Yoga Nidra For Transformation & Healing

A blissful guided meditation practice for deep peace and relaxation. Yoga Nidra, done lying on your back, can be transformative and healing and offer rest with benefits equal to hours of deep restorative sleep. This includes a reading of Peace of Wild Things, a poem by Wendell Berry.

Transcript

When despair for the world grows in me,

And I wake in the night at the least sound,

In fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water,

And the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things,

Who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

I come into the presence of still water,

And I feel above me the day-blind stars,

Waiting with their light.

For a time I rest in the grace of the world,

And am free.

That is The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry.

Hi,

I'm Connie Bowman.

And if you ever have difficulty falling asleep or getting back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night,

I'd like to suggest a practice of Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is a practice of yogic sleep.

Nidra refers to sleep.

And it is a deep relaxation that the yogis say,

Give us the rest that is the equivalent of four hours of sleep,

Deep REM sleep.

So the idea is just to listen to my voice as I guide you through this practice.

And really your job is to,

Other than that,

Do nothing.

Try to remain awake but really relaxed by just listening to the sound of my voice.

And I will guide you through some different awarenesses of different bodily sensations,

Emotions,

And images.

And just try not to concentrate too intensely,

As this may keep you from relaxing.

As we move through this meditation,

Please just use and take in what you need at the moment.

And anything that doesn't suit you,

Just leave it behind.

Let it come in and go out,

Just like the breath.

And if the mind becomes overactive with thoughts or worries,

Just simply come back to the sound of my voice.

So make yourself comfortable.

You can be lying on your back,

Maybe tuck something under your knees or the crook of your neck.

Make sure you're warm enough and that you are in a position that you can be comfortable in for the duration of the practice.

It's best if you remain as still as possible during Yoga Nidra so that both your body and your mind have a chance to fully relax.

However,

If you become uncomfortable at all,

Please don't hesitate to move and change position.

And now allow your eyes to close and keep them closed until the practice has ended.

So as we begin,

Become aware of any sounds you might hear in this moment.

And just notice what you can hear without straining.

Bring your focus to the most distant sounds that you might hear.

Letting your sense of hearing radiate outward.

Search out for some sounds and just follow them for a few moments,

Moving your attention from one sound to the other without any need to label the source.

Now bring your attention to sounds that are a little bit closer to you,

Sounds in the room,

The sound of my voice.

Now visualize the room where you are,

Keeping your eyes closed.

Just imagine the ceiling above you and the floor beneath you and your body lying on the surface it is lying on.

Visualize your body now,

Lying on that surface,

Seeing the position of your body,

The clothes you are wearing,

Any coverings.

Notice your hair,

Your face.

Just become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body on the surface where you are lying.

And now become aware of your natural breath,

The inhale and the exhale.

Just noticing your natural breath,

That without thinking about it,

Moves in and out of your body without any effort on your part.

Feel the natural breath flowing in through both nostrils.

Noticing the sensation of the breath as it moves in and as it moves out.

You may notice a sense of coolness as you inhale.

Follow that coolness into your nose,

Into your sinuses,

The back of your throat and into your lungs.

You may notice a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you exhale.

Feeling the natural breath flowing through both nostrils during the inhale and during the exhale.

Allow your breath now to become longer,

Deeper and slower.

Take a nice long,

Slow inhalation,

Filling up belly,

Ribs,

Chest.

And exhale slowly,

Chest,

Ribs and belly.

Inhaling again,

Breathe in fully,

Filling up.

And at the top of the inhale,

Take a slight pause.

And then when you're ready,

Begin the exhale,

Keep it long and slow.

And pause again at the bottom of the exhale.

Slow inhale,

Even slower exhale.

Again,

Slowly inhale and pause.

Slowly exhale and pause.

Now invite in a natural,

Easy breath,

Releasing any control over your breath in and out.

Natural breath.

The practice of yoga nidra will now begin.

And as we begin,

In your mind,

Create a sankalpa or intention for this practice.

This should be a short positive statement in very simple language.

Just notice what comes to mind.

In your mind,

State your sankalpa clearly with awareness three times.

In this way,

You are planting a seed in the fertile soil of your mind that can bring about transformation and healing.

And now in your mind,

Say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am awake and relaxed.

We will now begin a journey of sensory awareness throughout your body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as you hear them named.

As I name them,

In your mind,

Say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body without moving any part of the body.

We'll begin by bringing your awareness to your throat.

Swallow in your throat to relax the back of the throat.

Bring your awareness to your mouth,

The tongue,

The top of the tongue,

The back of the tongue,

The bottom of the tongue,

The roof of the mouth.

We'll take our awareness to the right side of the body.

The right hand,

The thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

The elbow,

Your upper arm,

Your shoulder,

Your right armpit,

The right side of the waist,

Your right hip,

Your right thigh,

Your knee,

Your shin,

Your calf,

Your ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the right foot,

The right big toe,

The second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now move your awareness to your left side.

Feel the left hand,

The left thumb,

The second finger,

And the third,

The fourth finger,

And the fifth.

