Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest

Yoga nidra - also known as yogic sleep - is an effortless way to relax the body and mind. Known outside of the yoga world as "Non Sleep Deep Rest," some say this practice is even more refreshing than a long nap. You'll begin with setting an intention - known as your sankalpa in the practice of yoga nidra - and then be guided on a journey around the body and through the breath into a state of profound relaxation.

Transcript

Take your time to find a comfortable,

Supported position,

And invite your body to settle and your eyes to close.

There is no effort required in this practice of Yoga Nidra.

Just simply listen to my voice and allow your attention to drift where it is directed.

Know that it's normal to shift in and out of consciousness,

But there is no way to do this wrong.

Just listen.

Allow any last adjustments in your body so that you feel completely at ease.

And invite stillness now.

As your body becomes still,

Become aware of the movement of your breath.

Your natural breath,

Just as it is.

There is no need to force or change anything about it.

And to focus on the feeling of your breath flowing easily in and easily out.

It's natural for thoughts to stream through your mind.

Allow yourself to be a witness to these thoughts.

Just like with your breath,

There is no need to force or change them.

Notice them without judgment or engagement.

Return now to your breath.

Take note of the spaces in your body that rise and fall as you breathe your natural breath.

As you inhale,

Notice the expansion in your chest,

Perhaps a feeling of stretch through your ribs,

The muscles of your chest,

Or even the surface of your skin.

As you exhale,

Feel the contraction or descent of your chest as it falls.

Can you find the very center of that contraction,

A point somewhere in the middle of your chest?

And turn your attention to this center of your chest,

Likely somewhere near your heart.

Ask yourself,

What is my heart's truest desire?

Another way to frame this question is,

What do I need most right now?

And let your answer flow from your heart unfiltered.

You might receive your answer as a statement,

A word,

A phrase,

Or it may come to you as a feeling or an image.

Be open to whatever you receive,

Whatever message your heart has to share with you today.

And now create a positive statement surrounding your heart's longing.

This is your Sankalpa.

Phrase it in the present tense as if it is already happening.

It may be something like,

I live in a state of peace.

Or I am loved.

And if nothing emerged for you,

You can accept one of these statements for today.

Affirm this phrase to yourself by repeating it silently three times.

You'll revisit your Sankalpa at the end of your practice today,

But for now,

Just imagine tucking it away in your heart.

And then bring your awareness to your body.

Wherever you're sitting or lying,

Just become aware of the contact that your body makes with your environment.

In a moment,

I'll begin to direct your attention around your body.

Simply feel each body part as it's named,

Or picture it in your mind's eye.

And if either of those feel difficult to imagine,

You could simply repeat silently the name of the body part.

First,

Become aware of your eyes.

Feel the weight of your eyes in their sockets.

Notice your upper and your lower eyelids,

The muscles around your eyes.

Sense the space at the back of your eyes.

Feel your nose,

The bridge of your nose,

The soft tip of your nose,

Your right nostril,

Your left nostril.

Sense your mouth as a whole,

And then just your upper lip,

Just your lower lip.

The inside of your mouth,

Your tongue,

The tip of your tongue,

The back of your tongue,

The roof of your mouth,

The base of your mouth below your tongue.

Feel the inside of your right cheek,

The inside of your left cheek,

The inside of your entire mouth at once.

Sense your chin,

The right side of your jaw,

And the left side of your jaw.

And then notice your mouth and your jaw all together.

Trace your awareness up to your right temple,

Over to your left temple,

Your forehead,

Your eyebrows,

The space between your eyebrows.

Bring your awareness to your entire face all at the same time.

Notice the top of your head,

The muscles on the sides of your head.

Feel the back of your head.

Sense the base of your skull,

Your right ear,

And your left ear.

Feel your entire head at once.

Become aware of the back of your neck,

The front of your neck,

Your throat,

The notch at the base of your throat.

Notice your right collarbone,

Right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

Wrist.

Sense your right hand as a whole,

The back of your hand,

The palm of your hand,

Your right thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Notice the spaces between your fingers.

Feel your entire right hand buzzing with aliveness.

Sense your right hand and your arm all together now.

Come back to the notch at the base of your throat.

Feel your left collarbone,

Left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

Wrist,

Your whole left hand.

Feel just the back of your hand,

The palm of your hand,

Your left thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Sense the spaces between your fingers.

Feel your entire left hand vibrating with energy.

Sense your left hand and your left arm all together.

Come back to the notch at the base of your throat.

Sense your chest,

Your breastbone that runs between your right side and your left side ribs.

Feel your abdomen,

Your navel,

Your side waists on left and right.

Feel your lower back,

Your middle back,

Your upper back.

Imagine or sense your heart somewhere in between your back side and front side.

Imagine your lungs,

All the other vital organs within your torso.

