.
Just observe any sensations.
Tingling,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Heaviness,
Or perhaps a quiet stillness.
Awareness of your right ankle,
The lower part of your right leg,
Your shin,
Your calf,
Your right knee.
Right thigh,
From your knee all the way up to your right hip,
Your entire right leg.
And now your left foot,
All five toes,
The sole of the left foot,
The arch,
The heel,
Your left ankle.
Your left lower leg,
Your left knee,
Left thigh,
All the way up to your left hip,
The entire left leg.
Both legs at once.
Feel the weight of both legs resting completely,
Supported by the earth beneath you.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to do.
Your hips and pelvis heavy,
Releasing into the surface beneath you.
Your lower belly gently rising and falling with your breath.
Your middle belly,
Soft and easy.
Your upper belly just below your rib cage.
Your lower back making contact with the bed or the floor.
The surface beneath you and notice any pressure points,
Any temperature.
Your middle back.
Your upper back between your shoulder blades.
Your chest,
Spacious and open.
Your ribcage expanding with each inhale like a gentle balloon filling,
Releasing with each exhale like a soft wave receding.
Your right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
The palm of your right hand,
The back of your right hand,
Your thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
The entire right arm,
Your left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
The palm of your left hand.
The back of your left hand.
Your thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The entire left arm.
Both arms resting alongside you,
Completely at ease.
Your throat.
Your jaw.
Your lip.
Cheeks.
Nose.
Closed eyes resting softly in their sockets.
The forehead.
The top of your head,
The crown.
The whole body from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head resting here,
Held by the earth,
Completely safe.
And now bring your attention to your breath.
Without trying to change it in any way,
Simply notice the natural flow.
Air flowing in,
A gentle pause,
Air flowing out,
A soft pause.
Inhale Pause.
Exhale.
Pause.
Your breath is balancing you with every cycle,
Receiving and releasing,
Taking in and letting go.
Energizing and calming.
Your body knows exactly how to do this.
It's been breathing you since the moment you were born.
Your breath is your anchor,
Always here,
Always steady.
Always bringing you back to this moment right here,
Right now.
And now,
While staying connected to the gentle rhythm of your breath,
Imagine a soft,
Warm light beginning to glow at the center of your chest.
This light is your own inner peace,
Your natural state of balance and harmony.
It's a light that has always been within you.
Imagine this light,
The color might be golden or soft white.
Or gentle blue,
Or green,
Or any color that feels healing and peaceful to you.
Let it be whatever it wants to be.
And with each inhale,
This light grows a little brighter,
A little warmer,
A little more radiant.
With each exhale,
It begins to spread,
Flowing down into your belly,
Grounding you,
Flowing up into your shoulders and releasing anything holding here.
Breathing in,
The light continues to rise up through your neck and into your head,
Filling your entire skull with gentle,
Healing warmth.
And now imagine this light flowing to the left side of your brain.
The side that thinks,
Plans,
Analyzes,
And problem solves.
The side that's been working so hard trying to keep you safe by figuring everything out.
Feel this warm light touching all of those busy thoughts,
All of those spinning worries,
All of those loops of what if.
The light gently soothes them and like a hand softly stroking worry away,
It whispers,
You can rest now.
You've done so much.
Everything you need to figure out will be there when you need it.
Right now,
In this moment,
You are completely safe.
You can let go.
Feel the left side of your brain softening,
Relaxing,
And releasing its grip of control.
Breathing out now,
Imagine this light flowing to the right side of your brain.
The side that feels and creates and intuits and connects to the bigger picture.
The side that holds your emotions,
Your creativity.
Your deep knowing.
Feel this warm light gently holding any big emotions that have been swirling,
Any overwhelm,
Any sadness,
Any fear.
This light creates a safe container for all of it.
It whispers,
You are safe.
Your feelings are completely valid and welcome here.
You don't have to carry them all alone.
It's okay to feel.
And it's also okay to rest from feeling for a little while.
Feel the right side of your brain being held and supported,
Given permission to soften and release.
And now breathing in and breathing out,
Imagine this light flowing freely between both sides,
Left to right,
Right to left,
Like a gentle current of warm water,
Or like a bridge of light connecting both hemispheres.
Left brain and right brain,
Thinking and feeling,
Logic and emotion,
Analysis and intuition,
All bathed in this healing light.
All working together now as partners.
No longer pulling in opposite directions,
But dancing together in harmony.
Feel this integration,
This wholeness,
This natural state of balance.
Your brain is finding its way back to equilibrium.
Both sides honored.
Both sides needed.
Both sides resting together.
And now from this place of deep rest,
Deep balance,
Deep integration,
Bring your gentle intention back to mind.
The statement that you said at the beginning,
Your sankalpa,
Your resolve.
From this place of wholeness,
Repeat it to yourself now three times.
Feel it not just as words,
But as truth settling into your body,
Into your nervous system,
Into the very fabric of your being.
Let it settle deeply into you,
Like that seed now taking root in rich,
Fertile soil.
Trust that it's already growing,
Already becoming true.
And now as you begin to transition back to waking awareness,
Taking with you this sense of balance,
This inner peace,
This integration with you.
It's not something that you're leaving behind.
It's something that's now part of you.
As you begin to deepen your breath just slightly.
Bring a little more air into your lungs.
Feel it bringing gentle energy back into your body.
And begin to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Inviting the smallest movements back into your body.
Offering yourself gratitude.
Thanking yourself for giving you this time.
Thanking yourself for choosing to care for this body.
This brain,
This nervous system.
And thanking yourself just for showing up.
Knowing that you can return to this balanced and peaceful state anytime you need it.
