Autumn Yoga Nidra

This Yoga Nidra practice invites you to slow down and embrace the calm, reflective nature of the autumn season. Through guided breath work, body scanning, and visualisation, you'll connect with yourself and release any emotional and physical tension, creating a space for deep rest and renewal.

Whether you're marking the Autumn Equinox or simply looking for relaxation on a cool autumn day, grab a blanket and settle into this restorative healing pratice.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this yoga nidra for autumn time.

I invite you to start by finding a comfortable position.

You might choose to lie on your back in shavasana or any other position that feels supportive and restful for you today.

Take your time to create this supportive space,

Perhaps bringing in any blankets,

Pillows,

Eye masks,

Anything at all to get yourself extra cosy in your nidra rest.

While you're settling in,

I'm going to briefly go over what we'll do through this practice.

This nidra will be around 30 minutes long and includes some silent moments.

If anything feels uncomfortable during this time,

Please know you have permission to open your eyes,

Move your fingers or toes and that will take you out of the nidra state.

During the practice,

You might find yourself drifting off to sleep or maybe my voice becomes a soft murmur in the background.

That is okay,

Just flow with your experience,

Let go of any expectations you might have and know that there is no such thing as failure in a yoga nidra practice.

Sometimes your nidra will feel amazing and sometimes you're lying there with a head full of thoughts,

Feeling restless and that is okay.

Yoga nidra is not something that you do,

But rather something that you receive.

So be open to whatever this practice looks like for you today and know that you are giving yourself space to process any thoughts,

You're giving your body nurturing and important rest.

In this nidra,

We are focusing on the theme of autumn.

Autumn is a time when nature begins to slow down and it gently urges us to do the same.

The days are becoming shorter,

The pace of life in the natural world is beginning to ease and it reminds us the importance of aligning with these natural rhythms and taking the time to rest and recharge ourselves.

By simply being here today and taking this time for your practice,

You are honoring your needs for self-care and renewal.

So take a moment to appreciate yourself for dedicating this time to you and your wellbeing.

Towards the end of this practice,

I will invite you to imagine a place in nature.

You can listen to my suggestions,

But if any other images or sensations come up,

Feel free to ignore my words and have your own experience.

We are now going to start the practice by simply noticing how you are feeling today.

So we are going to get started by just simply noticing how you're feeling,

Perhaps noticing any thoughts.

Instead of pushing these thoughts away,

Just allowing them to be there in the background.

Imagine that you're turning down the volume on these thoughts and churning up the volume on the experience of being in your body.

So you're leaving the busy world behind for now and you're here,

Cozy,

Snug in your neat dress,

Just starting to observe how you are feeling.

Maybe beginning to bring your awareness to your breath,

Taking a few deep inhales and exhales.

And with each exhale,

You might sigh out through the mouth,

Helping to let go of what no longer serves you,

Let go of any tension that you might be holding on to.

And then allowing the breath to simply return to a natural rhythm,

Allowing this breath to flow freely,

With ease.

And as you lie here,

Observing the breath,

I invite you to set an intention for your practice.

It might be something like,

I embrace the calm and change of autumn,

Or I allow myself to rest.

If nothing comes to mind,

That's perfectly okay.

Your intention will unfold naturally during this practice.

And I'm going to start to take a journey around the body.

All you have to do is draw your awareness to a body part when I mention it.

Perhaps imagine filling each body part with a warm,

Glowing light,

Welcoming any sensations that might enter,

Knowing there is nothing to change,

Nothing to fix,

And just simply shining the light of your awareness on each part.

So starting with the top of the head,

Beginning to visualize a light glowing at your crown chakra.

And bringing the awareness to your forehead,

The right eye,

The left eye,

Both eyes together,

The nose,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

Both cheeks together.

The tongue,

The lips,

The right ear,

The left ear,

Both ears together,

The back of the head,

And then drawing the awareness to your right shoulder,

This warm light gently touching this right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Back of the hand,

Palm of the hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth,

And fifth.

Aware of all five fingers,

The whole right hand,

The whole right arm glowing at ease,

The right armpit,

The outside of the ribs,

The right waist,

The right hip,

Thigh,

Right knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

And foot.

The whole right leg,

The right side of the pelvis,

The lower back,

Upper back,

The whole right side of the body.

Maybe noticing if there's any difference here in sensations between the right and left side,

And then bringing the awareness to that left shoulder,

The right ear,

This warm light gently touching that left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Back of the hand,

Palm of the hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third,

Fourth,

All five fingers,

The whole left hand,

The whole left arm glowing relaxed,

The left armpit,

The outside of the ribs,

The left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

And foot.

The whole left leg glowing,

The whole left leg at ease,

The left side of the pelvis,

The lower back,

And upper back.

