Sleep Yoga Nidra: Welcoming Light And Dark (With Piano)
by Kerry McKay
A nurturing practice to support you to fall asleep, prepare for sleep, or rest deeply. Voice and piano entwine to welcome all parts of you and invite a letting go into the magic of dreams. A creative collaboration with wonderful musician Stef Vink, see our other musical tracks. Get comfortable in bed or in your cosy nest and simply listen. Headphones will help you to hear all the notes. Donations are very welcome and will support us to create more Nidras. I would love to hear from you, please comment in the review box. Kerry
Transcript
Welcome,
I'm really glad you're here.
I'm Kerry Mackay and this time together is to support you to rest.
We'll make space for all of you as we dwell in the magic of the liminal place,
Between states.
It's an invitation to let go into complete restoration.
So the end of the audio is quiet and soft and doesn't bring you back to wakefulness.
Let's begin by gently acknowledging your surroundings.
The place where you are.
The shapes and objects around you.
Light or dark in your space.
Then settle down.
Be however you like to be when you fall asleep.
So make any adjustments that would make you even a tiny bit more comfortable.
You might need cushions,
Blankets or pillows.
Let your surroundings and your supports come close and nourish you.
Now that you've arrived here,
You can close off the day.
There's nothing else to be done.
You aren't needed anywhere else.
And this time is just for you.
During this practice,
It's fine to fall asleep.
Or to be awake.
And it's fine to be somewhere in between.
It's fine to move.
Or to be completely still.
And it's fine to be somewhere in between.
It's fine to listen to my voice or to drift away.
Or be somewhere in between.
There's no right and there's no wrong.
And know that truly all parts of you are welcome.
The wakeful parts and the sleepy parts.
The anxious parts of you and the calm parts.
Thinking parts and feeling parts.
Tense parts.
Relaxed parts.
Cool parts and warmer parts.
Hurt parts and contented parts.
This time and space can hold and nourish all parts of you just as they are.
Let's take a couple of breaths.
If you like,
Breathe in gently through the nose.
And then open your mouth and sigh out.
And do another couple of breaths like that.
Softly in through the nose.
Softly sighing out through the mouth.
And for the next one,
Notice if there can be a little more space for the breath.
And then give your breath a moment to settle.
And now I invite you to bring your awareness more into the body with a simple sweep downwards.
Noticing first the back of the head.
Perhaps it's lying on your pillow.
And then take your awareness down to the back of the neck.
And then noticing the right shoulder blade and the left shoulder blade.
Perhaps they can snuggle in some way.
And then the right side of the back ribs and the left side.
Coming down and noticing across the back of the waist.
Sensing all the way down the back of the body to the right buttock.
And then the left buttock.
And now coming down the back of the right leg.
Sweeping your attention down the back of the left leg.
The sole of the right foot and the sole of the left foot.
And now the pads of the toes.
Noticing all of the back of the body and the places that touch your supports.
And notice where the body is ready to rest more into that touch.
Returning to the head and then we'll sweep down the right side of the body.
Coming to the right side of the head and the right ear.
Sweeping down the right side of the neck.
The right shoulder.
And flowing down the arm.
The outside of the arm all the way to the hand.
And then the little finger on the right hand.
Noticing the right armpit.
And taking your awareness down the right side of the chest.
To the side of the waist.
The outside of the hip.
And down the outside of the right thigh and lower leg.
Down to the side of the foot.
And the right little toe.
Coming up to the left side of the head now.
And the ear.
Sensing the left side of the neck.
The left shoulder.
Down the outside of the left arm.
All the way to the hand.
And then the little finger on the left hand.
Now coming to the armpit.
The left side of the chest.
The left side of the waist.
The outside of the hip.
And down the outside of the leg.
The left side of the foot and then to the little toe.
Flowing down the contours of the front of the body now.
Starting at the top of the head.
Coming down over the forehead.
Sweeping your attention over the eyebrows.
The eyes.
The nose.
The cheeks.
The lips.
Flowing over the chin and down the front of the neck.
Noticing the shape of the collarbones.
The front of the chest.
Right side.
Left side.
Sweeping down the shape of the lower ribs.
The upper belly.
And then the lower belly.
The pelvis.
The pubic bone.
And the genitals.
The front of the right thigh.
The front of the left thigh.
The right knee.
The left knee.
The right shin.
The left shin.
Down to the ankles now.
Right ankle.
Left ankle.
The top of the foot.
Right side.
Left side.
The whole of the front of the body held gently with your attention.
