Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation
Practice Yoga Nidra to deeply relax any time of day. Over time, it will improve sleep quality by helping you release stress & the physical and mental tensions of the day, so you can drift into blissful deep sleep at night. This powerful Tantric meditation will help you relax, reset and refresh, but it may also take you to the state of conscious sleep, where the body is asleep, but the mind is awake. It is recommended to practice this while lying completely still in a comfortable position. Feel free to cover yourself with a cozy blanket and place a thin pillow under the head to provide support and comfort. This is not a meditation practice meant to put you to sleep for the night, as there is an ending bell at the end of the track and instructions given to bring you back to seated. However, many students do use this meditation as a sleep aid, and sleep right through these ending instructions - this is fine, but please be aware of this the first time you practice!
Transcript
Preparing now for the practice of yoga nidra by bringing the body into Shavasana.
In the pose of Shavasana,
The feet are about hip width apart,
Falling naturally outwards to the sides.
The arms are alongside of the body but not touching,
With the palms facing up,
Down or inwards.
The head is balanced in the center,
Chin lightly tucked to lengthen the back of the neck.
Once your body feels settled and comfortable,
Set the intention to remain in stillness throughout the practice.
Feeling aware now of the back of the body and feeling the line of contact where body meets floor,
Where floor meets body.
Feel into each point of contact individually.
Notice the way the heels touch the floor,
The calves.
Feel the backs of the thighs resting on the floor and the buttocks.
Notice the sensation of the lower back against the floor.
Feel the middle back against the floor and the upper back.
Become aware of the backs of the hands and the arms resting on the floor below.
Feel the back of the neck,
Noticing if there is space between neck and floor or if there is contact.
Feel the back of the head resting heavy on the floor and tune in to this sensation.
Tune to feel that the body is releasing more and more into the posture of Shavasana.
That the body can let go completely and is supported by the floor.
Become aware of the whole left leg from the hip to the toes,
Sweeping awareness down and back up the leg.
Feel that the whole left leg is letting go.
The whole right leg from the hip to the toes,
Sweeping awareness down and back up the leg.
The whole right leg is releasing.
The whole left arm from the shoulder through the fingertips is softening.
The whole right arm,
Shoulder through fingertips,
Letting go.
Allow the abdomen to become completely soft and expansive.
The muscles in the chest surrounding the heart space are soft as well.
Feel the facial muscles releasing.
The tongue soft inside the mouth.
The eyes lightly closed.
The jaw relaxed.
The whole body from the top of the head all the way down through the toes is completely released.
Become aware now of outside sounds.
Sending the sense of hearing far out into the distance.
Seeking out the most distant sound first.
Quickly scanning through the environment in a wide arc.
As soon as a sound is detected,
Move on to a new sound.
And keep listening.
Hearing the closer sounds now.
The sounds inside the building.
Just outside of the room.
The sounds coming from inside the room.
Hear the sounds now coming from inside of the body.
Detect the sound of the heart beating.
The sound of digestion.
Hear the sound of the breath.
Hear the sound of the breath clearly.
Begin now to expand the breath.
Feeling as though the whole body is breathing.
Begin that the breath flows in through the soles of the feet.
Rises up through both sides of the body to the crown of the head.
Breath is exhaled from the crown all the way down through the sides of the body and out through the soles.
Continue to feel that the body is letting go with each and every breath.
Let go of this now.
At this time in the practice,
We set an intention,
A sen kalpa.
This sen kalpa is a positive intention for growth and transformation.
Mentally state the sen kalpa three times with full feeling and full faith.
If you do not have a sen kalpa,
Use this time to consider your deepest needs,
Your highest goals.
Release the sen kalpa,
Feeling that the seed of the intention has been planted.
At this time in the practice,
Awareness will be rotated through body parts.
As each body part is named,
Bring full attention to the part,
Feeling it,
Visualizing it,
And mentally repeating its name.
Breathing on the right side of the body,
Feel into the right hand thumb,
Visualizing the thumb,
Mentally repeating right hand thumb.
Continue like this.
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Side of the chest,
Inside of the waist,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And the fifth toe.
The whole right side of the body,
And the whole right side of the body.
Moving now to the left side,
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Side of the chest,
Side of the waist,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And the fifth toe.
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body.
To the back of the body now,
Letting go of the mental repetition of parts,
Simply feel and see each part as it is named.