Aware of the whole left side of the body,

This whole left side glowing with that warm light,

And then feeling the entire body,

The left and right together,

Feeling it glowing and allowing the body to be grounded,

To be relaxed,

Allowing it to surrender down to the surface below you,

And then bringing your focus to your breath.

Notice the natural rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations,

And imagine each breath like a gentle autumn breeze,

Carrying away any lingering stress.

With each exhale,

Let go of any tension,

Any worries,

And allow them to be carried away by the breeze.

Begin to notice the parts of the body that are touching the surface beneath you,

And noticing these contact points.

How does it feel noticing these contact points,

And how it feels there when you breathe?

Can you feel any movements?

They might be very subtle and small,

Maybe a gentle rise,

And as you exhale,

Maybe grounding down.

Just noticing these sensations with the breath.

You might not feel anything at all,

And that's also a valid sensation.

Start to notice the whole back of your body resting down towards the surface beneath you,

Feeling yourself held,

Supported,

And then bringing the awareness to the front of the body,

Feeling,

Sensing a lightness.

With each inhalation,

You're lifting up,

Creating space,

And then with each exhalation,

You soften into that space,

Softening into that surface below you that is holding you.

As you inhale,

You might notice the stomach gently expanding.

As you exhale,

You might feel the stomach soften down,

Embracing you like a gentle hug.

I'm just taking a few long,

Comfortable breaths here at your own pace.

If you want to invite in a rhythm,

Maybe a count of four as you inhale,

And as you exhale,

A count to five or six,

Choosing a rhythm that works for you today.

Feel free to stay with that rhythm for as long as you're comfortable with,

Or allow the breath to return back to a natural pace.

Just allow it to flow with ease.

And I invite you to begin visualizing yourself in a beautiful autumn landscape.

Perhaps picturing a tranquil forest with trees in vibrant shades of red,

Orange,

And gold.

Just noticing these colors of nature surrounding you,

And connecting to this beautiful autumn setting with all of your senses.

Just taking in everything that you can see,

Feeling the crisp,

Cool air maybe brushing against your skin.

As you inhale,

You might feel a coolness passing the tip of the nostrils,

Breathing in that autumn air.

You might start to pick up on anything that you can smell,

The fresh,

Earthly sense of nature.

Maybe hearing the rustling of the leaves as they fall to the ground.

And then begin to imagine yourself walking on a path through this setting.

Noticing what the path looks like,

What's surrounding the path.

Maybe you're walking through that forest,

Maybe there's a stream or a lake.

And how does it feel on the feet?

Can you feel the autumn leaves crisp and crackling as you walk?

And as you walk through this space,

With each step you're feeling more grounded and more connected to nature.

Finding a comfortable spot to come and sit.

You might choose to sit on the ground,

Maybe on a tree stump or a bench.

And as you found your comfortable seat,

Looking up to the sky,

Up to the treetops,

You might start to notice the leaves falling from the trees,

Dancing in the wind as they fall towards the ground.

Taking time to watch the trees shedding those leaves and letting go ready for this next season.

And you might see rays of sunlight coming through the trees,

Creating patterns on the earth,

Casting shadows around you.

And as you start to rest in this serene autumn setting,

I invite you to let go of anything that is no longer serving you.

Just as the trees are releasing their leaves,

You too can release any old habits,

Thoughts,

Emotions.

Letting go of anything that you do not need.

If nothing's coming to mind that is okay,

Doesn't need to be a story,

Just a feeling of letting go,

Of becoming lighter,

Freer,

Softer.

Taking a moment to feel the gratitude for this season of change and reflection.

Acknowledging the beauty of this transition,

Of the rest that autumn brings.

And allowing this sense of gratitude to fill you,

Creating a feeling of warmth and contentment.

Maybe coming back to the breath as you rest in this space.

Maybe coming back to the breath as you rest in this space.

With each breath you are becoming lighter,

Freer,

And more attuned to the beauty of this season.

And we're now going to start a slow and gentle return.

Maybe taking a few deeper inhalations.

Starting to feel the surface beneath you again.

Maybe noticing any sounds.

Beginning to gently move the fingers and the toes.

Feeling free to take any bigger movements,

Maybe a stretch of your arms overhead.

Maybe drawing the knees in towards your chest for a hug.

And then I invite you to gently roll over onto one side.

And feel free to continue resting here for as long as you need.

Or in your own time,

Making your way up to seated.

A practice of yuga nidra is now over.

Thank you very much for practicing with me.

And I hope you feel a little bit more lighter.

Thank you.

Reviews

Amazing I only really heard the beginning I think i
Actually fell asleep that’s good for me as I am a poor sleeper so will definitely be listening in again

Thank you Beth