Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation & Sleep

This is a guided yoga nidra meditation for deep relaxation and sleep. Included is a body scan, breath awareness and a place for affirmation, transformation and healing.

Transcript

I'm happy you're joining me for Yoga Nidra.

So find a comfortable position lying on your back.

You can support your knees with a pillow or a bolster and please make sure you'll be warm enough and that you're comfortable.

And I'll give you a moment to get settled.

If you can remain still during the practice your body and mind will have a chance to fully relax.

So the practice of Yoga Nidra is a practice of yogic sleep,

Kind of like being between that place of awake and sleeping.

And as you listen to the sound of my voice you'll be asked to move your awareness to various bodily sensations and emotions and images.

So now become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment.

Nothing else but what you hear without strain.

Start by focusing on the most distant sounds that you can hear.

And let your sense of hearing radiate outward,

Searching out those distant sounds and following them for just a few minutes.

And just move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,

To sounds right outside the room and then inside,

Finally to sounds inside the room.

Without opening your eyes just visualize the four walls of your room,

Ceiling,

The floor,

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

The position of your body,

Where your hands,

Is your head supported,

How do your clothes feel against your body.

Just become aware of your physical body as it's resting comfortably.

Now start to become aware of your breath.

Just be aware of your natural and spontaneous breath moving in and out of your body without any effort.

As you breathe in feel the sense of coolness and just follow this feeling into your nose and your sinuses and the back of your throat and to your lungs.

And as you breathe out feel the sense of warmth.

So breathe in the coolness and the expansion and breathe out the warmth and letting go.

Now start to slow your breath down.

Take a long slow inhale followed by a longer slow exhale and start to make your exhales even slower with just a slight pause after the exhale.

Slow inhale and even slower exhale and pause.

And just take a breath when you need to.

No strain.

Just make it easy.

Long slow inhale and longer slow exhale and then pause.

Now just go back to your natural easy breath without controlling your inhale or exhale.

And in this relaxed state bring into your mind a short positive statement about something you'd like to transform or heal.

And once you have it in mind just mentally state it three times in simple language in present tense.

Just clearly and with awareness three times as if it were already true.

And also say to yourself I'm practicing yoga nidra.

I'm awake and relaxed.

Now I'm going to guide you to move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.

So let's start on the right side.

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Arm pit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Arm pit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the 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,

Middle 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,

Pelvic floor,

The whole right leg,

Whole left leg,

Whole right arm,

Whole left arm,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now imagine your body is becoming light,

As though you could just float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.

Your head is light and weightless.

Your arms and legs are light and weightless.

Your torso is light and weightless.

Your whole body is light and weightless.

You're rising higher and higher away from the floor.

Now imagine your body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of your body,

Each part becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.

Your head is heavy.

Your arms and legs are heavy.

Your torso is heavy.

Your whole body is heavy.

So heavy it's sinking down into the floor.

Now take your awareness to the space right in front of your closed eyes.

And just imagine there's a transparent screen right in front of your eyes,

As though you were at the movie theater.

The screen is as high and as wide as you can see.

So begin to watch the screen and see what shows up.

Pictures,

Colors,

Patterns,

Light.

So whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue to watch your screen,

But with detached awareness.

There's nothing you need to do.

Nothing you need to make happen.

Just watch.

If any subtle images come up,

Simply be aware of them without trying to make anything of them.

And if thoughts come up,

Let them just come and go.

And just bring your attention back to the screen.

Continue to watch with detached awareness.

Now,

A number of different things will be named.

And as you see them in your mind,

Just become aware of any emotion or memory they might bring up and move from image to image as soon as you hear it.

Red desert.

Peacock feather.

Buddha meditating.

A good night's sleep.

Full moon.

Your reflection in a mirror.

Foggy morning.

Sun shining overhead.

Bouquet of red roses.

Tall oak tree.

Receiving help from others.

Cool clear water.

A relaxing afternoon by the lake.

Laughing with friends.

A warm hug from someone you love.

Burning candle.

A beautiful temple on a mountain.

A winding path in the woods.

A vibrant orange sunset.

Taking a deep breath.

Your favorite song.

The sound of my voice.

Your body lying on the floor.

Now it's time to repeat your statement again three times.

The statement about something you want to heal or transform.

That same statement you made at the beginning of practice.

So please repeat your statement three times in your mind.

And become aware of your breath moving in and out of your nostrils.

Slowly relaxed.

The rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and out.

Take just a moment to feel the heaviness in your body as it rests.

Completely relaxed.

On the back of your heels.

Your thighs on the ground.

Shoulder blades resting.

Arms,

Hand and head.

Thank you for joining me for this practice of Yoga Nidra.

Reviews

I loved this simple practice. Absolutely amazing voice

You have such a beautiful, soothing voice. I loved your pace. I drifted off to sleep and will definitely listen again. Thank you. 🙏

I really enjoy the visualizations. It’s amazing what the mind visualizes and it’s really relaxing. 💜

Lovely and relaxing. I was hoping to fall asleep for a short nap, but I stayed awake all the way through and feel refreshed. I like the quiet bird sounds in the background. I prefer yoga nidra without music, so this suits me well. Also like the simple ending with no bell or discussion to rouse me from my rest. Thank you.

Excellent! First time I listened, I was asleep within a few minutes. I woke up in the middle of the night, listened a second time and don’t think I heard the end.

Beautiful calming voice. Very relaxing.
Thank you.🙏

Thank you, it helped me fall asleep 😴🙏💕

Very relaxing I fell asleep during the practice. This is a keeper thank you. Namaste :)

Love this thank you! ❤️

This was marvelous! Thank you so much🙏

Perfect short relax session

Thanks very much:)

It’s nice to have a new yoga nidra for sleep! Many thanks!

Simple unpretentious perfect

A perfect, relaxing finale to a happy, busy day. Thank you very much. ❤

I love doing this one on days when I am tired. Beautiful.

Really liked the full body scan. It helped me focus and relax.

This helped me settle down & fall asleep.

Loved this meditation immensely felt so relaxed and very calm. Thank you 🙏😌🦋
Glenda Kelly
Menai NSW Australia

Just lovely. Thank you.