Yoga Nidra: Complete Restoration
Step out of your roles and set down your obligations to enjoy total rest and relaxation through the ancient meditation practice of Yoga Nidra. In this meditation we will meet our body, breath, emotions, thoughts, joy, sense of awareness, and being awareness itself to connect fully with our wholeness and vitality. You may choose to practice sitting comfortably, or laying down. If you choose to lie down, having a pillow or blanket beneath your head and knees can add comfort. You may also like to use an eye pillow, and cover yourself with a blanket - out bodies tend to cool as we relax. Your presence is a gift. Thank you for sharing it. Audio editing and mixing by Ben Martins Background music by Narek Mirzaei, Music of Wisdom
Transcript
My name is Dr.
Caitlin Clark.
I'm a holistic psychologist,
Meditation teacher,
A yogi,
A dancer,
A mama,
And so much more.
Just like each of us here,
We hold so many different roles.
We wear so many different hats.
In Yoga Nidra,
We have an opportunity to settle that down.
There's nothing more to do.
There's nowhere to go.
Allowing yourself the benefit of just being here as you are.
Yoga Nidra is an ancient meditation practice that allows us to go beneath our roles,
Our obligations,
Our thoughts,
And our stories to connect in with our deepest sense of self,
Our self-essence.
And that is my invitation for you this evening,
To reconnect with your self.
Let's begin this practice this evening by taking a big,
Deep,
Full breath into your belly,
Ribs,
And chest,
And let it go with a sigh.
Again,
Inhaling fully,
And letting it go.
Settling even deeper still.
Beautiful.
And letting it go.
Settling even deeper still.
Beautiful.
Softening your brow and the space between your eyebrows.
Softening your eyes,
Even if they're closed.
Passing your gaze downward slightly so that you're not looking at any one thing in particular.
Passing your gaze downward slightly so that you're not looking at any one thing in particular.
Softening your jaw,
Your mouth.
Releasing your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Tension softening in your neck and shoulders,
Arms,
Torso,
Legs.
Your entire body and mind settling into feeling at rest and at ease.
During this practice of yoga nidra,
I invite you to welcome every experience you have as a messenger.
Every thought,
Emotion,
Sensation,
Sound,
As an invitation toward health,
Healing,
And wholeness.
Welcome every messenger as it arrives with curiosity and openness.
And know that it's okay if you do not hear everything that I say.
It's natural for the mind to wander in and out of conscious hearing.
When you notice that your attention has wandered away,
Gently bring it back to the sound of my voice.
Allowing my voice to become your voice.
Knowing that the deepest part of you is always listening,
Always hearing.
Settle in now for even deeper rest and nourishment.
Notice all of the places your body is touching a surface that's supporting it.
And allow your body to settle more deeply into those surfaces.
The entire earth rising up to support you in this moment.
Notice sound.
The preciousness of hearing.
Notice color and light behind your closed eyelids.
Notice smells.
Tastes lingering.
And the feeling of letting go and being at ease throughout your entire body and mind.
Bring awareness to your breath.
The feeling of letting go and being at ease throughout your entire body and mind.
Bring awareness into your heart space.
Breathing energy into your heart space now.
And from this place deep within,
Allow your deepest heartfelt desire to spontaneously arise.
What do you want more than anything else in this lifetime?
What do you want more than anything else in this lifetime?
Welcoming any thoughts,
Images,
Emotions,
Sensations.
And if nothing arises,
This is your experience and it is perfect.
There is no wrong way to do this.
Your intention that allows you to live in line with your deepest heartfelt desire.
Your reason for being here together in this practice.
Your intention may be to rest.
To restore.
Or perhaps to explore a particular sensation,
Emotion,
Or belief.
Feel and affirm your intention with your entire body and mind as true in this moment.
Considering that if you can think it,
Then it's already happening.
And step into your inner resource now.
The place within your physical body where you already feel the energy.
The place within your physical body where you already feel a sense of calm and ease.
And if it's helpful,
Imagine a special place,
Perhaps in nature or a special room,
That evokes the feeling of calm and ease in your body.
Allowing the image to come fully forward into your awareness.
Using all five senses to enhance your experience.
Notice sounds,
Sights,
Sensations,
Tastes,
And smells that bring a soothing balm to every cell in your body and beyond.
Notice where in your physical body the felt sense of your special place resides.
And affirm that you can return to this place at any time,
Day or night,
Or during this practice together.
Whenever you need the momentary time out to restore and feel totally calm and at ease.
Rotate your attention now through your body.
Noticing and welcoming sensation.
You may feel something or little at all.
Whatever your experience is perfect,
Just as it is.
Bring your attention into your mouth.
Feel your mouth.
