Yoga Nidra For Gratitude | 45 Minutes

Relax back into this 45-minute yoga nidra practice for gratitude. As we arrive at the end of another year, cultivate a deep sense of appreciation for all of the beautiful blessings you have received this year and in this life. A daily gratitude practice has been studied and shown to help induce feelings of happiness, improve move, immune system resiliency, and overall mental wellbeing. Emerge feeling renewed, rested, and present. For this practice invites you to find the light in all things.

Transcript

Namaste.

Welcome.

My name is Kristen Rose and thank you so much for choosing to be here,

Choosing to dedicate this time to a self-care practice.

This Yoga Nidra experience is designed to help you cultivate a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for all of the beautiful blessings in this life.

As we approach the end of another year,

Another lap around the sun,

And lean into the darkness and deep hibernation of winter,

This is a beautiful time to reflect upon the past year,

To celebrate how far we have come,

And all that we have received in this life.

It has been studied and shown that establishing a daily gratitude practice is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.

By directing more energy towards gratitude and positivity,

We can help improve mood,

Immune system resiliency,

And foster a greater sense of happiness and mental well-being.

With gratitude at the forefront of this practice,

Take a few tender moments here now to delicately build your Yoga Nidra nest,

Preparing a cozy little nook where you can rest deeply,

Reaching for pillows,

Blankets,

An eye pillow,

And settling down onto the back of the body,

Adjusting the pelvis and the hips,

The shoulders,

Ensuring the head and neck feel comfortable,

Supported,

And making sure that you are cozy and warm,

Completely relaxed here in your little nest.

As you are settling in,

Making any final adjustments to the body so that you could become even just 2% more comfortable,

What might you do?

It's important that the body feels completely supported,

Warm,

Comfortable,

So that you feel safe and cocooned here,

To let go into an experience of just listening intimately,

Which allows the body to drift off into a deep slumber.

The more supported you feel,

The more deeply you can relax.

In the practice and state of Yoga Nidra,

You'll be guided into a deeply relaxed state of light-altered consciousness,

Floating effortlessly in the healing infinite space between waking and sleeping.

It is here where the body and mind undergo cellular regeneration or healing,

Effortlessly,

For the body knows how to heal.

The body inherently knows how to let go.

This practice simply allows you to create the architecture of space and time needed to allow the body to do what it was born to do.

How amazing it is that the body already knows how to rest,

And it knows how to heal.

As you rest here,

Allow the eyelids to become heavy,

The eyes gently relaxing towards the back of the head.

Allow the head and neck to become heavy,

No need to carry it any longer.

Relax the jaw down towards the heart space.

Soften the tongue.

If you feel the need to swallow or moisten the lips,

Please do so.

Listen to what your body needs in this experience.

If at any time you need to move or adjust,

You are always welcome to.

In this way,

We take tender care for the ones we are grateful for,

The ones that we love,

Including ourselves.

Relax the shoulders down and away from the ears.

You might flip the palms to face the sky,

Opening up the heart,

And as a gesture of being open to receiving the wisdom and energy of this experience.

Or perhaps placing the palms face down on the physical body,

The same way a mother would to a beloved child,

Offering yourself the same love and attention.

Extending gratitude to this body,

This sacred temple that houses our spirit.

You might mentally whisper the words,

Thank you.

Feel the whole body,

Heavy,

Resting deeply now.

Notice the density of the Earth beneath you,

And all of the places where you feel held and supported,

Nourished,

As if the Earth had her hand at your back.

Always there.

Always a place you can come back home to.

You might mentally whisper the words,

Thank you.

All around you,

Notice the invisible essence of prana or life force energy in the atmosphere of air all around you now.

Sensing the gentle touch of air against the skin,

Places of coolness,

Places of warmth,

Reminding you that you are present,

You are alive,

You are here.

Sensing the flow of air in the nostrils,

And the volume of sacred breath inside of the lungs,

Our divine connection to the universal prana all around you.

The breath,

Sacred life force energy,

And each breath,

Authentic and unique,

Everlasting.

Notice the body effortlessly being breathed,

And the breath breathing life into the body.

You might mentally whisper the words,

Thank you.

Thank you.

As we take this time to slow down and turn inward,

We can reflect upon all of the beautiful blessings we have in this life.

As you rest here,

You might consider one thing that you feel grateful for in this moment.

Just allow someone or something to naturally come to mind.

Anything that you feel grateful for in this moment.

Perhaps this body,

This breath,

This heart,

This space,

This practice,

Or a beloved in your life,

A sacred place or sanctuary.

Welcome it in,

Visualize it,

And bring it to the forefront of the mind's eye.

Bring it into the heart,

And perhaps the presence of it brings a smile across your face.

