Winter Yoga Nidra For Rest And Recovery

This yoga nidra session invites you to rest without guilt. Just as nature slows down in winter, you too may slow down and recover. Through a body scan that radiates outward from your heart and a warm visualization by the fireplace, you remind yourself that rest is not a luxury but a necessity. Perfect for when you're tired and want to give yourself permission to truly relax.

Transcript

Winter invites us to unwind.

Just as nature slows its pace and turns its energy inward,

We too can slow down.

In this Yoga Nidra session,

We embrace the wisdom of winter.

Winter teaches us that rest isn't a luxury,

But a necessity.

Just as the earth recovers under a blanket of cold,

And perhaps even snow,

We too can take the time to recover and recharge.

This isn't a time for stagnation,

But for quiet preparation for what lies ahead.

This session will help you take a break without feeling guilty.

It will help you respect your own rhythm and trust that this rest period is exactly what you need.

Winter is the season of recovery and comfort.

So find a warm,

Cozy place where you can lie down without being disturbed.

Maybe on your bed,

Under a thick blanket,

Or on the couch by the heater.

This is your safe haven for right now.

And make sure you're truly comfortable.

Winter calls for extra warmth.

Perhaps drape an extra blanket over yourself,

Put on warm socks,

Or place a pillow under your knees if that feels comfortable.

Maybe you even filled up a hot water bottle.

Do whatever you need to feel safe and warm.

Lie on your back,

Spread your legs slightly,

And let your feet relax.

Place your arms by your sides,

Palms facing up,

Or,

If it feels more comfortable,

Facing inward or on your stomach.

And then close your eyes.

And as you get used to the dark,

I'd like to invite you to set an intention for this session.

A winter intention.

About rest,

About recovery,

About giving yourself permission.

Perhaps words like,

I allow myself rest without guilt,

Come to mind.

Or,

I trust my own rhythm.

Or,

I recharge my batteries.

Whatever comes to mind,

Phrase it positively,

And as if it's already here.

And repeat your intention silently to yourself,

Three times.

Beautiful.

Now let go of your intention.

Like letting go of your breath after a deep sigh.

Your intention is set.

You can now let it go.

Feel how closing your eyes affects your energy.

It's like drawing a curtain against the outside world.

Inside,

It's safe.

Bring your attention to your breath.

Not to change it,

But simply to feel where it is.

Maybe your breath is high in your throat,

Or deep in your belly.

Maybe you're breathing quickly,

Or very slowly.

It's all fine.

Just observe.

Now feel the temperature of your breath.

The air entering your nose.

Is it cool?

And the air leaving.

Do you feel it's warmer?

Your body is a natural heat source.

Just take a few deep breaths and consciously pay attention to your breathing.

Inhale deeply through your nose,

Feeling the cool air enter.

Hold your breath for a moment.

Feel your body warming the air.

And exhale slowly through your nose.

Feel the warmth flowing out.

One more time.

Cool air inside.

Hold and heat.

Warm air outside.

Now let your breath be completely free again.

No more control.

Just let it be.

Your body knows exactly how to breathe.

Imagine that with every breath,

Warmth enters your body.

Not just air,

But warmth.

A golden soft warmth.

And with each exhalation,

You release tension.

All the colds,

All the tension,

All that is hard,

Is allowed to melt away and flow away.

Inhale,

Take heat in.

Exhale,

Release tension.

Heat inside.

Tension out.

Just keep breathing like this,

At your own pace,

As I take you through your body.

We're starting at your heart,

The center of warmth in your body.

Bring your attention to your chest area.

Feel your heart beating.

You might not feel it right away,

But know it's there.

For you.

Always.

Even while you sleep.

Your heart takes care of you.

Thank your heart.

And imagine a warm golden glow radiating from your heart,

Like a wood fire slowly being stoked.

That warmth spreads first to your lungs.

Your entire chest becomes warm and soft.

Feel your ribs expand with each inhalation.

And then they move back inwards with each exhalation.

