Yoga Nidra

A short Yoga Nidra practice (otherwise known as Yogic Sleep) for deep relaxation and recovery. This short 15 minute practice guides awareness towards a specific rotation around parts of the body, allowing the mind to simultaneously focus and rest.

Transcript

Hi,

Marisa here.

This is a short yoga nidra practice.

So find a space where you can lay down on your back.

Somewhere maybe with a bit of space around your body so you're not touching the wall or anything next to you.

You might want to place a cushion behind the back of the head if you need to.

Maybe one behind the knees just so the knees aren't locked.

You might want something soft under the heels.

And cover the body with a blanket so that you're nice and warm and comfy.

And loosen any tight clothing if you have a belt or remove any glasses or wrist watch or anything that might be pressing on the body or uncomfortable.

So we're lying down in the yoga position of Shavasana where the head is in line with the spine.

The legs are straight out in front of you with a space between your feet and your feet just falling out to the sides.

Your arms are a little way away from your sides.

And with the palms of the hands either facing up towards the ceiling or in towards the body.

Slightly lengthen through the back of the neck by dropping the chin slightly towards the chest.

And then just soften the neck.

Sense the shoulders relaxing down away from the ears,

Releasing any tension.

And also the shoulder blades spreading wide across the floor.

Soften all the way down the back.

Feel as if the middle of the spine is just easing towards the ground.

And soften all the way down through the back,

The pelvis,

The legs,

The ankles.

Take a deep breath in and as you do feel the chest open and expand and lift.

And as you exhale feel the release,

The letting go,

The sense of yourself just dropping a little bit more into the ground beneath you.

Feeling yourself being held by the ground or the bed or whatever you're lying on.

And with each exhale just let go a little bit more.

Keeping your awareness on your breath,

Moving the breath down to the lower belly.

So with each in-breath imagine your belly is a bit like an inflating balloon.

Growing bigger with the inhale and relaxing,

Contracting towards the spine with the exhale.

And just like a balloon at first it might feel a bit tight,

A bit resistant to expanding.

But with each new breath this resistance gives a little bit more.

We're not trying to force anything here,

Just gently expanding the lower belly with the in-breath.

Contracting with the out-breath.

Maybe allowing that breath to fill not only the belly but all the way into the chest,

The sides of the body.

Filling the whole of the torso.

And maybe allowing that breath to expand even further out to the limbs,

Top of the head,

Soles of the feet,

Down to the fingertips.

So you get a sense of full body breathing.

And just allowing the breath now to return to a natural pace and flow.

So we'll begin our yoga nidra rotation of consciousness now.

I'll name different parts of the body and when I do,

Take your awareness to that part of the body.

See,

Sense or feel that part of the body.

And then we'll move quickly on to the next part.

So the practice always begins at the right hand.

So become aware now of the right hand and in particular the right hand thumb.

Now the first finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Little finger.

All four fingers and thumb on the right hand.

Now the palm of the hand and the back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Right shoulder.

Armpit.

Right side of the body.

Right side of the waist.

Thigh.

Kneecap.

Back of the right knee.

Calf muscle.

Shin.

Ankle.

Heel of the right foot.

Sole of the right foot.

Top of the foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe of the right foot.

Now move your attention across the body to the left side and the left hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Little finger.

Four fingers and thumb on the left hand.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Left shoulder.

Armpit.

Left side of the body.

Left side of the waist.

Hip.

Thigh.

Kneecap.

Back of the knee.

Calf muscle.

Shin.

Left ankle.

Heel of the left foot.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe on the left foot.

Now move the awareness to the back of the body.

Top of the right shoulder.

Top of the left shoulder.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Middle of the back.

Right side of the lower back.

Left side of the lower back.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

The base of the spine.

The length of the spine from the base to the top.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Crown of the head.

Crown of the head.

Now bringing your attention to the front of the body.

And the forehead.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

The centre of the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

The bridge of the nose.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Both nostrils together.

Right side of the jaw.

Left side of the jaw.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Both lips together.

Chin.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Right side of the chest.

Left side of the chest.

Middle of the chest.

Upper abdomen.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

Groin.

The whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

Both arms together.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

Both legs together.

The whole of the back of the body.

The whole of the front of the body.

The back and front of the body together.

The whole of the face.

The whole of the head.

The whole body all together.

The whole body all together.

Whole body.

Whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body remains still during the practice of yoga nidra.

The mind remains awake and aware.

Awake and aware.

Take the attention now back to the breath in the body.

Become aware of the body breathing.

Awareness of breath flowing into the body and the body gently expanding.

Awareness of breath flowing out from the body and the body contracting and relaxing.

Bringing attention to the breath.

Becoming aware now of the body lying on the floor,

The bed and all the contact points between the body and the floor.

So the back of the head and the floor,

The backs of the arms and the floor,

Backs of the hands.

All the way down the back of the body,

The buttocks,

The legs,

The heels.

Becoming aware of the contact points.

And visualising if you can your position in the room.

Beginning to externalise your awareness once again.

When you're ready you can begin to wiggle fingers and toes.

Have a stretch in any way that feels right for you as we bring this yoga nidra practice to a close.

Taking a nice intentional deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Releasing this practice.

Opening the eyes.

And continuing with your day.