Yoga Nidra For Wholeness And Connection

This peaceful yoga Nidra practice guides you to set a powerful sankalpa, leads you through a full body scan, then brings you on a journey to experience the healing medicine of the Sedona desert. Allow this gentle but potent practice to support you in feeling more connected to yourself and others while providing time for rest and rejuvenation on a deep soul level.

Transcript

Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

Lay your body down with exquisite care.

Settle your bones into a restful position and resettle as many times as you need to find a position where you feel comfortable and held.

Use props to support your physical form.

Maybe a blanket under the weight of your skull.

Maybe a bolster under the heaviness of your knees.

Arrange your body so arms and legs can spread wide away from the center of your body.

Allow the soft center of your open palms to face the sky.

As you feel your feet roll softly outward allowing the hips to widen and expand.

Feel the weight of your heels heavy and connected to the earth.

Know that during this practice you will follow the sound of my voice as best you can.

Trust me to guide you and hold sacred space for your process to unfold.

Also,

Trust yourself.

Trust your own innate wisdom.

You will get exactly what you need from this practice no matter your experience.

Attempt to remain awake and alert for the practice of yoga nidra.

But if you find yourself drifting in and out of varying states of consciousness or sleep,

Know that is okay.

If you find you've drifted from my guidance,

Patiently and lovingly return to the sound of my voice.

There is no wrong way to do this practice and your body will pull from it the healing you need in this moment.

Make any final adjustments in your physical form.

Move and shift until you find yourself 5 to 10% more comfortable.

When you arrive in comfort,

Invite your body to settle deeply into stillness.

Attempt to remain still for the duration of the practice.

But if you find yourself uncomfortable at any time,

Move your body with kindness and care into a position that offers more support.

The practice of yoga nidra now begins.

Tune into sensations present in your physical body.

Feel the weight of your body heavy and peacefully surrendering into the receptive earth below you.

As the weight of your bones rests deeper into earth,

Feel into the lightness and ease of your own sweet breath.

As you breathe,

Observe sensations of your body breathing.

From awareness of breath,

Shift all awareness now into your senses.

Taste anything present in your mouth.

Observe any lights,

Shapes or movements dancing behind your softly closed eyelids.

The smells moving in on your next inhale.

Explore feelings of air on your skin.

Then become aware of sound.

Dive into the pulsing space at the root of sound and observe yourself hearing.

Feel into the quiet,

Still,

Silence beneath all sound.

A silence that gives birth to creative possibility and potential.

Allow any sounds that are present during your practice to flow in and out of your awareness with ease.

Neither attaching to or rejecting from anything you hear simply allows sound to be present.

Move your awareness back to your breath.

Feel yourself breathe deep and full.

With every nourishing breath you take,

Feel the entirety of your body soften.

Feel the whole body releasing and relaxing with each cycle of your breath.

Allow the palms of your hands to soften,

The soles of the feet to release.

Feel into the root of your jaw and with your next exhale,

Let any tension in the jaw escape your body through your breath.

Allow the inside of your mouth to widen and spread.

Release muscles in your face,

Allowing tension and long-held expressions to melt into a pleasant and neutral expanse.

Let your awareness settle into the soft space of the forehead in the center of your eyebrows.

Take a deep breath in to fully pull your attention into this special space.

And with your exhale,

Allow that space to soften deeply and expand in all directions.

Move your awareness now from the expansive space between your eyebrows to the beautiful throb of your heart.

Allow your attention to arrive in the sweet pulsing sensations of your own beating heart.

Feel into the sounds of your heart stream.

Allow any noises from the external world to gently fade into the background and listen to the soft,

Steady sounds coming from deep inside your chest.

Your heart,

Your deepest longings are whispering truths for you to hear.

In the sacred stillness you've cultivated in this moment,

The longings of your heart become clear and vibrant.

Your heart has freedom to express its desires,

Knowing you are open and receptive to its deepest cries.

From these whispers of your heart,

You create your sankalpa.

Your sankalpa,

Or intention,

Is a positive,

Concise,

Present tense,

I am statement,

Offered in reverence to your heart's deepest longing.

For example,

If you're struggling with illness or pain in your body,

Mind,

Or spirit,

Your sankalpa may be,

I am healthy and whole.