The warmth now descends into your abdomen.

Your abdominal muscles can completely relax.

There's nothing to hold back here,

Nothing to keep flat.

And your abdomen can be soft,

Rising and falling again.

Warm and relaxed.

From your belly,

The heat flows downward through your pelvis,

Your hips.

Everything becomes softer,

Warmer.

Like snow melting in the sun.

Your thighs bathe in that warmth.

Your right thigh.

And left thigh.

They become heavy,

Warm,

Relaxed.

Your knees become soft.

The heat flows down through your legs,

Your shins,

Your calves.

All filled with that soft golden warmth.

Tension has no place here anymore.

The warmth flows right down to your feet,

Right down to your toes,

Right foot and left foot.

All your toes.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And little toe.

On both sides.

Warm and protected.

As if they were in thick wool socks.

Or maybe they actually are.

Now let's return to your heart,

To that warm center.

Because the warmth also flows to the sides and upward.

From your heart,

Warmth flows to your shoulders.

First your right shoulder.

Feel all the weight you carry there melt away.

Your shoulder sinks into the ground.

The heat flows into your right arm.

Through your upper arm.

Through your elbow.

Through your forearm.

And wrist.

All the way to your right hand.

Your palm warms.

Your fingers warm.

Thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky.

All warm and relaxed.

Your left shoulder now receives the same warmth.

Here too,

You can release all the weight.

Let go.

The shoulder drops.

Heavy and warm.

Heat flows through your left arm.

Upper arm.

Elbow.

Forearm.

Wrist.

Hand.

Your left palm warms.

Your fingers are relaxed.

Thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky.

Completely warm.

Completely soft.

And then the golden glow moves up through your throat.

Your throat opens and becomes warm.

As if you've just drunk a cup of hot tea.

Onto your neck.

The back of your neck can completely relax.

All the small muscles relaxing.

The warmth spreads across your head.

The back of your head.

Where it rests on the floor or pillow.

The top of your head.

And your face.

Your forehead is relaxed and warm.

The space between your eyebrows relaxes.

Your eyes sink deeper into their sockets.

Warm and sheltered.

Your cheeks.

Your nose.

Your mouth.

All soft and warm.

Let your jaw relax.

Perhaps your mouth falls open a little.

That's okay.

Your whole body is now a warm nest.

Warms from within.

Protected from without by your blanket.

This is your safe place.

Here you can be yourself.

Here you don't have to do anything.

Just keep breathing.

Feel that warmth.

And let yourself be transported to an image.

A story.

Imagine it's evening.

It's already dark outside.

It's dim.

And in the sky,

You can spot a few stars.

You're sitting inside.

In your favorite chair or on the couch.

There's a window in front of you.

And through it,

You see snowflakes falling.

Softly.

And slowly.

As if they have all the time in the world.

Each snowflake is unique.

But together,

They form a thick,

Soft blanket over the world.

A blanket of silence.

A blanket of peace.

A wood fire burns in the room.

You can hear it softly crackling and popping.

Every now and then,

You see a spark fly up.

The fire dances and moves.

The warmth of the fire reaches your face.

You feel it.

It's soft and pleasant.

You don't need to get any closer.

You don't need to get any further away.

Right here,

It's perfect.

You're holding a mug.

Perhaps with hot tea or hot chocolate.

You feel the warmth of the mug seeping through your hands.

You take a sip and feel the heat slide down your throat,

Warming your stomach.

You have a blanket over your shoulders.

A soft woolen blanket that smells of home,

Of safety.

The weight of the blanket on your shoulders feels like a hug.

Outside,

The snow continues to fall.

The world slows down,

Becomes quieter.

And you can join in on that slowness.

You don't have to run.

You don't have to rush.

You don't have to do anything.

Perhaps there's a pet lying at your feet.

A cat purring,

Or a dog fast asleep.

Or perhaps you're alone,

Savoring this moment for yourself.

The clock ticks softly in the background.

Time still exists,

But it's not in a hurry.

