Yoga Nidra For Deep Rest: Total Relaxation Practice

A journey into deep rest & relaxation - this Traditional Yoga Nidra practice will take you to a space of pure peace, leaving away all the tensions and worries and becoming completely still and open to exploring the consciousness.
You'll relax every little part of your body one by one, you'll be connecting with your deep breaths and through that becoming more and more present in the space of awareness. Make sure your bed/mat is comfortable and that nothing distracts you during this practice. Enjoy!

Transcript

Welcome to the space of peace and relaxation.

Today we are going to share a yoga nidra practice.

Very powerful practice for relaxing the whole body and going a little bit deeper into the space of awareness.

Please get ready for yoga nidra.

Lie down on your back on the mat or in your bed.

Lie down on your back in shavasana.

In this position your body should be straight from the head to your toes,

The legs slightly apart and the arms a little away from your body.

With your palms of the hands turning upwards,

Adjust everything around you,

Your body,

Your position,

Your clothes until you feel completely comfortable and cosy.

During this practice there should be no physical movement,

Although if you need to move if everything is a little bit uncomfortable,

Of course,

Feel free to.

Close your eyes now and keep them closed until you're told to open them.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out feel all the cares and worries of the day flow out of you.

We're going to connect deeper with the energy of relaxation.

Start simply developing a sense of relaxation in every part of your body.

It's like this feeling just before sleep.

Try to keep yourself awake through this practice.

If you feel really sleepy just let go.

When relaxation becomes deep during this practice,

Sleep might come naturally.

But try to keep yourself awake.

Make a resolution to yourself now that I will not sleep,

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

This is a resolution to the space of your consciousness.

Your body might be sleeping but your consciousness can still be awake.

Keep following my voice through this practice and make this voice your anchor to this present moment.

Try not to intellectualize or analyze the instructions as this will disturb your mental relaxation.

Simply follow the voice with total attention and feeling.

And if thoughts come to disturb you from time to time,

Don't worry,

Just continue the practice.

Allow yourself to become calm and steady.

Be gentle with yourself and patient through the whole process.

Now bring about a feeling of inner relaxation in the whole body.

Concentrate on the body and become aware of the importance of complete stillness.

Develop your awareness of the body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

And mentally repeat the mantra OM,

OM,

OM,

Complete stillness and complete awareness of the whole body.

Again OM,

Continue your awareness of the whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Become aware of the fact that you are going to practice Yoga Nidra.

Say mentally to yourself I am aware,

I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.

I am aware.

Repeat this to yourself again.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

At this moment you should make your resolve,

Your sankalpa intention.

This resolve will have to be very simple.

Try to discover one naturally.

Develop your intention for this practice or for the rest of your week or month,

Whatever you focusing now on manifesting or healing.

It should be a short positive statement in simple language.

Like I am healing my whole body.

I am attracting abundance.

Say it three times with awareness,

Feeling it in your heart space.

The resolve you make during Yoga Nidra is bound to come true in your life.

So just let go and trust it.

We will now begin rotation of consciousness,

Rotation of awareness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body.

As quickly as possible the awareness goes from part to part.

Repeat the part in your mind and simultaneously become aware of that part of your body.

Keep yourself alert but don't concentrate too intensely.

Just become aware of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of your hand.

Become aware of your palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

Your right waist,

Your right hip,

The right thigh,

The kneecap,

Your calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and your fifth toe as well.

Become aware now of the left hand thumb,

Second finger of your left hand,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of your hand,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The left side of your waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of your left foot,

Top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and your fifth toe on your left foot now.

Now to the back.

Become aware of the right shoulder blade and the left shoulder blade.

The right buttock and the left buttock.

The spine.

The whole back together.

Now go to the top of your head.

The top of the head.

The forehead.

Both sides of the head.

The right eyebrow.

The left eyebrow.

The space between the eyebrows.

The right eyelid.

The left eyelid.

The right eye.

The left eye.

The right ear.

The left ear.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

The nose.

The tip of the nose.

The upper lip.

The lower lip.

The chin.

The throat.

The right chest.

The left side of your chest.

The middle of your chest.

The navel.

The abdomen.

Now notice the whole right leg.

The whole of the left leg.

And both legs together.

The whole of the right arm.

The whole of the left arm.

And both arms together.

The whole of the back.

Your buttocks.

Your spine.

Your shoulder blades.

The whole of the front.

Your abdomen.

Your chest.

The whole of the back and front.

Together.

The whole of the head.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

Keep relaxing.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

Please do not sleep.

Staying in total awareness.

No sleeping.

