Entering Sleep From A Place Of Peace And Calm

This practice is for difficulty in falling alseep and to improve sleep quality. It contains the format of a Yoga Nidra practice with guided relaxation, affirmation, breath awareness and visualization. Also short periods of quietness for awareness of the breath and stillness within.

Transcript

Greetings.

This is a yoga nidra practice for sleep and I've titled it Entering Sleep From a Place of Peace and Calm.

If it is your intention or your desire to sleep well,

Starting with an affirmation,

Repeating it several times,

Plants the idea in your subconscious that you are capable of experiencing deep,

Healing sleep.

Changing poor sleeping patterns happens over time.

So please be patient.

Relax now.

Settle into your bed,

Lying on your back,

Feeling comfortable and we begin with an affirmation.

Then I will guide you into the practice.

So close your eyes lightly.

Say these words with me,

Either mentally or out loud,

Absorbing every word,

Really mean what you're saying.

And this is the affirmation.

I lovingly release the day and let go of any mental burdens,

Allowing myself to sleep deeply and peacefully,

Knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.

I lovingly release the day and let go of any mental burdens,

Allowing myself to sleep deeply and peacefully,

Knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.

Once more,

I lovingly release the day and let go of any mental burdens,

Allowing myself to sleep deeply and peacefully,

Knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.

Preparing for sleep is a very important part of experiencing good sleep.

So check your position once more and make any adjustments that will enable you to remain perfectly still throughout the practice.

During yoga nidra,

You are functioning on the level of hearing and awareness.

Just remember that.

Follow my voice and the suggestions.

Don't intellectualize or analyze the instructions.

This only disturbs your mental relaxation.

Follow with attention and awareness,

Gently and with peace.

You are not concentrating as such.

Just move your mind from point to point and be aware of every experience.

If you try to concentrate in yoga nidra,

You can obstruct the natural flow of awareness,

Which takes the mind into that deep state of relaxation.

View any experience or thought which may arise with detachment.

If the thoughts come,

Just return to the awareness of practice.

Initially,

Thoughts may come,

Thoughts that come up from what's happened during the day or the last week or however,

Maybe even years past.

So remember again,

Observe.

Just be the witness observing with detachment.

Now feel your eyes lightly closed.

Relax your lower jaw a little bit and just feel a sense of openness in your expression.

Feel your shoulders relaxing,

Shoulders dropping,

Releasing any burden or worry that you may carry habitually from the day.

And allow your arms to relax.

You can place the hands one on top of the other on the lower belly if you like or have them beside your body,

Palms facing either up or down.

Be aware of your whole body lying on the bed.

Feel your whole back relaxing and sinking a little bit more.

Be aware of your chest and the light breath that is present there now.

Be aware of your abdominal muscles and if you're carrying any tightness there from perhaps anxiety or fear,

Just feel that releasing now.

You can do it.

This is a time for you to relax and rejuvenate.

And then let your legs relax.

Feel both legs sinking into the bed.

It's beginning to feel good to relax and let go.

And then you feel your feet.

Your feet drop apart a little bit and so your whole body feels relaxed.

This is important as a prerequisite for yoga nidra.

To feel your body is relaxed,

That you are receptive.

And most of all that you're receptive to a good night's sleep.

One that you need or one that you deserve.

You've been working hard.

Just feel your body relaxing now deeply into the bed.

But don't go to sleep just yet.

Stay with me.

Stay with the practice as we go on to really deepen that feeling of presence with that ease within your body.

Now before we go into the rotation of awareness around your body,

Which is peculiar to the yoga nidra practice,

We'll say once again the affirmation just as a reminder so that you can take it in deeper and deeper to your subconscious mind.

I lovingly release the day and let go of any mental burdens,

Allowing myself to sleep deeply and peacefully,

Knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.

And now I'll guide you through all the parts of the body.

We call this rotation of consciousness in yoga nidra.

Move your awareness from part to part as I name them.

Feel that you flow from one part to the next gently and with peace.

So bring your mind now to your right hand thumb.

Be aware of your right hand thumb.

Be aware of the index finger,

The first finger on your right hand.

Be aware of the middle finger,

The ring finger,

The small finger and be aware of the palm of your hand.

The palm of the right hand,

The back of your hand and the right wrist.

Be aware of the right forearm,

The right elbow,

The right upper arm and the right armpit.

Be aware of the right armpit.

Be aware of the right side of the body,

Going down the side of your body,

The right waist,

The right hip.

Be aware of the right thigh now,

The right thigh,

The right knee,

The right lower leg,

The shin bone and the calf muscle.

Be aware of the right ankle,

The right heel,

The top of the foot,

The sole of your foot,

The right big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Be aware of your whole right foot,

Your whole right leg,

Along the right side of your body and the whole right arm,

The hand and fingers,

The whole right side of your body now,

The whole right side of your body.

And now gently move your awareness,

Move that consciousness across to the left side and be aware of the left hand thumb,

The left index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger and the small finger.

Be aware of the palm of your left hand and the back of your hand.

Be aware of the left wrist,

The left wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm and be aware of the left armpit,

The left armpit.

Be aware of the left side of the chest area,

The left waist and the left hip,

The left thigh,

The left knee,

The left shinbone,

Calf muscle,

The left ankle,

The heel,

The top of the foot,

The sole of the foot and be aware of the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth and fifth toe.

