Yoga Nidra For Full Body Relaxation
by Kelly Ryan
Classic Yoga Nidra that takes the listener on a journey through full-body relaxation, a process of using the breath to ease the mind into a state of stillness and ease and then imagery that will further bring the whole body, mind system into a state of effortlessness, ease and peace.
Transcript
Please lay down and make sure that you are comfortable with your spine aligned in a straight line.
It is best not to have your head on a pillow but instead have a rolled up towel underneath your neck so that your head can remain in natural alignment with the spine.
Have your feet about hip width distance apart,
Allow your toes to fall out,
Hands down by your side,
Fingers gently curl and take a few moments to adjust.
If you tend to always fall asleep throughout the practice of yoga nidra,
You can actually do the practice standing on both feet with your feet about hip width distance apart.
You just close your eyes and listen to the instructions.
Take a few moments to ensure that you are comfortable and become aware of your body.
Become aware of the physical space that you occupy and enjoy the experience of your body breathing.
With each breath have the intention to become more and more relaxed.
Start to become aware of the sense of sound.
Let your hearing become like a radar seeking out the sounds as far away as you can possibly hear.
Perhaps you can feel traffic far off in the distance.
The sound of distant voices,
Maybe waves crashing on the ocean.
Sounds as far away as you can possibly hear.
Don't get stuck on one sound but simply listen for the next one.
And gradually,
Little bit by little bit,
Start to draw your awareness in closer.
Listen for sounds a little closer and a little closer until you are hearing sounds that are just outside the building that you are in.
Perhaps sounds within the same building that you are in.
Sounds within the room that you are in and sounds within your own body.
Become aware of your heart beating and the sound of your breath.
It is now time to state your intention or you sang kalpa for practice.
Please state your intention three times silently using clear and present language in the present tense.
This could be something simple like I feel calm and relaxed or it could be something quite profound and deep.
State your intention three times silently to yourself now.
We are about to practice yoga nidra.
Do not fall asleep,
Simply listen to the sound of my voice.
We will begin the rotation of consciousness moving from one part of the body to the next.
Move quickly and stay relaxed.
Start off with your right hand thumb.
Awareness in your right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
The palm of your hand and the top of your hand,
The whole hand relaxed.
The wrist,
The lower part of the arm,
The elbow,
The upper part of the arm,
Armpit and shoulder,
Your whole right arm relaxed and heavy.
Become aware of the right side body and waist,
Your right hip,
Your right thigh,
Right knee,
Lower part of the right leg,
Your right ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Your whole right leg and foot completely relaxed.
Moving now to the left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
The palm of your left hand,
The top of your left hand,
Your whole left hand completely relaxed and effortless.
Your left wrist,
The lower part of your left arm,
Elbow,
Upper part of your left arm,
Left shoulder and armpit,
Your whole left arm and hand completely relaxed.
Left side body and hip,
The left thigh,
The left knee,
The lower part of the left leg,
Your ankle,
Heel,
Top of the left foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe.
The whole leg and foot relaxed,
Completely effortless.
Moving now to the back body with the back of your head,
The back of your neck,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade and the whole length of your spine,
The whole back completely relaxed.
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Back of your right thigh,
Back of your left thigh,
Right back of the knee,
Left back of the knee,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right heel,
Left heel,
The whole back body completely relaxes.
Moving back to the top of the scalp,
Your right ear,
Your left ear,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow and the space between your eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
The right nostril,
Left nostril and the very tip of your nose,
Your right cheek,
Left cheek,
Top lip,
Bottom lip and your chin.
The whole face and jaw is completely relaxed and effortless.
Become aware of your neck,
Your collarbones,
Right chest,
Left chest and the whole abdomen,
Right hip,
Left hip and the whole torso is completely relaxed,
Complete sense of being effortless.
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right knee,
Left knee,
Right shin,
Left shin,
Right foot,
Left foot,
Both of your legs are completely and utterly relaxed,
Just completely let go.
The whole right side of the body,
The whole left side of the body relaxed.
The head and the body relaxed.
Your whole body,
Your whole body,
Your whole body.
Be aware of your whole body lying here on the surface that you are lying on and become aware of the points that are making contact with the ground or with the bed.
Perhaps it's your feet,
Perhaps it's your heels,
The shoulder blades,
Buttocks,
Move from one point to the next in no particular order.
Now bring your awareness to a point of light in the center of your forehead and relax,
A single point of light.
Bring your attention to the center of your throat and imagine a point of light in the center of the throat.
Relax your whole body.
Bring your awareness to the center of your right shoulder,
A point of light and relax.
Reach at the fingertips,
See a point of light,
Tip of the thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger.
Points of light,
Relax.
The center of your right wrist,
The center of your right elbow and back to the center of your right shoulder,
A point of light,
Relax.
Center of your chest,
Feel the light and relax,
Completely effortless.
Center of the left shoulder,
Point of light,
Relax.
The tip of your left thumb,
Point of light as well as second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger.
The center of your left wrist,
A point of light,
Completely relax.
The center of your elbow and back to the center of your left shoulder.