The palm of the left hand,

The back of the left hand,

Your left wrist and forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Your left shoulder,

Your left armpit,

The left side of your waist,

Your hip and thigh,

Your knee,

Your shin,

And your left calf,

Your left ankle and heel,

The sole of the left foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the fifth toe.

Now moving to the back of the body,

Feel the right heel and the left heel,

The right calf,

The left calf,

The right thigh,

The left thigh,

The right buttock,

And the left buttock,

The lower back,

The middle back,

Your upper back,

The entire spine,

The right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The back of the neck,

And the back of the head,

The crown of the head,

Your forehead,

Your right temple,

Your left temple,

The right ear,

The left ear,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril and left nostril,

The right cheekbone and the left cheekbone,

Your upper lip,

Your lower lip,

Both lips together,

Your chin,

Your jaw,

The throat,

The right collarbone,

The left collarbone,

The right side of the chest,

The left side of the chest,

The upper abdomen,

The navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right groin,

Left groin,

Pelvic floor,

The entire right leg,

The whole left leg,

The whole right arm,

And the left arm,

The whole face,

Your whole head,

The whole torso,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now imagine your whole body becoming light.

It's as though your body is so light it could float away from the floor.

The head is light and weightless,

Your limbs are light and weightless,

The torso is light and weightless,

The whole body light,

Weightless.

You feel as though you're rising higher and higher away from the floor.

Now imagine your body becoming very heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body,

Each part getting heavier and heavier and heavier.

Your head is heavy,

Your arms and legs heavy,

The torso heavy,

The whole body is heavy.

You feel heavy so much that you feel you are sinking down into the floor.

Now imagine your body experiencing the feeling of cold.

Imagine being outside in the winter cold without a coat.

Feel the chill permeating your entire body.

Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.

Imagining perhaps you're in a sauna or the feeling of a hot summer day,

Being out in the sun with no available shade.

Feel the heat radiating onto your skin and all throughout your body.

Now imagine you're experiencing anxiety,

Fear and worry.

Feel what this feels like in your body and your mind,

But don't concentrate on its source.

Just allow the experience of anxiety to come about for you as clearly as possible.

Now allow the feeling of complete calm to envelope you.

Imagine the experience of calm in your entire mind,

Your body and your emotions.

You are relaxed,

Completely aware that you are completely calm.

Now begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine there is a movie screen on the inside of your eyelids.

The screen is as large and wide as your eyes can see.

Bring all your focus to this inner screen and become aware of any phenomena that arises there.

You might see colors,

Patterns or light.

Whatever you see,

Just notice continuing to focus on the space.

Just allowing whatever comes into your mind's eye to arise.

Just notice it with detached awareness.

Without directing the images.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go,

But continue watching your movie screen.

Just noticing.

Now a number of different things will be named.

You should envision them on the level of emotion or memory,

Imagination as best you can.

Just jump from image to image as soon as you hear it.

Red desert,

Peacock feather,

Buddha meditating,

Doctor's office,

A good night's sleep,

Full moon,

Your reflection in a mirror,

A foggy morning,

Waiting for results,

Sun shining overhead,

A bouquet of flowers,

A tall tree,

Receiving help from others,

Cool blue clear water,

Making appointments,

A relaxing afternoon,

Laughing with friends,

A warm embrace,

A burning candle,

A temple on a mountain,

A path through the woods,

A vibrant sunset,

Taking a deep breath,

A cat stretching,

A beautiful garden path,

Your very favorite song,

The sound of my voice,

Your body lying on the surface beneath you.

Now it's time to recall your Sen Kulpa.

Please repeat the statement in your mind that you made at the beginning of the practice three times.

Begin to come back to the awareness of your breath flowing in and out.

Maintain your awareness of your breath and at the same time,

Develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the surface beneath you.

Feel your skin and the clothes and any props or blankets that might be touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests and take your awareness into all the points that are touching the surface beneath you.

It's not time to open your eyes just yet.

Before you do,

Visualize your surrounding room.

Imagine where you are,

Other objects that are around you,

And lie quietly until you feel ready to move.

When you do,

Begin by slowly moving hands and feet,

Taking your time.

There's no hurry.

When you're sure that you are fully awake,

Gently open your eyes.

Roll over to one side and rest for a few more moments.

Take some time.

Take some time to notice how you feel.

And as you're ready,

Use your hands to press yourself up from the surface beneath you,

Letting your head come up last.

Your practice of yoga nidra is now finished.

I wish you all the best in your practice of yoga nidra.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Reviews

A nicely paced, classically structured session with a great voice. The poem at the beginning was a nice touch. Thank you for the peace you give.

Very helpful/insightful. Drifted off towards the end to a peaceful sleep. 🙏🏻

One of the best yoga nidra sessions I have found. Restful and transformative. Many thanks!

Very relaxing, thank you

Thank you! That was so relaxing and also very energizing. I have bookmarked it and will return to it often. Thank you so much, Connie!❤️🤗❤️👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🙌🏾👍🏾

So soothing- thank you 🙏