Invite all of your attention and energy now down into the heart space.

You might even notice the gentle rhythm of the heartbeat,

Always beating the center of your universe.

Begin to call in your Sankalpa,

A heartfelt intention or vow for your practice or for your life.

You might use the phrase,

I am grateful for all of the beautiful blessings I have received in this life,

Or I am grateful for blank,

And you can fill that space.

Calling in your Sankalpa three times alongside three breaths,

Acknowledging the truth of your Sankalpa,

For it already exists within you.

In this moment,

And remembering this truth of your Sankalpa,

This wisdom is truly such a gift.

This moment is a gift.

Within the silence and the stillness of each moment is where lies happiness and infinite potential.

It is when we get lost in the past or future,

Attachments,

Our judgment becomes clouded.

We cannot see all of the beautiful abundance we have in this life right in front of us.

This practice invites you to see clearly,

To cleanse the lens of consciousness that protects the soul.

Open the heart and really see the world around you and the beautiful blessings you have already received.

The ones that you deserve.

The ones that you desire most.

Resting deeply now in the somatic experience and wisdom of gratitude,

What does it feel like to be grateful?

And where do you feel it?

Consider for a moment the feeling tone of gratitude.

Cultivating it as a sensation,

A positive bhavana.

What does gratitude feel like in the physical body?

Where do you feel it?

Perhaps in and around the heart space.

Wherever you feel it,

Bask in it and allow it to fill you up.

As the body continues to surrender into the deep rest that it longs for,

Allow your ears to open and pay special attention to the experience of just listening.

Follow the guidance of my voice as you rotate awareness throughout the physical body.

As you draw attention to each point,

Notice what sensations are already present.

Your awareness,

Like a beacon of light on a dark night.

Shining on and illuminating sensations of aliveness already present within you.

Awakening to your radiance within.

And how magical it is.

This body,

This breath,

This awareness,

Your entire existence.

What a gift.

Welcome all of your attention now to rest at the centre of the forehead.

The clearing between the eyebrows.

The mind's eye centre.

A beacon of light energy resting on the mind's eye.

How amazing it is.

The presence and the existence of the mind's eye.

Your intuition.

Your witnessing presence.

To see things as they really are.

Notice the space beyond the mind's eye and behind the mind's eye.

Relaxing into the prefrontal cortex.

Relaxing back into a deep inner knowing of what's present here in this moment.

Drawing attention down to the tip of the nose.

The nasal flares.

And the flow of air in the nostrils.

The right nostril.

The left nostril.

Both nostrils.

The right eye,

Warm and radiant.

The eyelid.

Eyebrow.

Temple.

Cheekbone.

The left eye,

Warm,

Relaxed.

The eyelid.

Eyebrow.

Temple.

Cheekbone.

Both eyes together.

Relaxing towards the back of the head.

Softening the visual cortex.

Letting go of observational sensory input.

A gesture of relaxing deeper still into the muscle of the mind.

The right ear.

The outer folds of the ear.

Earlobe.

The inner ear.

Notice the right ear listening intimately.

Welcoming sounds as vibration.

How wonderful it is.

The ear,

Simply open,

Receptive and listening deeply.

And the left ear,

Sensing the outer folds of the ear.

The inner ear,

Open and receptive.

Not only hearing,

But listening.

Both ears,

Awake and attuned and aware of sounds all around you now.

The sounds within your space.

Sounds of this recording.

Just listening.

Drawing awareness to the tip of the chin.

Softening the whole lower jaw.

Surrender the bottom lip.

And soften the muscle of the tongue.

Sensing the tip of the tongue down to the root of the tongue.

10,

000 incredible taste buds in the mouth.

Inside the right cheek.

Inside the left cheek.

Feel the upper teeth and gums.

And the lower teeth and gums.

The sides of the neck.

Center of the throat.

Center of the chest.

The heart center.

The heart beat.

Always beating.

Effortlessly giving the body what it needs.

Intuitively.

Drawing attention over to the right hand thumb.

First finger.

Second.

Third.

Little finger.

The fingertips.

Palm of the hand.

And back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Right side of the chest.

The whole right hand.

The whole right arm.

Buzzing with sensations of aliveness.

The heart center.

Drawing attention over to the left hand thumb.

First finger.

Second.

Third.

Little finger.

The fingertips.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

The whole left hand.

The whole left arm.

Shimmering with sensations of aliveness.

All of the cells awakened by the light of your awareness.

The heart center.

The nurturing held space around the heart.

The center of your universe.

Loving attention resting on the heart space.

Home.

And the embodied qualities of compassion,

Love,

Gratitude.

Sensing the side ribs expanding and contracting with each breath.

