Yoga Nidra - For Deep Rest

This is a relaxing and deep yoga nidra which gives you time to rest and can also be used to fall asleep or for an afternoon nap. It starts and ends with gentle music but most of it is voice, energy and quiet to support you in resting into this yogic sleep. This is nourishing for your body, mind and soul as you rest.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra, A guided meditation for deep rest. You don't need to fall asleep, Though you might. Just lie down and listen, And let yourself surrender into this time of rest. Even if sleep doesn't come, You can benefit from reduced cortisol, Increased dopamine and improved nervous system regulation. Your body resting now is powerful medicine. Find a comfortable place to lie down. You may want to get a blanket, A pillow under your knees, An eye mask. Make yourself as comfortable as possible, For this is a sacred time of rest, Just for you. Let my voice guide you. You have nowhere to be, Nothing you need to do. Just lay back and rest. Close your eyes. If it feels comfortable, Lie down in Shavasana, On your back with your legs slightly apart, Arms away from your sides, Palms facing up, And let your feet fall open naturally, Allowing your whole body to be symmetrical, Balanced and at ease. If for you to be comfortable right now, You need to roll on your side or take any other position, It's okay. This is time for you, Time for you to rest, Time for you to rejuvenate, Time for you to let go. And now as your body settles, You can arrive, Letting go of whatever you've been doing just before now, Allowing yourself to really be here, For this time, For you. For this time, All there is, Is your body, Your breath, And my voice, Guiding you gently and lovingly to rest. Notice the earth underneath you, The bed, The mat, The floor, Whatever it is that is holding you. And feel how, As you sink deeper into the earth, That the earth is also rising up to meet you and hold you. Feel the weight of your body against the earth, The back of your head, Your shoulders, Your back, Your hips, Your legs, Your heels. You don't have to change anything, Just notice what it feels like to be held. Let gravity do all of the work for you, As you simply soften with each exhale. With each exhale, Letting the weight of your body sink deeper into the earth. And if your mind is still busy, That's okay, It will settle in its own time. For now, Just let your body be heavy, Let it sink, Let it soften. This practice of yoga nidra happens in the space between waking and sleeping. You're learning to rest whilst remaining aware. If you drift off, That's fine. If you stay present, That's fine too. There is no way to do this wrong. Simply let this be whatever your body, Mind and soul need this to be in this moment. Now we're going to set an intention, A sankalpa, A beautiful intention for this time. Take a moment to feel why you're here, Why you're taking this time for yourself. What is in your heart? What is it that you need? And without overthinking it, Just say to yourself what your intention is for this time. Keep it brief, Let it come from your heart. Just one sentence in the present tense, Something like, I am safe, I am whole, I am enough. I trust myself, I am at peace, I am rejuvenating. When it comes, Say it silently to yourself, Hear it in your own voice and feel it in your body. Where does this intention live? Is it in your heart space, Your gut? What does it feel like to believe this, Even just for this moment? Hold it gently, Let it settle and then release it. Let it go down into that deep part of you that's listening. You don't have to hold on to this. The beautiful intelligence of your body, Mind and soul are already holding this intention for you, Weaving it in to your reality at this time. Now I'm going to guide your attention through your body. As I name each part, Simply bring your awareness there, Like a warm light moving through a dark room. You don't need to move, You don't need to tense or release. You don't need to breathe into that part of yourself, Just feel, Just notice, Just be. And if your attention wanders, That's completely fine. When you notice it's wandered, Just come back. No judgment, Kindness for yourself, Gratitude for being here and giving yourself this time to rest. Bring your awareness to the right side of your body, Your right thumb, Right index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Little finger, The palm of your right hand, The back of your hand, Your wrist, Your right forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Your right armpit, Right side of the ribs, Right side of the waist, Right hip, Your right thigh, Kneecap, Calf, Shin, Ankle, Your right heel, Sole of your right foot, Top of your foot, Your right big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe, The whole right side of your body, From fingertips to toes, Aware, Resting. And now bring your awareness to the left side, Your left thumb, Your left index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Little finger, The palm of your left hand, The back of your hand, Your wrist, Your left forearm, Your elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Your left armpit, Left side of the ribs, Left side of the waist, Left hip, Your left thigh, Kneecap, Calf, Shin, Ankle, Your left heel, Sole of your left foot, Top of your foot, Your left big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe, Your whole left side, Fingertips to toe, Symmetrical with your right, Both sides, Resting. Now bring your awareness to the back body, The backs of your heels, Your calves, The backs of your knees, The backs of your thighs, The buttocks, The lower back, The middle back, Your shoulder blades, The back of your neck, The back of your head. Feel the whole of your back body and the earth that you're resting on. You are held, You are supported in this moment. You can let go and sink deeper. Bring your awareness to your front body, The tops of your feet, Your shins, The fronts of your knees, The fronts of your thighs, Your pelvis, Your