In the navel center,
You feel a point of light and you let relaxation ripple through your whole body.
Let go,
Relax.
The right hip joint,
A point of light.
The tip of the big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Points of light,
Completely relax.
The center of the right ankle,
The center of the right knee and back to the right hip joint.
To the left hip joint,
A point of light and on the tip of the left big toe,
A point of light.
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe,
Points of light on each.
The center of your left ankle,
The center of your left knee and back to the center of your left hip,
Points of light,
Completely relax.
Back to the navel center,
A burning bright ball of light,
Completely let go.
Let relaxation ripple throughout your being,
Right throughout your body.
Relax.
The whole body is completely effortless,
Completely effortless and totally relaxed.
Become aware of your breath.
Become aware of your body breathing.
Notice the sensation of the air moving between the nostrils and the bridge of the nose.
And without moving,
Begin to observe the practice of mental nadi shodhana.
So you observe the breath moving through the left nostril and you observe the breath move out through the right.
Observe the breath moving through the right nostril and observe the breath move out through the left and begin to count.
I'm breathing in left 51 and breathing out right 51.
I'm breathing in right 51 and breathing out left 51.
I'm breathing in left 50.
I'm breathing out right 50.
I'm breathing in right 50.
I'm breathing out left 50.
I'm breathing in 49 left.
I'm breathing out right 49.
I'm breathing in right 49.
I'm breathing out left 49.
Continue counting.
Changing nostrils to exhale and if you make a mistake or reach zero,
You simply start again at 51.
Continue with a mental observation of nadi shodhana counting each round.
I'm breathing in right 51.
I'm breathing out right 51.
I'm breathing in right 51.
Stay awake.
If you make a mistake,
Simply go back to 51.
I'm breathing in right 51.
I'm breathing out right 51.
I'm breathing in right 51.
I'm breathing out right 51.
I'm breathing out right 51.
Leave your counting for now and bring your awareness back to the third eye center.
Imagine a point of light in the third eye center and let your brow be soft,
No tension,
Completely effortless.
As I say each object,
Picture this object as best you can on the screen of the third eye.
There is no right or wrong,
If you find it unable to imagine or picture any object,
Just simply move on to the next.
Picture a candle burning.
Picture a candle flickering in the wind.
Picture a palm frond uncurling for the very first time.
A drop of water on a leaf.
A high snow capped mountain.
A river running down the side of a snow capped mountain.
Cold wet rocks stream side.
Sand on a beach.
The ocean waves crashing against the sand.
Dark sky at night.
The moon in the sky at night.
The moon reflected over an ocean at night.
The most perfect sunset.
A heartwarming sunrise.
A forest floor.
Bare feet walking on a forest floor.
Tall trees,
Great giants.
Rough bark.
Green leaves.
A field of brightly coloured flowers.
A candle burning.
The sun shining in the middle of the day,
Warmth on the skin.
Thunderstorm rolling across the sky.
A pristine lake.
Rain coming across droplets forming on the surface of the lake.
Flower bud opening.
Campfire at night.
Sun in the woods.
Sun rising over a mountain.
The dew resting on the grass like a blanket.
Moss on a stone.
Samp earth.
Sheer cliff faces.
Rainforest trees.
And a candle burning.
Flickering in the wind.
Come back now to rest in the screen of the third eye centre.
And just sit in this space allowing whatever imagery or sensation to arise to the surface.
Don't force it.
If something arises let it come.
Let it be and let it go.
If nothing comes just sit looking at the blank screen of the mind.
If your mind wanders just remember to come back to the screen of the third eye centre.
Come back now to rest in the screen of the third eye centre.
Leave that now and see if you can come to hold the third eye centre and the space of the heart simultaneously within your awareness.
Within this space see if you can hold the image of yourself meditating sitting tall and straight comfortable and serene in a beautiful location in nature.
See yourself completely absorbed in your practice.
Allow that sensation of calm steadiness drawing deep within to wash over you knowing that it is accessible anytime.
And now draw your attention back to your intention or your sankalpa that you set at the beginning and see if you can plant this too firmly within both the space of your heart and the third eye centre.
Seeing the look or the experience of this intention and feeling it within the heart space.
Repeat it to yourself three times silently using the same clear and positive language that you used at the beginning.
Three times silently to yourself now.
Then become aware of your whole body.
The practice of yoganidra is now complete.
Please keep your eyes closed and start to breathe a little more deeply.
Begin to wriggle your fingers and toes and gently prepare yourself to move out into the external world again.
When your mind's eye begin to see the space around you,
The room that you're in and little bit by little bit extend your awareness out holding true to the deep centre.
As you feel ready,
Begin to stretch and move,
Maybe rubbing your hands on your lap.
You can slowly make your way back up to a seated position.
Namaste yogis.
4.6 (153)
Recent Reviews
Denise
January 8, 2024
Truly a beautiful nidra practice and I love your scan and breath work. All my thanks Kelly.
Pekka
June 9, 2023
Wow!
Amy
January 6, 2020
Very relaxing. Thank you!