Yoga Nidra | Ocean Flow

This complete Yoga Nidra practice involves traditional elements of intention-setting, muscle relaxation, breath awareness, and sensation awareness, as well as a beautiful guided visualization. The practice of Yoga Nidra helps to activate the body's relaxation response, decreasing anxiety, and promoting profound rest and healing.

Transcript

Please lie down in Shavasana, Getting ready for Yoga Nidra. Take care to set up for a comfortable rest, With enough support for your body. A low pillow under your head, A bolster under your knees, And a blanket for warmth are all good options. Once you're lying down, Stretch your legs out long, Arms resting at your sides, Palms face up. Slide your shoulder blades under your back body, And draw your chin in gently towards your throat, Creating length in the back of the neck. We practice Yoga Nidra in stillness, So take the time to become as comfortable as possible, So that you may relax completely. Find equal weight on both sides of your body. If you have any discomfort in your hips or your lower back, You can lift your hips up slightly to lengthen the spine before releasing them back down. As you feel yourself settle, Allow relaxation to spread through your body. If you need to make any final adjustments, Do so now. Once you're satisfied, Invite your body to settle into stillness. By maintaining this stillness throughout the practice, We can more fully explore the depths of our inner layers of consciousness. During Yoga Nidra, You are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness. The only important thing is to follow the guidance of my voice. During the practice, Use and absorb what you need in the moment, And leave behind what doesn't serve you. If external thoughts come in from time to time, Simply acknowledge them and let them go, Returning your attention to the sound of my voice. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a deep breath in through the nose, Pause at the top, And then release it slowly and with control. As you breathe in and out, Allow your breath to wash through your torso, Encouraging your muscles to soften and let go. Take another deep breath in through the nose, Out through the nose, Letting go. Bring your awareness to your right leg. Engage all the muscles in your right leg, Tensing the leg, Pointing and flexing the toes. Take a deep breath in, Extending your leg, Lifting it a few inches up off the ground. As you exhale, Relax your leg back to the ground. Rock your leg side to side, Fully letting go. Bring your awareness to your left leg. Engage all the muscles in your left leg, Tensing the leg, Pointing and flexing the toes. Take a deep breath in, Extending your leg, Lifting it a few inches off the ground. As you exhale, Release your leg back to the ground. Rock your leg side to side, Fully letting go. Bring your awareness to your right arm. Engage all the muscles in your right arm, Tensing your arm, Opening your hand, Extending your fingers. Curl your fingers up, Making your hand into a fist. Take a deep breath in, Lifting your arm a few inches up off the ground. As you exhale, Relax your arm back to the ground. Rock your arm side to side, Letting it all go. Bring your awareness to your left arm. Engage all the muscles in your left arm, Tensing your arm, Opening your hand, Extending your fingers. Curl your fingers up, Making your hand into a fist. Take a deep breath in, Extending your arm a few inches up off the ground. As you exhale, Release your arm back to the ground. Rock your arm side to side, Letting it all go. Bring your awareness now to your belly. Inhale, Allowing the belly to fully expand as your lungs fill with air. As you exhale, Allow the lungs to deflate, The belly to soften and fall, Relaxing your torso back down into the earth. Bring your awareness to your shoulders. Inhale, Lifting your shoulders up towards your ears. On your exhale, Drop your shoulders back down, Relaxing your shoulders back onto the earth below you. Bring your awareness to your face. Inhale and squeeze the muscles of your face, Squeezing the eyes shut, Pursing your mouth, Tightening your cheeks, Crinkling your nose. On your exhale, Let it all go. Relax your face, Rocking your head gently side to side. Relax. Deeply relax. Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, Allow your cares and worries to wash completely away. Relax, Feeling your body heavy and weighted, Sinking into the ground, Fully supported by the earth beneath you. The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now. At this moment, You should make your sankalpa your resolve. This can be a short, Positive statement affirming your intention for yourself or for your practice. This can be something you're consciously working on or this can simply be something that arises now in the moment, Something that drifts to the surface of your awareness. In the relaxed state of mind of Yoga Nidra, Your sankalpa holds immense power. Moving easily past the external layers of self, We're able to plant our resolve deep in our subconscious. Create your resolve, Your sankalpa, Three times to yourself with focused attention and clear awareness. Begin now to feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs. Observe as your breath flows into your body like the wave of the ocean, Filling up your lungs. Sense this vitality running through the pathways of your body, Spreading to nourish every part of your being. Each exhale releasing anything that is not serving you, Feeling your breath retreat like a wave receding from the shore. Continue to follow the natural cycle of your breath in and out. Begin to count your breaths backwards from 9 to 1 like this. Belly rise, 9 belly fall, 8 belly rise, 8 belly fall, 7 belly rise, 7 belly fall. Continue your count, Repeating the words and numbers to yourself as you count your breaths all the way to 1. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, 6, 7, 8. Begin now to the awareness of sensation. Imagine your whole body becoming heavy. Feel the heaviness of all the parts of your body, Your whole body. Each part becomes heavier and heavier, Pressing into the floor beneath you. Your head is heavy. Your arms and legs are heavy. Your hips and torso are heavy. Your whole body is heavy. So heavy that it's sinking down into the floor. Now imagine your whole body becoming light. It feels as though your body could float away from the floor toward the ceiling. Your head feels light and weightless. Your arms and legs are weightless. Your hips and torso floating and weightless. Your whole body light, Rising higher and higher away from the floor. Awaken now the experience of cold in the body, The experience of a deep chill. Bring to your body the feeling of being outside in winter on a cold windswept day. You feel the chill permeating your entire body, Freezing your fingers, Your toes, Cooling your very breath as you exhale. Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout your entire body. Remember the feeling of heat as you stand in front of a roaring campfire, The flames crackling as they heat your entire body. You feel heat radiating down from the center of the fire, Warming your clothes, Your skin, Your face, Heating your whole body. Imagine you are standing at the shore of the ocean. A long expanse of beach stretches out in either direction. With sand, Round pebbles, Driftwood. You're completely alone on the shore, Completely free. The waves wash up to meet the shore, Each wave capped lightly with sea foam. As one wave breaks and retreats, It simply flows back into the next, Each retreat turning seamlessly into the next approach. The sun is warm and gentle overhead, The ocean breeze light and scented with salt. You hear the waves shifting and flowing over the pebbles and sand, A quiet symphony punctuated by the call of gulls soaring high overhead. You feel completely safe, Completely relaxed. Taking a seat on the sand, You rest your back against a driftwood log, Gazing out at the ocean. You can see the faint outline of mountains on the horizon, Snow capped peaks turning into forest covered slopes, Turning into rocky shoreline as earth meets sea. You notice a small bird making its way along the sand, Just at the edge of the water. It seems untroubled by the flow of the waves, Its feet covered by a cool wash of water as it pokes and explores around the rocks and pebbles. You watch the bird as it follows the line of the shore all the way down the beach, Slow and deliberate, Completely absorbed in its task. You return your gaze to the waves, Watching as further from shore, The water rises and falls. You notice the water itself remains unchanged as the energy of the waves flows across the surface. You become lost in the rhythm of the ocean, The sink and the swell, The rise and the fall. Time drops away. There's no action to take. There's nothing you need. Sitting here on the beach, You feel the peace of this place sink deeply. The warmth of the sun, The path of the small bird, The constant steady cycle of the waves. You know that you can return to this beautiful place, This place of rest, Whenever you need it. Now is the time to repeat your sankapa, Your resolve. Repeat to yourself the same resolve you made at the beginning of the practice. Repeat the resolve three times, Fully opening your heart and mind to your resolve. Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils. Come back to the sensation of your belly rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Extend this awareness to the rest of your body, Your body lying relaxed on the floor. Become aware of the top of your head, The tips of your fingers, The tips of your toes. Notice the connection between your body and the earth. Become aware of your body resting on the floor, The back of your heels, Your thighs, Buttocks, Shoulder blades, Arms, Hands, Head. Without opening your eyes, Visualize the surrounding room, The floor, The walls, The ceiling. Imagine where you are in the room, The objects surrounding you. Lie quietly until you feel ready to move. You can start by slowly moving your fingers, Wiggling your toes, And take your time. There's no need to rush, No hurry. Rotate your wrists, Your ankles. Gently shift your neck from side to side. Bring movement into your arms, Your legs. Take a deep, Full breath, Feeling it invigorate your whole body. When you're satisfied that you're fully awake, Roll to your right side and use your hands to press yourself up from the floor, Coming to a seated position. The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Reviews

Loved the progressive relaxation before the rest of the meditation. Very calming and I was able to take a much needed nap! Thank you 🙏!

Thank you

thank you for a very pleasant session 😊 Namaste 🙏🏻