Yoga Nidra: This Body Is Wonderland

This physical body is a temple; a precious vessel with the capacity to sense, experience, and to heal itself and others. Give yourself the gift of this Yoga Nidra practice to rest, restore, and rejuvinate the fleshy form that holds infinite space for who you are on the inside. Feel and notice all of the unique and opposing sensations that can be manifested, whilst also allowing yourself the opportunity to be silent and still.

Transcript

Prepare yourself to practice yoga nidra.

Find a comfortable and quiet space where you can lie down on your back.

Give your hips lots of space to breathe.

To be free of tightness and tension by spreading your feet apart from each other and allowing your toes to fall outward and open.

Bring your arms alongside your body with the palms facing up.

A gesture to receive.

And take any last final little fidgets or movements that will allow you to get in the most comfortable position possible right now.

And make a commitment to yourself to hold still.

Not to move.

And allow your eyelids to fall heavy.

The practice of yoga nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.

And these are the only important factors.

Gently begin to follow the incoming and outgoing breath from your nostrils.

Feel and notice the temperature of the air as you breathe in.

And follow the air down your windpipe into your lungs and feel your belly rise,

Expand with every breath in.

And as you exhale,

Watch that air turn around,

Travel from the navel all the way up and out the nostrils.

Feel warmth on your upper lip as you exhale.

And continue to follow this breath.

Nose to navel.

Nose to navel.

Watching it's coming,

It's going.

With every in-breath you collect any tension,

Any residual tightness that remains within your body.

And with every out-breath you simply send that out and away from you.

Give yourself permission to be completely passive.

And now transfer your awareness,

Your all attention to the center of your throat.

And although you will continue to breathe in and out through your nostrils,

Visualize or imagine that you have a hole right at the center of your throat.

Right where your atoms or your Eve's apple would be.

And feel the air draw in and out right from this hole.

And when you breathe this way it creates this gentle constriction in your throat.

And it produces a sound,

This ocean or sea sounding breath.

Follow the gentle noise of your incoming and outgoing breath.

Tranquil,

Calming,

Ocean sounding breath.

And now transfer your awareness from your throat center to your ears.

And begin to listen for noises that you can hear in the very far distance.

The most distant sounds that you can pick up on.

And see if you can allow your hearing to operate like a radar beam.

Picking up the most distant sounds possible one at a time.

Not attaching to any one sound,

Just simply hearing it,

Acknowledging the noise and letting it go.

Not needing to identify the source.

Not needing to hold on.

Continue to allow your hearing to operate in this way,

Moving from sound to sound in the far distance.

And then begin to draw your sense of hearing in closer.

In and around the space in which you lay.

And see if you can hear the noises one by one.

Make your hearing so sharp that you can hear each one at a time.

Not needing to identify or label anything.

Just hearing the sound.

And then letting it go.

And then allowing your sense of hearing to move closer still to the sounds within your own body.

See if you can hear your heart beating.

Right in your chest.

If you can hear your lungs breathing.

Maybe you can hear the gurgling of your stomach.

The cursing of blood through your veins.

And then from your hearing,

From your ears,

Bring your awareness to your lips.

Feel and notice maybe for the first time today the meeting points between your upper and lower lip.

Feel the very thin line where the top and bottom lip meet.

And then the same thing for your eyes.

All attention,

All awareness comes to your closed eyelids.

And feeling that very fine meeting point where the top lid and the lower lid merge and meet.

Make your mind so sharp that you can feel the meeting points between your eyelids.

And then release the awareness of your eyes.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

And the very first part of this practice is what's called a sankalpa or an intention.

And this sankalpa is like planting a seed,

Not only for this yoga nidra practice right now,

But for your life.

To practice sankalpa,

We first take a moment to feel gratitude.

Allowing yourself to notice and experience anything for which you feel truly thankful for in this moment.

The first thing that comes to mind.

And with this thing,

This person,

This experience for which you are so thankful in your mind's eye.

Take a moment to feel and notice what it feels like to be grateful.

Not just as this idea in your mind,

This intellectual emotion,

But instead as this full embodied experience,

Thankfulness.

What does it feel like?

Notice any sensations that arise.

And then from this heart forward place in stillness and in silence,

Ask yourself the question,

What is my deepest,

Most heartfelt dream?

What do I wish for in this life?

What is my longing?

And simply notice what comes up when you ask these questions.

What arises within you when you listen to the answer?

And whatever bubbles to the surface when you ask yourself this question,

This will be the foundation for your sankalpa,

Your intention.

And as it becomes clear to you,

Allow it to blossom into a language that makes sense.

Something that resonates within you.

