Yoga Nidra For Sleep: Let Go & Drift Into Rest

Drift into deep, restorative sleep with this extended Yoga Nidra practice - especially supportive if you experience a busy mind at night, difficulty switching off, or disrupted sleep patterns. This practice can also be used at any time of the day if you are in need of deep rest. You may remain aware, or you may gently drift into sleep—both are completely welcome.

Through a long, slow rotation of consciousness (body scan), awareness moves gradually through the body, inviting a sense of softness, heaviness, and release. This gentle process allows the mind to slowly let go of thinking, while the body settles more and more deeply into rest.
With the support of the breath, the nervous system is supported to unwind, and the mind can drift into stillness…making way for natural, restful sleep.

The music will continue to play for a few minutes at the end and gently fade out.

Music by Charlie Gates.

Transcript

Good evening this is Gemma and this is a yoga nidra practice for sleep to support you in letting go and gently drift into rest. There is nothing you need to do here and nothing you need to get right even if the mind feels busy or active. There is no need for any effort to quieten it. In fact there is no need to change anything at all. You can simply arrive as you are and allow my guidance to offer space to deeply rest and let go into sleep. Take your time now to settle into a warm and cosy position. This may be lying on your back or in a way that feels most comfortable and supported for you for sleep. Make any small adjustments that will allow the body to rest fully. Allow the eyes to close and begin to notice the simple fact of the body lying here. Become aware of the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you. The weight of the body against the mattress and you might sense that you are being received by the ground that is always there as a steady ever-present support. There is nothing you need to hold on to now. The body already knows how to rest and perhaps you can allow gravity to take your weight, Guiding you into letting go, Releasing into the support that holds you. Gently bring awareness to the breath, Just as it is in this moment. Noticing where the breath is felt in the body. You might take one or two deeper breaths here. A soft inhale and a long slow exhale, Releasing the day. Breathing in gently without force and breathing out slow and steady. Soften through the forehead, The jaw, Shoulders, As the breath returns to its natural rhythm, Effortless and steady. You might gently welcome in a sankalpa here. A supportive and heartfelt intention to rest. Not something to force, Just a quiet invitation. It might be something like I allow my body and mind to rest. Or perhaps simply I repeat your sankalpa softly to yourself a few times now. Or you might simply allow the feeling of it to settle into the body. We'll now move into rotation of consciousness. Gently moving awareness through the body. At each point you might welcome in a softness. A heaviness. A letting go as gravity gently releases you. Deeper and deeper into rest. Starting at the crown of the head. Sense the whole scalp releasing. Move attention to the forehead. A softening radiating out from the centre of the forehead. Right eyebrow. Left eyebrow. Right eye socket. Left eye socket. Right temple. Left temple. Both cheekbones. Feel the sensation of air moving in and out. Of the nostrils. Notice the lips. And all the tiny muscles around the mouth. Sense inside the mouth. Right inside cheek. Left inside cheek. Gently resting against the roof of the mouth. And running all the way down into the throat. Loosen the hinges of the jaw. And base of the throat. Bring awareness to the right side of the body. Release the shoulder. Wrist. Palm of the hand. Left hand. Right thumb. First finger. Second finger. Third finger. Little finger. Slowly travel awareness back up to the right shoulder. Right side of chest. Waist. Sole of foot. Right big toe. First toe. Second toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Notice the whole right side of the body. Bring awareness to the left side of the body. Release the shoulder. First finger. Second finger. Third finger. Little finger. Slowly travel awareness back up to the left shoulder. Back up to the left shoulder. Left side of chest. Waist. Sole of foot. Left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Notice the whole left side of the body. Bring awareness to the back of the body. A sense of heaviness at the heels. Backs of the legs. The pelvic bowl and glutes. Mid back. Shoulder blades. Back of the neck. Notice the whole of the back side of the body. Sinking into the surface beneath you. Bring awareness to the front of the body. Soften the face. The eyes. Front of the legs. Notice the whole front side of the body. Notice both the right side and left side of the body together now. Notice the back and front of the body together. Notice the whole body now. The right side. Left side. And front. The whole body as one. Supported. As if gravity is gently drawing the body down. Down into the support. Gently holding you. The whole body resting. Letting go. To deep. Bring awareness back to the breath. The natural rhythm of inhale. And exhale. The whole body breathing together. A gentle rolling in. Each inhale. An invitation. Each exhale. A quiet release. You might imagine the breath. Reaching down through the body on the inhale. All the way to the feet. And the whole body. Softly emptying on the exhale. A steady rhythm of breath. Inhaling into the feet. And exhaling. A deep release. From the whole body. Allowing each breath. To take you deeper. And deeper. Into rest. And with this gentle rhythm of breath. The mind can soften. And fade. Into the background. And if thoughts arise. They can simply be there. No need to follow them. No need to push them away. Thoughts simply drifting. As your awareness. Rests. With the cycle of breath. Of the body. And perhaps notice. A sense of the body. Becoming softer. At the edges. Less defined. As if. The body is gently. Dissolving. Becoming one. With the space. Around it. The body. Drifting. Softening. Letting go.