15-Minute Yoga Nidra | NSDR

This 15-minute NSDR Yoga Nidra practice is designed to calm your nervous system and support deep, restorative rest. It's the perfect length to fit into a busy schedule and sets you up for a great day ahead.
Music: Charlie Gates

Transcript

Namaste, I'm Rosalie and welcome to this short NSDR meditation that stands for Non-Sleep Deep Rest, A term coined by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman and rooted in the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra. This particular session is designed to be practiced daily as a way to cultivate a sense of ease, Comfort and well-being within yourself. To begin, Could you lie down and get completely comfortable? Could you stretch your legs out and let your feet flop to the sides? Use any props you might need to feel warm and cozy? What could you do to be even 1% more comfortable? And as you settle in, Allow any tension to drain from the body. We'll take 3 physiological sighs together, That's 2 sips of air through the nose, Long exhale through the mouth, And again, Allowing your breath to find its natural rhythm, Softening and releasing any tension, Any gripping in the forehead, In the eyes, The jaw, The shoulders, Releasing down. Could you soften the muscle of your mind? You might imagine this as if you're unfurling a clenched fist, Allowing the mind to relax open, The whole of you softening and letting go, Sinking deeper and deeper into the support beneath you. Release yourself from any thinking, Any planning or analysing, As you drop fully into the realms of feeling, Of sensing and listening. Now could you invite your sankalpa, Your heart's deepest desire, Perhaps you're working with your own, Or perhaps invite the phrase, Mind awake, Body asleep, As I rest deeply within myself. Could you mentally repeat your sankalpa or this phrase to yourself 3 times? Now let it go. We will begin now to rotate our awareness through different parts of the body. Could you allow your attention to glide to each part of your body as I name it, Creating a cascade of relaxation through the whole body. As your attention moves, The physical body remains completely still. Beginning in the mouth, Could you bring all your awareness to the tip of your tongue, The root of your tongue, The roof of your mouth, Inside the right cheek, Inside the left cheek, The tip of your nose, Blow of air in and out to the nostrils, The bridge of your nose, The right eye and all the little muscles behind the eye, The right cheek, The right ear, Inside the right ear, The bridge of your nose, The left eye and all the little muscles inside the left ear, The centre of your forehead, The mind's eye, Down to the centre of the throat, The centre of your chest, The heart space, Both shoulders, The palms of both hands, All ten fingertips, Sensing all ten fingertips, Sensing both hands and arms together now, Sensing the shape and volume of both hands and arms, Back to the centre of the chest, The heart space, The upper abdomen, Down to the navel centre, The belly, Both hips now, Sensing both hips, Thighs, The soles of your feet, The big toes, And sensing all ten toes, Sensing the whole body here as one, Full of sensation and awareness, Whole body resting deeply now, So deeply as the mind remains awake and alert. Now could you notice the natural flow of breath in the body? Just feel the body breathing itself. And without changing the breath, We'll count the breath down from ten to one. With each number down, Allow yourself to shift into deeper states of relaxation. On your next inhale, Say to yourself Inhale 10. Inhale 9. Exhale 9. Inhale 8. Releasing that now and bask here in this feeling of complete relaxation. Allow yourself to rest deeply within yourself whilst the mind remains awake and alert. And could you bring your awareness back to the heart space, The centre of your chest, And take a moment to reconnect to your sankatpa or to the phrase that we said at the beginning of this practice. And could you silently repeat it to yourself, Either your sankatpa or perhaps mind awake, Body asleep, As I rest deeply within myself. Repeat this once again and really feel this energetically within you and all around you. Let this permeate every fibre of your being. And it's time now to come fully back into your body, Fully back into your space. But know that this feeling of deep rest is always here waiting for you. It's just a few breaths away. But for now, Could you reconnect to the support beneath you, Feeling all the meeting points between your back body and the support beneath you. And let's take a nice big inhale together through the nose. Exhale, Side out. And when you're ready, Slowly begin to awaken the body, Taking your own time, Making little movements with the fingers and toes, The wrists and the ankles. You may like to give yourself a really nice big stretch. And take a moment here to tune into the body, Tune into the mind, Just notice how you feel. Notice any shifts, Any benefits you might have cultivated within yourself during this short practice. And you might like to set an intention to carry any of these benefits with you into the rest of your day. Thank you so much for practicing with me today. May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be free. I wish you the most wonderful day. Namaste.