Yoga Nidra - Welcome Home

Yoga Nidra is a unique practice that guides you to the threshold between wakefulness and sleep, inviting you to reconnect with your inner self. In this practice you will be guided through a body scan paired with visualizations, creating a profound opportunity for deep, rejuvenating rest.

Music by Narek Mirzaei, Music of Wisdom

Transcript

Welcome to your practice of Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is an invitation home to yourself.

So welcome yourself now into the space and time that you set aside for yourself.

Set yourself up in such a way that you feel so comfortable,

Creating a kind of nest for yourself.

Gather pillows,

Cushions,

Placing them underneath,

Behind the head,

As you gently recline back into the support of the earth.

Allow yourself to be wrapped in a blanket,

Making yourself nice and warm as our temperature can drop as we are still for a little bit of time.

It might be that you rest your arms by the sides of your body,

Palms facing up.

Notice if this gesture feels right for you this evening.

This gesture opens up our ability to receive as we symbolically open the palms of our hands.

Allow yourself to try also having your palms face down and see if that feels more appropriate for you right now.

This gesture might mean something more like a sense of grounding,

Connecting to earth.

Once you've set yourself up,

Gently allow yourself to let your focus linger on the places where your body connects to ground.

Feeling that sense of gentle support,

The kind of support that you can allow your body to yield into.

Simply allow yourself to follow the words of this practice.

Bring to mind now your sankalpa,

Your resolution.

This is a present moment statement that you say to yourself,

A kind of seed that you plant in the fertile soil of your subconscious mind.

I am.

I am.

I am.

Now begin to bring your attention to your physical body.

Notice the movement and the rhythm,

The felt sensation of your breath as it gently flows in and out.

You might notice that there is a texture to the breath.

As you breathe it in and as you breathe it out,

This texture might feel slightly different.

As you watch the breath moving,

Notice how you feel,

How that changes the feeling in the body to bring the focus to your breath.

Now prepare to guide your mind on a journey around your body.

Whilst your mind begins to travel freely,

Follow the instructions.

Your physical body may remain still as you take some time for deep rest.

Welcome to your practice of yoga nidra.

Allow for the light of your mind's attention to change into the form of a little bright star.

As your consciousness travels to each different part of your body,

Place a little bright star on each part,

Allowing it to twinkle there,

Bringing bright starlight to each part of the body.

The body becomes illuminated like a sky filled with stars.

Begin to place a little bright star at each point,

Top of your head,

Space between your eyebrows,

Your throat,

Right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

Right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Inside right wrist,

Inside right elbow,

Inside right shoulder,

Throat,

Left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

Left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Inside left wrist,

Inside left elbow,

Front of left shoulder,

Throat,

Centre of breastbone,

Left breast,

Centre of breastbone,

Right breast,

Centre of breastbone,

Navel,

Pubic bone,

Right hip bone,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Inside right ankle,

Inside right knee,

Inside right hip,

Pubic bone,

Left hip,

Left knee,

Left ankle,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Inside left ankle,

Inside left knee,

Inside left hip,

Pubic bone,

Navel,

Centre of breastbone,

Throat,

Space between the eyebrows,

Top of the head.

Allow the light of your attention to see the whole body now,

Gently illuminated by little bright stars,

Like stars in the sky,

Becoming aware now of your whole body.

Be aware of your whole body,

Each little star twinkling,

Taking in the whole of your right side,

Foot,

Leg,

Arms and hand,

The whole of your right side,

Held in the light of your attention.

Be aware of your left side,

Foot and leg,

Arm,

Hand,

The whole of the left side.

Bring the light of your attention to shine inside your body now,

Up into the space of your internal organs.

Let the light shine on your stomach,

Your intestines,

Kidneys,

Reproductive organs,

Lungs,

Heart.

See all those little lights shining on the inside of your body.

Feel the whole of your physical body resting gently on the earth.

Say to yourself now,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

Next time you take an exhale,

Imagine the breath drops you down into a kind of heaviness,

As if gravity was pressing down upon you.

Feel that physical heaviness of the body,

As if your whole body might sink down into the earth,

Heavy,

Heavy,

Heavy.

As you breathe in,

It's as though the in-breath expanding into the body creates a kind of lightness.

The body begins to float like a feather,

Like a puff of air,

Moving up towards the sky,

Feeling a sense of lightness.

As you breathe out,

Feel the body get heavy.

As you breathe in,

Feel the kind of lightness that the inhalation creates.

Exhaling heaviness,

Inhaling lightness.

Exhaling heaviness,

Inhaling lightness.

At a certain point,

Begin to hold those two feelings simultaneously in your mind,

Becoming aware of the sensation of heaviness and lightness at the same time.

And then simply become aware of the natural feeling of your body,

Letting go of the practice of heaviness and lightness.

Feel the whole of your body resting gently on the earth.

The whole of your body resting gently on the earth.

As you breathe in,

And as you breathe out,

Feeling a sense that the breath is moving from the right big toe up the right side of the body.

And as you breathe out,

Breathing out and down the left side of the body.

Breathing in and up the right side of the body.

Breathing out and down the left side of the body.

And then alternate.

Breathe in and up the left side of the body,

Out and down the right side of the body.

In and up through the left side of the body,

Out and down the right side of the body.

One more time,

In left,

Out right.

Letting go of that practice now.

Begin to bring your attention back to your sankalpa,

Back to your intention,

Your I am.

Allowing that sankalpa to be reaffirmed in your mind,

In your body.

As we have practiced this evening,

That sankalpa has been growing,

Thriving,

Taking root in your life.

Begin to now bring your attention to sounds you might be able to hear outside of the space that you are in.

Maybe something in the far-off distance.

And then allow your senses to begin to draw nearer,

Perhaps noticing sounds just outside of the space that you are in.

Senses draw ever nearer,

Noticing sounds within the space that you are in.

Bringing your attention back to your physical body.

Notice your breath.

Notice your body.

Becoming aware of your body as it is resting here and now.

Starting to bring your focus back into this moment.

Maybe a wiggle,

Fingers,

Toes,

A stretch as you gently bring yourself back.

Your practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Easing yourself back into an upright position,

Taking your time.

Or if you feel you need some more time,

Stay as you are.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Reviews

This was perfect. Thanks so much. The theme of home has been huge for me this week and year infact, and i was pleased to find your meditation.
Even more pleasing because home to me is Ireland, my dad's family are all here. Listening to you felt like home xx