This Yoga Nidra session gently guides you towards sleep.
The intention is for you to fall asleep during or after this session,
So I won't wake you at the end.
There will be no signal,
No bell to bring you back.
So if you're using this session for a brief moment of rest and prefer not to fall asleep,
Set an alarm for yourself.
Tonight we'll work with two natural rhythms,
The soft light of the moon and the ebb and flow of your breath.
Both move in waves.
Both bring rest.
You're probably already in bed.
Take a moment to make your little nest perfect.
Maybe you want to fluff your pillow or grab an extra blanket.
Whatever makes you more comfortable.
Preferably,
You lie on your back.
Your legs rest slightly apart.
Your feet fall inward or outward.
Whatever feels good.
Your arms lie beside you,
With your palms facing up.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes.
And maybe you'd like to take a deep sigh first.
Breathe in through your nose and then release all your breath through your mouth.
And feel free to make some sound with it.
Breathe in and sigh it all out.
Wonderful.
Return to your natural breathing.
And even though your eyes are closed,
Imagine there's light in your room.
Not the bright light of the day,
But the soft,
Silvery light of the moon.
Perhaps in reality,
It's even shining through your window.
Or maybe you're just imagining it.
It doesn't matter.
This moonlight is here for you.
Moonlight is different from sunlight.
It doesn't warm.
It only illuminates.
Soft.
Calm.
Without asking for anything.
And as that moonlight hangs softly in your bedroom,
Bring your attention to your breathing.
You don't need to change anything.
Just feel.
Feel how the air flows in,
Like a wave reaching the shore.
And how the air flows back out,
Like that same wave retreating.
In,
Like a wave coming.
Out,
Like a wave going.
Your breath has the same rhythm as the sea.
Eternal.
Soothing.
Always the same.
Yet new every time.
And just as the moon influences the tide,
The moonlight now illuminates your breathing.
You can almost see it.
See how your breath glimmers in that soft light.
Keep breathing at your own pace.
Feel the waves.
See the moonlight.
Your breath follows its own rhythm.
You don't need to do anything with it.
If you want,
You can think back to your day for a moment.
Maybe a particular moment was nice.
Something small or something big.
A warm cup of tea.
A friendly conversation.
Sunlight on your face.
And if nothing comes to mind right now,
That's completely fine too.
Whatever was,
It's been.
The day is over now.
You can let it go.
Let your body become heavy.
Feel how it sinks into the mattress,
As if you're lying in soft sand.
Support it.
Protect it.
The moonlight falls first on your face.
Feel it.
Not as warmth,
But as softness.
Your forehead bathes in the moonlight.
It relaxes,
Softens.
The light glides over your eyebrows,
Over your closed eyes.
Your eyes rest deep,
Sheltered in soft darkness.
Your cheeks,
Your nose,
Your mouth,
All illuminated by the moon.
Your jaw releases.
Your lips become soft.
Your tongue rests in your mouth.
All those tiny little muscles in your face let go.
The moonlight flows over your throat,
Your neck.
A wave of relaxation.
And now the light flows downward,
Over your shoulders.
First your right shoulder,
Illuminated,
Relaxed,
Sinking.
The light glides over your right arm.
Your upper arm bathes in it.
Your elbow becomes soft.
Your forearm,
Your wrists,
Your hands.
All your fingers shimmer in the moonlight.
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
All resting.
Your left shoulder receives the light now,
Heavy and soft at the same time.
The moonlight flows down along your left arm,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm.
Wrists,
Hands.
Your entire left hand shimmers.
Every finger.
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Completely illuminated,
Completely at rest.
The moonlight gathers now on your chest.
Feel it rest there.
Soft and silvery.
With each inhalation,
A new wave of light comes in.
With each exhalation,
The light becomes deeper,
Calmer.
Breathe in,
A wave of light comes in.
Breathe out,
The light sinks deeper.
Breathe in,
Silver flows in.
Breathe out,
Everything becomes softer.
The moonlight spreads to your belly.
Your belly can be completely soft.
The moonlight makes everything supple,
Warm and relaxed.
Your hips bathe in the light.
Your pelvis.
All tension flows away,
Carried along by the tight of your breath.
The light flows to your thighs.
Right thigh,
Illuminated and heavy.
Left thigh,
Glowing and resting.
Both your knees become soft.
Your lower legs,
Shins and calves,
All bathing in the moonlight.
As if you're lying in clear water and the light dances on your skin through the water.
Into your feet the light flows.
Your right foot shimmers.
Your heel.
Your arch.
Your toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
All illuminated.
Your left foot glows in the moonlight.
Your entire foot.
All toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Completely at rest.
Your entire body now lies in a bath of moonlight.
From your head to your feet.
From your feet to your head.
Illuminated.
Relaxed.
Floating.
And your breath keeps waving.
In and out,
Like the tide.
Like the moon that appears and disappears each night.
If you want,
You can create a gentle wish for yourself here.
In this moonlight.
On this wave.
Maybe something like,
I rest deeply and peacefully.
Or I wake up refreshed.
Or something completely different.
Whatever comes to you.
Repeat it silently to yourself three times.
And then let it go.
Let it drift away on the lights.
On the waves of your breath.
Now imagine that you're not lying in your bed,
But by the sea.
At night,
Under the full moon.
You're lying on warm,
Soft sand.
The sand has held on to the warmth of the day.
It shapes itself perfectly around your body.
The air is mild.
Not cold,
Not warm.
Just right.
Above you is the sky full of stars.
But the moon shines brightest.
Big.
Round.
Silver.
And in front of you,
Nearby,
You hear the sea.
The ocean.
The sound of waves coming and going.
No wild waves,
No storm.
Just soft,
Endless waves.
That reach the beach and retreat again.
The wave comes,
Whispering across the sand.
The wave goes back to sea.
And your breath follows exactly that rhythm.
Breathing in with the wave that comes.
Breathing out with the wave that goes.
In,
The wave reaches the beach.
Out,
The wave retreats.
In,
Water flows forward.
Out,
Water flows back.
You don't need to do anything.
The ocean breathes for you.
The moon lights the way.
The sand carries you.
Maybe you feel a very soft breeze now and then.
It smells like salt.
Like the ocean.
Like relaxation.
The moonlight draws a path on the water.
A silvery path that seems to run from the horizon towards you.
And each time a wave retreats,
The water gleams in the moonlight.
As if there are a thousand little lights in the waves.
You lie there safe.
Protected.
No one can find you here.
This is your place.
Your moment.
The ocean keeps breathing.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
And with each wave that retreats,
The ocean takes something from your day.
A thought.
A tension.
A worry.
The sea takes it away.
Dissolves it.
Another wave.
Another thing that can go.
And with each wave that comes,
The ocean brings something new.
Rest.
Silence.
Peace.
Taking and giving.
Giving and taking.
The eternal rhythm.
Your body becomes heavier.
As if you're slowly sinking into the warm sand.
Soothing.
Comfortable.
As if the sand is embracing you.
Your head rests.
Your shoulders rest.
Your back,
Your legs,
Your feet,
Everything sinks softly away.
And as your body sinks,
Your mind becomes lighter.
Deeper.
Emptier.
Stiller.
Thoughts are still there,
But they're like those waves.
They come.
They go.
You don't need to hold onto them.
Let them come.
And let them go.
The moonlight becomes softer.
Or maybe your eyes become heavier.
It's hard to tell the difference.
The waves sound farther away.
And you sink deeper.
Deeper and deeper.
With each wave movement,
You sink deeper.
Ten.
The wave comes to your toes and retreats again.
Your toes sink into the sea.
Nine.
The wave comes to your ankles,
Washes over them,
And retreats.
Your feet rest.
Eight.
The wave reaches your lower legs.
Your shins,
Your calves,
Washed over by rest.
The wave retreats.
Seven.
The wave comes to your knees,
Washes over them.
Your knees become soft.
The wave goes back.
Six.
The wave reaches your thighs.
Your thighs bathe in the water,
Heavy and relaxed.
The wave retreats.
Five.
The wave comes to your hips,
Your pelvis.
Everything becomes soft.
The wave washes back to sea.
Four.
The wave reaches your belly,
Your lower back.
Warm water bringing rest.
And the wave retreats again.
Three.
The wave comes to your chest,
Your heart.
Your entire torso bathes in rest.
The wave goes back.
Two.
The wave reaches your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your throat.
Washed over by peace.
The wave retreats.
One.
The wave comes to your crown and brings deep relaxation.
From your toes to your crown,
Completely submerged.
The wave slowly retreats.
You are one with the ocean.
Everything becomes quiet.
Everything becomes soft.
Everything becomes distant.
You're floating somewhere between the beach and sleep.
Between the water and the dream.
It's safe to let go,
To go along.
The moon watches over you.
The ocean carries you on its breath.
On waves that don't make you wet,
But only carry you.
A wave of rest.
Sinking deeper.
Moonlight.
Drifting away.
Further and further.
Deeper and deeper.
Until there's only this left.
This softness.
This silence.
This moonlight.
And these endless waves of rest.
That carry you through the entire night.
Safe.
Soft.
Sleep well.
