Long-Form Yoga Nidra Practice For Deep Rest & Calm

This complete Yoga-Nidra practice invites you to connect with the experience of deep rest and rejuvenation. You’ll be guided through initial relaxation, setting a Sankalpa –or heart-felt intention, inviting into a state of deep relaxation physically, mentally, and emotionally. The practice completes returning you to your day, awakened, refreshed, and at ease.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this long form yoga nidra practice.

Invite you to lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and supported by a blanket or bolster.

You might place a folded blanket or a thin pillow beneath your head to invite more ease and comfort into the body.

Cover yourself with a blanket to make sure that you're warm enough.

Letting yourself find a comfortable position,

Your feet rolling out gently to the sides,

Your hands lying next to the body,

Palms facing up if that's comfortable for you.

Then making any final adjustments now so that you're completely comfortable and will not have to move at all during the practice.

Now allow the body to soften into the surface beneath you.

Allowing yourself to remain still during this yoga nidra practice so that both your body and mind can have a chance to fully release,

To fully relax.

However,

If you do become uncomfortable and feel a need to make an adjustment,

Please feel free to do so.

Now invite your eyes to gently close,

To remain closed until the practice has ended.

Now scanning your body from head to toe and toe to head and seeing if there are any adjustments you can make to yourself to make things even 10% more comfortable and making those adjustments now.

Adjusting your posture,

Your blanket,

Anything at all.

Allowing yourself to feel anything you need to do to be as comfortable as possible.

Now throughout this practice,

Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

However,

If you fall asleep,

That's okay too.

There's no way to do this wrong.

Throughout this practice,

You'll be guided to move your awareness and attention to various parts of the body,

To sensations and images.

There's no need to concentrate too intensely.

Simply follow the guidance of my voice.

If your mind becomes overactive with thoughts,

This is okay.

Notice this is the natural activity of the mind and then gently,

With kindness,

Return your attention to the sound of my voice.

There is no way to do this wrong.

During this practice,

Simply use and absorb what you need right now in the moment and leave all the rest behind.

However you do this practice is the right way for you right now.

Now taking in a full,

Rich inhale and on the exhale,

Softly releasing a gentle invitation to let go.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Feeling aware of the body releasing tension,

Inviting ease,

Softening,

Sensing into the support of the earth beneath you.

Feeling fully supported.

Feeling the whole body fully supported.

Feel the feet supported.

Feel the arms and hands supported.

Feel the legs supported.

Feel the shoulders and head supported.

Feel the whole body supported.

Allowing yourself to release into a gentle state of ease.

Letting go of all holding intention in the body as you begin to notice the rhythm of the breath.

Now begin to extend your awareness outward.

Listening for sounds in all directions.

Becoming aware of distant sounds,

The sounds outside the room.

Becoming aware of sounds a little bit closer,

The sounds inside the room.

Becoming aware of sounds a little bit closer yet,

The sounds of the body.

Becoming aware of the sound of your breath.

Becoming aware of your natural breath.

Becoming aware of the natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body effortlessly as it flows through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.

Noticing the sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.

Feeling the sensation of the breath into the nose,

Into the body,

The sinus cavity,

The back of the throat,

And the lungs.

There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth travel upwards on the exhale.

And feel it on the upper lip,

The space between the nose and the mouth as you breathe out.

Exhaling.

The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale allowing your breath now to become softer and longer.

Each breath soft and long,

Fluid and steady.

Taking a long slow inhale followed by a longer,

Slower exhale.

Allow your exhale to be even slower.

Even longer.

Notice the slight pause after the exhale,

A natural moment of stillness.

Slow inhale.

Long soft exhale.

Pause.

Slow inhale.

Long soft exhale.

Pause.

Please continue breathing in this way for a few more breaths.

Releasing control over the inhale and exhale.

The body knows exactly what to do.

Allowing the breath to flow fluidly one breath after the other.

It is now time to state your sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a short positive statement made in the present tense.

It is a resolve,

An intention,

An affirmation,

A solemn vow.

It is your heart's truest desire in this moment stated in the present tense as though it is already true.

For example,

I am at peace.

I honor my body.

Or perhaps I care for myself in every way,

Every day.

Repeat your sankalpa three times now with full attention.

If you do not yet have a sankalpa,

You may use the resolve,

I am calm and at ease.

Repeat your resolve three times now using the same wording each time.

We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness through the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of the body.

As soon as you hear them named,

Please state the name of the part to yourself and sense into the feeling in that part of your body,

But do not move your body.

Simply follow the guidance of my voice with your awareness.

Becoming aware of the tip of the right hand thumb.

Becoming aware of the right hand thumb.

Right second finger.

Right third finger.

Right fourth finger.

Right fifth finger.

Palm of the right hand.

Back of the right hand.

Right wrist.

Forearm.

Right elbow.

Upper arm.

Right shoulder.

Right armpit.

Right waist.

Right hip.

Right thigh.

Right knee.

Right calf.

Right ankle.

Right heel.

Soul of the right foot.

Top of the right foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Top of the left hand thumb.