The seconds,

Minutes,

And hours can slip by peacefully.

You have no place to be but here,

Right now.

You watch the flames in the fire,

How they move,

Dance,

Transform.

Wood becomes fire,

Becomes warmth,

Becomes light.

Everything changes,

But the warmth remains.

And just like that wood,

You too may transform in this peace.

All your thoughts,

Worries,

And obligations may transform into simply being,

Just here,

Warm and safe.

Through the window,

You see a streetlight.

Its light shines on the falling snow.

Each flake is briefly illuminated before joining the others on the ground.

It's the same with your thoughts.

They come,

They go.

Some you see clearly for a moment,

Others disappear immediately.

But ultimately,

They all become part of the great silence.

You think of all the animals hibernating right now.

The hedgehog curled up under a pile of leaves.

The bat hanging upside down in a dark,

Safe cave.

The hedgehogs,

Badgers,

Bears,

They sleep for months,

Deeply and dreamlessly.

Their heartbeat slows.

Their breathing becomes very slow.

They do absolutely nothing.

And that's just right.

That's what their bodies need.

They know that rest is essential,

Not optional,

But necessary.

They do it without hesitation,

Without guilt,

Without thinking,

Shouldn't I have.

.

.

And you can too.

You can rest like an animal rests.

Completely,

Without guilt,

Without worrying about tomorrow.

Because tomorrow will take care of itself.

Spring will come naturally.

Now it's winter.

Now you can rest.

You feel your body growing heavier.

You can surrender to it.

You can lie here.

The warmth of the fire,

The warmth of your drink,

The warmth of your blanket,

The warmth of your own body,

It becomes one big warmth,

One big sense of security.

And in that security,

In that safety,

Everything can soften.

Your thoughts soften,

Your muscles soften,

Your heart softens.

Outside,

The wind may be blowing,

But inside,

You're protected.

It might storm,

Snow or freeze.

It can't touch you.

Not now.

Now you're safe.

Think back to the intention you set at the beginning.

You don't need to repeat it.

Just know it's there.

Like a seed under the snow,

Waiting for its time.

And let go of that thought.

Let go of everything.

Just lie here in this warmth,

In this safety,

In this peace.

You are exactly where you need to be.

You do exactly what you're supposed to do,

Which is nothing.

Just be.

Just breathe.

Just rest.

Just stay here a little longer.

There's no rush to come back.

Very slowly,

Become aware of the sounds around you.

Perhaps far away,

Or close by.

It doesn't matter.

You don't have to do anything with them yet.

Feel the warmth of your blanket.

Maybe the warmth of your socks.

Very gently,

Start moving your fingers.

Not your whole hand,

Just your fingers,

As if you were waking them up from a deep sleep.

Gently wiggle your toes.

They too can slowly wake up.

Breathe a little deeper,

But don't force anything.

Perhaps stretch your arms above your head,

Stretching fully as if you're waking up in the morning.

Or don't,

If it doesn't feel right.

Only do what feels right for you.

Don't open your eyes just yet.

Stay in that half-awake,

Half-asleep feeling for a little while.

And when you're ready,

Roll very slowly to your favorite side.

And stay there for a moment,

With your eyes closed.

Gently push yourself up,

With your hands.

Slowly,

As if you were moving through thick honey,

Until you're sitting.

Your eyes can still be closed,

Or half-open,

Whatever feels comfortable.

Bring your hands to your heart,

And feel the warmth between your palms.

That warmth will follow you wherever you go.

And thank yourself for the warmth not for what you've done,

But for the peace you've allowed yourself,

For the permission you've given yourself.

Thank winter for showing you that rest is essential,

That inertia is strength.

And as you close this session,

Try to take with you some of this warmth,

This peace,

This permission.

Maybe that means saying no to something this week.

Maybe that means taking an afternoon off without excuses.

Or maybe that means accepting that you're tired,

And that that's okay.

Winter forces nature to rest.

But you don't have to be forced.

You can choose.

Namaste.

Namaste.