Hey,
I'm Chibs Okereke and welcome to this yoga nidra practice for deep rest.
Now let's take a moment to get really comfortable,
Whatever that looks like for you.
Cushions,
Blankets,
A warm hoodie,
Whatever helps your body feel supported,
Cozy and safe.
There's no need to rush,
Please take your time settling in.
Yoga nidra isn't about effort,
It's more like being wrapped in a warm blanket from the inside out.
Your only task is to let yourself sink into it and then rest.
Once you're settled,
Let's begin to slow down together.
Let's feel the body starting to arrive.
There may still be some echoes of the day,
The pace,
The residue,
The things that didn't get done.
Let's just notice what's here.
We don't need to change any of it,
We're simply noticing.
Gently checking in with the body now.
Noticing where there might be tightness or heaviness.
Noticing where there's ease or warmth.
How's your energy right now?
Is it steady?
Drained?
Shifting?
Now let's investigate our emotional weather.
What's here,
Beneath the surface?
Maybe there's something obvious.
Maybe it's hard to tell.
Either way,
We're just checking in.
Thoughts may still be moving.
Fast or slow.
Loud or quiet.
We're just watching them drift by.
And behind it all,
There's something steady.
The part of you that's just watching.
Let that part hold everything.
And let's come back to the breath now.
A rhythm that's always been here.
Softly anchoring us.
Over the next few breaths,
If it's comfortable,
I invite you to breathe in through your nose and exhale with a soft haa sound like you're gently fogging up a mirror.
You can follow my breath for a few breaths.
And then you can do a few in your own time,
At your own pace.
Keeping the body relaxed,
Let's breathe in and breathe out.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And breathing out.
Doing a few more breaths like this at your own pace.
As best as you can,
Keeping the breath slow and natural.
Okay,
Good.
And now you can allow the breath to settle into its own rhythm.
We're allowing the breath to move on its own.
There's nothing to manage or control.
We're just sensing the gentle rise and fall of the breath.
Like waves arriving on a quiet shore.
We're going to be still here for a while,
So take a moment to get truly comfortable.
Maybe there's one last shift.
One more pull of the blanket.
One more deep exhale.
Just allowing your body to feel held.
As we rest here,
Know that this practice is not about achievement or doing it right.
If your mind wanders,
That's completely okay.
You can always return to the sound of my voice or your breath.
Together,
We'll be creating the conditions for deep rest.
Physically,
Mentally,
And emotionally.
This kind of rest isn't lazy.
It's necessary.
Especially for people with a lot going on in their lives.
It's how the nervous system recalibrates.
It's how the mind clears.
It's how the body repairs.
You're allowed to rest without guilt.
Before we move into the body scan,
Let's take a moment to plant an intention.
In Yoga Nidra,
They call this a sankalpa.
It's not a goal.
It's not a fix.
It's just a quiet seed of truth.
Something we'd like to honour more deeply.
Because when we're in deep relaxation,
The subconscious is wide open.
So we plant a seed rather than fix a problem.
If a clear intention comes to mind,
Please feel free to use that.
Otherwise,
You're welcome to borrow one of these.
I allow myself to rest without guilt.
Or,
I am safe to slow down.
Or,
My body knows how to heal.
Once you've come up with your sankalpa,
Your intention,
You can repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Allow it to echo gently through you.
Not forced.
Just felt.
Now,
If the words fade away during the practice,
That's okay.
The intention still lingers.
Like a subtle scent in the air.
Okay,
Good.
And now,
Let's begin a slow rotation of awareness through the body.
If your mind drifts,
That's completely fine.
Simply return to the next part I name.
This slow rotation through the body helps quiet the mind and bring the nervous system into a state of rest.
It's a gentle way of letting the body know it's safe.
And that it can begin to release tension,
Layer by layer.
And if you'd prefer not to follow the body scan,
That's completely okay.
You can simply rest.
Allowing my words to fade into the background as you drift deeper into stillness.
Let's start by bringing our awareness to the tip of the tongue.
And now to the roof of the mouth,
The teeth and gums.
Bringing awareness to the inside of the right cheek.
The inside of the left cheek.
The space between the lips.
Now noticing the flow of air at the nostrils.
The tip of the nose.
The bridge of the nose.
Bringing awareness to both eyebrows.
The temples.
Both eyes softening back into their sockets.
The centre of the forehead.
Now the whole forehead.
Letting our awareness spread through the scalp.
Like warmth gently radiating across the head.
