Yoga Nidra For Deep Relaxation

Yoga Nidra, also known as yogic sleep guides you into a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping. The "going-to-sleep" stage is typically induced by a guided meditation known as Yoga Nidra. The experience guides you into a deep brain-wave state—one that can't be reached through conventional sleep. Each time you practice yoga Nidra, you're stilling the waves of the mind through conscious entry into the sleep state, relieving stress and anxiety, aiding in relaxation.

Transcript

It is time for your yoga nidra.

You should be lying on your back with your knee slightly bent and supported.

Make sure that you are warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable for the duration of the practice.

It is best that you remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and brain have a chance to fully relax.

However,

If you become uncomfortable,

Please feel free to change position.

Allow your eyes to close and keep them closed until the practice has ended.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that will guide you to a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.

Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

You will be asked to move your awareness to various bodily sensations,

Emotions and images.

Try not to concentrate too intensely as this may prevent you from relaxing.

During this meditation,

Please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.

If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,

Just come back to the sound of my voice.

Just come back to the sound of my voice.

So without opening your eyes,

Begin to visualize the four walls of this room.

The ceiling,

The floor and your body lying on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

The position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair and your face.

Become aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.

Become aware of your natural breath,

Your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body.

Become aware of your natural breath,

Your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.

The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out.

There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.

Follow this feeling into your nose,

The back of your throat and into your lungs.

There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.

The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.

Allow your breath to become longer and slower.

Take a long slow inhalation followed by a longer slower exhalation.

Try and make your exhale even slower.

Slow inhale,

Even slower exhale.

Long slow inhale,

Longer slower exhale.

Continue breathing in this way.

Now go back to your natural and easy breath releasing any control over the inhale or exhale.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

At this moment you should make your intention your sankalpa.

It should be a short positive statement in simple language and try to discover one naturally.

Please state your intention clearly and with awareness to yourself three times.

The sankalpa you make during Yoga Nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

Now say to yourself I am practicing Yoga Nidra,

I am awake and relaxed.

You will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.

Try and repeat the name of the body part to yourself and feel that part of your body but do not move.

You may feel slight tingling sensation,

You may feel nothing at all.

The practice begins on the right side.

Right hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

The wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

The right armpit.

The right side of the waist.

The hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Soul of the foot.

Top of the foot.

And the toes.

Now moving to the left side.

Left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

The wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

The left shoulder.

Armpit.

The left side of the waist.

Hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Soul of the foot.

Top of the foot.

And the toes.

Now moving to the back of the body.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf.

Left calf.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left knee.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

The whole spine together.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Crown of the head.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Middle of the eyebrows.

Middle of the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

The upper lip.

Lower lip.

Both lips together.

The chin.

Jaw.

Throat.

The right side of the chest.

Left side of the chest.

The upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

The right leg.

The left leg.

Both legs together.

The right arm.

The whole of the right arm.

The whole of the left arm.

Both arms together.

The whole spine.

The whole torso.

The whole face.

The whole head.

The whole body.

Now imagine the whole body becoming light.

So your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.

The head is light and weightless.

The limbs are light and weightless.

The torso is light and weightless.

The whole body light and weightless.

And you are rising higher and higher away from the floor.

Now imagine your body becoming heavy.

And feel the heaviness in all parts of the body.

Each part is becoming heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

The torso is heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

So heavy that it is sinking down into the floor.

Now begin to awaken the feeling of cold.

Concentrate on your spinal cord and develop the feeling of coldness and shivering.

Concentrate on the breath in your left nostril and develop the feeling of cold in the whole body.

Every breath you take makes the body cooler and cooler.

Concentrate on the left nostril and the left breath.

With every breath you take into the body experience the cold.

Now begin to concentrate on creating heat surrounding the body.

Develop the manifestation of heat in the body.

Concentrate on becoming enveloped in an atmosphere of heat throughout the body from head to toe.

Concentrate on the breath in the right nostril.

And with each inhaled breath increase the feeling of heat in the whole body from head to toe.

Concentrate on the heat you have created around the body.

Become aware of the meeting parts between the body and the floor.

And concentrate on them for a short time.

Feel the meeting points between the body and the floor.

And bring your attention to the soles of your feet.

Feel the skin on the soles of your feet.

From the heels to the tips of the toes.

Now go to the palms of your hands.

Feel the skin on the palms of your hands and fingers.

Feel the skin and also become aware of the lines on your palms and fingers.

And bring your awareness to your face.

Become aware of the skin on your face.

Develop your awareness of the skin on your forehead,

Cheeks and chin.

Become aware of any lines on your face.

