Yoga Nidra For Rest And Relaxation

This mini yoga nidra practice is designed to lull and relax you into a state of deep rest. Through a methodic process of awareness through each layer of your being (the koshas), your body will withdraw from the senses as your consciousness remains awake and aware to your state of presence. This practice is perfect to get you back to a deep rest, recharge with a quick nap or restore your body for deep healing.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this mini yoga nidra practice for rest and relaxation.

Yoga nidra or yogic sleep is the process of methodically becoming aware of each layer of our being and inviting each of that layer to soften making the body and senses a little bit quieter and dimmer so that your mind and consciousness can open up to receive you may find yourself deeply relaxed in this practice so I recommend finding a comfortable position to lie down completely perhaps on a couch on your yoga mat in shavasana or even in your bed bringing any pillows eye masks or blankets to nourish your practice and ensuring that you are in a space where you will not be disturbed so that you can deepen your connection to rest once you have arrived for this practice of yoga nidra I invite you to soften the body immediately allowing the backside of your body to completely melt into the support beneath you invite a few gentle slow steady breaths slowing down your day slowing down the body and we'll start with a practice of tense and release to remove any energy from our body as you inhale I will cue you to clench and tighten certain parts of your body and on your exhale I will cue you to let those areas soften and relax let's start with a deep breath in inhale open mouth exhale notice how this deep breath feels next deep inhale squeeze the fists and arms in close to your body curl the fists in clench the arms close squeeze the fists and arms and exhale soften the fists relax the arms by your side on your next inhale squeeze the legs in together firm up the glutes curl the toes in tighten your lower body squeezing the knees in keep the inhale and exhale completely soften and melt fully relaxing lower body on our final inhale squeeze in the face the neck the arms the torso the glutes and the legs squeeze the whole body in whatever you can clench squeeze it in tight deepen your inhale hug all this energy in and exhale fully release let it go allow the energy to dispel from your body as you soften your arms face neck chest glutes legs and feet allow your release to fully soften the body further bringing yourself to a state of complete stillness in yoga nidra we have the opportunity to work with a sankalpa a deep intention a statement of commitment this intention we will plant at the beginning of the practice and later in our subconscious at the end of the practice take a moment as you breathe to find an intention a positive present tense statement anything you want to increase in your life or affirm to yourself or any statement that you wish to become for example your sankalpa can be i am a confident being of light take a few moments to choose your own allowing any sankalpa to naturally arise keep it short sweet and simple and positive with your sankalpa held at the space between your eyebrows at your third eye feel the energy of your intention at the space of your third eye and repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times now repeat to yourself three times here begins the practice of yoga nidra we'll now move on to a rotation of physical awareness in the body as i call out each part send your conscious awareness to that area start by becoming aware of the center of the forehead at the third eye where your intention was seated move your awareness with that intention now to the tip of your nose bottom of the chin base of the throat now send your awareness and the energy of your sankalpa to the center of the chest at your heart space shift that sankalpa to the right side chest right arm right hand now move your awareness and your sankalpa back up the right arm to the center of the chest now place your intention on the left side chest left arm left hand now move your awareness along with your sankalpa back up the left arm to the center of the chest drift awareness down to your ribs become aware of the top of the ribs then the bottom of the ribs become aware of your navel send the energy of your sankalpa and your awareness at your pelvis both hips float your intention down both legs and toes with your awareness at your toes feel the energy of your sankalpa here at the bottom of your body now notice your breathing becoming more conscious of it then begin to send your breath to the space between your toes and your ankles along the space of your feet as you inhale the breath moves up from your toes to your ankles exhale the breath down from your ankles to your toes breathe in the space between your ankles and your knees seeing the breath rise up on the inhale and softly fall on the exhale breathing along the calf and shin send your breath between your knees and your hips breathing in the space along your thighs breathing in the space between your knees and your thighs now send breath from the space between your hips and collarbones breathing along the torso the breath ascends from the hips on the inhale the breath descends down to the hips from the collarbones on the exhale breathe between your shoulders and your fingertips breathing along both of the arms now breathe from the base of your throat to the tip of your nose breathe from the tip of your nose to the third eye center of the forehead now breathe from the center of the forehead to the crown of your head breathing along your brain unifying both hemispheres of your mind now breathe into all parts of your body wrapping your whole body with your breath now feel yourself held and protected by your breath as it surrounds you with your own life force release the breath and begin to shift your awareness between various opposing feelings and sensations that I'll cue you through allow the sensation or feeling to be what it is no need to complicate it know that you are safe to experience that feeling then release it and move on so start by feeling yourself become heavy maybe even dense now feel yourself become light as if you could levitate and float feel yourself become hot like a scorching desert now feel yourself become cold like a snowy day experience happiness now experience sadness feel what the sensation of stress is like now immerse in the sensation of complete peace and relaxation in this space of complete relaxation really feel the support of the earth beneath you now feel the warmth of the earth beneath you melt even deeper into the ground allowing the outer sheath of your physical body the anamaya kosha to fully release then the next layer of your energetic body the layer that holds your breath the prana maya kosha softens as you let your exhale fall gently your aura expands as you continue to breathe softly going deeper to the next layer your mental body the mano maya kosha eases letting the grip of the mind and all the thoughts it may have go feel these thoughts float away as your mind softens into relaxation further into the subtle body the sheath of your wisdom body relaxes the vijnana maya kosha welcoming trust of your inner intelligence plunging deeper within your layers of being you arrive at the innermost layer your bliss body the ananda maya kosha your highest and truest self emerges with the openness of all five layers of your being allow your bliss body to absorb the vibrations drawn to you in this easeful and surrendered state then repeat to yourself three times your intention or sankalpa you are welcome to stay and enjoy the state of your bliss body if you feel it is in your greatest good to slowly come back bringing consciousness back to your breath inviting a few large swelling oxygenated breaths to fully enliven the body once again using the breath to reach the fingers and toes with awareness and life inviting slow mindful movement as you tap the thumb between each of your other finger pads and wiggle each toe one by one as you're ready to reawaken with more movement roll out your wrists or your ankles rock the head side to side with massaging the back of the skull bringing the knees into the chest giving yourself a hug of gratitude and slowly turning to one side in a fetal position as you're ready to gently come up you can press yourself up to a seat keeping the eyes closed gather your hands together in heart center or in whatever position honors you the most close the practice by repeating your sankalpa or intention to yourself as you inhale and exhale sharing the energy of your sankalpa on the conscious plane in the environment surrounding you thank you so much for joining me in this short yoga nidra practice i hope you found rest and restoration and a deeper connection to the inner light of your soul you