If your sense of safety is feeling threatened,

Your sankalpa can be,

I am safe.

If you're not feeling certain of your place in this world,

Maybe your sankalpa is,

I belong.

Take a few moments,

Immersed in your own sweet breath and the luminous light of your heart,

And allow your sankalpa to emerge from within your heart space.

No need to force or overthink this.

Simply allow it to float to the surface of your awareness.

As you settle on your sankalpa,

Trust in its wisdom.

Trust it is the perfect resolve for you in this exact moment of your own unique unfolding.

Repeat your sankalpa in silence three times to yourself now.

Trust your sankalpa is true,

Resolute,

And coming more profoundly into your life with every passing breath.

We will now move into rotating your awareness through the physical body.

I will name a body part and you will feel it with your full attention.

If you lose your place,

Gently come back to the sound of my voice and pick up where we are.

Feel your right thumb.

Direct all your awareness into your right thumb.

Notice how you are aware of it,

How you feel it,

Without necessarily needing to see it,

Or touch it,

Or move it.

You are aware through your own sensation.

Feel now your pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger.

Feel all five fingers on your right hand.

Feel the palm of your hand,

Back of your hand,

Whole hand.

Feel your whole right hand.

Feel the forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder.

Feel the entire right arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Traveling down from the shoulder,

Feel the right side of the rib cage,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

Shin,

Top of the right foot,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Top of the foot.

Feel the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feel all five toes.

Feel your entire right leg from the top of your thigh down to your five toes.

From awareness in the whole right leg,

Add into your awareness your right arm,

Right side waist.

Now feel the entire right side body.

Awareness floods the entire right side body.

Move awareness of sensation now into the left thumb,

Directing all awareness into your left thumb.

Feel your left pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

All five fingers on the left hand,

Palm of the hand,

Back of hand,

Whole hand.

Feel your whole left hand.

Feel your forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder.

Feel the entire arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Travel down the left side body into the rib cage,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Kneecap,

Shin,

Top of the left foot,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the foot.

Feel your big left toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feel all five toes.

Feel the entire left leg from thigh to five toes,

Sensing awareness in the whole left leg.

Add into your awareness your left arm,

Left side waist.

Now feel the entire left side body.

This floods the entire left side of your body.

Now bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.

Moving through the back plane of your body,

Feel your heels,

The backs of your calves,

The back of your knees.

Feel both sets of hamstrings,

Your buttocks,

The back of your pelvis,

Low back.

Feel your middle back,

Upper back.

Feel your shoulder blades,

The curve of the back of your neck,

The weight in the back of your head.

Feel the crown of your head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyeballs,

Both eyelids.

Feel the bridge of your nose,

Tip of your nose,

Your nostrils.

Feel your whole nose.

Feel your cheeks,

Your upper lip,

Lower lip.

Feel the place where your lips press together.

Feel your chin,

Jaw,

Lower row of teeth,

Upper row of teeth,

Both rows of teeth together.

Feel your tongue,

The root of your tongue,

And feel your whole mouth.

Feel your face,

Your whole head,

Your whole throat.

Feel the sides of your neck and your collarbones.

Feel into the right side of your chest,

The left side of your chest,

Your whole chest together.

Feeling inside your chest cavity,

Sense your lungs,

Your beating heart,

Your rib cage expanding.

Feel your upper abdominal area,

Middle abdominal area,

And feel your pelvic floor.

Feel your whole torso all together now,

Your whole torso.

Feeling awareness of your torso,

Add now your entire right leg.

Then add into your awareness your entire left leg.

Add right side waist,

Entire right arm,

Left side waist,

Entire left arm.

Add awareness of the head and the face.

Then feel into your entire body.

Sensations flood,

Awareness flows.

Feel the whole body,

Whole body.

Feel your body pulsating with vibrant aliveness,

Your whole body alive,

Pulsating vibration.

The whole body,

Every cell,

Actively at work to loosen stuck energies,

Shift long held thought patterns.

Every cell deeply committed to healing your whole self on every level.

From this vibrant aliveness in your body,

Find again the sweet steady cadence of your own breath.

Feel breath pull in.

Feel breath empty out.

Observe the body expanding,

Then contracting with each cycle of breath you entertain.

Feeling more nuance,

Begin to notice the pause between the in breath and the out breath.

