Yoga Nidra For Insomnia

A special meditation that is listened to in bed, guiding you into a deep, restful sleep. Listen to this track while in bed, ready for sleep. You will not be brought back to wakefulness at the end; simply allow the track to end and drift into slumber.

Transcript

Welcome to Yoga Nidra for Insomnia.

First,

Prepare yourself physically by lying on your back in bed or somewhere where you will be at ease if you fall asleep.

Support your head with a pillow and your knees with a bolster or rolled blanket if your lower back feels tense.

Make sure you are warm enough as your body temperature will drop during the stillness of this practice.

Take these few moments to make any last adjustments to your body,

Props or clothing so that you can be completely comfortable.

Next,

Prepare yourself mentally by turning your awareness inward toward the activity of your thoughts.

We will be using various techniques in this practice that can be helpful for quieting the whirlwind of the thoughts so that sleep can come naturally and easily.

During this practice for insomnia,

You will be guided to the hypnagogic state of consciousness,

A state of lucid dreaming where you will create your own experience out of the words that you hear.

Try to follow the sound of my voice and what is said without moving into analysis.

The difference between this yoga nidra and others is that after the practice,

It is appropriate for you to stay where you are and fall completely asleep.

In other yoga nidra practices,

You are typically guided back to a wakeful state.

Today,

You will be guided deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Do not worry if you miss some of what is said.

Your subconsciousness will still hear the words and gain the benefits from them.

We will begin by practicing several techniques that are helpful for quieting the mind and letting go of worries.

We will start with a simple listening meditation.

Oftentimes,

Living in urban areas,

Our bedrooms are not as quiet as we would like them to be.

Sometimes,

As we are trying to fall asleep,

Noises from other rooms in our home,

Other people in our home,

Or outside of the home can distract and disturb us.

We will use those natural sounds now to hone our skill in staying present and mindful of each moment.

Open your hearing awareness to all of the sounds that you can hear.

Some may seem very far away,

And others are quite close.

Begin by listening to the closer sounds.

What sounds can you hear from inside the room where you are resting?

The key to this meditation is to try to listen without labeling the sounds.

Can they just become background noise that washes over your awareness without inciting any reaction from you?

Listen to these close sounds for a few more moments.

Next,

Expand your hearing to those sounds that are outside of your room,

Perhaps from other people or rooms in your home.

Try not to figure out where exactly they are originating.

Just allow these new sounds to join the close sounds,

Creating a richer tapestry of ambiance.

Listen to these mid-rage sounds for a few more moments.

Then allow your hearing to expand outwards again to find sounds coming from outside.

What are some of the most distant sounds that you can hear?

As the sounds get more and more distant,

They also become less distinct and begin to blend into the buzzing harmony of the universe.

Notice when you have stopped listening to the sounds,

When the mind has gone into the past or the future.

Keep the mind honed in on the present moment by opening your awareness to each and every sound without reaction.

Next,

We will use our breathing in order to create a quieter state of mind.

Notice your natural breath moving in and out of your body.

You inhale through both nostrils and you exhale through both nostrils.

Feel the path of the inhale through the nostrils into the sinuses,

Down the throat,

And into the lungs.

Imagine the reverse path from the exhale of the lungs up through the throat and out the nostrils.

Let us begin practicing Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril breathing,

A technique that can initiate relaxation as well as release the mind from the worries of the day.

Begin to imagine that you are only inhaling through the left nostril,

Inhaling through the left nostril,

Then exhaling through the right nostril.

Practice this pattern for a few rounds of breath and feel how your awareness is heightened in the nostril on which you are focusing.

After your next exhalation through the right nostril,

Inhale in through that same side and then exhale through the left side.

Inhale left.

Exhale right.

Inhale right.

Exhale left.

Inhale left.

Exhale right.

Inhale right.

Exhale left.

You are changing sides after the inhalation.

Continue this practice for a few more moments.

If you lose your place,

Please come back to inhaling left,

Exhaling right,

Inhaling right,

And exhaling left without judgment.

Now allow your breath to continue normally,

Inhaling and exhaling through both nostrils together,

Noticing the effect of this practice on the activity of your mind.

From this state of deep breathfulness,

Please recite your sankalpa,

A short positive statement in simple language.

One example of a sankalpa that is helpful for insomnia is,

I deserve to be well rested.

