Yoga Nidra- Yogic Sleep

Catch up on your sleep with this 13-minute meditation.
Yoga Nidra, aka yogic sleep, is a profound ancient practice that allows you to tap into your consciousness.
It is said that 15 minutes of this practice are the equivalent of 8 hours of sleep.

You will be asked to set a Sankalpa; something you wish to have and/or more of in your life. Allow an image of you being and or having your Sankalpa already manifested to arise from your imagination, and come from a deep sense of gratitude.

Transcript

Welcome to this short guided meditation. This is Move Your Spirit with Elena. Let's start by finding a comfortable seat. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, Perhaps on a cushion, Or maybe on a chair. Let your hands rest on your lap, Palms up or down, Shoulders relaxed, Spine straight, Face soft, Jaw relaxed. Soften the space between the eyebrows and let your forehead be wrinkled free. Take a nice long inhalation through the nose and then an exhalation through the mouth. Repeat, Take an inhale through the nose, Filling the lungs, And exhale through the mouth. One last time, One deep inhale through the nose, And exhale through the mouth. Now begin to focus on your natural flow of breathing. You don't have to change the breath. You simply notice your inhalation followed by the exhalation. Notice the rhythm of your breathing. Notice the pace of your breathing. Maybe hear the sound of your breathing. And with the next few rounds of breath, Please, Every time you inhale, Let the belly rise and lift like a balloon or a loaf of bread. And as you exhale, Allow the belly to draw inward. Inhaling, Belly rising and lifting. Exhaling, Belly drawing inward, Making the exhalation perhaps a little bit longer than the inhalation. See if you can deepen the breath. Every time you exhale, The belly draws inward a little more. And every time you inhale, The belly rises and lifts a little larger. All these movements happen with no effort, And you find yourself in a deep state of relaxation with nothing to do and nowhere to go for the next few minutes. Now resume your normal breathing, Inhaling through the nose, Exhaling through the nose, And begin to focus on the sensation of the top of your head. Just notice how the very top of your head feels. Now let your focus move down to your eyes. Simply notice how your eyes feel and ask them to relax even more. Now let your focus move to your nose and feel the slight sensations of the air moving in and out with your breathing. Breathing in, Imagine that you're being filled with a sense of calm. And when you breathe out, Imagine your body feeling heavy and deeply relaxed. Bring your attention to your ears. Notice how they feel and what they hear around them. Try to hear every single sound and incorporate it into your practice. When the sounds reach your ears, They act as little waves of relaxation, Taking you even deeper into a state of peace. Now focus on your mouth and the space between the upper lip and the lower lip. How does that space feel? Can you maybe sense the flavor of something that you recently tasted? Perhaps you can imagine biting into a fresh strawberry and notice how your mouth begins to water. Now direct your focus to your neck. Notice if there is any tension and ask it to release a little more. Notice how your neck feels right now and the sensations in your neck. Now notice your shoulders and move your attention slowly going down each arm all the way to each fingertip. What are your fingertips touching right now? Feel the sensations on your fingertips and now allow your focus to move to your chest area. Relax this space as well as your lower back and upper back. And if you notice any tension, Simply ask it to relax a little more. Now you're focusing on your heart and you feel your heart beating. Your heart is supporting you. Relax your heart and notice how it feels to let go of any tension around this area. Move your focus now to your lungs and feel them gently expanding and contracting with every breath, Delivering oxygen to your body. The focus moves now down your vital organs and digestive system. Notice your abdomen, The space around your navel. Observe it working and digesting with no effort. Focus on your pelvis now and your hips and notice any sensation you may be feeling in this area. This takes you even deeper into a state of relaxation, Allowing your focus to move down each leg, Slowly relaxing all the way down to the toes. Whole body is relaxed. I am going to count from 10 to 1 and with each number you consciously relax even more, Letting go of any tension you may still feel in the body 1098765432 wise closed. Bring the hands together at the heart with the palms touching and bow the head to the heart in honor of who you truly are, A divine being inside the human body. Lift the head, Rub the palms of the hands vigorously, Creating heat between them and then cup the eyes. Open the eyes, Release the hands, Side of the face, Side of the body and all the way down. This concludes our meditation. Hari Om.