Feel your mouth.
Tongue.
Top of your mouth.
Teeth.
Lips.
Gums.
Your entire mouth a field of radiant sensation.
Notice your left nostril.
Right nostril.
The flow of air and sensation inside both nostrils.
Notice sensation of your left eye.
Eyebrow.
Temple.
Cheekbone.
Your entire left eye.
Right eye.
Eyebrow.
Temple.
Cheekbone.
Your entire right eye.
Both eyes together.
Seeing.
Following sensation into your left ear.
Feel the left ear.
Hearing.
Following sensation now into your right ear.
Feel your right ear.
Hearing.
Both ears together at the same time.
Both ears receiving sound.
From the inside out feeling sensation between your eyebrows.
Brow.
Scalp.
Top of your head.
Back of your head.
Neck.
Your entire face,
Head,
And neck a field of shimmering vibration.
Awareness now of sensation in your left shoulder.
Left upper arm.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm.
Thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
The flow of energy and sensation in your entire left arm and hand.
Sensation now of your right shoulder.
Right upper arm.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm.
Thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
The flow of energy and sensation in your entire right arm and hand.
Both shoulders,
Arms,
And hands all together now.
A field of radiant sensation.
Sensation of your upper back now.
Mid-back behind your heart and lungs.
Lower back.
Sensation of your upper chest.
Solar plexus right below your rib cage.
Navel center at your belly button.
And into your pelvic fold.
Sensation of the entire back of your torso.
Sensation of the entire front of your torso.
Your entire torso now.
Front and back.
Inside and outside.
Radiant with vibration.
Feeling your left hip.
Left upper leg.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Foot.
Sensation of your entire left leg and foot.
Into your right hip now.
Right upper leg.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Foot.
Sensation of the entire right leg and foot.
Both hips.
Legs and feet.
All together now.
Radiant with sensation.
Both hips.
Legs and feet.
Torso.
Arms.
And head.
The entire back of your body.
The entire front of your body.
Your entire body now.
Front and back.
Inside and outside.
Radiant and expanding.
And feel this body breathing itself.
As the natural flow of energy enters and leaves your nostrils.
The gentle rise and fall of your abdomen and chest.
Silently referring to yourself.
I am practicing yoga nidra.
My body is deeply at rest.
Perhaps even asleep.
But I am aware.
At ease.
Attentive.
And awake.
And notice the one who is noticing.
The observer you behind your eyes.
Witnessing.
These sensations coming and going.
As they float in and out of your awareness.
As your attention floats upon them.
Moment to moment.
The observer you behind your eyes.
A steady witnessing presence.
Bringing your attention to your breath now.
Noticing.
Noticing the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen and chest.
And gently beginning to lengthen your breathing.
While counting your breath.
From 1 to 11.
Noticing and welcoming sensations like this.
Inhaling.
Filling your body with air.
1.
Exhaling.
Emptying your body of air.
1.
Inhaling.
Filling your body with air.
2.
Exhaling.
Emptying your body of air.
2.
And so on.
Continue breathing on your own.
Long smooth inhalation.
Tension releasing throughout your entire body with each exhalation.
And so on.
Smooth and easy breathing.
If you arrive at 11 or happen to lose count.
Simply begin again at 1.
With no need to reach 11.
There is no wrong way to do this.
Tension softening in your brow.
The space between your eyebrows.
Eyes soften.
Jaw softens.
Tongue softens.
Head softens.
Neck and shoulders.
Arms.
Torso.
Legs.
Your entire body and mind settling.
Into feeling at rest.
And at ease.
Letting go of any control you have over your breath now.
Allowing your breath to settle back into its natural rhythm and pace.
Noticing the effect that this gentle breathing practice has had on your body.
On your breath.
And on your mind.
And notice the one who is noticing.
The observer you behind your back.
The observer you in front of you.
The observer you behind you.
The observer you behind your eyes.
A steady witnessing presence.
Thoughts,
Sensations come into your awareness.
The observer you notices their comings and goings.
The observer you notices their comings and goings.
Bring your awareness to a sensation now.
A felt sense of something calling for your attention in your physical body.
It may be an ache or a pinch.
It may be a sense of fullness or lightness.
Warmth or coolness.
Whatever is calling your attention,
Go there now with your full awareness.
And as you arrive at this place in your body,
Welcome to any thoughts,
Emotions,
Images or memories that arise as you tune into this sensation.
And then,
Go into a new place in your body.
A new place where the opposite of this sensation exists.
If you are noticing warmth,
Find coolness or the absence of warmth.
If you are noticing tightness,
Find ease,
Soften or the absence of tightness.
Bring your full awareness to this opposite sensation now.
