Yoga Nidra For Relaxation

Yoga Nidra is a yogic technique for mindfully guiding the body into a deep state of relaxation. By moving through the guided directions of this practice, you will relax each and every part of the body, allowing your awareness to move deep into the consciousness.

This is one of the most powerful meditations for alleviating Post-tramautic stress, anxiety, depression, muscular tensions, emotional trauma among much more. Through this practice you learn to relax all of the layers of consciousness from the most physcial layer of the body all the way deep into the consciousness.

This is a very traditional guided yoga nidra practice. I have no altered it to enhance particular areas (such as creativity or intuition). Relaxation is a natural byproduct of mindfulness. This yoga nidra session was created using mindfulness techniques in order to relax and heal.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.

Begin your practice in a comfortable lying position,

Arranging your body so you feel supported to guide it into a deep state of self-inquiry.

Adjust your chin slightly below the level of your forehead to relax the thinking mind.

Position your arms so they are comfortably away from the sides of your body.

Adjust your legs so that your feet are at least hip-width apart.

You may choose to place an eye bag on top of your eyes to soften the muscles around the eyes and cheeks or place a bolster underneath your knees to take the pressure off your hips.

When you feel comfortable and ready,

Readjust so that you are 5 to 10% more comfortable than you were before.

Take a nice deep breath in,

Becoming a little more present,

And a nice deep exhale out,

Feeling the weight of your body sinking into the ground.

As you enter into the practice of yoga nidra,

It's important to remain still and without movement.

Should sensations of discomfort arise,

Quietly remain with them.

This discomfort is used to deepen our experience during yoga nidra.

However,

If you feel the need to readjust your body to ease this discomfort,

Please move mindfully and slowly with complete awareness.

Everything you do from now on fully supports and enhances your experience in yoga nidra.

Now listen to the following resolve,

Which you may wish to carry into your own practice.

I am awake,

Aware,

And present to every sensation that arises in my body and mind.

When something distracting arises,

I will acknowledge it and then refocus my awareness on the sensations.

I am awake,

Aware,

And present to every sensation that arises in my body and mind.

Take a moment now to feel and firm this resolve as your own.

Now we will state our heartfelt prayer called a sankalpa.

This can be a prayer for help,

Healing,

Clarity,

Or enlightenment.

State your prayer in the present tense as if it was a state of fact and truth.

For instance,

If you want to cure an illness,

State this as,

I am healthy,

Healed,

And whole.

If you want to be more loving and compassionate,

State this as,

I am loving,

Kindness,

And a compassionate self.

If you would like greater peace,

Health,

Or happiness,

State,

I am peace,

I am healthy,

I am happy.

So take a few moments now to acknowledge your heartfelt prayer,

Stating it in the present tense as if it is already an accomplished statement of fact and truth.

As we move through the yogic layers of consciousness called sheets,

We will bring this heartfelt prayer along with us through this journey.

We will move this heartfelt prayer deeper and deeper into our consciousness.

Without any effort or action,

We merely state this sankalpa now and will return to this at the end of the practice.

So let us begin rotating our attention through the physical body.

Allow the sound of my voice to be the sound of your own voice guiding you through the body.

As each body part is named,

Be aware of the sensations that are present.

Without attempting to change and without judgment,

Simply acknowledge the sensations that are present in each part of the body.

Bring your awareness to the sensations inside the mouth,

Sensations in the floor of the mouth,

In the ceiling of the mouth,

In the back of the mouth,

The inside wall of the left cheek,

And the inside wall of the right cheek.

Feel the sensations in the lower jaw,

The lower lip,

The lower gums,

And all the lower teeth.

Feel the sensations in the upper jaw,

The upper lip,

The upper gums,

And upper teeth.

Sense the tongue.

Sense all of the entire tongue.

Observe how your eyes try to visualize the mouth.

You cannot feel and see simultaneously.

You can do one or the other,

But not both at the same time.

