Yoga Nidra Sweet Stillness

This deep, unhurried yoga nidra guides you through a gentle unwinding of body and mind, perfect for transitioning into restful sleep. The practice features intentionally long pauses that create expansive pockets of silence, inviting you to sink beneath thought and connect with your innermost wisdom. As you settle into these peaceful intervals, you'll experience the profound restoration that comes from simply being present within the quiet. The practice concludes with a gentle return, leaving you perfectly prepared for deep, nourishing sleep.

Transcript

Getting all the props,

Getting everything to be as comfortable as possible in your space.

As you allow your body to be at ease,

Begin to quiet the mind,

Allowing the energy to sift and settle like a snow globe.

And sense the way that the body contacts the surface that you're resting on.

You might even notice the contact points where gravity pulls on your body just a little bit more.

The back of the head,

Back of the shoulders,

The low back and sacrum,

The heels.

Sensing the way the earth comes up to hold you as you surrender to gravity.

You might notice sounds that are outside,

And then drawing your attention inward and noticing any sounds in the room around you.

And finally,

Drawing your attention inward as you soften into the earth's embrace.

Allowing yourself to let go and sink into the ebb and the flow of the natural breath.

And take a moment to recall or imagine a place where you might feel a sense of calm,

Ease or safety.

It might be a place in nature that you've been to or a room in your home.

Let it be a place that you love.

There may be a beloved pet or guide or a human there with you.

Allowing this inner sanctuary to be a deep comfort.

Knowing that you can imagine anything in your sanctuary that brings you a sense of ease and well-being.

And as you imagine yourself in your inner sanctuary,

Notice the ground beneath you,

The air around you.

Notice what colors are in your inner sanctuary.

And noticing the elements in your sanctuary that bring you deep appreciation.

And take some time to feel the effects of being in your inner sanctuary.

And you are invited to bring this sensation or this feeling of being in your inner sanctuary with you throughout the practice.

And now it's time to set your heartfelt intention for this practice.

What might be your best intention?

Formulate your intention into a one-sentence affirmation in the present tense.

Choosing a statement that feels right for you.

And once you've established this intention,

Repeat it silently to yourself three times.

And you may want to breathe in your intention,

Planting the seeds of this intention in your body psyche with the breath.

And you've repeated your intention three times,

Just coming to the heart center and resting your attention there for a moment.

And now I'll lead you on a journey through the body.

And each point in the body that I mentioned,

Bring your attention to lightly rest on that part of body and simply feel the sensation in that part of the body.

And begin first with an awareness of the whole body and allow your attention to travel to the left foot,

Sensing the left heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the left foot,

All of the toes of the left foot.

And feel the whole of the left foot,

Moving awareness to the left ankle,

Up to the belly of the calf,

The shin,

The underbelly of the knee,

The top of the knee,

The left thigh,

Both the bottom and the top.

Bring your attention to the whole leg,

Feeling the whole left leg now.

Bringing attention to the right foot,

Sense the right heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the right foot,

Each of the toes on the right foot.

Feel the whole right foot,

Moving attention to the right ankle,

The belly of the calf,

The shin,

The underbelly of the knee,

The top of the knee,

The back of the thigh,

The top of the thigh.

Sense the whole right leg now.

With each invitation to explore the sensations in the body,

Notice that you might experience a spontaneous softening and letting go with no effort.

Moving your attention to the pelvis,

Sense the left side of the pelvis,

The right side of the pelvis,

The sacrum.

Sense the whole pelvis at once.

And with your attention resting on the pelvis,

Notice if you can sense the gentle expansion and contraction of the pelvis with the breath in and the breath out.

Moving your attention now to the spine,

From the sacrum through the lumbar region to the thoracic spine and all the way up to the cervical spine.

Can you sense the space between the vertebra?

And notice the muscular structures on either side of the spine.

Can you sense the breath's movement through the back body?

Can you feel the undulation of the breath and how it moves the spine?

And notice now the front of the ribcage,

The back of the ribcage,

The sides of the ribcage.

Sense and feel the movement in the ribcage with each inhalation and exhalation.

Moving your attention now to the hollow of the throat.

And as you continue to follow my invitations,

You might be aware of a deepening sense of peace.

