
Yoga Nidra For Anxiety
by Kari Mosleh
This yoga Nidra will lull you into a deeply relaxed state of mind and body. We begin with a slow body scan, continue with nurturing breathwork, followed by a grounding visualisation. The blissful ending may send you to sleep and into a trance-like state. This yoga is recommended for anyone with anxiety or insomnia.
Transcript
Relax your shoulders,
Let the hips become heavy.
Imagine that your body is a bag of dirty,
Muddy water,
And with stillness,
The dirt starts to separate from the water,
Starts to become clean.
And with any movement,
The dirt starts to go into the water.
Use that stillness to distill the layers and cleanse,
Letting the eyes rest closed.
With your eyelids completely released,
No tension in the eyelids,
Letting your vision rest and fall downwards.
Yoga nidra means yogic sleep.
This type of sleep is different in that it gives you an opportunity to observe yourself as your body rests.
Letting you observe yourself without judgment,
Without movement,
Free of expectation to change.
If you fall asleep,
Then that is what your body needs today,
And that's okay.
What we do in yoga nidra is to try to observe ourselves as the body sleeps.
Try to keep your mind alert and release the body into a deep rest.
Every yoga nidra is different.
Try to allow whatever is for today to happen today.
Practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Begin to begin by scanning the room you are in.
Scan all the sounds.
Try to hear from as far away as possible.
Maybe there's cars going by,
Any noises,
Any machines.
Imagining that you are this perceiving vessel.
Just perceive and receive every single vibrational sound.
Try to hear the sound of dust settling in your room.
Getting closer and closer in or around your body.
Yoga nidra,
We use sankalpa.
Sankalpa is your powerful seed of transformation.
This is a being that you want to cultivate.
It is a positive present tense statement,
Beginning with the words,
I am.
Take a moment to consider your sankalpa.
Can be anything that resonates with you.
If you are experiencing illness,
Your sankalpa could be,
I am healing.
If you are experiencing boredom,
Your sankalpa could be,
I am stimulated.
Let your sankalpa find you.
Listen to your intuition,
Your instinct.
First thing that comes to you is important.
Where do you feel it?
How does it sound when you say it to yourself in your own mind?
Repeat it to yourself three times.
Now let it go.
We now begin the rotation of consciousness through your physical body.
Listen to the cues of my voice.
Move your consciousness from one body part to the next.
Don't worry if your mind wanders.
Simply rejoin once you become aware that the mind has wandered.
Moving your attention to a space in your left thumb.
All of your concentration,
All of your energy completely concentrated in your left thumb.
Move your energy to your index finger.
Relax your left index finger.
Now relax your left middle finger.
Relax your left ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Left wrist,
Feeling heavy,
Melting down,
Left forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Back of the shoulder.
Every part falling apart and getting melty.
Moving your attention to your right thumb.
Imagining all of your breath,
All of the blood rushing to your right thumb.
And releasing your right thumb.
No tension.
Everything just falling apart.
And your right index finger,
No tension.
And your right middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Your right elbow,
Your right shoulder,
Back of the shoulder,
Really loose,
All of the joints and the muscles falling apart.
And your upper back becoming heavy,
Heavier,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Loose,
Heavy.
Seeing the left glute sink down into the floor,
Into the bed,
Sinking your left hip,
Your left upper thigh,
Back of your knee,
Front of your knee,
Calf muscle,
Front of the shin,
Melting down.
Your left ankle coming loose and heavy,
Back of the foot,
Front of the foot,
Your left big toe so heavy,
So loose,
Can't even pick it up anymore.
Your next toe,
Loose,
Middle toe,
Next little toe,
And your little toe.
Seeing your left ankle fall apart,
Every muscle tissue melting.
Turn your attention to your right glute,
Letting it sink down in your right hip,
Sinking along with it.
Right upper thigh,
Back of the knee,
Front of the knee,
Front of the shin,
Calf muscle.
Your right ankle,
All of the connections,
Muscles,
Bones,
Your ankle falling apart,
Disappearing,
Melting away.
Back of the foot,
The heel,
Front of the foot,
Left big toe,
Right big toe,
Next toe,
Middle toe,
Next toe,
Little toe.
All melty,
No tension,
Completely relaxed.
Relax the face,
The jaw,
The mouth,
Upper teeth,
Lower teeth.
Relax the tongue,
The nose,
The left eye and eyelid,
Right eye and eyelid.
Relax the back of the head,
Middle neck,
Collarbones.
Relax your chest,
Your heart,
Right lung and left lung.
Relax the abdomen,
Your stomach,
Your liver,
Pancreas,
All of your intestines.
Neatly relax.
Relax all organs,
Every piece of fascia,
Every tissue in your body,
Every cell in your body.
Completely relax.
Feel the bones in your legs coming heavier and heavier.
Feel the whole left side of your body melting away,
Falling apart.
Feel the whole right side of your body melting away,
Falling apart.
Feel the whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Imagine watching your whole body as your body breathes.
Imagine floating above your body,
Seeing it rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.
Imagine with every breath that your body takes,
There is a light,
Very beautiful,
Bright by the center of your forehead,
Becoming brighter,
Brighter with every breath.
Breathing up,
Out,
And back to every part,
Your ribs,
Your lungs.
