25-Minute Inner Sanctuary Yoga Nidra
Join me for this 25-minute Inner Sanctuary Yoga Nidra practice, which will leave you feeling a deep sense of inner peace and relaxation. This Yoga Nidra offers a sanctuary of rest for your body and mind. Through gentle awareness and soothing guidance, you’ll move into a state between wakefulness and sleep, where healing, creativity, and insight naturally unfold. No experience is needed - simply lie down, listen, and let go. Enjoy! Music credit: Chris Collins
Transcript
Hello and welcome to your yoga nidra practice today.
This is Amanda and I will be guiding you through your practice.
Yoga nidra is a journey into the quiet space between waking and sleeping.
A place where the body rests,
The mind softens and awareness remains awake.
In this stillness you can access profound rest,
Clarity and inner peace.
This practice is perfect if you're feeling stressed,
Anxious,
Tired or overwhelmed.
Let's get started.
Begin to settle in for your yoga nidra practice.
You can lie on your back,
On the floor,
On a couch or a bed.
You can place a pillow under your knees as well as a pillow under your head to support the neck.
You can cover yourself with a blanket and place a covering over your eyes.
Allow your body to become heavy and supported by the earth beneath you.
There's nothing you need to do here.
Nowhere to go.
Just rest and listen to the sound of my voice.
As you settle in,
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath,
Natural and effortless.
Feel your belly rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.
We'll take a few deep breaths all together here.
Start by taking a deep inhale in through your nose and as you're ready exhale side out through your mouth.
Twice more just like that.
Deep inhale in,
Exhale side out through your mouth.
Once more deep inhale in,
As you're ready exhale side out.
Continue to breathe nice deep inhales and exhales as you settle into your practice.
What can you do to get 5% more comfortable here?
Can you allow your head to sink into the pillow beneath you?
Can you relax your eyes,
Your jaw,
Your tongue in your mouth?
Encourage full body relaxation.
Soften the face,
Shoulders,
Heart,
Abdomen,
And leg.
We will begin by setting a sankalpa or intention for your practice today.
The sankalpa that I will offer for today's practice is I am safe,
Supported,
And at peace within myself.
I am safe,
Supported,
And at peace within myself.
Repeat this quietly to yourself three times as though planting a seed within.
And now rotating attention throughout the body,
Letting your attention move from place to place as you listen to my voice.
The only thing there is for you to do is listen,
Sense,
And feel.
Moving your attention to different parts of your body as you hear them named,
Following the sound of my voice.
Bring awareness to the center of your chest.
Feel the rise and fall of your inhale and exhale.
Feel the rhythm of your heart beating in your chest.
Now bring awareness to your right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
The right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole right leg,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole right side of the body.
Give some time for your attention to move back into your chest.
Feel your breath.
Notice your heartbeat.
Feel yourself deeply rooted to the earth from the center of your chest.
Now bring awareness to your left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Into the left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole left leg,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
And the whole right side of the body simultaneously.
Can you equally divide attention between the left and right side of the body?
Now sensing the back of the body,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right hamstring,
Left hamstring,
Right glute,
Left glute,
Sacrum,
Whole back of the pelvis,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Moving toward the top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Center of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole body,
Front and back,
Left and right,
The whole body,
Sensing the whole body,
The whole body.
Now begin to invite an imaginary place or a peaceful memory to surface where you feel relaxed,
At ease,
And completely safe to be yourself.
Take your time and allow it to come naturally.
Maybe it's a forest,
Or a beach,
Or a meadow of wildflowers,
A cozy room,
Or an experience with a pet or a loved one that fills you with love and warmth.
Just let that image,
Feeling,
Or memory arise.
You might include animals that you find comforting,
Favorite things,
Meaningful symbols,
Smells of favorite flowers or foods,
Or simply the feeling of peace or well-being.
Allow it to arise.
This is your inner sanctuary,
And it is completely unique to you.
This is a place where you can be relaxed,
At ease,
And safe to be yourself.
Inviting in all of your five senses,
Experiencing this place,
And including images,
Sensations,
Noticing sounds,
Smells,
Tastes,
Colors,
Shapes that are present.
Sensing feelings of security,
Ease,
And well-being as you imagine yourself in your inner sanctuary.
Check in with your body,
And begin to notice where you feel these sensory experiences and any accompanying feelings such as warmth,
Peace,
And relaxation.
Now that you are connected with your inner sanctuary,
Allow yourself to bask in the peaceful feelings you have created.
Begin to drop the imagery,
And let the feelings strengthen and become more and more familiar with each passing breath.
Notice where you feel peace and ease in the body.
As you spend time basking in your inner sanctuary,
Feel it growing into a powerful and effective tool that you can use whenever you need it.
Experiencing feelings of security within you that are always available whenever you need them,
In your practice of yoga nidra,
And also in your life.
Remembering that this place resides within you.
You can return to your inner sanctuary anytime you want or need to feel peaceful and at ease.
Allowing yourself to spend a few more moments here.
Now bring attention to your belly.
Begin to notice your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
In and out.
Begin to deepen your inhales and exhales,
Feeling the expansion in your belly and up into your chest.
We'll come back to our intention that we said at the beginning of our practice.
Myself.
Perhaps this is something that you'd like to leave here in your practice,
Or take with you for the rest of your day.
We'll continue by taking three deep breaths together.
We'll take two inhales in through the nose,
Then an exhale and sigh out through the mouth.
Let's start with two sips in through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh out through the mouth.
Two more just like that.
Two sips of air in through your nose.
Exhale,
Sigh out through your mouth as you're ready.
One more just like that.
Exhale,
Sigh out through your mouth.
Now release that and return to your regular inhale and exhale.
Bring awareness to your physical body.
Feel your body on the earth.
Begin to sense the space around you.
Feeling gratitude for this moment,
For the body that carries you and for the breath that sustains you.
Begin to wiggle fingers and toes.
Stretch your arms above your head if that feels good.
Slowly and at your own pace,
Roll onto one side.
And as you're ready,
Make your way to a seated position.
As you come out of your yoga nidra practice,
Begin to tune into how you feel.
I'd like to invite you to consider what has come to fruition in this time together.
In this time where you went inwards.
And perhaps you will choose to carry these feelings of inner peace with you into the rest of your day.
I would invite you to reflect and journal,
If you can,
On your yoga nidra experience and anything that came up for you during your practice.
Please be gentle with yourself as you go about your day.
Your yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
Namaste.