So often the eyes relinquish trying to visualize and surrender into this time for only feeling.

Experience the mouth as a radiant tactile sensation.

Observe how the mind may try to think about the mouth.

You cannot think and feel simultaneously.

You can do one or the other,

But not both at the same time.

So relinquish thinking.

Let go of any aim or action and merely experience what you are feeling in the mouth,

In the tongue,

And the teeth,

All together as radiant tactile sensation.

Just sensing,

Not trying to relax,

Only feeling what is there.

Bringing our awareness to the inside of the mouth,

The lips,

Jaw,

Tongue,

And mouth,

Allow all the sensations to melt into each other.

Trace these sensations to the inside of the ear canal,

From the ear canal to the inside of the inner ear,

To the outer architecture of the ear.

Feel your way from the inner ear to the outer ear.

Sense the canals,

Folds,

And valleys of the entire ear.

Allow the eyes to soften so you feel the ear.

Give up the visual image of the ear and instead focus on the sensations arising in your awareness.

Dive into your first-hand experience of these sensations.

Gently surrender from thinking.

Move away from visualizing.

Just experience these sensations.

Follow the flow of tactile sensations from the mouth into the nose and then from the nose into the eyes.

Feel the eyes and the sensations in the eye socket.

Experience the temples,

The eyebrows,

Back of the eye,

The floor of the eye socket.

Sense the entire right eye and the entire left eye.

Move your awareness to the forehead,

To the crown of the head,

To the back of the head,

And to the area where the neck meets the head.

Travel along the optic nerves in the brain into the back of the head to the upper neck.

Feel the subtle sensations inside your brain,

The inner content of the brain.

Feel the sensations connecting the brain to the back of the neck,

To the front of the neck,

To the front of the shoulders,

And to the back of the shoulders.

Light up all these cells of pure sensation,

Experiencing each part melting one into the other.

Simply feel the sensations flowing through the brain and head into the neck and shoulders.

Feel the flow of sensation from the left shoulder into the left arm,

From the left bicep,

Tricep,

The left elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

And the left hand.

Feel the left thumb,

Forefinger.

Slightly move the forefinger and then let it go.

Sense the middle finger,

The ring finger,

And the pinky finger.

Now sense all the fingers simultaneously.

Sense the palm,

The back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

And upper arm.

Sense the left shoulder and the entire left arm.

From the tips of the left fingers to the top of the shoulder,

Experience what you are feeling here.

Move our awareness into the right shoulder,

A flowing stream of sensations from the left shoulder to the right shoulder.

Feel the right shoulder,

The right arm,

The right bicep,

Tricep,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

And the right hand.

Feel the right thumb,

Forefinger.

Slightly move the fingers and then let it go.

Experience your middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger.

Sense all the fingers simultaneously.

Sense the palm,

The back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

And upper arm.

Sense the right shoulder and the entire right arm.

From the tips of the right fingers to the top of the shoulder,

Feel all the radiant tactile sensations of the right arm.

Now feel both shoulders,

Arms,

Elbows,

And hands simultaneously.

Move from one arm to the other,

Allowing all the sensations to unfold into your awareness.

Then go back and forth between one hand to the other.

Taking your time,

Sensing your way,

And without thinking or imagining your way,

Just feel your way.

Moving into the throat,

The area where the throat and the chest meet,

The neck into the upper torso,

Experiencing the pure tactile sensations in the upper chest,

And the front of the chest,

Through the chest into the upper back.

Feel the side walls of the ribs.

Take your time exploring the sensations in the upper torso,

The middle torso,

And the sphere of the lower torso.

Sense the front wall of the abdomen,

Back wall of the lower back,

And the entire back.

Observe how your mind goes away for periods of time.

When you see this compassionately,

Come back to the sensations in the torso.

Now simultaneously feel the upper,

Middle,

And lower torso as one sphere of moving sensation.