No movement.

The whole body on the ground.

Become aware of your body lying down on the ground.

Your body is lying down.

Connecting to the surface underneath you.

See your body being perfectly still on the ground in this room.

Visualise this image in your mind.

Become aware of your breath.

Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.

Do not try to change the rhythm.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

You are not doing it.

There is no effort.

Maintain awareness of your breath.

Continue.

Complete awareness of your breath.

Now concentrate your awareness on the movement of your navel area.

Concentrate on your navel movement.

Your navel is rising and falling slightly with every breath.

With each and every breath it expands and contracts.

Concentrate on this movement in synchronisation with your breath.

Go on practising but be sure that you are aware.

Now start counting your breaths backwards from 27 to 1.

Like this.

27,

Navel rising.

27,

Navel falling.

26,

Navel rising.

26,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

25,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

25,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

25,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

25,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

Now stop your counting of the navel breath and shift your attention to the chest.

Please shift to the chest.

Your chest is rising and falling slightly with each and every breath.

Become aware of this.

Continue concentrating on the movement of the chest and start counting backwards from 27 to 1 in the same way as before.

27,

Chest rising.

27,

Chest falling.

26,

Chest rising.

26,

Chest falling.

25,

Chest rising.

25,

Chest falling.

And so on and so on.

Again,

Repeat the words and numbers mentally to yourself as you count.

No mistakes and if you make a mistake,

Come back to the start again to 27.

Continue counting 27 to 1.

Keep on with the practice.

Counting and awareness.

Awareness and counting.

Seize your counting of the chest breaths and move your awareness to the throat.

Please move to the throat now.

Become aware of your breath moving in and out of the throat.

Become aware of this.

Concentrate on the movement of the breath and start counting backwards from 27 to 1 in the same way as before.

Complete awareness of counting and of the breath.

No sleeping.

Just total awareness that you are counting.

Keep on with the practice.

Continue counting your breaths in the throat.

Stop counting now and go now to your nostrils.

Become aware of the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.

Concentrate on the movement of the breath in and out of the nostrils and start counting as before.

You know it very well by now.

27 breathing in,

27 breathing out.

Complete awareness.

Continue counting with no mistakes.

Keep on with the practice and continue.

Stop your counting now and leave your breathing.

We now come to visualisation.

A number of different things will be named and you should try to develop a vision of them on all levels.

Feeling,

Awareness,

Emotion,

Imagination as best as you can.

If you are able to find this vision,

Your relaxation is complete for the time being.

And if you are not able to,

Then you just need a little bit more practice.

You can do this by listening to the sound of the wind.

You can do this by listening to the sound of the waves.

You can do this by listening to the sound of the waves.

You can do this by listening to the sound of the waves.

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain.

Snow-capped mountains,

Snow-capped mountains,

Snow-capped mountains.

Greek temple at sunrise,

Greek temple at sunrise,

Greek temple at sunrise.

Coffin beside a grave,

Coffin beside a grave,

Coffin beside a grave.

Birds flying across a sunset,

Birds flying across a sunset,

Birds flying across a sunset.

Red clouds drifting,

Red clouds drifting,

Red clouds drifting.

A cross above a church,

A cross above a church,

A cross above a church.

Stars at night,

Stars at night,

Stars at night.

Full moon,

Full moon,

Full moon,

Smiling Buddha,

Smiling Buddha,

Smiling Buddha.

Wind from the sea,

Wind from the sea,

Wind from the sea.

Waves breaking on a deserted beach,

Waves breaking on a deserted beach.

The restless sea,

Eternal restless sea,

Eternal restless sea.

Waves breaking on a deserted beach.

Now is the time to repeat your intention,

Your resolve for this practice.

Repeat the same resolve that you made at the beginning of this practice and do not change it.

Repeat it three times with full awareness and feeling.

Relax all efforts,

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your breathing again.

Become aware of the natural breath,

Awareness of the whole body,

Awareness of breathing.

Your body is lying totally relaxed on the floor.

You are breathing quietly and slowly.

Develop awareness of your body from the top of the head to the tips of your toes and say mentally in your mind,

OM,

OM.

Repeat this to yourself once more,

OM.

Become aware of the surface underneath you and the position of your body lying on the bed or on the floor.

Visualise the room around you and become more aware of your surroundings.

Start moving your body and stretching yourself now.

Please take some time and do not hurry,

There is no rush.

When you are sure that you are awake,

Sit up slowly and then open your eyes.

Our practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Thank you so much,

I hope you enjoyed and I am wishing you all the peace,

Love and blessings.

Namaste.