Second left finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the left hand.

Back of the left hand.

Left wrist.

Left forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Waist.

Left hip.

Left thigh.

Right knee.

Calf.

Left ankle.

Left heel.

Soul of the left foot.

Top of the left foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Now go to the back of the body.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf.

Left calf.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

The entire spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

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.

Right groin.

Left groin.

The pelvic floor.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

The whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

The whole face.

The whole head.

The whole torso.

The whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body together.

Now gently bringing your attention to the fluid flow of the breath as it moves through the body.

Imagine that the breath is flowing along the spinal cord in a milky white stream from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.

Begin counting down from 12 to 0 with awareness.

Moving from the root at the base of the spine to the crown at the top of the head.

Inhaling root to crown,

12.

Exhaling 11,

Crown to root.

Inhaling 10,

Root to crown.

Inhaling 9,

Crown to root.

Continue breathing and counting in this way.

Inhale as though you are breathing from the base of the spine up to the top of the head.

And exhaling from the top of the head to the base of the spine.

Exhale as though you are breathing from the base of the spine to the top of the head.

And exhaling from the top of the head to the base of the spine.

Now let go of the counting.

Return to natural breathing.

Each natural breath blowing fluidly one after the other.

Each breath soft and long,

Fluid and steady.

We'll now move on to the sensation of opposites.

Now imagine the whole body becoming light.

The whole body light as though your body could float away from the floor toward the ceiling.

The head is light and weightless.

The limbs light,

Weightless.

The torso is light and weightless.

The whole body light and weightless.

You are rising higher and higher away from the floor.

The whole body light.

The whole body light.

Imagine your body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body.

Each part is becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

The torso heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

So heavy that it is sinking down into the floor of the whole body heavy.

The whole body heavy.

Now awaken the experience of cold in the body.

The sensation of coldness.

The experience of chilly,

Chilly cold.

Imagine being outside in winter without a coat.

Feeling this chill waving through your entire body.

The whole body chilly,

Chilly cold.

Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.

The whole body.

Feeling warmth.

Remembering the feeling of heat in the summer when you're outside in the sun with no shade.

Feel the warmth of the sun radiating onto your skin.

Heat all around the body.

The whole body warm.

Recall the experience of sadness.

Intense sadness and longing.

Feel the weight of sadness in your heart and body.

Do not concentrate on its source.

Only noticing the sensations of sadness.

Create the experience of sadness as clearly as possible.

Feeling the experience of sadness.

Now recall the experience of joy.

Intense joy and connection.

Lightness and love.

Feel the expansive sensation of joy in your heart and mind,

But do not concentrate on its source.

Create the experience of joy as clearly as possible.

Feeling the experience of joy.

Now allow the feeling of complete calm to envelop you.

Experience the experience of calm in your entire mind,

Body,

And emotions.

Experiencing the sensations of calm.

You are relaxed and aware.

You are completely calm.

Feeling the experience of calm in the whole body.

The whole body and mind experiencing calmness.

We'll now begin the practice of visualization.

Begin to notice the space in front of your closed eyelids.

The space in front of your closed eyelids.

Allow yourself to rest your attention here on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Open before you a transparent screen,

Much like the screen you might find in a movie theater.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.

Rest your attention and concentration here on this mind screen and become aware of anything that manifests within it.

Colors,

Patterns,

Light,

Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue to hold your awareness of the space,

But do not become involved with what you see.

Notice detached awareness only.

Simply witnessing and observing the screen of the mind.

If any subtle images make themselves known,

Simply notice them without directing or engaging.

Observing the mind screen.

Now a number of different things will be named.

Envision these on the level of emotion,

Memory,

And imagination as best you can.

Come from image to image as soon as you hear it.

Red desert.

Peacock feather.

The Buddha meditating.

A doctor's office.

A blue square.

Good night's rest.

The full moon.

Your reflection in a mirror.

A foggy morning.

Waiting for test results.

A gold star.

The sun shining overhead.

Bouquet of flowers.

Tall redwood tree.

Receiving help from others.

Cool clear water.

Laughing with friends.

A warm embrace.

A burning candle.

A temple on a mountain.

Vibrant sunset.

Taking a deep breath.

Cat stretching in a beam of sunlight.

Beautiful garden path.

The sound of my voice.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your breath flowing fluidly and easily.

Each breath flowing fluidly one after the other.

Now become aware of the inner space.

The inner space you see behind your forehead.

Develop your awareness of this space.

An infinite space that extends as far as you can see.

As low and as high.

As wide and as long as you can see.

Becoming aware of the infinite space behind your forehead.

Become aware of this infinite space.

Be totally aware but not involved.

Discover this space as if you are watching a movie.

If you see patterns,

This is simply the way your mind is manifesting.

Continue to hold your awareness simply observing.

Be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present.

Experiencing what's present.

Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is arising.

Dissolving into being pure awareness itself.

Open and spacious.

Being awareness in which everything is coming and going.

Awareness in which everything is welcome just as it is.

Watching.

Witnessing.

With no involvement.