Imagine the sensations radiating from the torso into the air around the torso.

Move into the pelvis,

The front of the pelvis,

Inside the pelvis,

The organs of the pelvis,

The back of the pelvis,

The sacrum,

And the pelvic floor.

Feel the entire pelvis simultaneously as one sphere of sensation.

Allow your awareness of these fluid sensations to flow into the hips,

The sensations in the left hip,

The left leg,

The upper thigh,

Knee,

Foreleg,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Foot,

And toe.

All of the toes together.

Wiggle the toes to bring more sensation into the foot,

Then let it all relax.

Feel the big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And pinky toe.

Feel the entire foot,

The sole of the foot,

The top of the foot,

Ankle,

Calf,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And hip.

Sense the entire left leg as one mass of sensation.

Experience the stream of sensation from the bowl of the pelvis into the entire left leg and back to the pelvis.

Come into the right hip.

Experience the fluid flow of sensation from the right hip into the right leg,

Into the upper thigh,

Knee,

Foreleg,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Foot,

Toe,

And all of the toes.

Wiggle the toes of the right foot to bring more sensation,

Then let it all relax.

Feel the big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And pinky toe.

Sense the entire foot,

Base of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Ankle,

And calf,

Knee,

Upper leg,

And hip,

And the entire right leg as one mass of sensation.

Feel the stream of sensations from the bowl of the pelvis into the entire right leg and back to the pelvis.

Now feel both legs simultaneously.

And at your own command,

Move your attention from one leg to the other leg,

Completely absorbing the feelings in one leg and then the other.

Move your attention from one leg to the opposite leg.

Do this several times at your own command,

Back and forth.

Now feel both legs simultaneously.

Feel the legs,

The pelvis,

The torso,

Both arms,

The neck,

And head all simultaneously.

Draw attention to the sensations in the left side of the body,

Then the left side of the head,

The ear,

The eyes,

Nose,

And mouth.

Be spontaneously drawn to sensations in just the left side of the body.

Then shift your attention over to the right side of the body.

Be absorbed in the right side of the body.

Feel the legs,

The pelvis,

The torso,

And both arms the neck and head all simultaneously.

Draw attention to the sensations in the right side of the body,

Then the right side of the head,

The ear,

The eye,

Nose,

And mouth.

Be spontaneously drawn to sensations in just the right side of the body.

At your own command,

Shift your attention from the right side to the left,

Then back and forth from one side to the other.

Then bring both sides of sensation together into a feeling of wholeness.

Feel the entire body as a radiant sphere of sensation.

We have just moved through the Annamaya Kosha.

This is a layer of sensations,

The outermost layer of our consciousness.

Feeling the body as a whole orb of sensations.

Now let us notice the rise and fall of the body during our inhalation and exhalation.

Without controlling or manipulating the breath,

Just be aware of the subtle movement of breath in and out of the body.

During exhalation,

Feel the abs falling.

On inhalation,

The rising of the soft belly.

Take a few moments to sense this sheath,

The Pranamaya Kosha,

The layer of breath and energy.

I will be silent for a few moments while you experience this sensations of the breath of the Pranamaya Kosha.

Now let us enter the layer of emotions and feelings called Manomaya Kosha.

First,

Begin by imagining a place of deep comfort and peace.

Imagine the colors,

The smells,

And the details of the space.

If at any time you need to revisit this deeply nourishing and relaxing place,

Then feel free to do that.

Let's begin moving into the sensations of the Manomaya Kosha.

Welcome an emotion that is present in your life,

Or recall a specific emotion that you're working with.

And feel the sensations that you experience in your body when you imagine this emotion.

Where in your body do you feel it?

Are there images or thoughts that accompany this emotion?

And feel where this emotion lives in your body as sensation.

Welcome your experience just as it is without judging or analyzing.

Just experience where you feel this emotion as sensations in the body.

If at any time you need to return to place of deep comfort,

It is always just there waiting for you.