The whole of the back of the body.
Both sides of the body.
All of you welcomed in in this moment.
And now let's be with the breath.
Noticing the next in breath and the next out breath.
Being with the breath.
Softly and kindly.
Letting it be just as it is.
Noticing this pattern of inhalation and exhalation.
Giving the breath your attention.
And then noticing the breath moving the body.
Can you find a movement of the breath in the chest?
Can you find the breath in the back of the waist?
Softly expanding.
Softly resting.
The movement of the breath in the belly.
Softly expanding.
Softly resting.
Be with the breath in kindness.
Noticing the subtle changes in the pelvis with the inhale and the exhale.
Perhaps you can find the breath arriving in the right hip.
A subtle change in the hip as you breathe.
And then the left hip.
A subtle change in the hip as you breathe.
And is there a sense of the breath arriving in the pelvic floor?
A softening.
And a fullness.
And a softening.
And a fullness.
And then letting this go.
And just being for a moment.
And now finding any wakefulness that is present.
Giving it a friendly welcome.
Allow it to be felt fully.
This wakefulness.
Dropping into the feeling of wakefulness.
And perhaps noticing where it is in the body.
Maybe the head.
Or the eyes.
Or somewhere else.
Simply offering this wakeful part space and care.
And then letting the wakefulness go.
And inviting a sense of sleepiness.
Welcoming in the sleepy parts and places.
Feeling it a little more right now.
Where is sleepiness in the body?
Just noticing.
And inviting it to come closer.
And then letting the sleepiness go.
Moving back to wakefulness.
Feeling that.
Moving back to sleepiness.
Feeling that.
And wakefulness.
And sleepiness.
Switching.
And perhaps for a moment,
Both wakefulness and sleepiness can be present in the same moment.
Held gently in your awareness.
And then letting that go.
And now we'll journey around the body again.
And every part of the body is invited to rest as it comes into your awareness.
So starting at the top of the head.
Coming down into the centre of the head.
Behind the eyes.
Dropping down through the head and into the neck.
Your soothing awareness arriving in the base of the throat.
Flowing along the right collarbone to the right shoulder.
And down the right arm.
Through the elbow to the wrist.
Filling up the wrist with awareness.
This soothing quality moving into the palm of the hand.
Circling in the palm.
The back of the hand.
Circling between the bones in the back of the hand.
And then into the root of each finger.
The thumb.
The index finger.
The middle finger.
The ring finger.
The little finger.
And then the tips of the fingers.
The thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
All the fingers.
The spaces between the fingers.
The palm of the hand.
The back of the hand.
And the wrist.
The whole hand.
Filling up with your gentle attention.
The hand being soothed and nourished.
And now flowing back up the right arm.
Coming to the base of the throat.
Resting at the base of the throat.
And then flowing along the left collarbone.
Left shoulder.
Down the left arm.
Elbow to the wrist.
The wrist filling up with your soothing awareness.
The palm of the hand.
Circling through the palm.
Circling in the back of the hand.
Coming to the roots of each finger.
The thumb.
The index finger.
The middle finger.
The ring finger.
The little finger.
The tip of each finger.
Tip of the thumb.
Tip of the index finger.
Tip of the middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the little finger.
The spaces between the fingers.
The whole palm.
The back of the hand.
The spaces in the hand.
The whole hand soothed.
Invited to rest.
Softly travelling back up the left arm.
And arriving in the base of the throat.
And now let's drop down into the chest.
Coming into the chest space with your nourishing attention.
Being here for a moment.
The space around the lungs.
The space around the heart.
The space within the lungs.
The spaces within the heart.
Your attention is truly enough.
And then we're going down into the upper abdomen.
The upper belly.
Dropping down with your soothing attention.
Filling up this place.
Simply with your noticing.
Sensing into the belly now.
Being in the centre of the belly.
A sense of allowing and care as you rest with this part of the body.
Dropping more deeply into the pelvis.
Noticing the spaces.
The sensations.
The pelvic floor.
The pubic bone.
The hip joints.
The sacrum.
And your attention is truly enough to invite this place to rest.
Coming down the right leg.
Flowing down to the ankle.
Noticing the ankle and sensing.
Filling up the ankle with your attention.
And then the centre of the sole of the foot.
Circling here.
Resting here.
The top of the foot.
Circling.
Resting the spaces between the bones.
The ball of the foot.
The roots of the toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The tips of the toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The toes and the whole of the right foot.
Coming back up the leg to the hip.
Resting in the belly.
