Yoga Nidra For Deeper Self-Awareness

Settle yourself into this nourishing, grounding, and self-connecting Yoga Nidra practice. Allow yourself to relax your mind, settle into your body and breath, and discover what is alive and emerging for you next from the wisdom of your heart.

This practice is not meant for falling asleep, but if you do, trust that is what you needed.

Follow the sound of my voice and allow the captivating music of The Inner Calling music, to lead you into your inner being.

Transcript

Hello and welcome,

My name is Brenda Maylor with Seabright Spirit.

Today I'd like to offer you a yoga nidra practice for relaxation,

Rest and tuning in to yourself in how you are physically,

Mentally,

And emotionally.

This practice will help you to align with your truth,

Help you to reset if life feels hard,

And get you more in touch with yourself and your wholeness.

So yoga nidra practice is a practice of yogic sleep.

So for this practice,

It's best to practice it lying down.

You might want to grab a blanket,

Put something under your knees or under your head,

So that you'll feel comfortable and steady throughout the entire practice.

In this practice,

We move from a full waking state through to a dreaming state and finally,

We settle into a deep sleep state while still remaining awake.

It's a deep relaxation for your body,

Your mind,

And your spirit to both rest and reset.

However,

If you become uncomfortable and need to shift,

Please do so,

So that you can once again relax your body and your mind.

So get comfortable.

Close your eyes or use an eye pillow or something gently over your eyes to create more darkness to your senses.

Now as you get comfortable,

Just scan yourself,

Scan your body,

Make any little adjustments so that you're even more comfortable.

Listen to what your body needs and make those adjustments.

This helps to calm the mind as well.

Now feel the support of the floor,

The space,

Maybe the bed or the couch,

Or the whole room that surrounds you.

Feel the sense of union with that space and within yourself.

You are safe and supported here.

So as we proceed,

If you happen to miss something that I say,

Don't be concerned.

It's natural to flow in and out of conscious listening.

Simply know that the deepest part of you,

Your true self,

Is always listening.

Let go of any expectation or attachment to the experience.

Know whatever your experience is,

Is exactly what you need today.

Simply be with your experience,

Be present,

And listen gently to my voice as I guide you.

You are in a safe environment,

A protected space,

A held space.

Allow yourself to come into a deeper sense of stillness now for this time of nourishment and rest.

With your eyes closed,

Sense the space around you.

Notice sounds that are near and far without labeling or attaching.

Begin to observe.

Feel the air touching your skin,

Your blanket,

Clothing.

Feel any sensation in your body and allow yourself to settle a little bit more.

Allow your bones to feel like they become heavier in your legs,

Your torso,

In your arms,

And in your head.

Allow every part of you to feel supported as you rest in this space,

In the room,

And on the earth.

Feel your natural breath flowing through you.

Let thoughts come and go,

Just as each breath draws in and then releases.

Now to settle into this practice of yoga nidra today,

I invite you to repeat the following statement in your mind to help prepare yourself.

Say this two or three times to yourself.

I am awake.

I am aware.

I welcome all parts of me on this journey.

I am awake.

I am aware.

I welcome all parts of me on this journey.

Give yourself permission to remain mindful and undistracted as you receive this experience.

If at any time thoughts,

Images,

Or other sensations arise,

Simply observe,

Adjust if needed,

Allow,

And watch them come and go.

Now to set a deeper intention for yourself for your practice here today,

I invite you to bring your awareness to your breath at the center of your heart,

Tuning into your heart space.

I invite you to ask yourself the following question.

What is the deepest calling of my heart for me right now?

What is the deepest calling of my heart for me right now?

Notice your inner wisdom.

Notice what you're opening up to within yourself right now,

Or what your deepest desire for yourself is.

And as you form that awareness,

I invite you to create an I am statement with it as if it's already becoming a reality.

Maybe in some way it's already true.

So you might say,

I am authentic and aware,

Or I am peaceful.