Just notice your experience.

Moving your attention to the left shoulder,

The left upper arm,

The left elbow,

The left forearm,

The left wrist,

The palm of the left hand,

The back of the hand,

The left thumb,

And all of the fingers.

Feel the sensations of the whole left hand now.

Moving back up the arm,

Noticing sensation in the wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

And moving your attention back to the hollow of the throat.

Sense now your right shoulder,

Your right upper arm,

Your right elbow,

The forearm,

The wrist,

The palm of the right hand,

The back of the hand,

The right thumb and fingers.

Feel sensation in the whole right hand now.

Moving back up the right arm,

Sensing the wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

And the shoulder.

Coming back to awareness at the hollow of the throat.

Now notice sensation in the front of the neck,

The sides of the neck,

The back of the neck.

Sense the back of the skull,

The occiput,

And how the back of the head rests on the earth.

Moving attention now to the forehead,

Noting the skin of the forehead and scalp.

Now the left eye,

The right eye,

Sensing both eyes at once,

The orbits of the eyes,

The muscles around the eyes and the eyes themselves.

Moving attention to the nasal area.

Feel sensation in and around the nose,

Noticing the movement of the breath within the nostrils.

Bring your attention into the mouth,

Feeling the sensation,

The tongue,

The roof of the mouth,

The floor of the mouth,

The left inner cheek,

The right inner cheek,

The left jaw and the right jaw.

Now feel the whole mouth as sensation.

Bringing your attention back to rest at the heart center,

And sense once again the whole body.

All sensations in the whole body at once.

Noticing how relaxed your body and mind can be.

Bring your attention back to the natural movement of the breath,

Noticing how effortless the body breathes,

Becoming conscious of just the breath and nothing else.

And as you allow your attention to ride the inhalation and the exhalation of the breath,

Sense the life force moving into the body on the inhalation and on the exhalation,

Letting go.

The rhythm of life,

Of expansion and contraction.

Notice how breath and body are one movement.

Inhale and exhale,

Remaining with sensation.

Then sense the breath and how it's one with the body.

Inhale and then as you exhale,

Allow the breath to melt into sensation.

Now concentrate the in-breath and the out-breath through the heart.

Notice the sensation you feel as the breath enters the heart and ride the wave of sensation through the body.

And as you exhale through the heart,

Paying attention to the sensation.

Heart breath.

With each breath,

Allowing the energy of the heart to move through the body on the inhalation and move out of the body through the heart on the exhalation.

Noticing all sensations in the body.

Coming back to the natural rhythm of the breath.

See yourself practicing Yoga Nidra completely at ease.

Bring your attention to your emotions,

Observing sensations,

Meeting whatever arises in the body.

Breathing into your experience,

Welcoming whatever you feel.

Watching whatever you feel pass through like clouds in the sky.

And now rest in stillness.

Allow yourself to open to receive.

Repeat your intention three times silently to yourself.

And now it's time to open to the wisdom that emerges in the silence.

Resting in that natural ebb and flow of the breath.

On the next inhalation,

Stepping into your inner-sense.

And as you enter,

Sense and feel once again the experience of your inner-sanctuary.

Be at ease and welcome your higher-self's wisdom.

Resting in your sanctuary without reaching for anything.

Simply resting in the now.

Rest in trust,

Knowing that whatever emerges is exactly right for this time,

For this moment.

And I'll be back to gather you up.

And now,

Preparing to leave your inner-sanctuary.

When you're ready,

Offering your gratitude for the journey.

Bringing any wisdom,

Healing or guidance with you.

And allow your sacred space to fade from your mind's eye.

And you may notice a sense of openness or expansion.

And let your attention rest here.

Experiencing this,

This energy of peace,

Of openness.

Remembering that this is your true nature.

And allow this feeling to expand,

Knowing that this is deeply nourishing for your body,

Mind and soul.

And as we move towards completion,

Feel your body in the room that you're in.

Becoming aware of your experience,

Knowing that you can rest here for as long as you like.

If it's time to come alive and come awake,

Gradually begin to deepen the breath.

And paying exquisite attention to the body's needs,

Moving in whatever way feels right to your body.

Knowing that you can rest here as long as you like.

Thank you for being on the journey with me.