Be aware of the whole left foot,

The whole left foot,

The whole left leg and the whole left side,

The whole left arm,

Hand and fingers,

The whole left arm,

Hand and fingers and so be aware of your whole left side now,

The whole left side of the body.

Now be aware of the lower back.

Bring your mind to the lower back,

The left buttocks and the right buttocks,

The left side of the lower back area and the right side of the lower back area.

Be aware of the waist and the left side of the upper back,

The right side of the upper back.

Be aware of the left shoulder blade and the right shoulder blade.

Be aware of your whole left shoulder dropping and your whole right shoulder dropping,

Both shoulders together.

Be aware of the back of your neck,

The back of your neck and be aware of your whole spine from that point below the skull in your neck.

Be aware travelling down with your awareness through your whole spine,

Your whole spine and your whole back.

Now be aware of the back of your head,

The back of your head where it meets the pillow,

The top of your head,

Your forehead.

Be aware of the smooth forehead now and your right temple and your left temple,

The right eyebrow and the left eyebrow,

The right eye and the left eye,

The right cheek and the left cheek,

The right ear and the left ear,

The right nostril,

The left nostril,

The tip of your nose,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The chin.

Now be aware of the right collarbone and the left collarbone.

Be aware of your throat,

The right lung,

The left lung,

The right rib cage and the left rib cage.

Be aware of your heart.

Be aware that your heart is quiet and calm.

Be aware of the upper abdominals,

The lower abdominals and the navel.

So be aware of the whole front of the body,

The whole torso,

Front and back,

Both arms,

Hands and fingers,

Both legs,

Feet and toes and be aware finally of the whole body.

Be aware of the whole body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Be aware of the points that meet the bed,

The back of your head,

The shoulder blades,

The spine,

The buttocks,

The back of your legs,

Your arms,

Wherever you feel that contact of your body with the bed.

Be aware of that sensation.

Be aware of that area and we go through that rotation a little quicker now.

Be aware of your right hand thumb,

The first finger,

Middle finger,

Small finger,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The right wrist,

The right forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Armpit,

The right side,

The waist,

The hip,

The right thigh,

The knee,

The lower leg,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the foot,

The top of the foot,

The right big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole right side of the body.

Be aware of the left hand thumb,

Left hand thumb,

First finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left armpit,

The left side,

The waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the left foot,

The left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

The whole left side of the body.

Be aware of the whole left side of the body.

Be aware of both legs and feet together,

The whole torso,

Front and back,

The whole left and right arm,

Hands and fingers together.

Be aware of the whole head and your face,

The whole body.

Be aware of the whole body that is relaxed and calm now.

Being aware of your breathing takes attention away from thinking and creates space within.

So we do that now.

We bring about awareness of the breath.

Breathing happens by itself.

The intelligence within the body is taking care of that.

All you have to do is watch it happening.

No control or manipulation is required.

During the process of observing your breath,

You will truly become aware of the peaceful pauses after the inhalation and after the exhalation.

Remember,

It is natural.

Don't force this to happen.

So as you breathe in,

Mentally say to yourself,

Breathing in,

And as you breathe out,

Say,

Breathing out.

And we add to that the count of ten,

Going backwards to one.

So it's breathing in ten,

Breathing out ten,

Breathing in nine,

Breathing out nine.

Please continue.

Continue breathing until you get to one.

You can go back to ten if you forget where you are or if you finish the counting.

I'll give you a moment so I'll call you back.

The aim is not to get to one necessarily,

But to be aware of the breath without interruption.

Please go ahead.

Check that you're awake.

At this point,

You're awake,

Gently and peacefully awake.

Wherever you are with the counting,

Now leave the breath counting.

Check that doing that breath hasn't brought about any tightness or tension in your body.

At this point,

You may feel that you're ready to sleep,

But if not,

Continue on a little longer as I give you suggestions for some visualization.

Focus on the space between the eyes,

The closed eyes at the eyebrow center.

Observe this inner space and visualize the suggestions that I give you without judgment,

Without suppression,

Without expectation.

Simply watching gently and with peace as always.

Now visualizing a row of white blossom trees in full bloom.

They emanate a feeling of softness and peace.

Be there.

They emanate a sense that spring is in the air.

You have paused now along the pathway to absorb these beautiful trees.

See them as vividly as you can.

Sunlight,

Warm,

Gentle sunlight filtering through the petals.

You see the branches,

The darker branches with the white contrasting blossoms.

And a gentle breeze moves the branches,

Giving the ground a soft blanket of white petals like snow.

You might stand now beneath the trees and allow the soft petals to fall upon you like a gentle rain,

A gentle rain of peace.

Breathe it in and feel it in every cell and atom of your being.

Take that peace with you now into just a little space before you go to sleep.

I give you one minute of silence before once again we repeat the affirmation to complete this meditation.

So drinking in the peace that you feel,

That you visualize yourself standing beneath the raining blossom trees and I'll call you back.

------- coming back now and before you go into that peaceful sleep once again I lovingly release the day and let go of any mental burdens allowing myself to sleep deeply and peacefully knowing tomorrow will take care of itself the practice is now complete good night sleep well all is well

Reviews

A lovely relaxing meditation before going to sleep with your gentle voice thankyou

Wonderful, I felt confident to let go.of the day’s events and relax into sleep. Soothing voice. 🙏❤️

This meditation really helped me when I woke in the middle of the night and my mind was rushing around. Thanks so much.

Your gentle caring voice truly guides a beautiful journey to sleep.