The lungs inflating and deflating organically,

Intuitively.

Giving the body what it needs.

The wings of the heart.

A symbiotic relationship.

How divine the body is to know how to breathe.

The navel center.

The navel center rising and falling with each breath.

And the diaphragm supporting the lungs.

Rising and falling with each breath.

Softening into the low belly and the vital organs.

And awareness filling the whole pelvic bowl.

The right hip.

Upper leg.

Knee.

Back of the knee.

Lower leg.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the right foot.

Top of the foot.

Sensing the big toe all the way to the baby toe.

The tips of the toes.

The whole right foot.

The whole right leg.

Radiant with sensations.

Energy and circulation.

The navel center.

Over to the left hip.

Upper leg.

Knee.

Back of the knee.

Lower leg.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

The big toe.

All the way to the baby toe.

The tips of the toes.

The whole left foot.

The whole left leg.

Alive with sensations.

Warmth and energy.

The navel center.

The low back sacrum.

The low back.

Mid back.

Upper back.

Shoulder blades.

The whole spinal column.

Resting on the earth.

The back of the head.

The crown of the head.

And the space above the crown of the head.

A vortex of energy and awareness above the crown of the head.

Allow awareness now to rest in the whole body.

Both feet.

Both legs.

The whole torso.

Both hands.

Both arms.

The head and neck.

The whole body.

The whole body resting deeply now.

Feeling into the radiance of just being.

Resting.

Healing.

Just as you are.

For however that might be is perfect just as it is.

Feel the whole body.

The intricate internal matrix of the physical body.

The volume and density of the body.

And the boundary of the body.

Tune in to the density and the wholeness of the body.

And the surface or the boundary of the body.

Now allow your awareness to rest in the quiet space surrounding the physical body.

The atmosphere of air around the physical body.

Imagine as if the boundary of the body could dissolve.

And you could no longer distinguish between the physical body and outside of the body.

Becoming one with all that is present here around you.

For you are made of stardust.

You are made of earth.

And you are an integral part of it all.

The body continues to rest in stillness.

And yet breathing effortlessly.

The inhale rolling in.

And the exhale rolling back out.

The lungs inflating and deflating.

The rib cage expanding and contracting.

The diaphragm rising and falling with each breath.

Observing the mechanisms at work here simultaneously as the breath breathes the body.

Surrender into the natural rhythm of the breath.

And what it feels like to just be breathed.

Sacred breath.

Breathing the body.

Each breath a moment of divine connection to the universal flow of energy all around us.

A sacred connection to all that there is.

What a gift.

As you breathe you might call in a mantra.

A mental whisper.

On the inhale you might mentally whisper the word So.

On the exhale mentally whisper the word Hum.

So.

Hum.

So.

Hum.

I am that.

I am all that there is.

I am the universe.

I am divinely connected to all that there is.

I am that.

So.

Hum.

Letting that go.

Resting here with the companionship of the breath.

Begin to imagine gazing out at the horizon.

Looking beyond the landscape of peaks and valleys.

Stretching outward in all directions beneath you.

As you gaze outward to the radiant sun setting beyond the horizon.

Sensing the soft warm sunlight against your skin.

The surface of the skin exposed to this warm light and energy.

In the sky notice the colors of yellow and orange transforming into softer hues of pinks,

Purples,

Blues as the sun surrenders beyond the skyline.

As you gaze upon her transition might you gaze upon her with gratitude.

A felt sense of gratitude for the light of each new day.

For giving us life.

For the essence of stardust within us.

This light reminding us of all of the beautiful blessings we have in this life.

And to know that with each ending there is always a new beginning.

Thank you mother sun.

Thank you.

Until tomorrow.

Thank you.

Resting here in the presence and awareness of all that there is.

All that you are.

Recognition of the multidimensional layers of self.

For you are divine and your awareness is as vast open as the sky.

Resting here as pure witnessing presence.

Begin to recall your Sankalpa.

I am grateful for all of the beautiful blessings I have received in this life.

For I am grateful for blank.

Resting here as pure,

Spacious awareness.

Breathing deeply,

Embodying a deep sense of gratitude.

Gently begin to draw all of your attention and energy back down into the physical body.

Notice the breath in the nostrils.

The breath of life.

And drink in a long breath in through the nose.

Relaxed exhale through the mouth.

On your next inhale,

Take two sips of air in through the nose.

One long smooth slow breath out.

Again two sips in.

One breath out.

One more.

Returning back home to your natural flow of breath.

Taking a moment here to soak in all of the medicinal benefits of this practice.

Of the relaxation you may have cultivated here.

The feeling tones of gratitude.

Of deep rest.

