Grounding Yoga Nidra / Deep Body Awareness & Sankalpa

This 25-minute Yoga Nidra is a deeply restorative guided meditation that leads you into a state of conscious rest between waking and sleep. This is where the nervous system resets, the subconscious becomes receptive and the body heals. It is used to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, build self-awareness and create lasting positive change through sankalpa — heartfelt intention setting.

In this practice we move through:
Settling & arriving — body contact, breath, full body awareness
Sankalpa — setting and planting your heartfelt intention
Breath awareness — following the natural tide of the breath
Rotation of consciousness — a slow, tender journey through every part of the body from fingertips to toes Visualisation — meeting yourself as you most wish to feel
Returning — gentle re-emergence and closing

Transcript

Welcome. I'm so glad you chose to take this time to rest. Take the next few moments to create a sacred space, Just for you, Where your body can become completely comfortable. Lie down on your back in Shavasana, Arms resting at your sides, Palms turn gently upward, Legs falling open, Relaxed, About hip width apart. Your body will naturally begin to cool as your heart rate slows, So if you have a blanket nearby, Draw it over you now. You might slide a bolster or rolled blanket beneath your knees to allow the low back to soften and release. Give yourself permission to be completely supported by the ground beneath you, By this practice, By the simple act of choosing to rest. The more deeply you allow yourself to be supported, The more deeply you will receive what is here for you. Let your eyes gently close. Begin to feel all the places where your body makes contact with the earth beneath you. Your heels sinking down. The soft weight of your calves, Your thighs, The curve of your lower back, Your shoulder blades spreading wide, Your arms, Your hands, The backs of your fingers, And the heaviness of your head resting back. Feel yourself being held, Like a stone resting at the bottom of a tranquil clear lake, Bathed in stillness. Now, Expand your awareness to take in your whole body, Just as it is in this moment, Without needing to change anything. Notice where you might be holding tension, Perhaps in the jaw, The shoulders, The belly. Simply observe, Without judgment, Just a kind, Curious noticing. Observe the quality of your mind. Thoughts drifting through the screen of your mind like clouds. Any emotions present, However subtle, Can you sense them reflected somewhere in the body? Just notice, And allow everything to simply be. Now, Gently bring to mind your sankalpa, Your heartfelt intention. A single, Simple statement of something you wish to invite into your life, Perhaps something you are growing toward, Or something you are ready to trust more fully. Your subconscious mind is becoming extraordinarily receptive right now, Resting at the threshold between waking and sleep, Open as a clear sky after rain. Let your sankalpa arise naturally, And when it does, Picture it as though it is already true, Already alive within you, Already here. Feel it, Embody it. Breathe it in. And silently, With great sincerity, Repeat it to yourself three times. Let it settle like a seed dropped into rich, Dark soil. It is planted. Trust it to blossom. Now, Softly shift your attention to your breath, Not changing it in any way, Simply watching it, As you would watch the tide moving in and out along a quiet shore. Feel the cool air as it enters the nostrils, Tracing its path through the sinuses, The throat, Flowing down into the lungs, The chest softly rising, The belly gently swelling with each breath. Each inhale, And falling, Releasing on each exhale. Breathing in, And breathing out. If the mind wanders, And it may, Simply notice, And return your awareness gently to the breath. There is no place to be but here. Now, We begin a journey through the body, Moving our awareness slowly, Tenderly, From part to part. All you need to do is listen and feel. Bring your awareness to your right hand, The right thumb, The right index finger, The middle finger, The fourth finger, The little finger, The palm of the hand, The back of the hand, The whole right hand, The wrist, The forearm, The elbow, The upper arm, The shoulder. Feel the whole right arm, Heavy, And still. Moving down now, The right side of the chest, The right side of the ribcage, The right hip, The right thigh, Front and back of the right knee, Softening, The right hand, The right calf, The right shin, The right ankle, The right heel, The sole of the foot, The right big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe. Feel the entire right side of the body, From the tips of the fingers to the tips of the toes, Still, Heavy. Bring your awareness to your left hand, The left thumb, The index finger, The middle finger, The fourth finger, The little finger, The palm of the hand, The back of the hand, The whole left hand, The wrist, The forearm, The elbow, The upper arm, The shoulder, The whole left hand, The whole left arm, Heavy and spacious, The left side of the chest, The left ribs, The left hip, The left thigh, Front and back of the left knee, Soft and spacious, The left calf, The left shin, The left ankle, The left heel, The sole of the left foot, The left big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe, The entire left side of the body, Released, Resting. Now bring awareness to the pelvis, The sacrum, Wide and heavy against the earth, The pelvic floor gently expanding and releasing with each breath, The lower belly, Organs resting inside, Deeply at ease, Rising and falling with each breath, Like the steady swell of the ocean, The navel center, The solar plexus, The ribcage expanding, Releasing, The lungs filling with light on each inhale, The heart beating at steady rhythm, The chest space opening, Like a window thrown wide on a warm and quiet morning. Move your awareness up through the spine, From the tailbone, Through the sacrum, The lumbar, The thoracic, The cervical spine, And up to the base of the skull, Feel the whole spine, The central river of the body, Bring awareness to the throat, Soft and open, The jaw unclenching, The tongue resting on the roof of the mouth, The lips parting slightly, The cheeks softening, The eyes melting back in their sockets, The space between the eyebrows, Smooth and still, The forehead releasing every fine line of tension, The scalp, The temples, The ears, The whole head, Submerged in light, The whole body still as mist. Now expand your awareness to take in your entire body all at once, From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Your whole body breathing, Expanding with each inhale, Softening with each exhale. Consider for a moment the vast intelligence of this body, The trillions of cells working in quiet harmony, Right now, Each one a tiny universe of its own. And as you sense this boundless inner world, Let your awareness begin to expand outward, Beyond the body, Into the room, Into the air around you, Into the wide open sky beyond. Resting in the spaciousness of pure awareness, Still, Vast, Present, You are deeply relaxed and completely awake. Now begin to picture yourself as you most wish to feel, At ease in your body, Peaceful in your mind, Joyful, Courageous, Whole, Grounded like an old tree, Roots reaching deep, Branches swaying in the breeze. Let this image become vivid, As real as any memory. Let it have color, Warmth, Texture. Let it have the quality of a sunlit morning, After a long and restful sleep. Feel it in your body. This is not a wish, It is a remembering. This is who you are, Beneath all of the rushing and the noise. Now return once more to your sankalpa, Your heartfelt resolve. Repeat it silently three times, With full clarity, With full trust. Let it radiate outward through the whole body, Like water. Warmth spreading from a glowing ember. It is yours, It is already true. Begin to gently bring your awareness back to the physical body. Feel the weight of your body against the ground, The rhythm of your breath. Notice how you feel right now, Perhaps more spacious, Perhaps softer, More grounded, More at home inside of yourself. Take your time, There is no rush. When you are ready, Begin to deepen the breath. Let a slow inhale fill the lungs fully, And sigh it out. Allow small movements to return, Fingers and toes, Perhaps a gentle stretch of the arms overhead, Or the knees hugging softly into the chest. Roll to one side and rest there for a few breaths. And when it feels right, Make your way back up to sit, Slowly, Gently, As if rising from the deepest sleep. Thank you so much for practicing with me. I look forward to being with you again soon. Namaste.