This yoga nidra meditation can be used for deep relaxation or to guide you into a restful and restorative sleep.
Lie on your back in Shavasana with your feet slightly apart,
Toes turned out and arms at a comfortable distance by your side.
Turn your palms upward and allow your eyes to fall closed.
Make sure that you're warm and that your position is comfortable.
Do your best to remain still during the yoga nidra practice to give your body and mind the opportunity to deeply relax.
Take a moment now to make your sankalpa.
The sankalpa is a short positive statement about an intention you have for your life.
State your sankalpa in the present tense three times.
Now bring your awareness to any sounds you can hear in this moment.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward now,
Listening to sounds that are further away.
Gently guide your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source or judging the sounds in any way.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls of this room.
The ceiling,
The floor and become aware of your physical body resting right here.
Bring your awareness to your breath and notice the experience of breathing.
Watching the breath as it moves in and out of your body without any effort.
Feel the subtle movement of air across your top lip as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Become aware of a slight coolness in the nose as you inhale and notice the warmth of the breath as you exhale.
Allow your breath to become longer and slower.
Allow your attention to be on the flow of the breath.
Now take your awareness to your head and your face including the top of the head,
Your forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyes,
Cheekbones and nostrils.
Be aware of the mouth,
The jaw,
The chin.
Bring your awareness to your neck,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Elbows,
Wrists,
Hands,
Fingers and fingertips.
Imagine you are inhaling from the tips of your fingers up to your shoulders and then exhaling from the shoulders down to the fingertips.
Repeat this several times.
Now move your attention from the fingers through the hands,
Wrists,
Lower arms,
Upper arms,
Shoulders,
Upper back and chest.
Concentrate at the centre of the chest,
Inhaling and exhaling into the heart area several times.
Now take the awareness fully into the abdomen,
Inhaling and exhaling deeply.
Be aware of the hips,
The thighs,
The knees and calves,
Ankles,
Feet and toes.
Inhale now as if your whole body is inhaling and exhale as though your whole body is exhaling.
Repeat your sankapa once again three times.
We will now begin a journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
Take your attention to the different parts of the body as I name them.
The practice begins on the right hand side of the body.
Take your awareness to your right hand and we will begin with a focus on your right hand thumb.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The side of the chest,
The side of the waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The side of the chest,
The side of the chest,
The side of the waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Now we'll move our attention to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right back of the neck,
Back of the head,
The top of the head,
The forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of the eyebrows.
Focus your attention for a moment fully on the space between the eyebrows.
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
The left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
The pelvic floor,
The pelvic floor,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Imagine now that your whole body is becoming heavy.
Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body,
Each part becoming heavier and heavier.
The head is heavy,
The limbs are heavy,
The torso is heavy,
The torso is heavy,
The whole body is heavy,
So heavy that it's sinking into the floor now.
And imagine the whole body becoming light as though your body could float away from the floor towards the ceiling.
The head is light and weightless,
The limbs are light and weightless,
The torso is light and weightless,
The whole body is light and weightless,
You're rising higher and higher away from the floor.
Bring your awareness back to your breath now.
Bring your awareness back to your breath now and continue to be aware of your physical body.
Your body is calm and at peace.
Your mind is calm and at peace.
The yoga nidra practice is now complete.
If you're ready to sleep now,
Allow yourself to drift into a deep state of bliss.
The nidra practice is now complete.
If you're ready to sleep now,
Allow yourself to drift into a deep and peaceful sleep.
And if you're ready to wake,
Gently wriggle your fingers and toes and in your own time,
Open your eyes.