belly, Rising and falling with breath, Your chest and heart space, Your collarbones, Your throat, Your chin. Feel the whole of your front body, Open to the space above, Soft and resting. Now bring your awareness to your face, Your jaw, Let it be loose, Let go of what you're holding here, Let your teeth come slightly apart, Your lips soft, Your cheeks, Your nose, Your nostrils, Breathing, Your eyes resting back with nothing to see, Your eyelids gently closed, Your eyebrows, Your forehead, Smooth and spacious, Your temples, Your ears, Your scalp, The crown of your head. And now, Your whole body at once, From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, Every part, Every cell, Resting together, Nothing separate, Just one continuous field of sensation, Breathing, Held by the earth, Your whole body completely at rest, Allowing your body to repair and regenerate, Bringing love into every single cell. Now bring your awareness to your breath, Notice it how it is in this moment, Feel your breath rising and releasing, Moving in and moving out, Your belly rising, Your chest expanding, Your body has been breathing you since the moment you were born, It knows how, You don't have to remember, You don't have to try, This is something you know perfectly, Just let it be, Coming in and going out, Coming in and going out, Rising with breath releasing, And as we let this breath deepen and soften, Without forcing, Just in its own way, In this moment, This beautiful time, Time for you to rest, Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Inhale, Exhale, Exhale, Exhale, Breathing in a way that feels effortless, Letting your natural rhythm lead and guide you, Your body wants this rest and your body knows how to rest, All you need to do is soften, Let the earth hold you, As you rest, Allow yourself to feel the heaviness, Your body remembering this heaviness, The sinking, Waiting into the air, Now the lightness of your being, Floating, Rising, Weightless, Heaviness, Lightness, Heaviness, Lightness, Heaviness, Lightness, Heaviness, Lightness, Feel the warmth in your body and the coolness, Maybe the coolness of the air that you're breathing, The air that's dancing on your face, Feel the warmth and the coolness, And the warmth and the coolness, And the warmth and the coolness, And the expander, The natural expansion, As you feel spacious, Wide and open, And the contraction, As you feel small, Held and contained, Expansion and contraction, Expansion and contraction, Bring your awareness to the joy, A memory of joy, And the lightness that it brings to your heart space, And smile in your heart, And the sadness, The grief, Just the edge of it, The heaviness in your throat, Joy, Sadness, Joy, Sadness, Grief, Gratitude, Grief, Gratitude, Grief, Gratitude, And now let all of this go, Nothing to hold on to here, Just rest, Let your body rest, Breathing into the stillness, Allowing yourself to bathe in golden light, A golden light of love, Liquid love, Rejuvenation, And beauty, That restores you to your natural blueprint, As you rest, There's nowhere to go, Nothing to do, Just rest, Your body is held, This is a space for you, A space for you to breathe, And soften, And rest, You are practicing here the art of doing nothing, Of letting go, Of effort, The art of effortlessness, This rest is radical, It is resistance, It is rest, The rest that you so deeply need, The rest that you deserve, The rest that is here, For you, In this very now, Time and space for you to be held by the earth, For you to be held by this moment, For you to let yourself be exactly who you are, And as you are, In this moment, If sleep comes, Welcome it, And if you feel awake, It's okay, Your body is resting, This is profound medicine, The medicine of rest, Time and space for you to rest, For you to be, For you to regenerate, Bring back to your awareness, Your sankalpa, Your intention for this time, Let it return to you, Hear it again in your own voice, Feel it in your body, Does it feel different? Is it different now? Is it closer, More true? This is yours, Trust here in your sankalpa, Say it in silence, One more time to yourself, And then let it go, It knows how to root into your being, In a moment I'm going to invite you to come back, But slowly and gently, There is no rush, Begin to deepen your breath, A little fuller than it's been, A little longer, Breathe in deeply and let it go, Fill your lungs and release, Begin to bring small movements back into your body, A little wiggle of your fingers, Of your toes, So gently, Turn your head slowly from side to side and if you can, Roll your ankles and your wrists, You can take a stretch here, Stretching your arms up overhead, Extending your legs, Letting your whole body lengthen, And you can let out a big sigh as you take a deep breath in, Inhale, Inhale, And when you feel ready, You can gently roll over to one side, Curl up there for a moment, Listen to any secrets the earth is whispering to you, And then very gently, Very slowly, Bring yourself back into this space, Into this body, Into this time, You can push yourself up to sitting if that feels good, Or just lay with your eyes closed for a moment longer, Notice how you feel, Not to judge it, Just to be here, Present with your body, Your breath, The quality of your mind, The extraordinary intelligence of your body-mind, Of your intuition, Perhaps something has shifted, Or perhaps everything feels exactly the same as when we started, Both are fine, Everything here is good, Everything here is sweet, Take a deep breath in to that sweetness, And let it go, And when you're ready, As you're ready, Softly let your eyes open, Taking in the colours and the shapes that you see, Welcome back, Welcome back to this moment, And I hope that this has been restful and sweet, And your body-mind has had this time to rejuvenate, Know that you can return to this, This intelligence of you, Of your beautiful body-mind, Of your sankalpa, Anytime you need, Your body knows the way, Thank you for this time together, For practicing, And for resting here with me,