I am abundant.

I am confident and loving.

Notice what that is for you.

And then once it's formed,

Repeat it a few times in your mind,

Holding the feeling of its essence in your entire body.

Now set it aside,

And we'll return to it later.

It's very important as we move into practices such as this to tune in to our inner resources.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable or you need support,

Allow yourself to remember that first you're in a supported space.

You might recall a place where you feel safe and calm and have that in your mind now to anchor to,

Or you might simply return your awareness to your breath.

Maybe take a few deep sighs to reset.

Know that you have this inner resourcefulness and at any point during the practice,

You can return there.

Now we're going to move into the practice with more intention.

We're going to begin by taking a journey through the body,

Observing and welcoming all sensations while you remain mindful in your space.

While you're mindful in your stillness,

While your mind travels following my voice to the different places in your body.

If you don't notice sensation,

That's okay.

Simply remain aware and wait for the next piece of guidance.

The invitation is to be present to what is,

To just allow and notice what your experience is.

Bring your awareness to the crown of your head and tune into this space in your body.

Maybe relax your scalp,

Let your head feel a little heavier and then draw your attention down into the center of your mind,

The space of the forehead or between the eyebrows.

Relax this space,

Allow thoughts to come and go without attachment or concern.

And then relax your face,

Your cheeks,

Your eyelids,

And draw your attention into your mouth.

Relax your lips and your tongue.

Let the corners of your jaw soften.

As your face relaxes,

Bring your attention down into the center of your throat,

Relaxing the sides and the back of your neck.

Let your head feel a little heavier.

Now relax through the tops of your shoulders,

Your collarbone,

Your upper back,

And then bring your awareness into your right shoulder.

Draw your awareness down your arm,

Into your elbow,

Your forearm,

And your wrist.

Take your awareness into the palm of your hand.

Rest your awareness there for a moment.

Then take your awareness into your right thumb,

The tip of the thumb,

Your right index finger,

Your second finger,

Your third finger,

And the fourth finger of your right hand.

Bring your awareness back to your palm,

To your wrist,

Up through the arm,

Up through the arm,

Into your elbow,

And back to your right shoulder.

Now travel across the collarbone and over into your left shoulder.

Relaxing the left shoulder and down your arm,

Take your awareness to your elbow,

Your wrist,

The palm of your left hand.

Rest your awareness there for a moment.

And then bring your awareness to your left thumb,

The tip of your thumb,

Your left index finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

And fourth finger.

Back into the center of the palm,

Up through the wrist,

Your left elbow,

And your left shoulder.

Now bring your awareness across the collarbone and into the center of your chest.

Hold your awareness here for a moment.

And feel the right lung,

Sense into the left lung,

And then back into the center of your chest.

Down into your belly,

Belly rising and falling,

And down into the pelvic center.

Now draw your awareness into your right hip,

Down the right leg,

Into your knee,

Your calf,

All the way down to your ankle,

And your right heel resting.

The bottom of your right foot,

Your right big toe,

Your second toe,

Sometimes this is more challenging,

Your third toe,

Your fourth toe,

Being kind to yourself,

And your fifth toe.

Feel the bottom of your right foot,

Your right ankle,

Your knee,

Your right hip.

Center back at the pelvis,

The pelvis center.

And then transition your awareness into your left hip,

Noticing this space,

Down the left leg,

Into your left knee,

Your left ankle,

The heel of the left foot,

The bottom of your foot,

The left big toe,

The second toe,

The third toe.

Noticing your experience,

The fourth toe,

And your fifth toe.

Bring your awareness to the bottom of your left foot,

Into your ankle,

Your left knee,

Your left hip.

And bring your awareness back into the pelvic center.

Draw up your awareness to the tip of your tailbone,

Your sacrum,

And then gently draw your awareness up through your spine,

Through your lower back,

Your mid-back,

The back of the heart,

Your upper back,

The back of your neck,

That point at the top of the neck,

Where the neck meets the skull.