Left heel,
Right heel,
Left calf,
Right calf,
Back of the left thigh,
Back of the right thigh,
Left buttock,
Right buttock,
Spinal column from bottom to top,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Left shoulder blade,
Right shoulder blade,
And space between.
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Left temple,
Right temple,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyebrow,
The eyebrow center,
Left eye,
Right eye,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Left cheek,
Right cheek,
Bridge of nose,
Nose tip,
Left nostril,
Right nostril,
Both nostrils,
The whole nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Line where lips touch,
Both lips,
Tongue,
Teeth,
Gums,
Left side of jaw,
Right side of jaw,
Chin,
Front of neck,
Throat pit,
Left collarbone,
Right collarbone,
Left side of the chest,
Right side of the chest,
The heart center,
Upper abdomen,
Lower abdomen,
Navel center,
Left side of the pelvis,
Right side of the pelvis,
The pelvic floor,
The whole pelvis,
Awareness of the whole left leg and foot,
The whole right leg and foot,
Both legs,
Both feet together,
The whole left arm and hand,
The whole right arm and hand,
Both arms,
Both hands together,
Torso,
Neck,
And head,
The whole torso,
Neck,
And head,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole front of the body,
The whole back,
Whole body awareness,
Whole body awareness from the top of the head through the tip of the toes.
And shifting attention now from the body to the movement of the natural breath.
And feel the breath moving easily and spontaneously in and out of the body.
No effort is required.
Let the body breathe on its own.
Notice the passage of the natural breath for a few moments.
Direct awareness now into the abdomen and begin to detect the gentle rise and fall of the navel with each and every breath.
Add a count now to the breath,
Counting the natural breath backwards from 27 with awareness at the navel.
Counting backwards in this way.
Navel rises,
27.
Navel falls,
27.
Navel rises,
26.
Navel falls,
26.
And the count is lost.
And the count is lost.
Remember awareness is on counting the natural breath backwards from 27 at the level of the navel.
We continue to truly direct our thinking.
Let go of the breath at the navel.
Shift attention to the nostrils.
Begin to count the natural breath backwards from nine,
Feeling the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.
Inhaling nine,
Exhaling nine,
And so on.
Let go of this.
Through the power of the will and the creativity,
Begin now to awaken the following experiences or sensations in the body.
The next time the body inhales,
Feel the sensation of coolness in the throat pit.
Begin to intensify the sensation of coolness,
Awakening the feeling throughout the whole body.
The body is growing cold,
Colder and colder,
As though lying on a bed of freshly fallen snow.
Coldness,
Whole body is very cold.
The nose tip,
The fingertips,
The toes intensify the feeling of coldness.
Release coldness now.
And on the next exhalation,
Feel a sensation of warmth,
Warmth arising from within the abdomen.
Feel this warmth increasing,
Spreading from the abdomen all the way up to the crown,
All the way down to the toes.
The whole body is growing warmer,
Warmer and warmer.
Sensation of warmth is increasing.
Heat,
The body is growing hot.
Feel as though the body is too close to a hot fire.
Recall the intensity of a hot summer's day.
The whole body is very,
Very hot.
Let go of this and awaken now the feeling of heaviness.
Feel that the arms are growing heavier,
The legs heavier and heavier.
The whole body is growing so heavy,
Pressing down against the floor below.
Feel as though the body is made out of stone,
Leaves an imprint on the floor below.
Release heaviness.
Recall in its opposite,
Lightness.
Feel that the body is filled only with air.
There is nothing inside the body but air.
The body is as light as a feather.
Lightness throughout the whole body.
Feel as though it could easily lift from the floor,
Take flight.
Lightness.
Release lightness.
Feel the body returning to its natural weight.
Shifting attention now to the space in front of the closed eyes.
Gazing into the space of the mind,
The space of the consciousness,
Chidakash.
Care now to visualize or imagine the following images as they are named.
An eagle soaring across the sky.
An eagle soaring across the sky.
Torrential rain.
Torrential rain.
An ancient stone temple.
An ancient stone temple.
Solid ground of red soil.
Solid ground of red soil.
Smell of the air after a rainstorm.
Yellow rose.
Yellow rose.
Sunny clearing in a dense forest.
Visualize a sunny clearing in a dense forest.
Ocean waves at night.
Ocean waves at night.