And then repeat it to yourself silently in present tense in your mind with feeling,

With emotion as if it is already happening in your life.

And then give thanks and let it go.

We will now begin a rotation of consciousness.

Listen to my voice and I will name an area,

A point on your physical body.

And you will bring all of your awareness,

All of your attention to that point.

Feel any sensation that may arise,

Not seeking or searching for any one sensation,

Just noticing what invokes what happens in your body when you become aware of this portion.

And then let it go and move on to the next.

Never lingering,

Never holding on,

Always moving forward.

The practice of yoginidra always begins with the right hand thumb,

The right second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

And baby finger.

Bring your all awareness to the palm of your hand.

And now to the back of your right hand.

Become aware of your right wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder.

Right arm pit.

The right side of the torso.

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Shin,

Ankle,

And the heel and sole of the right foot.

Become aware of the top of the right foot.

The right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Baby toe.

Feel the difference between the right and left sides of your body in this moment.

And I'm drawing your all attention,

Your all awareness to your left hand thumb.

Left index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

The palm of the left hand,

The back of the left hand,

The left wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Arm pit,

The left side of the body,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

And the heel and sole of the left foot.

The top of the left foot.

The left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And baby toe.

Feel the difference between the right and left sides of your body in this moment.

And then bring your all awareness,

Your all attention to your back body,

To your right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Upper back,

Mid back,

Lower back,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The whole back body together.

And then drawing your awareness to the top of your head,

Right at the crown of your head.

Your head.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Eyebrow center.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right nose.

Tip of the nose.

Bring your all awareness to your right nostril.

Left nostril.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Jaw.

Throat.

Center of the throat.

And drawing all of your attention to your right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Right chest.

Left chest.

Middle of the chest.

Abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

And bringing your attention to the whole of the right leg.

The whole of the left leg.

Both legs together.

The whole of the right arm.

The whole of the left arm.

Both arms together.

The whole of the back body.

The whole of the front body.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

Check that you are not sleeping.

Say to yourself mentally,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I will not sleep.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I will not sleep.

Begin to concentrate,

To focus once again on your breath.

A natural,

Normal,

Effortless breath that flows in and out freely from your nostrils.

Trying not to manipulate or change this breath in any way.

Just watching,

Detached awareness like a third party observer.

And as you continue to watch this breath,

Begin to silently,

To yourself,

Count this breath backwards from the number 13.

Every time you breathe in this silent mantra in your head,

I am breathing in 13.

And as you exhale,

Deflate,

I am breathing out 13.

I am breathing in 12.

I am breathing out 12.

I am breathing in 11.

I am breathing out 11.

And continue to silently count these breaths backwards.

If you lose count at any time,

It's no trouble.

Just start back at 13.

Total awareness of breathing.

Total awareness of counting.

The breathing is slow,

Relaxed,

Without rush,

Without force.

Total awareness of breathing and of counting.

And now drop the count.

I am going to awaken a feeling,

A sensation of heaviness within your body.

Feel as though every bone,

Every muscle,

Every tendon is getting heavier and heavier.

Your head feels heavy.

Your torso feels heavy.

Your limbs feel heavy.

Heaviness in every single part of your body.

Feel as though that you are getting so heavy you begin to sink into the floor,

The mattress underneath you.

Awareness of heaviness.

Awareness of heaviness.

And now awaken a feeling of lightness.

Awaken a sensation of lightness.

A sensation of weightlessness.

Your head is light and weightless.

Your torso is light and weightless.

Your limbs are light and weightless.

Your body is as light as a feather.

Feel as though it's so light that it is floating up and off of the earth.

Awareness of lightness.

Awareness of total weightlessness.

Imagine the experience of cold.

The experience of bitter cold inside the whole body.

Imagine that you are outside walking on a snowy day.

Your body feels very cold.

You are cold all over.

Awareness of coldness.

Awareness of coldness.

And now begin to experience heat.

Imagine the sensation of heat.

The whole body is hot.

The whole body is hot.

Heat inside the body and heat radiating all around the body.

Recollect the feeling of sunshine.

On a hot summer day when there is no shade.

Heat in and around the whole body.

Awareness of heat.

Awareness of heat.

The experience of pain.

Concentrate and try to remember the experience of pain and what that means in your life.

Any pain,

Anything that you have ever experienced,

Mental,

Physical,

Emotional,

Recollect the feeling of pain.

Awareness of pain.

Awareness of pain.

And now recollect the feeling of pleasure.

Any kind of pleasure,

Physical,

Mental,

Emotional.

Recollect this feeling and relive it.

Make it vivid,

Relive the whole experience.