Only watching and witnessing this infinite space in silence for the next 10 minutes until you hear the sound of my voice.

Be exposed to it.

You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You It's now time to repeat your resolve,

Your sankalpa.

Returning to the same resolve you made at the beginning of this practice,

Using the same words that you used previously,

Repeat your sankalpa mentally three times now.

You You You You You You You You You Return to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Feeling the breath flowing in and out through the nose.

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time begin to develop awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.

As you feel your body relaxed and lying on the floor,

Begin to feel the container of your skin.

The clothes and the blankets that are touching you.

You You Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests upon the floor.

Feeling fully supported.

Awareness into all the points of contact between your body and the floor beneath you.

The back of your heels fully supported,

Thighs fully supported,

Buttocks fully supported,

Shoulder blades fully supported,

Arms fully supported,

Hands fully supported in contact with the floor,

The head fully supported in contact with the floor,

The whole body fully supported making contact with the floor.

Now bring your attention to the sound of your breath,

Hearing the gentle whispers of the inhale and the exhale.

Now gently moving your attention outward further to the sounds in the room around you.

Becoming aware of the sounds in the space around you.

And holding your eyes gently closed,

Visualize the surrounding room.

Imagine clearly where you are in the room and the other objects that are here in the room with you and around you.

Imagine yourself within the space of the room and the objects in the room with you.

Lie here quietly until you feel called to move,

There is no hurry here.

There is no hurry.

Start by slowly moving your hands and feet,

Inviting soft movements into your hands and feet.

There is no hurry here.

Moving the fingers,

Moving the toes,

Perhaps drawing circles with the wrists of the ankles.

Bringing the thumb to touch each finger tip in succession,

Thumb to first finger,

Thumb to center finger,

Thumb to ring finger,

Thumb to pinky finger.

Closing the hand,

Extending the fingers.

You might feel a desire here to reach your arms long overhead and welcome a stretch and a sigh.

Inviting gentle movement into the body in any way that you feel called to at this time.

Gently rolling over to one side when you feel ready to do so.

Sitting here in this fetal position,

Gently on your side.

When you are sure that you are fully awake and alert,

Gently blink your eyes open and allow yourself to adjust to your space,

Sensing yourself in this new position in your space around you.

There is no hurry here.

When you feel ready and only when you feel ready to do so,

You may use your hands to help press you up from the floor,

Returning to a seated position,

Allowing your head to be the very last to come up.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

As you find yourself in a comfortable seated position,

You may bring the palms of the hands together in front of the heart and gently bow forward in gratitude,

Thanking the body and the mind for this opportunity to experience the practice of yoga nidra.

Reviews

Very soothing and relaxing, just what I needed today, thanks

Thank you for a wonderful full Yoga Nidra practice. It helped me relax after a restless night. 🌺

Soooooo good! Relaxing but also transporting to a state of . Thank you for this Yoga Nidra practice.🙏

Wonderful. Thank you. Very relaxing, and the message that thoughts are the normal state for the mind, and that it is no way to do this wrong was so freeing and helped me let go. My body truly needed to be brought back to an aware state as it was so deeply relaxed. Everything about this practice was amazing. Thank you for guiding me into such a profound rest 💕

I prefer silent background but this is pretty nice. I love the overall and often repeated tone of acceptance for individual needs and choices. Impossible to do this wrong. That message alone is so freeing and relaxing. I fell asleep for a while and woke up feeling full of love.
1/20/24

Very nice and relaxing. The hour went by quickly. I appreciated the thorough rotation of consciousness. Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents.

Beautiful, sufficiently long and detailed. I feel really rested afterwards. I will be coming back to this practice again. Thank you beautiful teacher, you are a very clear tutor. Keep going doing your much needed great work. Gratitude from Louisa x

After a poor night of sleep I listened to this the following afternoon. It was a refreshing and much needed YN practice. ✨🙏🏼✨

An excellent yoga nidra for deep sleep and relaxation!

It would help me if the body scan were quite a bit slower. Even so it was a new experience for me of stepping further into pure awareness. Thank you and Namaste 🥰🙏🏼

Terrific! I loved the pacing, music, guidance, and your voice. Saved for much use—thank you so much, Patty 🙏🏻💚

✨Thank you kindly for that ❤
Namaste 🙏🏼 🌸 🌿 🌺

Thank you. 🙏🏼🕊🌺

💗Love love love this nidra practice for my afternoon daily rest. Thankyou kindly

I am almost through your 10-day course on yoga nidra; today, after not a great night’s sleep I decided to try this long version. I trust it will help restore what I missed in sleep. However, the 10-minute silent period seemed too long—gave my mind a chance to start wandering thoughts. Overall, an good experience. Thank you.

Soothing

Patti, that was pretty fantastic. I completed your 10 day course and then did the long yoga nidra session. It's been a long Journey, with progress, but you have opened a new door. Combining medical excellence and spiritual insight.. Leading us into a new age.

Amazing! Feeling both relaxed, peaceful and full of joy after meditation. Thank you! 🙏😊

Heavenly

Thank you 🙏