Rest | Yoga Nidra | 20 Min.

Come along with me as I guide you through a grounding 20-minute yoga nidra meditation. You do not need anything to join, just a comfortable position. This yoga nidra will take you through a body scan, breathwork, and visualization. A full guided meditation that will relax your body and mind, bringing you to a peaceful state.

Transcript

Welcome to a 20-minute yoga nidra meditation. Before we begin, You'll want to make sure that you are very comfortable, As during the nidra, I would prefer if you did not move. So just make sure that you're very comfortable, Whether you're laying down, Maybe blankets, Maybe pillows, Maybe seated. If you do need to move, That's OK. Just make sure it's very slow and gentle. I'll guide you through the practice, But just be aware that you do not have to listen to everything I say. It's totally OK if you drift off sometimes. Just be aware that my voice is a safe sound in the background, And you can always come back to it. Towards the end of this nidra, I will ask you to visualize or feel a place somewhere in nature in the summer. I'll guide you through a walk. But if there are any other images or sensations that come up, You are totally welcome to ignore my suggestions and have your own personal experience. I am just a guide. Please bring your awareness now to the breath. If you'd like, You can start to inhale through the nose and allow the belly to expand, Exhaling through the mouth with a sigh and relaxing the entire body. Again, Inhaling through the nose, Creating space, And exhaling, Softening, Taking this two more times at your own pace. From here, We'll begin a body scan. When I mention a specific body part, Please bring your awareness there. And if you'd like, You can imagine filling each part of the body with a golden, Warm, Nurturing light. Starting with the top, The head, The forehead, The right eye, The left eye, Both eyes together, The nose, The mouth, The right cheek, The left cheek, Both cheeks together, The right ear, The left ear, Both ears together, The back of the head, The neck, The throat. And now focusing on the right side of the body, Imagining a golden light gently touching the right shoulder, Your upper arm, Forearm, And your hand, Your entire right arm, Your underarm, The outer side of your ribs, The right side of your waist, And the space in between the outside of your upper body and your arm, The right side of your chest, The right side of your belly, Your right hip, Thigh, Lower leg, Foot, The entire right leg, The right side of your seat, Lower back, Upper back, The entire right side of the body, Beginning to notice if there is a difference between the sensations in the right and the left side of the body. Now bring your awareness to the left side of the body, The golden light gently touching your left shoulder, Your upper arm, Your forearm, And your hand, Your entire left arm, Your underarm, The outer side of your ribs, And your left waist. The space between your side body and your left arm, The left side of your chest, Your heart, The left side of the belly, Your left hip, Thigh, Lower leg, And foot, The entire left leg, The left side of your seat, Lower back, And upper back, The entire left side of the body, The entire body, The entire body, Your entire body radiating. Now let your awareness rest at the soles of your feet for a moment and just observe how it feels. If there's no sensation at all, That's also an observation. However you feel, That is okay. If you want, When you breathe in, Imagine drawing energy up through the soles of your feet, Along your legs, Your hips, Your upper body, All the way to the shoulders. And as you exhale, Visualize this energy moving in the opposite direction, From your shoulders all the way down and out through the soles of your feet, Inhaling from the soles of your feet to your shoulders, And exhaling from your shoulders to the soles of your feet, At your own pace, Like a soft wave that gives you energy and washes away anything you don't need, Letting go of awareness of the breath. And now beginning to explore if any of the body feels warmer than the rest. If there isn't a part of the body that feels particularly warmer, You can instead choose to focus on the heart, And imagine a warmth growing there, Moving to noticing if any of the body feels a little cooler than the rest. Again, If you cannot find any particular area, Then you can choose to focus on the sensation between your upper lip and your nose. Breathe in. Is the air slightly cooler there? Now gently bring your awareness back to where it feels warm. And now bring it back to where it feels cool. Bringing it back to where it feels warm, And now imagining that the warmth is expanding throughout the body, And when the warmth reaches the area that feels cooler, These two energies merge. The warmth meets the cool. You become the perfect temperature and balance and proceed to let go. My next invitation is to see or feel and have you visit an imaginary place in nature, A place where you feel calm and grounded. I want you to imagine you're walking through a beautiful meadow in the middle of summer in Vermont. What flowers do you see around you? What colors are they? What do they smell like? You decide to explore this mystical place further and choose to continue walking along the meadow, Or if you want, You can take a shortcut through a small forest. If you choose the forest, What do the trees look like here? Shards of sunset and sunlight are shining through the trees, And it feels so peaceful. You hear birds singing and you hear the sound of rippling water, So you start to walk in that direction. What does the path look like? How does it feel underneath your feet? Can you feel soft moss? Can you feel something else? You reach the water, Maybe it's a brook or a lake or a small waterfall or the ocean. You sit down and begin to enjoy the tranquility you feel as a soft and comfortable breeze begins to blow against your sin. You can sit for a while here if you'd like, Or maybe you choose to dive into the water and swim. When you do, The water feels soft like silk and the temperature is perfect. Now begin to visualize sitting next to the water again, Feeling refreshed, Feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin. You get up and continue walking, And after a while you reach a secret garden. There's a small gate, Pretty hidden by bushes and trees. It creaks open as you open it and you decide to step in. It's so peaceful in there. Among the weeds, There are beautiful flowers and berries and fruits. What do you see? You notice a swing and a bench, So you choose one of them and you sit down, Feeling so relaxed, So free. Feeling the soft breeze against your skin again. It's time to leave this place, But you can come back here anytime. Beginning to initiate our slow and gentle return. Listening to the sounds around you, Feeling your body, Feeling your breath. Gently begin to move your hands and feet. Maybe stretch your arms over your head and give a nice big yawn. Do what feels good. Draw your knees up to your chest, Rocking side to side. Roll over onto your side. And in your own time, Come up to sitting. The practice of yoga nidra is now completed. Thank you for coming along with me, And I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.