You breathe in,

Feel the pause.

Then you softly breathe out,

Feel the pause.

Keep breathing in this way.

Notice as your attention flows towards the pauses between each breath,

The pauses lengthen and soften.

You begin to feel each pause as an exquisite emptiness.

Enter that emptiness with peaceful presence.

Feel the wide open expanse of space that exists in that pause.

Feel in this pause your limitless potential,

Your whole self expanding into an unencumbered freedom.

Your entire self at peace in the expanse of this pause.

We will now explore pairs of opposites.

Feel first the felt sense of heaviness.

Imagine in your mind that your body is becoming heavy.

Bring to life the feelings of heaviness in your body.

Feel the feelings of weight,

Density in your bones.

Feel the backside of the body heavy,

Weighing you down.

Whole body heavy and dense.

Now feel the body becoming light,

Entire body light as air,

Free,

Floating.

Feel the entirety of your body become weightless,

Light,

Lifted.

Feel so light you could rise up off the floor.

Pull your awareness back into the center space between the eyebrows.

Feel that space between the eyebrows as soft,

Neutral expanse.

Now observe sensations of tension.

Feel the whole body tight,

Clenched,

Gripping.

Tension in thoughts or spirit.

Tension in body.

How does tension feel in your heart?

Create for yourself sensations of tension but do not concentrate on the source.

Simply allow tension to arise and be present.

Feel the constriction of tension and where it resides.

How does tension feel?

Now feel sensations of complete relaxation.

Feel your whole body relaxed,

At ease,

Fully open and receptive.

Allow sensations of relaxation in body.

Feel the thoughts soften.

Observe sensations of release in spirit and in heart.

How does it feel to be completely relaxed and at peace?

Pull your awareness back into the space of the forehead at the center of your eyebrows.

Noticing the neutral expanse of this peaceful place.

Settle into attention and prepare for rapid visualization.

As I call off numerous images,

Try as best as you can to create these images inside your mind.

Allow your response to appear before you and dissolve just as quickly.

Stay interested and present to the sound of my voice.

Excess all effort and feel yourself becoming more visual as we move deeper into the fertile depths of creative stillness.

Burning candle.

Swaying in a hammock.

Fresh baked cookies.

Dancing in the moonlight.

Sitting peacefully in meditation.

Sitting peacefully in meditation.

Sitting peacefully in meditation.

Skipping rocks in a river.

Your favorite piece of jewelry.

Climbing a tall tree.

White rose.

Laying in the sunshine.

Laying in the sunshine.

Laying in the sunshine.

Listening to live music.

A welcomed hug.

Completing an important task.

Bare feet playing in the dirt.

Your heart expanding.

Your heart expanding.

Your heart expanding.

From this place of expanded heart,

Visualize yourself surrounded by the allure of a desert landscape.

Warm sun.

Vibrant red rocks.

Varying shades of green sage.

Orange flowering cactus.

A wide open expanse of sky extending in every direction.

As you walk further into this desert scene,

You notice the air is warm and dry.

The perfect temperature dances across your exposed skin.

You feel the dry heat settle into your bones,

Warming you from the inside out.

The desert floor beneath your feet is soft and inviting.

So you take off your shoes and ground your feet deeply into the earth.

You feel the stability of the earth rise up to meet your feet and the warmth of the sand settles pleasantly between your toes.

In front of you is a large boulder made of red rock.

The boulder invites you to climb on its surface,

Letting you know it's safe to explore.

You start to move your body along the boulder,

Slowly climbing upward.

Standing at home with the weight of your body pressed against the ancient rocks.

You reach the top of the boulder and find a flat plateau where you can stand tall and explore.

From the top of this plateau you find yourself in awe of nature's incredible beauty.

Before your eyes,

Miles of never ending desert extends out in all directions.

Various shades of red,

Orange,

Greens,

And deep blues delight your eyes and spark joy in your heart.

You slowly turn in a full circle,

Soaking in the wild beauty available everywhere you look.

You watch the sun slowly setting in the desert sky.

The sun casts its inviting and mysterious light across the landscape,

Causing color to flicker and your heart to feel at peace in the mystery.

As the desert falls asleep around you,

You lay down on the plateau and expand your body widely.

