Yoga Nidra For Anxiety

This is a guided yoga nidra meditation designed to help you feel at ease within your body and experience. You are taken on a journey from the external, inwards, in a gentle way that evokes curiosity and acceptance, and aids in soothing anxiety and stress.

Transcript

Welcome to your yoga nidra guided meditation to assist you in times of feeling anxious.

The intention for this guided meditation is to transform feelings of anxiousness into peace,

To help you move from the stories in the mind and into the moment that is now,

And to create some space for you to rest and do something that nurtures you.

It is also a meditation to practice being able to move gracefully through whatever it is that is going on for you in this moment.

You are welcome to enter this meditation from whatever position you feel comfortable,

Be it seated,

Lying or walking.

Once you have decided on a position for this meditation,

Just starting to notice the body and if you could be 5 or 10% more comfortable.

Feeling free to make any adjustments here so that you can relax and properly focus your awareness on this meditation.

You can keep the eyes closed if that's comfortable,

However if you prefer you are welcome to keep the eyes open,

But try to find one spot to focus your gaze on to bring the mind into a state of one pointedness or focus.

As you rest in this position,

Just start to become aware of the sensory experience that encapsulates this moment.

Noticing where the body is in contact with the earth,

Noticing any sensations on the skin,

Any smells or tastes,

Noticing any external sounds around you.

Starting to draw your awareness inwards and becoming present with the breath moving in and out of the body.

No need to change or fix any sensations present within the breath or the body,

But rather just becoming aware of sensation as it is moment to moment.

As we begin to journey through this practice of Yoga Nidra,

We will practice dropping into the role of observer.

I will ask you to acknowledge sensation,

Be it through the breath or the body or even the mind and practice accepting sensation as it is,

Letting go of the need to change or fix whatever sensation arises.

The moment that we can accept our reality completely is the moment that we end suffering and find peace.

Starting to connect to an intention for this practice.

How would you like to feel upon completion of this practice today?

Once you've landed on an intention for this practice,

Starting to place whatever this intention is in present tense language.

For example,

I'd like to feel relaxed becomes I am relaxed.

Then slowly allowing these words to sink back into the subconscious mind as you come back into the awareness of the present moment.

Starting to become aware of the body resting on the ground.

As you rest on the ground,

Just noticing the areas of the body that are touching the earth beneath you.

Starting to notice the temperature of the air on the skin.

Maybe noticing the clothes resting upon the skin.

As you notice these sensations practicing not attaching a story or an expectation to them,

But rather noticing sensation and accepting it as it is in this moment,

Knowing that it will change in the next moment.

Starting to notice if there are any external sounds around you.

Rather than attaching a story or narrative to any sounds that may be present.

Rather acknowledge that there are sounds and that they arise and then they pass.

Starting to become present with the breath moving through the body.

Noticing the inhalation and noticing the exhalation.

As you notice the breath moving through the body,

Just start to become aware of the natural ebb and flow of air.

Practicing not changing or trying to fix the breath in any way,

But rather noticing the breath moving through the body and accepting the breath as it is in this moment.

Noticing the inhalation and the way that it moves into the body,

Maybe where the breath goes.

And noticing the exhalation and the way the breath leaves the body.

Noticing the depth of the inhalation and the length of the exhalation.

Starting to focus on the inhalation and allowing the exhalation to happen naturally.

We really just start to tune into the details of the breath in.

Noticing the air moving in through the body and just observing where the breath goes.

Noticing if the breath moves into the chest or the ribs or the belly.

As you observe the breath in,

Seeing if you can deepen the breath in any way.

Following this action to have as little effort involved as possible.

That helps you can bring your hands over the belly or the ribcage and just notice the breath moving in.

Seeing if you can guide your breath down into the belly and allow the belly to rise.

Just noticing this sensation for the next few breaths.

Following the belly,

Ribs and chest expand with as little effort as possible.

See how the belly,

The ribs and the chest expand.

Starting to swap focus over to the exhalations.

