Yoga Nidra For Deep Postpartum Rest

The initial weeks, months, and even years postpartum can be a time of amazing intensity, transformation, and massive adjustment for mothers. With the limited time we have for ourselves as mothers, this yoga nidra practice is an easy and accessible way to deeply relax the body and mind, so you can regain your energy and strength to mother yourself and your baby.

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome to a yoga nidra meditation for deep postpartum rest.

My name is Maureen Zorzinski with Lotus Mother Care and I will be your guide.

The initial weeks,

Months,

And even years postpartum can be a time of amazing intensity,

Transformation,

And massive adjustment for mothers.

This practice is dedicated to you and all that you do as a mother.

With the limited time we have for ourselves,

Yoga nidra is an easy and accessible practice to deeply relax the body and mind.

In this type of meditation,

We bring our awareness to different parts of the body,

Falling into a hypnagogic state,

The space between wakefulness and sleep.

In yoga nidra,

All you have to do is lie down comfortably and get yourself as cozy as possible.

You may fall asleep or you may not.

You may miss instructions or your mind may wander and that's completely okay and normal.

Simply give yourself permission to relax.

Let go of your to-do list.

Let go of what you were just doing before lying down and whatever you have to do later.

This is your time now.

We will begin by connecting with our breath.

Take a few full deep inhales and exhales.

Notice your chest or belly rise and fall.

As you inhale,

Allow the air to fill your lungs and then slowly exhale all of the air out.

Now bring your awareness to the tip of your nose.

Notice the cool air coming in through your nostrils and the warm air coming out.

Notice the rhythm of your breathing,

Like waves coming and going.

To calm the nervous system even more,

Let's count with our in-breath and out-breath.

As you inhale,

Slowly count from one to four.

As you exhale,

Slowly count from four to one.

Let's try this five times together.

Exhale all of the air out.

Slowly inhale one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Inhale four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Inhale one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Exhale four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Gently come back to your natural breathing.

Now begin to feel into your body.

Briefly scan through your body from head to toe,

Noticing if you see any areas of tightness or tension.

If you do,

See if you can imagine breathing in and out of these areas in your body.

Allow your exhales to melt away any tension in your muscles.

Visualize the tension leaving your body,

Dissolving into the surface beneath you.

Now allowing your awareness to travel to different parts of the body,

Simply observe any sensations that you feel,

Any tingling,

Vibrations,

Comfort or discomfort.

Start with all 10 toes.

What can you feel?

Soles of both feet.

What can you feel here?

Tops of the feet.

Both ankles.

Lower legs.

What sensations do you feel here?

Both knees,

Thighs,

Hips,

Abdomen and lower back,

Chest and upper back.

Feel into sensations in the chest and upper back.

Shoulders.

Observe and soften any areas of tension in the shoulders.

Both arms and hands.

Trying not to judge or create a story around what you're feeling.

Simply observe and witness any sensations.

All 10 fingers.

Awareness of sensations in the neck,

The head and face.

Now the entire body.

Notice how your entire body is held and supported.

Focus now on your sense of hearing.

Let sounds come to you.

Now focus on one sound that you hear without judgment,

Simply observing.

See if you can hear the subtle sounds.

Listen carefully.

See if you can hear the sound of your body drawing the breath in and out.

Feel your breath.

Observe your body breathing effortlessly.

Know that there's nothing to do.

Simply trust,

Allow and let go.

Now we will move our awareness throughout different points in the body.

You can mentally repeat the name of each body part or you can imagine a ball of light at the end of the body.

Beginning on the right side,

Bring your awareness to the tip of your right thumb.

Notice any sensations that you may feel.

Perhaps allowing it to soften and relax.

Tip of the right index finger.

Tip of the middle finger.

Tip of the ring finger.

Tip of the pinky finger.

Center of the right palm.

Back of the palm.

Center of the right wrist.

Forearm.

Right elbow.

Upper arm.

Right shoulder.

Right side of the chest.

Right waist.

Soften your belly and breathe out any tension or tightness.

Right hip.

Right thigh.

Right knee.

Right lower leg.

Right ankle.

Top of the right foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe.

Soul of the right foot.

Feel the entire right side of your body.

The left side.

Bring your awareness to the tip of the left thumb.

Notice any sensations that you may feel.

Perhaps allowing it to soften and relax.

Tip of the left index finger.

Tip of the middle finger.

Tip of the ring finger.

Tip of the pinky finger.

Center of the left palm.

Back of the palm.

Center of the left wrist.

Left forearm.

Left elbow.

Upper arm.

Left shoulder.

Left side of the chest.

Left waist.

Soften your belly and breathe out any tension or tightness.

Left hip.

Left thigh.

Left knee.

Left lower leg.

Left ankle.

Top of the left foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fourth toe.

Soul of the left foot.

Feel the entire left side of your body.

Moving your attention now to the back of the body.

Really feel each part.

The right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf.

Left calf.

Back of the right knee.

Left knee.

Back of the right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Head.

Crown of the head.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Bridge of the nose.

Tip of the nose.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

The whole nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Tongue.

Right side of the jaw.

Left side of the jaw.

Chin.

Whole face.

Front of the neck.

Throat.

Right side of the chest.

Left side of the chest.

Center of the chest.

Breathe in and out through the center of the chest.

Upper abdomen.

Lower abdomen.

Navel.

Right pelvis.

Left pelvis.

Pelvic floor.

Whole pelvic area.

Right leg and foot together.

Left leg and foot together.

Both legs and feet together.

Whole right arm and hand together.

Whole left arm and hand together.

Both arms and hands together.

The entire torso.

Neck and head.

Neck,

Head,

And torso together.

Entire right side of the body.

Entire left side of the body.

Entire back.

Entire front.

Feel into the entire body held in awareness.

Notice your breathing.

Allow each breath to revitalize every part of your body into every cell.

Let your exhales carry away any stress or worry out of your body and out of your mind.

Continue to feel the body breathing.

Explore a feeling of lightness in the body like you're floating in a cloud.

Now explore a feeling of heaviness in your body grounding to Mother Earth.

With each exhale,

Feel your body soften and relax.

Cultivate the feeling of being held and supported.

Let the body deeply rest and be completely at ease.

Visualize these images.

A feather slowly falling to the ground.

Clouds passing through a blue sky.

A sun setting into the ocean.

The moon illuminating the night sky.

A warm relaxing bath.

A warm cozy blanket.

The soft sound of rain falling.

Rolling waves gently coming into shore.

Being surrounded by peace and quiet.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

A healing sanctuary for nourishing rest.

Reviews

Feel so good after almost human again haha 😄 I'm in the thick of 4 month old sleep regression

I’m almost 12 month’s postpartum now and this has been my go-to meditation since I brought bub home. It’s great to get off to sleep at night but also good for times during the day when you need a rest (but don’t know how long you have or can’t switch off).

Amazing! This is one of the best yoga nidras on IT. I listen to it multiple times per day postpartum. Thank you so much.

One of the best meditations ever!! I use it to sleep or just rest ❤️ thank you!!

Super nice yoga nidra. Perfect for postpartum 💕🌟

One of the best yoga nidras I've ever listened to

Beautiful thank you

Incredibly relaxing and de-stressing. I wish I'd discover this meditation earlier post partum. It's a must to relieve anxiety, easily done when baby is napping :) Thank you so much.

Perfect-thank you 💜

Just what I needed

That was lovely thanks. Perfect snippet of me time with a 1 week old asleep beside me...

Beautiful has helped me relax on many occasions as a new mother thank you xx

So lovely especially for a postpartum mother !! Thank you - beautifully made