Imagine the feeling of pleasure.

Awareness of pleasure.

Check that you are still awake.

Are you sleepy?

Are you drowsy?

Check that you are still awake.

And say to yourself mentally,

I will not sleep.

I shall only listen to the voice.

I shall not sleep.

I shall only listen to the voice.

And now bring your awareness to the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Rest your mind in this warm,

Friendly,

Comfortable darkness.

And watch this space like a movie screen.

Notice what shows up in this dark,

Blank canvas right in front of your closed eyelids.

Rest your mind here,

But do not strain.

Don't seek for any one color or shape or revelation.

Simply watch this space with detached awareness,

Allowing any shapes,

Any patterns,

Any ideas,

Any stories to be created.

This is the manifesting state of your mind.

If thoughts occur,

If you begin to be led somewhere other than this practice right now,

Just notice,

Acknowledge.

And then gently bring yourself to rest your mind in that friendly darkness behind your closed eyes.

And continue to watch what comes up from this place of stillness and silence.

Watch with detached awareness,

Allowing anything to freely manifest to show up and then simply sending it away.

And now remember your sankalpa,

The intention that you set for yourself at the beginning of this practice.

And repeat the same sankalpa with the same words,

The same feeling right from the center of your heart,

Three times silently in your mind's eye with feeling,

With clarity.

And now become aware of your physical body,

Keeping your eyes closed and your body still.

Begin to look down on yourself from a bird's eye view.

How do you see yourself?

Look with love,

With compassion,

Without any judgment or expectation.

How do you see yourself?

See yourself for everything that you already are in this moment,

Because everything that you are in lying here is more than enough.

See yourself with the same awe and admiration that those who love you the most see within you.

From this bird's eye view,

Looking down,

Begin to visualize the space around you.

See your body lying wherever it lies in this room,

In this space.

And visualize as many details as you can behind your closed eyes of the area in which you are.

And then slowly,

Slowly begin to bring your awareness to your stomach and deepen your breath.

And feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you take deep,

Nourishing breaths in,

Cleansing every muscle,

Every tendon,

Every cell within your being with fresh,

Rich,

Oxygenated air.

And then slowly,

Slowly begin to bring some movement back to your physical body,

Maybe running your thumb pads along each finger pad,

Twinkling your toes,

Maybe loosening up wrists and ankles,

Finding some movement,

Rocking the head gently back and forth,

Just slowly waking the body back up.

And when you feel ready,

Drawing both arms up and overhead,

Great big stretch from tip to toe.

And then only when you feel ready,

Slowly,

Slowly beginning to flutter the eyes open and meet the world,

Meet this moment exactly how it is.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Namaste.

Reviews

Nice way to go to sleep. I needed this meditation to help me calm my anxiety. I don't even remember hearing the end of this meditation. I'm glad this meditation found me last night. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful day 🙏 ❤️ 🙂

I was feeling flu-ish today so I did this yoga nidra and now I feel so much better. So glad I took the time to do this meditation. Thank you. 🙏

Thank you! So relaxing and helped me drift off to sleep

What a lovely practice! My body became so relaxed. I loved that gentle reminder of being aware and staying present. Thank you for this beautiful deeply relaxing practice 💕 Your voice and guidance are so soothing and the pace was wonderful.

This was excellent, thank you. Loved everything from the music to the cadence of the practice.

Thank you kindly, for this guided yoga nidra practice♾️⚘️☄️⚘️☄️ Namaste🙏🏼✨️🖤🪔📿

Very restorative. Just what I needed. Thank you! 🙏

This is one of the most calming Nidra practices I have done. It was just perfect. Namaste Natasha 🌹🦋🙏🌈

Thank you Natasha for this beautiful practice! I love you 💛

Beautiful practice. Left me feeling rested and rejuvenated for the day ahead. Thank you for sharing this gift ❤️🙏❤️

Beautiful felt incredibly in touch!

Great meditation Natasha .
I just love your approach of directness ( if that word exists 😄)

Nice but please don't tell me not to fall asleep... It's what I desperately need and if I could, I would😂 finally I took off the headset and did, so thank you!

Wonderfully relaxing and complete body scan. Good to stay awake but would like one to go to sleep with too! Great music and cadence!

Beautiful voice. Relaxing. Centering ✨🙏🏼💖

This was really good, it finally got me to chill out

Well done. Nicely timed and voiced.

Very relaxing. I’m wondering though how you are supposed to hear distant/ambient noise when you are listening through earbuds. Can anyone comment please?

Very gentle, a lovely awakening. Thank you. Namaste. 💫✨💫✨

A wonderful yoga nidra session❣️🙏🏻