Allowing the inhalations to just happen naturally as we really tune into the breath out.

With every exhalation that we take,

Just observing the length of the breath.

As we notice the air moving out of the body,

Noticing if we're exhaling completely or if we're exhaling really quickly.

As you start to breathe out,

Breathe out as slowly as you can.

With every breath out that you take,

Feel the body relaxing down into whatever surface is beneath you.

Maybe allowing the shoulders to relax and the face to relax.

Even happening naturally,

Maybe moving into the belly.

Then exhaling as slowly as possible.

Just taking a few breaths like this,

Really focusing on the breath out.

Breathing down the exhalation.

Every exhalation just breathing out as slowly as you can.

Emptying the air from the body completely.

Then starting to come back into the awareness of both the inhalation and the exhalation.

Breathing in as deeply and as slowly as possible.

Breathing out as slowly as you can.

Starting to add counting into the breath if that feels comfortable for you.

Breathing in for the count of five,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Breathing out for seven,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Breathing in for the count of five and out for seven.

If this is too much you can breathe in for three and out for five.

Just breathing so that the exhalation is longer than the inhalation.

And starting to sink into your own natural rhythm within this count of the breath.

Starting the counting as an anchor point for the mind.

Inhaling for five and exhaling for seven.

Just staying within this rhythm but just starting to let go of the counting.

Just maintaining long,

Smooth,

Slow breaths.

And starting to notice the connection between the breath and the mind.

When the breath is short and shallow the mind is generally busy,

Anxious or scattered.

But the moment we start to slow the breath down and become present of where the air is moving within the body the mind slows down.

Breathing in as deeply as you can,

Allowing the breath to fill you.

And breathing out as slowly as you can,

Emptying the air completely.

And you're welcome to stay here for as long as you wish.

But when you're ready just taking a moment to come back into your intention for your practice.

Repeating your intention for your practice in present tense language as though it were a reality in this moment.

Take as long as you'd like repeating this affirmation to yourself.

Then when you're ready start to allow the words to fall away as you come back into the awareness of the body resting on the ground.

Really tuning into the areas of the body that are in contact with the earth beneath you.

Noticing the temperature of the air on the skin.

Maybe noticing any other sensations or textures touching the skin.

Starting to notice the breath moving in and out of the body.

Maybe noticing the heart beating in the chest.

Really entering back into the external environment by noticing sounds around you.

Remaining in the role of observer and just acknowledging that there is sound present.

But we're able to stand back and observe rather than be pulled into the stories that go along with each sound.

You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like.

When you're ready you can start to bring slow movements into the body be it through stretching,

Wiggling the fingers or the toes.

Stay here noticing sensation in the physical body for as long as you like.

When you're ready you can start to draw your chin into your chest slowly opening the eyes and coming back into a waking state.

Reviews

Terrific guidance for remaining present with what is instead of what we would like things to be. Thank you so much, Mollie. 🙏🏻💚

Really nice offering. Well paced and real. Thankyou

Nice slow breathing. Thank you

Awesome 🧘🏻‍♂️👍

Lovely breathing Nidra. Helped me.

Wonderful meditation. Namaste 💗

Sensational. Thoroughly helped me relax while having bad anxiety just now. Much gratitude 🙏🌷😇

Wonderful thank you, really helped me relax around the migraine I woke up with 🙏🏼💖💫

This was an amazing meditation! It helped me go from quite anxious at the beginning to relaxed and calm by the end. Thank you!

Thank you ♡

Thank you so much. That was exactly what I needed 🙏🏻💕✨

Very relaxing!!!

Beautiful nidra, with the perfect time length.

Very helpful - thank you!! 🙏

Very relaxing session. Thank you.

Thank you Mollie. That was beautiful. I feel very grounded after this guided meditation.

Amazing thank you Mollie xx

Exactly what I needed and a perfect way to start the day.

Beautiful calming mediation 💕🙏🏻

Very nicely paced. Calming breath work. Thank you!