And exhaling,
Breathing out,
Down,
And back.
See that beautiful light growing as you inhale,
Up and out,
Inhaling back.
See the light become slightly more dim as you exhale,
Down and out and back.
Going to take three slow breaths,
Noticing the natural rhythm of your breath.
It's your unique rhythm.
Exhaling for one.
Inhaling for one.
Exhaling for two.
Inhaling for two.
Exhaling for three.
And when you're done inhaling,
Release and exhale without forcing.
Observe your unique rhythm as the energy flows in and around you.
Release your breath,
Allow the body to be breathed.
And imagine now the feeling of hotness.
Imagine the skin in every part of your body feeling very,
Very hot.
What is it like for your body to feel hot?
Imagining being in a heat wave in front of the sun,
Sensing everything you can sense.
And with your next breath,
Completely dissolving the feeling of hotness.
Let it go.
Imagine your body is very,
Very cold.
How does it feel to be extremely cold,
Shivering,
Icy,
Blue?
How does it feel when you breathe in the cold?
When you talk.
Absorbing everything there is to absorb about being cold.
Now let it go.
Imagine when you feel nervousness.
Become the witness of your own experience of nervousness.
And then come down very tight to nervousness and all the sensations.
And with your next breath,
Let nervousness go.
Take your mind and your body into the sensations of feeling calm.
What is it like for you when you feel calm?
How does it feel in your body,
In your stomach?
How does it feel behind the forehead when you feel calm?
How does it feel when you breathe calm?
And now let calm go with your next breath.
Imagine nervousness,
Holding nervousness in your left hand,
All the feelings,
Sensations,
Experience.
And in your right hand,
Holding calm.
Imagine holding them together.
And now let them go.
With your next breath melting away,
Completely without tension.
Releasing every feeling,
Every sensation.
Imagine you are floating without a body.
No longer have a body.
No longer need your body.
Imagine you're somewhere else.
Imagine it's almost like a dream,
A beautiful place.
Your favorite place.
Imagine there's a beautiful lake,
Glistening water under the sun.
What do you see in the sky?
What do you see in the water?
And as the wind blows,
You hear the rustling of the leaves.
And the birds singing their song.
Singing to you.
You see an owl perched on a tree,
And you walk towards the tree.
At the bottom of the tree,
With the beautiful owl perched.
You see in writing on the tree,
Carved in the words of your sankalpa.
I am.
Your seed of transformation has turned into a beautiful tree.
The home of life.
It's grounded.
It's real.
It's sturdy,
Unmoving.
It continues to grow.
What do you feel next to this tree?
What do you feel?
Notice that sensation,
Completely melting.
Without a body.
Just in this beautiful space.
It's always there for you.
To remind you of your own words of truth.
Stay in this place.
You don't need your body here.
All you do is witness and observe and experience.
This resource for you.
Your inner resource.
Imagine this whole space expanding endlessly.
All of the old patterns,
Anything that no longer is for you,
Melts away.
Coming really melty.
Dissolving away.
You are everywhere in this infinite space of possibility.
Empty,
Open space.
Empty and aware.
Feel the bliss in this emptiness.
Your own creation.
Your truth.
Your power.
What is your bliss?
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Breathe deeply.
Filling up with air.
And exhale.
With your next breath,
Beginning to stretch fingers and toes out and in.
Slowly allowing yourself to melt into alertness now.
Moving your hands onto your heart and belly.
Or just over your belly.
Breathing deeply.
Settling into your new connections.
Continuing to stay lying down or coming up to an upright position.
Allowing everything to settle.
No need to say anything right now.
Having some gratitude towards yourself for taking this time to explore these layers of yourself.
Thank you for watching.
4.8 (585)
Recent Reviews
Dani
July 30, 2025
YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!
K
November 24, 2024
Never fails to meet me where I am st thrn take me some place calm
Alison
November 12, 2024
Lovely, thank you
Martie
June 27, 2024
zenstudent
February 14, 2024
It works! Thank you!
Alessandra
September 2, 2023
Lovely
Barb
July 29, 2023
Love the witness aspect of calm and nervousness. Thank you and namaste ππ½ π
Phil
April 10, 2023
Absolutely wonderful!
Teresa
February 15, 2023
Thank you π
Joan
October 20, 2022
Wonderful
Pam
May 7, 2022
Amazing. Thank you.
laura
April 22, 2022
Very calming and helpful. Thank you π
Mimi
January 30, 2022
Very helpful in quelling anxiety and mental tension before getting out of bed this morning. Thanks for this effective and reassuring practice.
Simon
June 29, 2021
Lovely calming voice, well delivered. Also this has some of best accompanying music I heard on a guided meditation.
Paula
June 16, 2021
Wobderful! Thank you for helping me go back to sleep π΄π€
paige
October 3, 2020
Very effective deep relaxation. Appreciate so muchπ
David
October 3, 2020
Hi Kari That was the first time I listened to one of your Meditations and boy did I love it .that was loverly and your soft voice just complimented the experience . I will be back ! Namaste ππ»
Maureen
October 3, 2020
Beautiful- thank you π
Dominiek
October 3, 2020
Nice voice, nice meditation, thank you ππ»