And what this might mean for you and your life.

Reflecting upon how this practice resonated with you.

And what you can carry with you out into the rest of your day.

As you emerge awakened,

Transformed,

With a deep sense of gratitude and peace within.

Knowing that you are welcome to rest here,

To linger as long as you need.

And you can come back home to this practice anytime.

When you feel ready and not a moment sooner,

Gently begin to wiggle the fingers and the toes.

Notice what it feels like to wiggle the fingers and the toes.

You might nod the head side to side.

Maybe enjoy a long stretch as if you just woke up for the first time today.

And maybe you did,

That's okay too.

And then take the left hand to the heart,

And the right hand on top of the left.

Extending gratitude to yourself for taking this time just for you.

For this body that carries you and houses your spirit.

You might mentally whisper the words,

Thank you,

Thank you.

And the earth beneath you now.

Thank you,

Great spirit.

Thank you.

Thank you all so much for being here.

For without you,

I would not be where I am.

You might incorporate this practice into your daily morning routine.

And remember,

It is an invitation to express gratitude for all things in your life.

The challenges that strengthen us to grow and learn and transform.

And all of the beautiful blessings and gifts in between.

Upon further reflection,

We can learn to recognize the small blessings in all things.

I'd like to thank you so much for practicing with me today.

I hope that you feel rested,

Supported,

Peaceful and calm.

If you enjoyed this practice in the fall or winter,

Remember that this is a wonderful time of year to honor these moments of deep rest and to take care of yourself first.

Knowing that a daily gratitude practice has been studied and shown to help instill more happiness and overall mental well-being.

If you enjoyed this practice,

Please leave a like.

Let me know what you enjoyed and what you would like to see more of.

Let me know if this was your first yoga nidra practice or if you've been practicing for a long time,

How you feel and how this practice has supported you in some way.

Maybe let me know where you are practicing from.

I really love to read all of the comments.

There are just so many,

But I love to see where you are coming from.

Please know that you can also subscribe to get notified when new content is released each and every week.

And you might share this recording with a beloved or someone you feel grateful for in this life.

Give the gift of relaxation.

If you are one of our students in the Transformational Sleep Yoga Nidra Teacher Training here at the School of Living Yoga,

I'd really love to hear from you in the comments.

And if you're interested in learning more about our online yoga nidra training,

I will leave a link below and at the end of this video and in the comments.

We have live trainings in Canada and Costa Rica and online trainings with amazing people from around the world who come together and it's really such a beautiful experience.

Again my name is Kristen and thank you so much for being here.

May you all be happy.

May you all be healthy.

May you all be peaceful and may you all be free.

Namaste.

Reviews

Hey Kristyn Rose. I’m so grateful for discovering you on this app. I just did three of your meditations in a row. Lol. They were all wonderful and helped me fall back asleep in the middle of the night, relax and feel grateful to start my day. I’m now following you. I’m from Ontario, Canada 🍁

Such a wonderful practice, really really nourishing. Loved all the references to the miracle of life, the breath breathing us. thank you 🙏🏻

This is excellent. Thank you 🙏 Detroit, MI

My favorite ❤️

Dear Kristyn,
Thank you, that was so soothing and calming. And I love the gratitude bavhana. It feels loving in a warm and tender way.
I loved your gratitude and greeting to the sun: "thank you Mother sun, until tomorrow" - If I remember correctly- so tender and loving and respectful.
I realized something: we tend to see the chakra's as linear and the earth as opposite from the cosmos, while the earth and the body not only houses the more subtle layers and energy's, but is also made up of it. Earth from star stuff and star suff made op energy, energy made of the holy full nothingness.
Thank you dear Kristyn
I feel held and at peace
🙏❤️🙏

Wonderful! Loved all of it!

Absolutely loved this one. Thank you

Loved it . Deep gratitude 🙏🏻💛🕊️

First time listening to Kristyn, her light shines bright, she is a calming soul, In Gratitude 🙏

Thank you💜🦋🙏

Never can we express enough gratitude in this time. Thank you Krystyn for this reminder and such a beautiful gift .

☀️💫🦋💕

Enjoyed this this afternoon in Missouri, USA ☀️🦋💕
Namaste 💫

Thank You for your great and loving guidance🙏🏾💖.

Wonderful meditation! Helped me to relax. Thank you 🫶

Very nice thank you.

Very nice practice, also in mid March :) Brought deep relaxation.

Thank you from the North West of the Netherlands

Beautiful, gentle, I could really feel the energy and vibration through my body, thank you 🙏💚

I really liked it a lot it has helped me to drift off after a busy Xmas.

I would like less commercial talk at the end and being able to continue to drift off had I wanted to , namaste