Bringing awareness to the right hemisphere of the brain.
The left hemisphere.
Both sides together,
Resting,
Recalibrating.
Down to the brain stem.
The base of the tongue.
The jaw.
The throat.
The centre of the chest.
The heart centre.
Bringing awareness now to the right side of the chest.
The right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Right wrist.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Feel each finger.
The right thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Back to the right palm.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Right elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Bringing awareness to the right shoulder blade.
The right ribcage.
The right waist.
The right hip.
Moving into the right thigh.
The right knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the right foot.
The big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Fifth toe.
Sensing the whole right foot.
The entire right leg.
The whole right side of the body.
Moving now to the left side of the body.
Bringing awareness to the left side of the chest.
The left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Left elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Left palm.
Back of the hand.
Feel each finger now.
The thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Back to the left palm.
The wrist.
Forearm.
Left elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Feeling into the left shoulder blade.
The left ribcage.
The left waist.
The left hip.
Moving into the left thigh.
The knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Left heel.
Soul.
Top of the left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Sensing the whole left foot.
The entire left leg.
The whole left side of the body.
Allowing our awareness to gently expand now.
Feeling the entire body as one connected field.
From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.
The whole body rests in awareness.
Held.
Supported.
At ease.
There's nothing to do.
Nowhere to go.
Just this.
Let's now move into a simple practice to ease the mind even further.
I invite you to begin a soft countdown from twenty to one.
Allowing each number to ride the breath.
Silently,
In your mind,
Count twenty as you inhale and twenty as you exhale.
Nineteen as you inhale.
Nineteen as you exhale.
And so on.
If the numbers fade away,
That's completely fine.
The fading is part of the process.
As the conscious,
Unconscious and subconscious begin to speak to each other.
And if you lose count or forget where you were,
No problem.
You can simply start again from any number.
A number that feels right.
Or you can let go of counting entirely and simply return to the breath.
And if you reach the number one,
You can stay there for a while.
Breathing gently.
Or you can start the count again if that feels soothing.
Take your time now.
I'll give you some space to count and breathe.
Okay,
Good.
If it's not there already,
Let's bring our awareness back to the breath now.
As you inhale,
I invite you to imagine the body becoming light.
Spacious.
Weightless.
As if floating gently above the earth.
Supported by the breath.
As you exhale,
Feel the body soften.
Becoming heavy and grounded.
Sinking into the surface beneath you.
Fully supported.
Inhaling lightness.
Exhaling heaviness.
Resting in this rhythm.
Floating on the inhale.
Landing on the exhale.
Letting the nervous system know you're safe.
And now,
I'm going to guide you through some gentle imagery.
Simple,
Familiar scenes to help your system rest even more deeply.
I invite you to allow these images to arise in your mind's eye.
There's no need to force anything.
Just seeing what appears.
And if the image fades or shifts,
That's okay.
Picturing bare feet in soft sand.
The ground warm beneath you.
The hush of pine trees swaying in a gentle breeze.
Golden light spilling through your window at dusk.
The sound of a river moving slowly over smooth stones.
A gentle snowfall outside while you're wrapped in a blanket.
The warmth of sun on your back on a winter morning.
A candle flickering beside you in a quiet room.
The softness of your pillow at the end of a long day.
A paper lantern drifting up into the night sky.
Stars above you.
Slow.
Quiet.
Endless.
A sense of oneness with all that is.
Belonging without needing to try.
Resting in that feeling.
Part of everything.
Held by everything.
And as we reach the end of this practice.
I invite you to return to your intention.
The quiet seed that you planted at the start of practice.
Feel free to repeat it silently now.
Or simply feel it resting in the background.
There's no pressure to remember it perfectly.
The subconscious remembers what matters.
Allow your intention to echo softly through your system.
As if it's already true.
Slowly beginning to feel the edges of the body.
The weight and shape of you resting here.
Safe.
And supported.
Noticing the breath.
Gentle.
And natural.
Moving through you.
Imagining the outline of your body.
Like a constellation.
Twinkling against the dark sky.
Inviting a little movement now.
Wiggling the fingers.
The hands.
The toes.
Rolling the head gently from side to side.
If it feels good.
Stretching in any way your body asks.
Or simply staying as you are.
Letting the stillness linger.
Thank you for being here today.
For giving yourself the gift of deep rest.
It matters more than we're taught to believe.
May you be well.
May you feel safe.
May you remember you're already enough.
