Deep Vedic Rest: 30-Minute Somatic Yoga Nidra

"Experience the profound art of Yoga Nidra—often called 'yogic sleep.' In this 30-minute practice, Indian-origin somatic guide Palak Ghetia invites you into a state of deep, conscious rest where the body relaxes and the mind gently unwinds.

Rooted in ancient Vedic tradition and enhanced with modern somatic awareness, this Yoga Nidra guides you through intentional body sensing and breath techniques designed to release accumulated tension and regulate the nervous system. Even if you remain awake throughout the journey, your body receives the benefits of deep cellular restoration and emotional release.

This practice is a sanctuary for those moments when you feel mentally tired, emotionally overwhelmed, or simply in need of a sacred space to soften. To begin, lie down comfortably, allow your body to be fully supported, and give yourself total permission to rest."

Image: Nandhu Kumar, Pexels

Transcript

Namaste and welcome to this Yoga Nidra session. My name is Palak and I will be guiding you through this session. Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed and where you can lie down comfortably. You can do this on the ground, On your yoga mat or on your bed. If you want you can place a rolled blanket or pillow or bolster under the back of your knees to ease the lower back. You can use a light covering for your eyes like an eye mask or a eye pillow. If it is cold where you are, You can keep a blanket around you for warmth. Now lie down comfortably. Your feet are wide apart, Wider than your hips and your hands are away from your body. Your neck is long, Back relaxed and body comfortable. Take a deep breath in, Make sure you are comfortable. Feeling relaxed and comfortable is important for the practice. Spend the next few moments ensuring that you are as comfortable as possible. Make any small adjustments that will help to settle your body. You may move at any point within the practice if you are uncomfortable. However, You will find a deeper relaxation if you stay still. If you do need to move, Try to do it slowly and gently. I will guide you through the practice but you don't have to listen to everything I say. It's perfectly fine if you drift off sometimes so that my voice just becomes a safe sound in the background. Now bring your awareness to your body and to your breath. Let go of all that happened through the day and all that you still need to do. Make this time just about you and finding the relaxation and stillness. If you like, Inhale through the nose and allow the belly to expand and exhale through your mouth with a sigh. Relax your entire body. Again, Inhale through the nose, Create space and exhale and soften. Two more times at your own pace and count. Consider setting a Sankalpa or intention for the practice ahead. Intention is a short positive statement of what you want to achieve through the practice. It could be as simple as I'm going to relax deeper or I'm going to enjoy the practice. If you can't think of an intention, Set the intention for allowing your body and your mind to rest deeply. You can now gently close your eyes. However, If closing the eyes feels overwhelming at this time, You can just relax your eyelids into a resting position. Next, Observe the sounds around you, Starting from the sounds immediately around you in the room, Like the clock ticking or the hum of your air conditioner or fan. To not flow with the sound, Just observe and let it go. Next, Put your attention to the sounds away from you. Maybe outside the room, In the next door house or the sounds coming from the street. Again, Observe them without attaching a story or a narrative to them. Now, Imagine your whole body settling into rest. Imagine your whole body surrendering to rest. Visualize your whole body resting deeply and giving it permission to rest deeply. Now, We will begin to rotate our awareness through different parts of the body. As your attention moves from one point to another, There is nothing to do. Simply rest your awareness on each body part. You may silently repeat the word relax to support this process. And if you like, Imagine each part of the body being filled with a warm, Golden, Nurturing light. Starting with the top of the head, Imagine a beautiful golden light entering your body from the crown of your head, Going to the back of your head, The forehead, Right eyebrow, Right eye, Left eyebrow, The left eye, Both the eyes together, The nose, The mouth, Right cheek, Left cheek, Both cheeks together, The right ear, The left ear, Back of the ears, Both the ears together, The back of the head, The throat. Your head, Face, And neck are completely relaxed. Your head, Face, And neck are completely relaxed. Now bring your awareness to the right side of your body, The beautiful, Golden, Warm light expanding from your neck and throat, Gently touching the right shoulder, Relaxing the shoulder, Moving to the armpit, Down the upper arm, To the right elbow, Down the forearm, Into the right wrist, Back of the hand, Tip of the right thumb, Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Little finger, The palm of your hand, Let the whole hand relax, Entire right hand is completely relaxed. Again, Bring your attention to the throat and to the left side of your body, The beautiful, Golden wave of light moving into the left shoulder, The armpit, Down the upper arm, To the left elbow, Down the forearm, Into the left wrist, Back of the hand, Tip of the left thumb, The index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Little finger, Into the left palm, Let the whole left hand rest, The entire left arm is completely relaxed, Bringing your attention back to your throat, And from there the golden light spreading into your left