Notice the movement of emotion in the body,

Emotion that you have been experiencing or are experiencing now.

Feel aliveness,

Excitement,

Boredom,

Happiness,

Joy,

Anxiety.

A momentary flit of sadness.

Whatever is present in awareness,

Just note the emotions that are present and then tune into the sensations of the body where you're feeling it.

Simply sensing that emotion as a sensation,

Simply sensing that emotion as pure sensation,

And see how this acts in your body and mind.

As we move deeper into the consciousness,

We find the sheath of cognitions,

Our beliefs.

A core negative or positive thought or belief that you take to be true about yourself.

Imagine a belief that you believe to be true and experience the sensations in the body as you imagine this belief.

Allow and welcome this belief into your body and mind without refusing what comes naturally.

Watching the sensations that arise,

Feel them without judging or changing.

Just watch what happens in the body as this belief is present in your consciousness.

Now we will feel the sheath of joy and bliss called Andhamiyakosha.

This is where we feel the sensations of well-being,

Happiness,

Joy,

And bliss.

Feel an inner smile radiating from your heart,

Your lips gently smiling,

And feel all the sensations of the Andhamiyakosha,

This layer of bliss and joy deep within your consciousness.

Feel the sensations of every cell radiantly alive with the feeling of joy and well-being.

And let's bring ourselves to awareness,

This feeling of being at ease and secure.

Just awareness.

Feeling your openness.

Sensing your rhythmic breath,

And resting in your awareness of the sensations.

Feel yourself as vast openness in which the mind is set free.

Sit in this place of pure openness in which everything is manifesting.

And now we will re-experience your heartfelt prayer,

Your I AM.

Your I AM statement.

Experiencing this statement through the body as a statement of truth.

Let this prayer be free to announce and claim itself.

Say your heartfelt prayer one more time.

I AM.

Allowing a dependency on your body,

Allowing it to penetrate through each and every layer of your consciousness,

Which is now soft and relaxed.

And now we will slowly begin to reorient ourselves back into our open-eyed state of mind.

Take your own time to wake back up.

Allow the inhalation of the breath to come back to you.

Take your own time to wake back up.

Allow the inhalation to gently draw the eyes open.

And live for a moment without moving your eyes or the body.

Just being in this moment,

Your body and the area around your body.

Sense this entire room and the expanding world around you.

When you're ready,

Experience the body moving,

Slowly turning onto one side and resting there for a few moments.

Take your time now as you transition from this practice to ordinary life.

And every once in a while as you go back through the next couple of hours,

Internally come to a full stop,

Even though you may be walking,

Talking,

Doing other things.

Come and sense back into your spaciousness.

Set your body and mind free to talk,

Respond,

React,

And feel into this spacious,

Open presence in which each moment is arising and passing away.

Now return the eyes back to the open,

Fully alert state of mind.

Reviews

Wonderfully descriptive somatic nidra, thank you 🙏🏻

Very relaxing. Pleasant voice

Very relaxing! Thank you 😊 🙏🏽

Sublime

My goodness. I’m almost at a loss for words. This is sensational. Thank you so much

Really awesome in the clearness of simplicity.
I'll be back.

Very relaxing. Thank you.

So wonderful. Thank you

Outstanding. This is a very thorough body scan, followed by sensing through the koshas. Thank you!!!

Wow! Ian very grateful for this deeper practice experience this morning I will make time to do this on a more frequent basis. I felt more than I have in a long time.
Thank you! Namaste

Touched deeply. Revitalising. Hit almost every spot. Delivered with love and compassion.

Wonderful voice 🙏🌸💕

Lovely and relaxing. Sent me to sleep which is what I needed. Thank you

5 🌟 isn’t enough! Truly amazing!

Wonderful 🙏🏻💕

Wonderful, namaste! 😊

The best yoga nidra I’ve experienced. Loved the interior journey. Thanks.