Rest your awareness here.

Bring your awareness back to the tip of your tailbone,

Your sacrum,

And rest your awareness here.

Bring your awareness to the back of the head,

And return your awareness to your crown.

Now in touch with your entire body,

And with your mind,

Bring your awareness to the right side of your body,

The left side of your body,

The back of your body,

And the front of your body.

Now feel your whole body.

Notice your point of awareness in your body.

The part of you observing your body,

The part of you observing your body,

The part of you observing your body,

The part of you observing the sensations in your body.

The part of you observing the sensations in your body.

Now bring your awareness to your breath.

Notice the natural flow,

The cool air of the inhale,

The cool air of the inhale,

The warmth of the exhale,

The warmth of the exhale,

Your belly rising with your inhale,

Your belly rising with your inhale,

Your belly falling with your exhale,

Expansion and contraction.

Expansion and contraction.

Observe the sensation of your breath.

Observe the sensation of your breath.

This energy,

This awareness.

This energy,

This awareness.

Now guide the breath with your mind,

Beginning at the crown of your head.

Feel the wave of breath fill your body Feel the wave of breath fill your body from the top of your head all the way down to your fingertips and your toes.

All the way down to your fingertips and your toes.

Exhaling from the toes all the way back up to the crown of your head.

Up and down.

Inhale,

Crown to toes.

Exhale,

Toes to crown.

You're absorbing all that you need with your inhales and you are cleansing what you no longer need with your exhales.

Now with your next full breath,

Breathe from the crown to the toes,

The toes to the crown,

And then crown to the ankles.

Exhaling,

Ankles to crown.

Crown to your knees,

The knees to your crown.

Crown to your pelvic center,

Pelvic center to your crown.

Crown to your navel center,

Navel center to your crown.

Crown to your heart center,

Your heart center to your crown.

Crown to the throat,

Throat to the crown.

Crown to the third eye,

Third eye to the crown.

Now with your next full breath,

Inhale,

Third eye to the crown.

Now rest your attention at the crown of your head as if the crown breathes.

Drop your awareness to the third eye,

The center of the forehead,

As if this space in your body breathes.

Now rest your awareness at your throat center,

Breathing here.

And finally rest your awareness in your heart space,

Breath natural and effortless.

You are now resting in a deep sleep,

But you are not falling asleep.

Notice your point of awareness,

You,

Who is observing this felt sense of being and breathing.

With your awareness resting here in your heart space,

Observe any feelings,

Emotions,

Or sensations that are present for you right now.

Welcome them without attachment or judgment or feeling like you need to change anything.

Be aware of what is.

You might name it or you might just sense it and feel it.

Notice how it shows up in your experience.

How does it feel in your body?

Where do you sense it most?

What is its texture,

Its color,

Or its sensation?

Explore the feeling for a few moments.

There is no right or wrong here.

There is no positive or negative.

We are simply tuning into what is.

With that said,

There is always opposite.

So you are welcome to stay with the feeling that you have or you might like to consider what is the opposite of this experience.

Without judgment or expectation,

What would it be like to welcome the opposite into your experience?

You might allow that opposite feeling to arise in you.

Notice its color,

Texture,

Sensation,

And where you feel it in your body.

Explore this for a few moments.

Now,

If you are connected to the two different feelings or emotions,

You might transition your awareness from one into the other and back again,

Noticing both feelings,

Maybe even sensing them simultaneously or continue to resonate with whatever is present for you right now.

There is no right or wrong.

There simply is your experience.

Now take a moment to observe.

Has there been any thoughts,

Images,

Or stories that have arisen in this experience so far?

Without judging or trying to change anything,

Simply notice,

What am I telling myself about these feelings,

About these sensations?

See what awareness shows up for you.

And then again,

If you like,

You might want to consider what is the opposite of this thought,

Of this image,

Or this story that's in my mind.

What does that bring into your experience?