Moving to the left hip.
Flowing down the left leg.
Bringing your soothing attention to the left ankle.
Filling up the ankle.
With your noticing.
Your caring.
Your care.
The centre of the sole of the left foot.
The bones of the top of the foot.
The spaces.
Moving to the roots of the toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The tips of the toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All of the toes and the foot.
Invited to rest.
Both feet together.
Both hands together.
The hands and the feet.
Resting.
Soothed.
And then letting that go and just being in this body.
Breathing body.
Resting body.
Cared for body.
And now bring to mind the quality of darkness.
Allow darkness to be experienced now in the body.
Inviting more darkness.
Sensing darkness.
Allowing darkness.
Noticing darkness in the body experienced right now.
And where are the places that feel more dark?
Allowing them to come close.
And then letting that go and inviting in a sense of lightness.
Bringing the quality of lightness close.
Inviting more lightness.
And noticing which parts of the body feel light.
Allowing more and more light.
And then letting that go and moving back to dark.
Welcoming the dark.
Switching.
And welcoming the light.
Then welcoming the dark.
And then the light.
And perhaps for a moment.
Light and dark can join together and be experienced at the same time.
Moving gently now to the lower belly again.
Being with the belly just as it is.
What do you notice if you imagine a reassuring darkness there?
Sensing this possibility.
Being with the dark.
And then moving up to the head and imagining a soft light.
Light in the head.
Sensing this possibility.
And then dropping down to the dark of the belly.
Flowing up to the light in the head.
Back down to the dark.
Flowing up to the light.
This gentle movement up and down between light and dark.
Perhaps the breath can lead you up and down.
From dark to light and back again.
Being with the belly.
Being with the head.
The dark dreams of the belly.
The light dreams of the head.
The dark dreams of the belly.
The light dreams of the head.
And slowly.
Softly.
Kindly.
Inviting these dreams to meet in the sweetness of the heart.
The heart right now.
This magical meeting place.
Where dreams are held.
In the beating pulse of life.
Your heart right now.
And being here for a moment is truly enough.
And in this place of dreams there is room for the magic of you.
There is space for the still parts of you.
And the drifting parts.
There is an allowing of all the parts and expressions.
Space for all of who you are.
And all of how you are.
Together in this place.
The whole of you is welcome.
Your dreams are welcome.
Not knowing is welcome.
And as we rest here in this state of belonging.
Know that simply being here is enough.
You are already in rejuvenation.
There's nothing to do but be.
Nothing is being asked of you.
Just being in this breathing body is enough.
With this beating heart.
This resting mind.
All is resting now.
Trust that you can let go.
Let go of your attention.
Letting go.
There's nothing to do but be.
There's no need to hold on in any way.
You are held now.
You are nourished.
You are safe.
There's no need to hold on in any way.
You are held now.
You are nourished.
You are safe.
You are held now.
You are nourished.
You are safe.
4.8 (182)
Recent Reviews
Femke
October 26, 2025
This is one of the best nidras I have done in a long time… and I do a lot of nidras! Love it Love the different approach to the bodyscan and opposites, worked really well. And love the music pairing. Thank you very much!
Catherine
August 24, 2025
Thank you, Kerry🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻I LOVE this yoga nidra. I used it throughout the night. Than aroound 6:30 am this morning, I pressed the play button again, and was able to hear/receive the full content, realizing how quickly I had fallen asleep each time during the night. So many beautiful moments in there. “Just being in this body is enough” somehow stayed with me. It’s actually a wonderful statement for full embodiment throughout the day. The whole nidra received in gratitude🙏🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏🏻
Zu
August 6, 2025
One of the best sleep meditations I have come across. I keep coming back to it when I wake up in the middle of the night. I especially like the welcoming of wakeful and sleepy parts. Thank you!
Emily
April 15, 2025
A beautiful practice to prepare for sleep. I particularly enjoyed the relaxed sensations I felt when you highlighted the contrasts. Thank you 💙
Andi
January 16, 2025
I fell back to sleep fairly quickly I think, but I remember liking the novel body scan that was like drawing an outline along the edges of the body. Saving to favorites. 1/16/25
YogiKate127
December 31, 2024
This is a gift, the most immersive yoga Nidra I've experienced in quite a while. A new favorite 🙏🏼
Angela
April 14, 2024
Thank you! Fell asleep quickly and slept well! Beautiful! 💖🙏🏼
Jenelle
December 25, 2023
Love it! Your voice is so soothing and I like going back through the body scan the second time.