Full awareness noticing.
And while you are noticing,
Welcoming thoughts,
Emotions,
Memories,
Images that arise as you tune into this opposite sensation.
Moving back and forth between these opposites at your own pace now.
Feeling first one and then its opposite with all of the thoughts,
Emotions,
Images and memories that arise.
Noticing the effect of exploring these opposites on your body,
On your spirit and on your mind.
Both opposites together now.
Both opposites at the same time.
Noticing the effect of both opposites together on your body,
On your spirit and on your mind.
Silently referring to yourself,
I am practicing yoga nidra.
My body is at rest but I am awake.
Allowing into your awareness now an emotion that is present.
An emotion,
Energy in motion.
Some variation or combination of sad,
Mad,
Glad and afraid.
And know that it's totally fine to fall back into your inner resource if you're feeling activated or overwhelmed at any time.
And as you welcome this emotion,
Notice where this emotion resonates in your physical body.
Perhaps at your chest,
Shoulders,
Belly,
Hips.
And notice any thoughts,
Images,
Memories that arise as you feel into this sensation,
This emotional imprint in your physical body.
And then welcoming its opposite.
Or absent of.
If you're noticing fear,
Perhaps welcome peace.
Hurt.
If you are noticing sad,
Glad,
Welcome happy.
That for every emotion exists its polarity.
Yin and yang.
Light and dark.
Anger and love.
Moving back and forth between these opposites at your own pace now.
Welcoming first one and then its opposite.
Notice the effect that this has on your body,
Spirit and mind.
And when you feel called to welcoming both opposites at the same time.
Both opposites.
And noticing the effect that welcoming both opposites has on your body,
On your spirit and on your mind.
And notice the one who is noticing a steady witnessing presence.
Notice a thought right now.
Or perhaps a thought or series of thoughts that make up a belief that you're working with in your life.
In this moment it might be something like I'm not doing this,
Right?
In your life it might be I am not enough.
I'm not good enough.
I don't have enough.
I haven't done enough.
Our mind evolutionarily speaking tends towards negativity for our own survival.
Our mind has not yet caught up with the evolution of our technology.
So we come by this negativity bias quite honestly and it leaves us in the loss for a negative mindset.
So as you notice your thought,
If it happens to be negative,
Notice how it shows up in your physical being when you take it to be true.
Where do you feel this thought or believe in your body?
And now consider its opposite.
Without getting too involved,
Simply trying on the thought,
I am doing this perfectly.
I am good enough.
I have enough.
I've done more than enough.
I am worthy.
And notice how this opposite belief feels in your body when you take it to be true.
Notice it.
Notice the one who is noticing that self-essence below your mind witnessing and welcome joy now.
Welcoming joy if it's helpful imagining a scene that brings joy.
Tuning in to the crickets chirping.
Tuning in to the butterfly on the asters and the bees buzzing in joy around them.
Children playing in a pile of leaves.
A warm cup of tea lovingly prepared for or by you.
Just for you joy and an inner smile radiating from your heart across your chest down into your abdomen across your arms the tips of your fingertips down your legs and into your toes joy radiating out through the top of your head and the bottom of your feet and toes joy filling every cell of your being and beyond radiating with heartfelt expansive light joy your birthright letting go of thinking and memory now settling into just being just being nowhere to go nothing to do all doing is done as you rest in this feeling of being all thoughts emotions sensations sounds as objects floating in and out awareness the observer you behind your eyes witnessing and falling back to life as if two wings are expanding from behind your body float into awareness itself all sense of separation dissolving as you become one with awareness resting here in being awareness all sense of separation now falling away beginning to come back now coming back feeling grounded and connected to yourself and the world around you and the feeling of life living you life living you as one of its unique and perfect expressions already happening nothing to do notice all of the places your body is touching the surface that's supporting it notice the entire earth rising up to support you in this moment with such gratitude invite movement into your fingers and toes your wrists and ankles bending one knee and then the next allowing your feet to come flat on the floor onto a bolster knees might like to kiss in toward one another for support hands might like to come somewhere onto your torso or your chest feeling your felt presence there so much gratitude inviting some deeper gentle breaths into your abdomen and chest continuing this slow awakening silently affirm to yourself I walk through life with peace and ease I am relaxed I contain within me the perfect response each and every moment notice sound in your environment notice color and light behind your closed eyelids gently rocking your head side to side as your slow awakening eye pillow falls away no problem when you're ready go ahead and open your eyes coming fully back to your wide awake and eyes open state grateful deeply grateful for taking this time for yourself for your health and welcoming your wholeness and essence of self through the practice of yoga nidra
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Hugo
February 16, 2025
Namasté Caitlin Thank you