Bring your attention to the eyelids and feel the meeting points between the eyelids.

And now feel the meeting points between the lips.

Intensely and with full awareness.

Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transparent screen as though you were at the cinema.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.

And concentrate on this mind screen.

And become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.

Colours,

Patterns and light.

Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.

Practice detached awareness only.

If any subtle images make themselves known,

Simply notice them without directing the images.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space.

Continue this with detached awareness.

Become aware of your own self.

Look to your own self.

Look to your own self as you would look in a mirror or as I look at you or you look at me.

Look to your own self and look to your own aura.

Look at yourself from different angles,

From the front,

From the right,

From the left,

From the top and from below.

And begin to find your own aura and see what colour it is.

Whether it's yellow,

Golden,

Pink,

Red,

Purple,

Brown,

Green,

Black,

White,

Blue or violet.

Imagine yourself walking along a deserted road on a hot day.

Beside the road is a high wall and in the wall is a small door.

You walk towards the small door.

You place your hand on the handle and open the door.

As you walk inside you discover a garden.

The birds are singing and beautiful flowers are blossoming and cool shady trees are blowing in the wind.

You begin to explore the garden and come to a well with butterflies dancing around the top.

As you edge closer you notice the well is very deep,

A cylindrical tunnel boring into utter darkness.

You notice a spiral stairway twists around the walls and you begin to walk down.

In the walls are polished stones,

Yellow and white marbles,

Emerald green,

Serpentines.

You look up and see the circle of light at the top of the well.

From holes in the walls you hear the sounds of small animals,

Squeaks and rustling sounds.

Now you're completely surrounded by darkness.

You begin to feel your way along the walls as you continue down the spiral stairway.

Large green eyes gaze at you and blink shut.

Then there is the beating of wings and the hoot of an owl.

You pass through a cloud of luminous insects,

Completely transparent.

You are surrounded by these but none ever touch you.

The walls are damp and mossy and there is a dim light below.

You get closer and closer and as you reach the bottom you notice a tunnel.

You begin to run through the tunnel as you see a dim light.

It gets brighter and brighter and you come out onto a golden beach.

A golden beach on the shore of an infinite ocean of peace and bliss.

On the water a large white lotus flower is rocked gently by the waves.

On the flower there is a baby and that baby is you.

And feel yourself as that baby rocking gently on the waters of the infinite ocean.

Continue this experience of yourself as a baby rocking gently on the water.

And experience the sound of Om over the infinite ocean.

Hearing the vibration of Om.

It is time to repeat your sankalpa.

Please repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times mentally now.

Begin to come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.

And feel the container of your skin and the clothes and props that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the floor.

And take your awareness into all points that are touching the floor.

The backs of your heels,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

And do not open your eyes yet but visualize the surrounding room.

Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.

Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.

And you can start by slowly moving your hands and feet.

Taking your time,

There is no hurry.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

Begin to gently open your eyes and roll over onto your right side.

And stay on your right side for a few more moments.

And when you are ready,

Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Reviews

Love Nicole's teachings. I met her in India and her soothing voice is the best!

Good practice led by a steady, calm voice. Thank you 🙏

I want to come back to practice this one as I missed because of falling asleep.

Very relaxing. Fell asleep, guess that's what was needed now. I'm going to come back to it to hear the last part.

Oh wow. This was intense and perfect. It was so multifaceted and actually made me feel many things haha—not for the faint of heart 😀! Also the voice is so beautiful and calm and perfectly paced. Thank you so much! 10/10 will listen again.

I loved that. I felt so transported and just great. I could *smell* the interior of that well and feel the sun on the beach. Thank you so much for this one.

Perfect Yoga Nidra. Made me fall asleep before it ended. Thank you!

Just right for getting back to sleep in the wee hours. Thank you. Namaste
🌺🙏🌺

A beautiful and restful yoga nidra. Thank you 🙏

Deeply relaxing delivered with a beautiful voice and spirit.
Namaste 🙏

Soothing voice, calm delivery and smooth cadence. Excellent track for relaxing the body and mind.

A very good yoga nidra. Lovely voice. Excellent script. Will keep in favorites.

Amazing! I went so deep into relaxation I just wish it was a bit longer and the transition out was slower.

Comprehensive and deeply relaxing. It was a refreshing way of easing into the day after a poor sleep. Thank you!

Amazing! Your gentleness guided me to a peaceful and relaxed state. Thank you. ✨💫✨💫

That was amazing!

Loved it! Thank you so much 💖

WoW.. I'm still formulating words because Im still so beautifully relaxed! That was amazing, thank you 🙏

Very nice, thank you!

Very nice thank you!