Welcome to this yoga nidra for sleep.
And if you haven't already,
Lie down in a comfortable position and you can lie however you like.
And as you are settling in,
I'll tell you just briefly what we'll do tonight.
The body scan section will alternate between the right and the left side of the body.
And if you like,
You can also shift your gaze,
So even though your eyes are closed,
Try and look at the different body parts as I mentioned them.
Because moving the eyes from side to side is similar to what happens when we dream.
So the brain associates this with theta brainwaves,
So this can help us relax.
And in this nidra,
I'll invite you to visualize or feel a place in nature on a summer night.
This can be somewhere you've been before,
Or a place in your imagination.
And towards the end of the nidra,
We'll visit this place again.
But everything I say is just an invitation,
And you don't have to listen to everything I say.
Maybe you'll drift off a bit sometimes so that my voice just becomes a soft sound in the background,
A reminder that you cared for.
Sometimes there'll be moments of silence,
But I'll still be here.
And I'd also like to remind you that there's no failure in yoga nidra.
This is yoga nidra for sleep,
But be gentle with yourself.
The beauty of this practice is that even if you don't fall asleep,
You'll still get a nurturing rest.
Now gently let the mind settle,
And give it some time.
Instead of trying to push your thoughts away,
Take a moment to see what's there,
What's present in this very moment.
And then dropping down into the body,
Feeling your body,
Opening up to all the physical sensations,
Noticing what might be present tonight,
And feeling into this with a sense of curiosity.
If nothing arises for you,
This too is your experience.
Observe the feeling of not feeling.
Emptiness also means space,
A space that you can fill with care and love.
As you soften the thinking mind,
Maybe softening all the way down into your heart space,
And the feeling of well-being.
Notice that feeling is hard to find,
But it's always there,
Deep within you,
Patiently waiting for you.
So if you can't find it at this very moment,
Know it's there.
Then zooming into your eyes,
And if you like,
With your eyes closed,
Look towards the right,
Left,
Right,
Left,
And a few more times in your own time,
And letting go.
Relax the eyes.
Sometimes we hold quite a lot of tension in our eyes,
And as you know,
The eyes are connected to the nervous system.
When we're busy,
The eyes get tense.
Soften the eyes to soften the mind,
And rest in the soft darkness that you see when your eyes are closed,
A portal to your inner world,
If you like,
A portal to your dreams and your unconscious mind,
And a portal to the place within you that's safe,
And softening the whole face,
Softening the whole body,
And now shifting the awareness into the belly,
Softening the belly,
And inviting awareness of the breath,
Maybe feeling the breath in your body.
Inhalations,
Belly rises towards the night sky.
Exhalations,
Relaxing down towards the back of your body and towards the earth,
And if you like,
Imagine a place in nature on a beautiful summer night.
You're lying on your back,
Watching the stars,
Maybe on a beach,
Or a jetty,
Or somewhere else.
Take a moment to visualize or feel this place.
Is it a tropical night,
Dark but warm?
Or maybe summer in Scandinavia,
The time of the year when the sun never fully sets,
A brighter darkness,
Or somewhere else.
And now,
Take a moment to visualize or feel the stars,
Feeling of spaciousness,
Expanding the awareness out,
And then gathering it back in,
Bringing your awareness back into your body,
And letting it relax,
Preparing for a good night's sleep.
And as I name a body part,
Bring your awareness there,
And if you like,
With your eyes closed,
Imagine that you look at that body part,
And looking with compassion and care,
Bring your awareness to the top of the head,
The right ear,
The left ear,
Both ears together,
The right eye,
The left eye,
Both eyes together,
The forehead,
The third eye centre in between your eyebrows,
The nose,
The mouth,
The whole face,
The throat,
Bring your awareness to your right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
The right elbow,
The left elbow,
The right wrist,
The left wrist,
The right hand,
The left hand,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
Both arms together,
The right side of the chest,
The left side of the chest,
The right side of the belly,
The left side of the belly,
And the whole chest and belly,
The right hip,
The left hip,
The right knee,
The left knee,
The right ankle,
The left ankle,
The right foot,
The left foot,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
Both legs together,
The tailbone,
The lower back,
The right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder blade,
The whole right side of the back,
The whole left side of the back,
The whole back,
The neck,
The back of the head,
The top of the head,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole body,
And then let your awareness rest and then let your awareness rest at the third eye centre.
As you inhale,
Visualise the breath flowing from your right nostril up to your third eye centre,
And as you exhale,
The breath flows from your third eye centre and out through your left nostril.
Inhaling from the left nostril to the third eye,
Exhaling from the third eye and out through the right nostril.
Continue in your own time if you like and I'll be quiet for a moment for you to have your own experience,
But I'm still here.
Breathing to and from the third eye centre,
The air soft and silky like a summer night,
And letting go of that sensation and let the breath flow through the whole body,
The whole body.
Staying with the sensation of your breath if you like,
Or imagine that your body becomes light as if the edges of your physical body dissolves a bit and merges with the air around you.
Light and free,
Like a fairy and with a sense of wonder you drift into the night sky,
And then gently dropping down into your physical body again,
Grounded,
Safe.
And imagine that you're back at this beautiful and safe place in nature again,
A summer night,
Dreamlike.
What does it look like where you are?
Any scents?
Maybe flowers?
Anything else?
And what do you hear?
Maybe birdsong?
Maybe music in the distance?
Maybe waves?
Maybe wind in the trees?
What else?
And what can you feel?
Maybe a soft breeze on your skin?
Maybe something else?
And let images and sensations flow and I'm still here with you and you're resting,
Safe and protected,
Drifting into relaxation and maybe drifting into sleep.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
Sleep well.