Become aware of your pelvis,

Your right hip,

Right upper leg,

Right knee,

Back of the knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Foot,

Your heel bone,

The arch of your foot,

The top of your foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Sense the spaces between your toes.

Notice your entire foot,

Your whole right leg.

Sense your pelvis,

Your left hip,

Left upper leg,

Your knee,

The back of your knee,

Your lower leg,

Ankle,

Foot,

Your heel bone,

The arch of your foot,

The top of your foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The spaces between your toes.

Notice your whole foot and your entire left leg.

Bring awareness back to your pelvis,

Your torso,

Your neck,

The base of your skull,

The back of your head,

The top of your head.

Sense the whole right side of your body,

Just the left side of your body.

Feel the back half of your body,

The front half of your body,

Your whole body all at once,

Your whole body.

Bring your mind back to your natural breath.

Observe it just as it is,

Without changing anything at all.

Become aware of any qualities you notice about your breath.

The pace,

The rhythm,

The length or depth,

Any associated sensations.

Just feel your breath move in and out,

Down and up,

Trusting that your body knows just what to do.

Notice the subtle movements that your natural breath produces in your body.

Without any effort at all,

Feel the rise and fall of your belly,

The broadening and narrowing of your ribcage.

Notice your collarbones lift and then relax.

See if you can sense your breath as it first enters your nose or your mouth.

Is there any sensation present at the back of your throat?

In a moment,

I'll begin to invite you to count your breath.

On each inhale,

You'll count in your mind up to 4,

1,

2,

3,

4.

On every exhale,

You'll count backwards from 8,

8,

7,

6,

Down to 1.

You'll repeat this,

Inhaling to a count of 4,

And exhaling from a count of 8.

There's no need to struggle or strain.

Simply let this count match what feels natural to you right now.

Begin your counting now.

Inhale up to 4,

Exhale backwards from 8.

There's no rush at all,

And after your next exhale,

Gently let go of the counting.

Feel your body breathing itself.

There's no effort required.

Your body is easily breathing itself.

With every breath in,

Invite a sense of lightness into your body,

As if your breath could make you more buoyant,

Like you could drift up to the clouds.

Each time you inhale,

Sense your entire body becoming lighter and more buoyant,

Effortlessly floating.

Now every time you breathe out,

Slowly allow your body to grow heavy,

Gently drifting down to the ground,

Fully supported the entire time.

With every breath out,

Gently and slowly being carried back down to the ground.

Once you make contact with the surface beneath you,

Invite an even greater sense of heaviness into your body,

Your torso and your limbs.

Let them grow so heavy that you feel yourself sink just a little bit into the earth below you.

And now,

Amidst this heaviness,

Sense a place in your body that feels light,

As if it is lifting up and away from the ground.

Maybe it's somewhere in your hands,

Or your face,

Or your toes.

Allow that lightness to spread and fill every part of your body,

So that your entire body once again feels light,

Buoyant and free.

And now within this lightness,

Sense an area of your body that feels heavy.

Perhaps it is the back of your head,

Your hips.

Let that heaviness grow to fill your entire body,

Your whole body feeling heavy,

Dense and relaxed.

And now explore on your own alternating between feeling light and heavy.

Like the sand in an hourglass pouring from one side to the other,

This might be a gradual shift between sensation.

Or maybe it comes all at once.

And now can you sense both lightness and heaviness at the same time within your body?

Make space for lightness and heaviness to coexist,

And notice how they each contribute to your body and mind feeling more and more relaxed.

Become aware of your breath,

The rise and fall of your chest and belly.

Become aware of the very center of your chest somewhere near your heart.

Recall the positive statement,

Your sankalpa,

That you made at the beginning of your practice.

Repeat this statement to yourself three times now.

Feel your words reach every part of your body,

Your whole body.

Let them soak deeply into your body and your mind.

Believe your words and know that they are already true.

Become aware again of your body lying on the surface beneath you.

Notice the back of your head,

Your shoulder blades,

The back of your pelvis,

Your arms and legs,

Everything touching the ground.

Feel the front surface of your body,

Your face,

Your chest and belly,

The top side of your arms and legs.

If you would like to get up and move on with your day,

Start to wiggle your toes and fingers.

Gently sway your head side to side.

Open your mouth,

Unclench your jaw,

Take a big breath in,

And sigh it out with an open mouth,

Letting your belly relax completely.

One more time,

Take a full breath in,

Let it go with a sigh.

Thank you for joining me for Yoga Nidra.

I hope you feel relaxed and refreshed,

And enjoy the rest of your day.

Reviews

Didn’t hear the end. Must’ve worked.
(Heard it the next and closing reference to dsy, not night?)

I don’t remember falling asleep 😴
Thank you 🙏🏻