State this wish for yourself as if it were already true three times mentally now.

The sankalpa made during yoga nidra plants a seed for transformation in your life.

Keep the same sankalpa until it has become manifest through patience and repetition.

Also say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

We will now begin the rotation of consciousness.

This technique allows a neural connection to be made between the motor cortex of the brain and all of the parts of the body.

You are connecting the origin and ending of your nervous system to enable deep relaxation of both the body and the brain.

You will move your awareness through the different parts of your physical body as soon as you hear them named.

Say the name of the part to yourself and notice the movement from place to place.

Keep yourself alert without concentrating too intensely.

The practice begins on the right side.

Right hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Arm pit.

Chest.

Waist.

Hip.

Groin.

Buttock.

Thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Soul of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Left hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Arm pit.

Chest.

Waist.

Hip.

Groin.

Buttock.

Thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Soul of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Move awareness to the top of your head.

Forehead.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Middle of the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Whole nose.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Jaw.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Right chest.

Left chest.

Middle of the chest.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

Right groin.

Left groin.

The pelvic floor.

Tailbone.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

The entire spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Crown of the head.

Now feel the whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

The whole right leg.

The whole right leg.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

The entire torso.

The face.

The head.

The body.

The whole body.

The entire body.

Imagine that the body is very heavy.

So heavy that you could not move it even if you wanted to.

The arms and legs feel heavy.

The torso feels heavy.

The head feels heavy.

The eyelids feel heavy.

The eyelids feel heavy.

You feel so heavy and dense that you seem to be sinking down into the floor.

Imagine that the body is weightless.

So light that you seem to be floating.

The arms and legs feel weightless.

The torso feels weightless.

The head feels weightless.

The whole body is so weightless that it seems to be floating up toward the ceiling.

Imagine the warm glow of light all around you.

Not bright,

But a glimmering glow of soft light.

As if your body were surrounded by this warm and comforting energy.

Then imagine the light gently fading into darkness.

A dark night without stars or moon.

A dark room without windows.

The darkness behind your closed eyelids.

Imagine feeling lethargic and tired from lack of sleep.

Feel the aching tiredness in your bones,

Body and brain when you just can't muster the strength for one more thing.

Then imagine feeling completely rested.

You have enough energy to face each day with grace and ease.

You have slept well and are electrically live in every vibrating fiber of your being.

Imagine feeling anxious.

You are apprehensive and nervous for no apparent reason.

Do not concentrate on the source of this unidentified stress,

But notice how it affects your body and mind.

Then move your awareness to calm.

You are completely at ease and have no reason to worry.

Your mind is clear and your emotions are stable.

You feel calm.

Begin to gaze into the space in front of the closed eyes.

Imagine before you a screen as if you were at the movies.

At first this mind screen is blank,

But then slowly movement begins to emerge.

There may be light,

Recognizable patterns or color on the mental screen.

Watch what arises without judgment or analysis.

Remain as a passive witness to your awareness,

Neither creating images nor pushing images away.

If thoughts come to the surface,

Allow them to arise and subside,

Remaining a passive observer.

Imagine complete darkness,

An empty mind,

The view from an airplane,

The sound of beautiful soothing music.

Sitting in a movie theater,

A cozy inviting bedroom,

The feeling of breath in your belly,

Fluffy white clouds in the sky,

A feeling of compassion,

Complete exhaustion,

An open doorway.

Your mind free from worry,

The sensation of floating,

Snuggling under a warm blanket,

Waking up well rested,

The sound of wind in the treetops,

The void of space.

Standing at the top of a long stairwell,

A warm bath,

The smell of lavender,

Complete relaxation,

A warm glow of light,

The sound of quiet conversation,

A pile of soft cushions,

Waves breaking onto the shore,

Keeping an open heart,

A radio in the distance,

The sound of Aum,

A starry night sky.

Imagine that you are standing in front of an open doorway.

You see soft light emanating from inside the doorway,

And as you look in,

You notice a long winding stairwell moving downward.

Create this stairwell clearly in your mind.

Is there a railing?

What does the surface of the stairs look like?

Is it stone,

Wood,

Or carpet?

You gaze down the steps and begin to look forward to what lies at the bottom.

Without hurry,

You move through the doorway and begin to descend the steps.

You feel the surface upon which you are walking as you move further and further down.

