Yoga Nidra

This is a general Yoga Nidra including sections on rotating the awareness around the body, watching the breath, feeling opposites in the body, visualisations and free flow. Yoga Nidra is a beautiful practice drawing on many traditions including Yoga, Buddhism and Western Psychology. It had many benefits.

Transcript

Lie down comfortably on your back.

Eyes closed if that's comfortable for you.

Arms relaxed by your side.

Palms upwards.

Feet slightly apart.

Unlocking the tongue.

Letting go of tension in the jaw.

Relaxing the arms.

Letting go of tension in the hips.

Relaxing the legs.

And make a few long exhalations.

With each exhalation letting go and relaxing.

The head and body become heavy and sink down into the floor.

Now we come to a phase of rotating the awareness around the body.

When I name a part of the body just hold your awareness there.

Starting with the top of the head.

The left ear.

The right ear.

The left eye.

The right eye.

Both eyes together.

The throat.

The lips.

The nose.

The forehead.

The back of the head.

Left shoulder.

Left elbow.

The left wrist.

The left hand.

The whole left arm.

The throat.

The right shoulder.

The right elbow.

The right wrist.

The right hand.

The whole right arm.

The throat.

The heart.

The upper abdomen.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The left hip.

The left knee.

The left ankle.

The left foot.

The whole left leg.

The right hip.

The right knee.

The right ankle.

The right foot.

The whole right leg.

The tip of the spine.

Moving on to the sacrum.

The lower spine.

Mid spine.

Upper spine.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

The whole head.

The whole left arm.

The whole right arm.

The whole left leg.

The whole right leg.

Feeling the whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body resting.

Now we come to a phase of awareness of the breath.

Watching the natural rhythm of the breath and the way the body gently moves with the breath.

The breath.

The breath.

The breath.

The breath.

Starting a countdown of the breath starting at thirty three.

Counting on the exhalation.

Thirty three as you exhale.

Thirty two as you exhale.

Thirty one as you exhale.

And carry on counting down.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

Carry on counting down.

And if you lose count or reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And if you lose count or if you reach zero start again at thirty three.

And letting go of awareness of the breath.

Now we come to a phase of feeling opposites in the body.

So first see if you can connect to a feeling of heaviness in your left arm.

The arm resting on the floor.

Relaxing and relaxing.

Then see if you can find a feeling of lightness in the arm.

As if it could float up completely effortlessly.

Then moving to the right arm.

Feeling the physical arm heavy and relaxed on the floor.

Then connecting to a feeling of lightness in the arm light and effortless.

Then feeling the left leg heavy and relaxed lying on the ground.

And the left leg light as if it's floating effortlessly.

Then the right leg heavy and relaxed sinking down into the ground.

Then the right leg and a feeling of lightness.

Now connecting to a feeling of heaviness in the whole body.

The whole body heavy and sinking down into the ground.

The whole body profoundly relaxed.

Then connecting to a feeling of lightness in the whole body.

The whole body light and free.

Then letting go of awareness of opposites.

Now to a phase of images.

Recall or imagine a place or a person or an animal that makes you feel safe.

Somewhere or something that makes you feel peaceful and calm.

Or you could use the space you're in right now.

And first connect to the sounds.

What sounds would you hear?

Just let the sounds come to you.

Then the smells.

How does it smell?

Then the feeling of air on your skin.

The textures of the surfaces around you.

How does it feel?

And what does it look like?

What are the colours around you?

What is the light like?

What do you see?

Just let any images come and go.

And now to a phase of watching the space behind your eyelids.

Maybe you see darkness.

Maybe colours.

Light.

Symbols.

Shapes.

Staying with what's there for a few seconds.

Letting any image dissolve.

And observing a new image coming.

Or simply staying with the darkness.

Try to observe without judging it as good or bad.

Like or dislike.

They are just images.

Allowing any image to spontaneously arise in a space.

Letting images arise.

Letting the images wash over you.

Letting images dissolve.

Being in the space.

Letting images come to you.

Now beginning your slow and gentle return.

Slowly starting to make your way back.

Listening to the sounds around you.

Feeling your body.

Gently begin to move your hands and feet.

Take some deep inhalations.

Maybe stretch your arms over your head.

Draw your knees up to your chest.

Rock from side to side.

And when you're ready,

Roll over onto your side and come up to sitting.

And open your eyes.

Reviews

Really excellent yoga nidra. Missed the sankalpa but deeply relaxed. Thanks so much!

Straightforward, with no distracting jargon or mumbo jumbo, and explicit transitions from one phase to another. Very helpful. Thank you!

I woke up too early and this practice gave me the added rest I was craving. Thank you.

I really liked this felt very relaxed afterwards thank you 😊

I love this Yoga Nidra. I studied under Melanie Cooper and I go back to this Nidra all the time. Especially during days where I feel stressed, or busy or over tired. This small bracket of time makes all the difference to my energy for the rest of the day. Thanks Melanie so much

Lovely. I appreciate the counting breath exercise.
Thank you

Wonderful! Very refreshing for the middle of the day.

Different from my normal experience. Very restorative.

Very pleasant and gentle

This was very effective and a bit profound for me. I remembered some things I forgot. Thank you.

Gentle pace deeply relaxing and easy to follow
Thanks 🙏

This is just what my traumatised body needed today! After being involved in a MVA yesterday, this has helped my relax, rest and reset. Thank you x

Thank you. It was a perfect early morning practice. I woke early and couldn’t fall back to sleep. With this yoga nidra I feel rested as I get up and prepare for my day.

Beautiful simple practice with lots of space to sink deeply into it. Thank you

Very simple, straightforward yoga nidra with no music or distractions. I definitely drifted off a few times! Felt clear headed and refreshed afterwards. Thank you!

So good I fell asleep when I wasn’t trying to.

Very relaxing and healing. Thanks.

Beautiful yoga nidra. Loved your gentle voice and appreciated the silenced. Perfectly paced and easy to follow 🙏🏻💕