The boulder you rest on is flat and smooth.

Your body melts into the smoothness of the boulder and you feel yourself elegantly held by earth.

You glance up at the sky and watch as the cosmos come to life before your eyes.

The sky slowly fills with stars and you feel perfectly at peace in this moment.

Held by stability of earth,

Encouraged by expansiveness of sky,

You become aware of a deep connection to a presence much greater than yourself.

Your body dissolves into its surroundings with a sincere knowing that you are deeply connected to the whole.

You feel yourself as an important part of the universe unfolding.

You deeply belong.

You deeply belong.

You deeply belong.

You recognize this truth and your life force is awakened and strengthened.

You stare into the cosmos and see your sankalpa emerging in the stars.

The stars align to spell out the deepest longing of your heart.

As your sankalpa becomes clear in the stars and present in your awareness,

You repeat your I am statement silently to yourself three times now as you rest in the peaceful presence of connectedness and belonging.

You feel your heart flood with gratitude.

That gratitude washes through your body,

Filling every cell.

You thank the desert for its beauty and wisdom as your awareness returns to your breath.

You feel your body taking deep,

Steady,

Peaceful breaths.

Your whole body pulsating with breath.

Your entire body alive with breath and renewed life force energy.

Your senses slowly return to your body lying on the floor.

Feel your body lying on the floor in this time and this space.

Feel the air as it touches your skin and explore any other sensations present in your physical form.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

When it feels right,

Allow your eyes to softly open and close several times while continuing to experience the felt sense of peace and belonging.

Allow yourself to slowly come back to your awakened state of mind and body,

Bringing a deep sense of peace with you.

When it feels right,

Allow your eyes to softly open and close several times nice and slow while continuing to experience the felt sense of peace and belonging.

Allow yourself to slowly come back to your awakened state of mind and body,

Bringing a deep sense of peace with you.

May this sense of peace fill your heart and flood your life and with every breath bless the life that surrounds you.

Thank you and be well.

Reviews

That was such a lovely yoga Nidra thank you. 😊 🙏🏼💫

An amazing Yoga Nidra! Beautiful body scan and visualization. Blessings and thanks for sharing 🙏💐❤️

Very grateful to have found this beautiful Nidra, thank you 🤲🏼🌸

Beautiful Lovely!!!! I am in awe of this!!!! Thank you🕊

Peace filled and soothing practice. Loves the desert imagery. Thank you and Blessings🕊

Wonderful Nidra. Beautiful visualization. Thank you so much! 🙏🙏🙏

Perfect and beautiful. Thnx for this meditation. 💟 namaste 🙏🏼

Beautiful and peaceful—I loved this one! Thank you so much, Maria 🙏🏻💚

My new favorite yoga nidra-totally transcendent. Love this! 🙏

What an amazing way to begin my day - very relaxing and the spectacular desert images stay with me - thank you! Namaste 🙏 😊 ❤️

I Love this and I come back to it all the time! thank you so much ❤

Really enjoyable and helpful practice 💕

a great healing experience, I felt cocooned by love and warmth. the rotation of body consciousness is detailed and extensive and I enjoyed the desert experience. 🏵️

Beautifully grounded voice, lovely steady invitation into relaxation and into the yoga Nidra framework of breath, body scanning, opposites etc. I will listen to this many times! Thank you so much for making it

My goodness! What a brilliant start of a day! Thank you 🙏 💕

Fantastic body awareness yoga Nidra! Only I haven’t quite stayed awake all the way.

Such a powerful healing experience! Since my first experience of this specific Yoga Nidra script almost two months ago on March 3rd (review edited on April 29th); this morning was the very FIRST time (in close if not well over 20x of listening) that I was able to stay FULLY PRESENT and AWAKE throughout. What a deeply healing experience! So much of what I was guided through spoke deeply to me as I venture through my profound healing journey. Thank you for your voice, your pacing, and your ability to reach me so deeply, Maria. You have a gift.

I’d be doing major trauma resolution work for several days. Thank you to this mediation to help me feel integrated and whole. With deep gratitude ❤️ 🙏🏼

Amazing care for details and choice of words. Loved the desert visualization that took me to quite a spacious state. The voice seems a bit strong in the beginning but it softened over time. Thank you!

Great voice & guidance