Yoga Nidra: Water

This is a recording of a live Yoga Nidra session on Insight Timer on the 16th November 2025 and is the second in a series of nidras inspired by the elements, exploring the Water element. The practice includes a rotation of consciousness visualising a droplet of water cleansing the body's major energy centres, wave breathing, exploration of the opposites joy/sorrow and fear/courage, rapid visualisation of water images, and visualisations of standing under a waterfall to cleanse your aura and floating on the still surface of a lake.

Image by Berol

Transcript

So make sure that you are as comfortable as you can possibly be and just see if there are any adjustments that you can make for your comfort or any little movements that you can do to feel even more comfortable and even more ready to relax.

And as your body begins to settle,

Just feel into the feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

Notice all of the places where your body makes a connection with that surface.

And notice how effortlessly your body wants to release and let go into that surface.

And just bring the awareness to the breath.

Watch the gentle flow of the breath.

Follow the breath as it comes in and as it goes out again.

And notice how every breath carries your body a little more deeply into relaxation.

Notice how with every breath the muscles relax.

With every breath the mind becomes quieter as the thoughts slow down.

And just send the awareness outwards and notice any sounds that are present in your environment.

And just take a moment to acknowledge the sounds.

Let the awareness jump from sound to sound without getting too involved in any specific sound.

And just acknowledge that they're there.

And know that none of the sounds are going to disturb you.

They can only help you to enter even more deeply into your relaxation.

And now see yourself in a beautiful,

Safe,

Peaceful place.

Somewhere where you feel completely safe,

Completely secure,

Completely at ease.

And you are surrounded by everything that you need to feel safe,

Secure and well.

You might like to recall a time or a situation when you felt completely safe,

Completely secure.

Or you might like to imagine somewhere that has everything that you need so that you feel safe,

You feel well,

You can relax without any worry.

And if there's anything else that you need to help you to feel even more safe,

Bring whatever else you need into that environment around you.

And feel into your body.

And notice how that feeling of safety arises inside your body.

Feel that feeling vividly.

Welcome it into every cell of your body.

The feeling of absolute safety,

Security,

Well-being and peace.

This is your feeling that you have created for yourself.

And you can always come back to it at any time if you need to during the practice.

We're going to take a journey around the body.

So just bring the awareness to rest at each place as it's named.

And if you like,

You might like to imagine a drop of water falling down onto that part of your body.

Cleansing and renewing that part of your body.

Beginning at the eyebrow center.

A drop of water floats down to the eyebrow center.

Cleansing the eyebrow center.

A droplet of water floats down to the throat.

Cleansing the throat.

A droplet of water floats down to the right shoulder.

The right elbow.

The right wrist.

The tip of the right hand thumb.

The tip of the right index finger.

The tip of the right middle finger.

The tip of the ring finger.

The tip of the little finger.

The right wrist.

The right elbow.

The right shoulder.

The throat.

The left shoulder.

The left elbow.

The left wrist.

The tip of the left hand thumb.

The tip of the left index finger.

The tip of the left middle finger.

The tip of the ring finger.

The tip of the little finger.

The left wrist.

The left elbow.

The left shoulder.

The throat.

The center of the chest.

The left side of the chest.

The center of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

The center of the chest.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The right hip.

The right knee.

The right ankle.

The right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

The right ankle.

The right knee.

The right hip.

The lower abdomen.

The left hip.

The left knee.

The left ankle.

The left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

The left ankle.

The left knee.

The left hip.

The lower abdomen.

The navel.

The center of the chest.

The throat.

The eyebrow center.

The top of the head.

Drop of water floating down to the top of the head.

Cleansing the top of the head.

Bring the awareness to the breath.

Follow the breath as it flows in and out.

Watch the chest gently expanding with each inhalation.

Contracting with each exhalation.

And now see the breath flowing over the body like a wave.

As you inhale,

The wave washes from your feet up to the top of your head.

As you exhale,

It washes from the top of your head back to your feet.

Just observe that gentle movement of the wave flowing over your body.

From the feet to the head on the inhalation.

From the head to the feet on the exhalation.

Feel into your body and invite the feeling of joy to arise.

The feeling of joy.

If it helps to bring the feeling,

You might like to recall a time when you felt very happy and very joyful.

Or you can just allow the feeling to come by itself.

Welcome the feeling of joy.

Feel the feeling as it arises inside your body.

Welcome the sensations that come with the feeling of joy.

Intensify the feeling.

Welcome it,

The feeling of joy.

And the feeling of sorrow.

Invite the feeling of sorrow to arise.

Feel the sensations inside your body that come with the feeling of sorrow.

Welcome the feeling.

Feel it vividly.

The feeling of sorrow.

Joy and sorrow together.

Welcome both feelings as they arise in the body at the same time.

Feel them vividly.

Welcome them together.

The feelings of joy and sorrow together.

Joy and sorrow together.

The feeling of fear.

Invite the feeling of fear to arise.

Welcome the feeling of fear.

Feel the sensations that come up in your body.

Feel it vividly.

The feeling of fear.

The feeling of fear.

And the feeling of courage.

Invite the feeling of courage to arise.

Feel it vividly inside your body.

Welcome the feeling of courage.

Fear and courage together.

Welcome both feelings as they coexist inside your body together.

Intensify the feelings of fear and courage.

Welcome them.

The feelings of fear and courage together.

Fear and courage together.

Bring the awareness to the eyebrow centre.

Observe the eyebrow centre.

Notice any shapes or patterns or colours at the eyebrow centre.

Or perhaps just darkness.

Without getting too involved in whatever's there,

Just observe.

Keeping the awareness at the eyebrow centre.

I'm going to name some different things.

Allow an impression of each thing to arise as I name it.

There's no need to force anything to happen but just allow each one to come however it comes.

Starting with a glass of water.

A rainbow.

Waves crashing on the beach.

A waterfall.

Grey clouds in the sky.

Sunlight reflecting off the surface of the ocean.

Raindrops trickling down a window.

Morning dew drops in the garden.

A snowflake.

A quiet lake on the top of a mountain.

A thunderstorm.

A boat floating on the horizon.

Now see yourself standing next to a tall waterfall.

The water cascades down into a pool at the bottom.

You step into the pool of water.

Feeling the water at your feet,

Your legs.

And you stand under the waterfall and feel the water flowing over the whole of your body.

You welcome the water as it cleanses your aura.

Washing away anything that you no longer need to carry with you.

Clear and refreshed you step out from the waterfall.

Out of the pool of water.

And you sit down next to the water.

As rays of sunlight shine down onto your body.

Warming your body.

Illuminating your body.

And see yourself floating on the still surface of a lake at night time.

Above you silver stars glisten in the night sky.

Safely held and supported by the water.

You completely surrender into the lake.

You peacefully drift and peacefully float.

Now very gently begin to turn the awareness back outwards.

Become aware of any sounds that are present in your environment.

And just let the awareness jump from sound to sound.

Without getting too involved in any one sound.

Just acknowledge that those sounds are there.

Feel the feeling of the air against your skin.

Of your clothing,

Your blanket against your skin.

The feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

And gently begin to reawaken the body.

Making some small movements with your fingers,

Your toes,

With your wrists and your ankles.

Give yourself a stretch in any way that feels good for you.

So taking your time.

There is no rush.

When you're sure that you're feeling wide awake again,

Slowly blink the eyes back open to complete the practice.

Reviews

Feeling refreshed with healing water. A good Nidra practice makes me feel like I got extra sleep and woke up energized. Many thanks!

Lovely practice, it took me to an enjoyable deep state.
Thank you Jessica 😊 🙏