Yoga nidra is a place where we are at complete rest,
Not asleep,
With a trace of awareness.
Yoga nidra replenishes us physically and relaxes the unconscious mind.
This guided meditation is a mindfulness-based body scan relaxation exercise.
We will promote internal health with deep connection of body and mind.
Some of the positive benefits you may experience are a reduction of stress,
Improved immune system,
A more positive mental outlook,
A calmer and more relaxed attitude,
And a healthier mindset.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to enhance our health.
Know that thoughts and images,
Sensory experiences,
Or even the urge to sleep may all arise.
You may drift off from time to time,
And that's perfectly okay.
Just be mindful of these mental experiences and allow them to come and go.
Try not to recoil too quickly from your distracting thoughts,
Or try too rigidly to preserve your focus.
Instead,
Just allow yourself to observe what comes and goes without judgment.
Paying no particular attention to any specific thought,
Just being mindful of thoughts as they arrive and as they retreat.
Now coming to a comfortable position,
Lying on your back.
Begin to rotate your legs in and out,
And let them fall gently out to the sides.
Doing the same with the arms.
Breathing through the spine by turning your head from side to side to center it.
Now allowing the body to begin to settle in and relax,
Yet remain alert and awake.
Allow your thoughts to become calm and settled,
Yet remain conscious of your wakeful mind and presence.
Begin to notice and welcome the sounds you hear,
The smells you sense,
The taste you notice,
As well as color and light that you may observe through the eyelids.
Begin to feel a sense of relaxation spreading throughout your entire body and mind.
Noticing the sensations where your body meets the surface that's supporting you.
Let gravity begin to embrace you as the body is becoming heavy.
Feeling your weight pulling you deeper into relaxation,
Melting your body,
Relaxing your mind.
Begin to notice your own breath.
Noticing the sensations as you inhale and breathe in,
And noticing the sensations in your body as you exhale and breathe out.
Just allowing the breath to more easily flow.
Flowing in and flowing out.
As you let go of any need to control the breath,
Just observe the breath itself as it comes and as it goes.
Notice the body breathing by itself without any effort.
Observe the natural flow of air in the nostrils,
The throat,
And the rib cage,
As well as the rise and fall of the abdomen with each breath.
Feeling each breath as flowing energy coursing through your entire body.
Breathe deeply and slowly from the abdomen,
Following the breath up and down the body,
Sinking deeper and deeper with each exhalation.
Feel how your abdomen swells and falls.
Many important psychological changes are taking place,
As well as physiological changes.
Noticing the body's energy loss,
Removing stress,
Lowering your respiration and pulse rate,
And resting the entire system.
As you enter deep relaxation,
You will feel your mind grow clear and detached.
As you exhale,
Imagine a wave passing downward through your body,
Carrying away tensions.
As you inhale,
A fresh wave flows upward through your entire body,
Bringing a sense of calm to every cell.
Exhale as the wave flows downward through your body,
Carrying away fears.
Feeling a fresh wave upward brings serenity.
Remember that it's natural to flow in and out of conscious hearing.
The deepest part of you,
Your core self,
Is always listening.
And whatever you experience today,
This practice will still work.
There's no way to do this wrong.
Simply listen without trying too hard.
Coming into complete stillness now and remaining still for deep rest and deep nourishment.
All traces of the day begin to fade away.
Time stops and stillness washes over you.
Go deep inside now.
Deep inside to notice your heart's deepest longing.
What does your heart desire?
Create a sinculpa or an intention or an affirmation based on those heart's longings.
A positive statement in the present tense as though it's already happening.
For example,
I flow through life with ease and peace.
I am relaxed.
Use this one or come up with your own.
And state it three times as though it is already happening.
Without judging or trying to change anything,
Welcome the sensations such as heaviness,
Tension or warmth.
And emotions such as sadness,
Anger or worry that are present in your body and mind.
Also notice opposite sensations and emotions.
If you feel worry,
Call up feelings of serenity.
If you feel tense,
Experience ease.
Sense each feeling and its opposite within your body.
Welcome sensations of joy,
Well-being or bliss emanating from your heart or belly and spreading throughout your body and into the space around you.
With every exhalation,
Experience sensations of warmth,
Joy and well-being.
Now allow your body to relax and allow your awareness to travel through your body on a journey of sensation.
We feel each part as it's mentioned and without moving remain still.
Welcome all sensation just as it is.
Bring your attention to the point between your eyebrows and sense a point of light there while the whole body relaxes more completely.
Now allow your attention to move down to your right foot,
Taking your awareness into your foot and feeling whatever sensations you can feel there.
Notice any tingling or warmth in the foot,
Any sensations of pulse in the toes.
Feel the sensations through the arch of the foot,
Noticing the sole of the foot,
Feeling any sensations or warmth at the heel.
Now allow your attention to move over to your left foot,
Taking your awareness into your foot and feeling whatever sensations you can feel there.
Notice any tingling or warmth in the foot,
Any sensations of pulse in the toes.
Feel the sensations through the arch of the foot,
Noticing the sole of the foot,
Feeling any sensations or warmth at the heel.
Now you can imagine a simple technique where you can send your breath to wherever you choose and as you do your breath will carry warmth and relaxation and healing.
As you breathe in imagine yourself sending oxygen to your feet,
Knowing that with the healthy flow of oxygen nutrients can also flow.