To be here for a moment and observe.

What is this experience like for you?

Being aware of the thoughts,

Of the stories that are attached to your emotions,

To your feelings.

And it might be important to ask yourself,

Is there anything else that wants to be seen,

Felt,

Or heard right now within me?

Hold space for that too.

Now accepting everything as it is.

Everything is a part of your journey.

Every experience is divine.

There's no right or wrong.

There's no good or bad.

There just is what is now,

And what is possible.

Now with your awareness settled back in your heart space,

Knowing that there's no right or wrong,

There's no good or bad,

I want to invite you to tune in to the sense of inner peace that resides and abides within your heart center.

It might feel very small,

Or it might feel expansive.

Just allow your experience to be your experience.

Invite your awareness into the essence of inner peace within you.

And allow your consciousness to follow,

Getting closer and closer to your true nature.

Within your true nature resides pure joy,

Harmony,

And bliss.

Let it flood your experience.

Open yourself to it.

And receive.

Now I invite you to recall your I Am statement,

Your heart's wisdom.

Perhaps repeating it in your mind and feeling it in your body,

In the fullness of your experience.

Connected to your true nature,

Connected to your heart wisdom.

Allowing it to already be a part of your experience.

What is calling you is within you.

Notice all that arises with this desire,

This awareness.

Notice the thoughts,

The images and sensations as they rise and fall through your body,

Through your mind,

Through your being.

This desire is integrating with you even more than it currently is.

So you might affirm that statement once again in your mind.

Then resolve to trust your journey without attachment.

And know that it is unfolding exactly as it needs to in your divine time.

Now allow yourself to rest for a moment with this awareness of your wholeness,

Your true self and all that is alive within you.

And only when you feel ready,

Bring your awareness once again back to your breath.

Feel your body breathing.

Feel the warmth and comfort of your body.

Whatever is supporting you in your room,

On the earth.

Notice your openness to the universe around you.

Allow your breath to deepen,

Breathing into all space and time.

Slowly you begin to reawaken from this deep rest,

Gently bringing movement to your toes and your fingers in your own time.

Follow your body's wisdom if it needs to stretch or maybe draw your knees to your chest.

Then roll to one side.

Pause there.

Reflect.

Notice all that you've received through this practice.

All that you've given yourself by taking the time and all you're bringing with you.

When it feels right for you,

Slowly roll yourself up.

Bring your hands over top of your heart and tuning into your peaceful and present heart.

Cultivating this deep connection with your heart and with yourself.

Rubbing your palms together.

Feeling some warmth in your palms.

Bring your palms over top of your eyes.

Feel that warmth against your eyelids.

Gently open your eyes to your palms.

Bridging your inner world into the outer world.

Wash your face and slowly bring your attention back into the space around you.

Bring your hands into your heart and bow to yourself in gratitude for taking this time today.

Thank you mind,

Body and spirit for this practice and I thank you for sharing yours.

Namaste.

Thank you for joining me.

I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

Reviews

Just wonderful! Great pacing, plenty of autonomy in the choices we could make for our bodies and minds, definitely brought me inward enough to acknowledge parts of myself I'd not paid much attention to.

I particularly liked how, during the body scan, you mentioned the difficulty of focusing attention on specific toes. The struggle is real!

One tiny issue: when the breath moves from crown of the head to ankles, then up through the chakras, the pacing gets so short at the end that it felt like I wasn't getting enough air, which brought me out of the calm I'd been feeling.

Lovely voice. Perfect pace. Comforting practice. Thank you 🙏

I experienced relief from physical and emotional pain 🙏🙏🙏

Took me to deep meditation will save to daily practice.

Wonderful Nidra journey. ✨ Thank you so much. Gentle guidance, nice pacing and wonderful wording. Will be coming back to this one. Thank you 🙏🏻

Fell fast asleep . A great nap before my nightshift

Very soothing- thank you so much and many blessings🙏💜