Clear blue sky.
Clear blue sky.
Golden flame in a dark cave.
Golden flame in a dark cave.
Looking up at the night sky counting the stars.
Looking up at the night sky counting the stars.
The sound of bells ringing.
The sound of bells ringing.
The crunch of autumn leaves underfoot.
The crunch of autumn leaves underfoot.
A room full of trusted friends.
A room full of trusted friends.
The sun setting on the horizon.
The sun setting on the horizon.
Yourself seated in deep meditation.
See yourself seated in deep meditation.
Let go of these images.
And return now to your sankalpa,
Your resolve.
Repeating it three times mentally with full faith and determination.
Know that it will manifest at the appropriate time.
Release the sankalpa.
Return to the feeling of your body breathing.
Begin now to expand your breath consciously.
Breathing in deeply,
Drawing in fresh oxygen.
Breathe out completely,
Releasing out carbon dioxide.
Hear the sound of your breath deepening.
Hear the sound of your breath.
And then begin to hear all of the sounds around you.
Bring all of the outside sounds into your consciousness all at once.
And allow the sounds to begin to awaken your body and bring you back into the room.
And start to notice the sensations present within your body.
And feel the clothes covering your skin.
The blankets covering your clothes.
And feel the weight of your body against the floor.
Awareness of the whole plane of contact between your body and floor all at once from the heels to the crown.
And become aware of how you have positioned your body on the floor and visualize yourself lying in Shavasana within this room.
Recall the room around you,
Knowing the direction you are facing.
Knowing the four walls,
The floor,
The ceiling,
The placement of doors and windows.
Remember as many details as you can of the room around you.
Recall the time of day and know that you have been practicing Yoganidra,
Yogic sleep,
And that the practice is now complete.
Slowly in your own time,
Begin to make small movements of fingers and toes.
Extend these movements gradually,
Stretching the arms and the legs.
Take any intuitive movements that feel appropriate for your body.
And when you feel ready,
Roll over onto one side,
Becoming aware of the effects of Yoganidra on your body and mind.
Give yourself a little squeeze and mentally express some gratitude for taking this time for deep rest.
When you feel ready,
There's absolutely no rush.
Come to a comfortable seated position with eyes closed to end the practice by chanting the mantra Aum once together.
Inyl-earnings.
Org you
4.5 (2 141)
Recent Reviews
Stephen
November 14, 2025
VERY refreshing nidra. Than you for creating and sharing with this community.
Markus
July 1, 2025
Thank you Hilary for this clear guidance through the process
Marika
January 9, 2025
It felt a bit hurried at times but overall a relaxing practice. No background music and that's much appreciated 🙏
Mike
December 31, 2023
Wow super relaxing. Felt like I took a nap and woke up refreshed!
Maru
December 6, 2023
Amazing! Thanks 🙏
ada
November 11, 2023
Great. Thank you very much for deeply relaxing Yoga Nidra.
Ann
June 13, 2021
Very good. So relaxing - I have no idea how it ended.
Maureen
April 19, 2021
What I heard was excellent. Good voice and flow and that is when you lost me. I never made it out of the body scan. So much for my yogic sleep. Well I'll try again next time and hopefully make it all the way through. Again, what I heard was great. Till next time.
Bronte
April 6, 2021
Thankyou for guiding this practice, I feel so much better centered and relaxed.
Juan
December 20, 2020
Thank you ❤️✨🙏🏻
Jer
October 28, 2020
She is the bestest best in the whole wide west.
Mina
August 21, 2020
Thank you! Just what I needed :) Namaste!
Rochelle
August 9, 2020
Perfect pace, length and rhythm, thank you
Gwendolyn
February 16, 2020
Refreshing! Original, new script, voice, approach! I am bookmarking!
Hannah
January 3, 2020
This is a correct Yoga Nidra practice as it was originally intended & scientifically verified unlike many of the others on this App. Therefore by practicing this one you will derive much more benefit from this.
Rhi
September 12, 2019
Truly lovely, thank you 🙏
Catherine
July 20, 2019
Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Audrey
June 13, 2019
Thank you. A wonderful Yoga Nidra. 🕉🙏
Deanna
May 22, 2019
Very nice!!! Thank you 🙏
Betsy
February 13, 2019
Thank you. I know the benefit will be subtle and powerful with practice. Clear and steady instruction. 🙏