collar bone, Right collar bone, Centre of your chest, Right side of your chest, Left side of your chest, The navel, The stomach, Abdomen, Lower abdomen, Pelvis, Hips, Glutes, Lower back, Middle back, Upper back, Shoulder blades, Shoulders, Again, Moving from the spine, At the base of your neck, From the top to the tailbone, Your entire torso is completely relaxed, Entire torso is completely relaxed, Head, Hands, And torso, Completely relaxed, Now bring your awareness to the left hip, Down the left thigh, To the left knee, Back of the knee, Through the shin, The calf, To the left ankles, Foot, Tip of the big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Little toe, Left ankle, Left knee, And deep into the left hip, Your entire left leg is completely relaxed, Your entire left leg is completely relaxed, Again bring your awareness to the pelvis, And to the right hip, Down the right thigh, Right knee, Back of the knee, Through the shin, The calf, To the right ankle, The foot, Tip of the big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Little toe, Entire right foot, Right ankle, Right knee, And deep into the right hip, The entire right leg is completely relaxed, Entire right leg is completely relaxed, Your head, Neck, Torso, Arms, And legs, Completely relaxed, The entire body is completely relaxed, The entire body glowing in beautiful golden light, And completely relaxed, Without changing anything, Observe the natural rhythm of your breath, Rest in the changing sensations of the inhalation and exhalation, Resting in the changing sensations of your breath, Now bring your attention to the front of your body, From your face, Through your chest and torso, Down to your legs and feet, Let your whole front of the body gently rest into the back of your body, Allowing it to soften and settle, Feel the weight of your body as the front body releases into the back of the body and relaxes, Front of the body melting into the back of the body, Imagine how it would feel for your whole body to become heavy and heavier, As though you are sinking into the support beneath you, Your entire body melting and sinking into the mat or onto the bed, Let your body explore a deep restful heaviness, Sinking, Softening, Now imagine your back body becoming lighter and lighter and gently floating up into your front body, The whole body becoming light, Spacious, Effortless, As though you're floating gently and resting weightlessly, Your entire body floating up weightlessly, Now gently begin to move between these two sensations, Feeling the body lighter and lighter and effortlessly floating and feeling the body heavier and heavier and sinking into the mat, Again the body floating and becoming lighter and lighter and the body becoming heavier and heavier at your own pace without any effort, Imagining your body getting heavier and lighter, Now you can begin to rest in between the two, Neither heavy nor light, The essence of both without striving, Without grasping, Simply resting in the space in between, A sense of deep relaxation in your body, A sense of deep relaxation in your mind, A sense of deep rest in your whole being, Unchanging, Restful and complete, A sensation of letting the whole body rest, Resting in the unchanging nature of your whole self, Now we're going to visualize a few pictures and images on the screen of our mind, Allowing the images to arise on the screen of your mind, If an image or two or all of them do not come clearly, That is perfectly okay, Just stay in the relaxed state of mind, And starting now, Imagine the color blue, Imagine the color blue, Beautiful pink clouds in the sky, A beautiful pink clouds in the sky, A burning candle, Beautiful starry night, Beautiful starry night, A cascading waterfall, Cascading waterfall, Beautiful temple at sunrise, Beautiful temple at sunrise, Snow-capped mountains, Snow-capped mountains, Torrential rain, Torrential rain, Birds flying across a sunset, Birds flying across a sunset, Full moon night, Full moon night, A baby laughing, A baby laughing, And you smiling, And a smiling you, Now let go of your visualization and images, And come back to your breath, Come back to your body, And notice how your body feels against the ground, The weight of your muscles and bones, Notice which parts of you are touching the ground, The head, The right or the left shoulder blades, Your back, Glutes, Legs, Heels or arms, Just observe and let it go, Bring your attention back to the sounds around you, Just observing and releasing them, And mentally picturing the room you are lying down in, Without opening your eyes, Mentally picturing the room you are lying down in, And now sending a wave of gratitude to your body for today's practice, And sending a wave of gratitude to your body for keeping you healthy, Alive, And mobile, Now when you feel ready, And only when you feel ready, Gently begin to move your body, Maybe wiggle your toes and fingers, Maybe stretching your arms and legs, Making any movement that will help to bring your body back into wakefulness, Maybe you want to stretch your arms over your head and yawn, Do what feels good, Draw your knees up to your chest, Rock from side to side, And when you are ready, Gently roll over onto your side, Support your head on your arm, And keeping your head very heavy, Use your top arm to support you and help you come into a sitting position, Take your time, And in your own time, Come up to sitting in a comfortable position, Bring your hands to your body, Or into a prayer position, Take a moment to reflect on your sankalpa, And to close this yoga nidra practice in your own way, Or return to any feelings or sensations of deep rest, And when you feel ready, Gently open your eyes, The practice of yoga nidra is now complete. Namaste.