Now feeling a release in the feet as all muscles loosen,
Feeling relaxation spread through the toes,
The arches,
The heels and the tops of the feet.
And now both feet can relax and soften and entirely let go.
Now as you continue to breathe that healthy energy,
Breathing in relaxation and breathing out all tension,
Take your awareness into your right calf,
Feeling deeply into the calf muscles,
Noticing whatever sensations might be there,
Feeling any warmth or tension,
Any holding of energy,
Just witness and observe,
Accepting whatever it is you can feel.
If you notice any discomfort or tightness then just allow your mind to remain impartial to that discomfort or tightness because you are observing with a quiet curiosity.
Notice those sensations in the calf as well as the sensations in the front of the shin.
Now direct your healing intentions as you send your breath into your calf and around to the front of your shin as you breathe deeply into the lower leg,
Allowing your body's natural warmth and vitality to continue sending that peaceful warming energy.
Now bringing your attention to your left calf,
Feeling deeply into the calf muscle,
Noticing whatever sensations that might be there,
Feeling any warmth or tension,
Any holding of energy,
Just witnessing and observing whatever it is that you can feel,
Noticing those sensations in the calf as well as the sensations in the front of the left shin.
Now direct your breath into your calf and around the front of your shin as you breathe in deeply to the lower leg.
And now notice the lower legs loosen and relax completely,
Feeling the changes of sensations as all of the muscles and fibers and nerves just let go.
Now shifting your attention to your right thigh,
Taking your awareness into the upper leg,
Sensing whatever it is that you can feel,
Becoming aware of your thigh muscles and feeling the muscles on the back of the leg as well.
And before you now take in a deeper breath,
You may visualize all of the healthy energy contained within your breath and now directing it into the right thigh.
Visualizing that breath going down into the deepest parts all the way into the smallest of cells and atoms and molecules in your body.
Now take your awareness to the right glutes and the hips.
Just acknowledge and accept any sensations you observe.
Breathe into the hips and as you send your breath there,
Breathing in to allow a softened sensation and breathing out all tension.
Breathing in to the hip joints and breathing out all tightness.
Begin now to bring your attention to your left thigh,
Taking your awareness into the upper leg,
Sensing whatever it is that you can feel,
Becoming aware of your thigh muscles on the front and the back of the upper leg.
As you breathe in,
Visualize all the healthy energy contained within your breath.
And now direct that breath into the left thigh.
Now take your awareness to the left glutes and hips,
Acknowledging and accepting any sensations you observe.
Breathe into the hips and as you send your breath there,
Breathing in to allow a softened sensation and breathing out all tension.
Now continue your breath as you visualize and sense and feel up through the whole leg,
All the way back down to the feet and allowing that healthy,
Healing breath to oxygenate your body's entire lower half.
Now beginning to bring your awareness into your belly,
Noticing the gentle rise and fall.
Breathing in deeply,
Easily and freely.
As the belly rises,
Notice the sensations and as the belly falls,
Feel a release.
And now take your awareness around into your lower back.
As you notice the release,
Breathing into your lower back with your healing intentions.
Remembering there is no need to force your breath.
Just allowing the breath to gently flow wherever your attention flows.
Now move that attention up to your chest.
Seeing the gentle expansion and contraction of your ribcage.
Always allowing every part of you to move gently and with a natural ease.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Now bringing your attention to your upper back.
As you feel into the shoulder blades and a sense of space.
Sending your breath into the upper back and allowing the expansion of the healing natural energy there.
Allowing the cells of your body to deeply heal.
Allowing healthy energy to dissolve any tension that it finds.
Becoming aware of the length of your spine.
As you send your breath into your spine,
Allow the spine to easily lengthen.
Realizing the breath as it flows into your ribs and upper back.
As we exhale,
Noticing the tension and tightness simply flowing out.
Carried away on your exhaling breath.
Begin to feel relaxation spreading now to the shoulders.
Now taking your awareness into your upper arms.
The front and the back of the upper arms.
Noticing the sensations that are there and breathing into the upper arms.
Allowing your awareness to send that healing breath.
Realizing the feeling at your elbows.
Feeling the elbow joints and breathing into the elbows.
As you allow that breath to continue to flow down into the forearms.
Releasing any tension with your awareness across the forearms.
Realizing the sensation in the wrists and the palms.
Feeling a sense of warmth in the palms.
Feeling down into the fingers and imagining your healing breath relaxing all of your fingers.
Now breathing into your hands and your wrists and your forearms and your upper arms.
And now all the way from your shoulders to the tips of your fingers.
You're energizing and oxygenating with that healthy healing breath.
Taking your awareness to your neck now and feeling the breath travel up and down the back of the throat.
Allowing a feeling of ease and relaxation as your breath flows more and more easily down through the throat and releasing the neck.
Now becoming aware of your head.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Noticing the muscles of the jaw and the tongue and the cheeks and the nose and the muscles around your eyes.
Breathing in calmness and relaxation.
And breathing out everything that is no longer needed.
Becoming aware of the temples and across your forehead and the back of your neck and your ears.
Begin to feel the healing breath all the way down through your entire body now.
Releasing and letting go.
Breathing smoothly,
Calmly and deeply in your meditation.
Continue here to softly breathe for as long as you like.
And at your own pace,
In your own time,
Transition back to your waking life.
Reorienting to your surroundings.
Going back slowly and pausing for a moment to feel grateful for taking this time for yourself.