The stairway is long and winding,

And with each step you feel more and more relaxed.

Moving toward some long-awaited delight and away from the burdens and worries of the day,

You are surrounded by a soft glow of light and warmth,

Completely safe and at ease.

Continue to move down the stairwell.

With each step you feel more and more at ease,

The concerns of your life move further and further away from your consciousness.

Around the next bend,

You notice the stairs come to another doorway.

You open the door to your own bedroom.

It is comfortable,

Warm,

And the bed looks inviting.

You lie down on your bed and recognize that this is what you have awaited,

A comfortable,

Quiet place to rest.

Imagine closing your eyes and releasing the weight of your body down into the cushions.

Become a witness of your awareness.

Not the body,

Not the senses,

Not the mind,

Nothing but awareness.

Become aware that you are observing yourself.

You can imagine the shape of your body resting.

Now imagine your awareness as separate from your body.

Your awareness floats above your body with a comforting weightlessness.

There is a silver cord connecting your awareness to your body,

A cord that can stretch as far as your imagination.

Imagine that your awareness moves towards the door of the room,

Towards the door of the building and outside.

Imagine moving outside of the building.

See familiar things around you from your neighborhood.

There is no sense of effort or direction,

Only lightness.

Your awareness begins moving up over the treetops.

You see streets and houses laid out below you.

You are directing the movement of your awareness without any particular destination,

Just a floating sense of peace and ease.

Where would you like to go next?

Create an intention and allow your awareness to follow that direction without effort or struggle.

In this state of pure awareness,

The ego begins to dissolve.

There is no sense of self,

Only the pure freedom that resides at the center.

Is there a place in your imagination that you would like to visit?

Perhaps a place you have read about or seen in a film.

Create this location clearly in your mind.

What does the landscape look like?

See the rich colors of this place.

You are completely safe.

Who are the other people that you notice?

What kinds of interactions are you seeking?

At any time,

Feel free to allow this visualization to dissolve into a lucid,

Dreaming state.

The only limits are your imagination.

You can visit any wondrous place,

Real or imagined.

You are completely unworried.

You can interact with any person,

Animal or spirit guide.

Know that you can always return to your body the same way that you came,

But for now allow your awareness to continue floating along with whatever sensations are arising.

You are safe.

You are warm.

You are unworried.

You deserve to be well rested.

Begin to release the visualization and allow your mind and body to find perfect stillness and peace.

Allow your awareness to drift between thoughts and sensations towards a place of restful sleep.

Know that you will awaken in the morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Reviews

Worked beautifully at 4am to get me back into sleep. Thank you so much.

I am stilll awake looking forward to waking up tomorrow refreshed

Wonderfully soothing. Your smooth quiet voice got me sound asleep in the end. Thank you very much.

Must have been good! I don’t remember all of it and I fell back to sleep … at 4am 🙏

Excellent! Couldn’t sleep at 3 am, listened to about 20 minutes and went back to sleep! Thank you!

Thank you for this most effective practice which took me back into beautiful, deep dream filled sleep. Namaste

Thanks for the very nice yoga Nidra and quieting words for sleep.✨🙏🏼😴✨

Excellent. I heard the whole thing but stayed with it and fell back asleep. I liked the variety. The listening part was challenging because I do live where it’s very quiet. Listening to silence is hard.

Brought me to a wonderful blessing of restful sleep.

Very helpful. I managed some more sleep. Thank you

This has been the best meditation I have ever users for sleeping soundly!

I started at 4:30 am, fell asleep sometime before the end and woke at 7:00 am. I don’t remember much but I’m grateful for the sleep.

This was was great at easing me back to sleep when I woke in the middle of the night. I fell asleep before the end. Thank you! ❤️😴

That helped me to fall asleep last night. Thank you so much for sharing this. Namaste

Great voice. So soothing and speed was just right 🙏🏻

I appreciate the non-pretentious, no drama ambience. Thank you very much.

I had to smile when it first reminded me of Siri reading something to me. Exactly this no nonsense and very clear style is amazingly relaxing. I could feel calm spread in my body and mind and was sound asleep by the end. Great!

Well it's working. Of the dozen or so times I've listened, i think I've made it to the end once.

Very helpful and relaxing. Thank you so much! Much love!

I’m sorry I was not able to listen in its entirety as I fell fast asleep🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