40-Minute Yoga Nidra For Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a time filled with beautiful traditions. They can also be a stressful time when you may feel pressured to create the perfect holiday experience for yourself or others; not to mention the challenging family dynamics that may arise. Everything can become heightened during the holidays ... grief, sadness, joy, and gratitude.

My hope is that when you are faced with holiday stress, this meditation will help you cope in some small way. May it provide an oasis of rest to help quiet your mind, calm your body, and experience that place of deep peace and stillness that resides in us all. This recording includes gentle music and a visualization of walking in a winter forest of your imagination. Wishing you a peaceful holiday season. ~ Sarah

Photo by Christy Mills and Music by SoundVessel via Audio Jungle

Transcript

Welcome to this yoga nidra nap for holiday stress.

The holidays can be a time filled with beautiful traditions and quality time spent with family and friends.

It can be a time to appreciate your life and all that you are grateful for.

But for many,

The holidays can also be a very stressful time,

Feeling the pressure to create the perfect holiday experience,

To buy all the right gifts,

Food,

And decorations.

Family dynamics may also be very challenging during this time.

It can be a time of extreme highs and lows,

Grief and sadness,

Joy.

My hope is that this yoga nidra practice will help you cope in some small way with any stress that arises during your next holiday season.

Beginning to prepare for our practice together,

Knowing that deep breaths can only happen if the body is completely comfortable.

Lying on your back or your side and cozying up under blankets,

Making sure your whole body feels warm,

Particularly your feet and your toes.

Deciding where to rest your hands on your heart,

Your belly,

Or by your side,

And whether your palms feel more comfortable facing up or down.

Once your body feels completely settled,

Invite your eyes to start to close,

Letting your eyes drop back and down,

Sinking down towards the back of your head,

Starting to leave the outside world behind as you turn inward.

Noticing in a non-judgmental way whether it feels hard or easy to show up for yourself today,

To make time for deep rest during this busy holiday season.

As you continue to turn inward,

Just become aware of any thoughts or feelings that are rising,

Welcoming any sensations or emotions,

Welcoming all that you feel.

Maybe you're feeling wound up or anxious.

If so,

Asking yourself where you feel this the most.

Maybe in your chest,

Jaw,

Temples,

Or shoulders.

Just noticing where you're holding on to this anxiety and tension,

And perhaps bringing in a little shake or rolling out this area,

Allowing any lingering tension to start to release and let go.

Knowing that whenever life feels intense,

Your breath is always there to help regulate your nervous system.

Beginning to take a deep breath in now,

And at the top of your breath,

Take another small sip of air in,

Filling up completely with air,

And then exhaling it all out slowly.

Again,

Taking a deep breath in,

And then another sip of air at the top of the breath,

And then exhaling it all out slowly.

One last time,

Taking in a deep breath,

Another sip of air,

Filling up completely,

And then exhaling it all out.

Allow your breath to start to come back to its natural rhythm,

To flow in and out in an effortless way.

And as you take each breath,

Just notice the rise and fall of your body.

With each breath,

Beginning to let go of the thoughts,

Releasing any thoughts about the to-do list or the pressures of the holiday,

Softening any thoughts,

Any doing,

Organizing,

Controlling,

Allowing all parts of you to arrive here fully now.

This is your time to relax and unwind,

Bringing all your attention now to the very top of your head,

Allowing any tightness in your forehead to dissolve and melt away,

Softening the skin at the corner of your eyes,

Softening your cheeks and cheekbones,

And relaxing and releasing both sides of your jaw,

Bringing your awareness now to the back of your body,

To all the places where your body is touching the surface beneath you,

Releasing and letting go of any tension in the back of your head,

The upper back,

The low back,

The back of your legs,

Feet,

And toes,

Releasing any resistance and welcoming everything just as it is,

Knowing you have complete permission to rest,

Continuing to take smooth,

Even breaths,

The belly and chest rising and falling,

Ideally maintaining a hint of consciousness throughout this practice.

But if at some point you lose track of my voice,

Trust that you will still hear everything that you need to,

Knowing that there is no right or wrong way to practice Yoga Nidra,

And every time you practice will be different.

I invite you now to bring all your awareness to the very center of your chest,

And may you start to remember a special holiday memory,

A time when you felt completely joyful during the holidays,

Maybe it was a special holiday you spent with family or friends,

A New Year's Eve celebration,

Or a Christmas or Hanukkah memory from childhood,

Bringing a holiday moment of joy into your mind,

And then allow it to fill up your heart.

Now can you let the memory go,

But leave the feeling of joy behind.

I'm perhaps sensing or visualizing this feeling of joy spreading through your entire body.

Joy spreading through every bone,

Every organ,

And every cell.

Pure joy spreading throughout.

Calling in now a Sankalpa or personal intention statement into this practice,

A powerful word or phrase that will imprint on your subconscious.

If you're not currently working with an intention,

Ask yourself what is your greatest wish or longing for your life?

What do you want to bring in?

If you're dealing with anxiety or stress,

Perhaps using the phrase,

I am calm and centered,

Or I choose peace over stress,

Or I am in complete control of my thoughts and emotions.

Whatever it is,

Bring your intention into your mind now,

And silently repeat it to yourself three times.

We'll begin now to circulate your attention through your body,

Helping to move away from the busy thinking mind.

As I mention each body part,

Just try to notice any sensations arising there,

Aware and present,

As we flow through the landscape of your physical body together.

First becoming aware of the back of your head resting on the surface below you,

And then noticing the top of your head,

Your forehead,

Both temples,

The center of your eyebrows,

The right eyebrow,

And then the left,

Noticing your entire right eye,

The right eyelid,

Eyelashes,

Eye socket,

And the entire right eye all at once,

And then over to the left eye,

The left eyelid,

Eyelashes,

Left eye socket,

The entire left eye,

Attention flowing to both cheekbones,

The bridge of the nose,

Your lips,

Both sides of your jaw,

And then inside your mouth,

All your attention flowing into your mouth,

To the roof of your mouth,

The floor of your mouth,

Inside the right cheek,

And inside the left cheek,

The upper teeth,

Front and back,

The lower teeth,

Front and back,

The tip of the tongue,

Base of the tongue,

The entire mouth,

Inside and out,

Flowing your awareness past your chin,

Into the base of your throat,

And then over to the right collarbone,

The right shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

The right wrist,

The right palm,

The right thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The spaces between all the fingers on the right hand,

Back to the center of the throat,

Over to the left collarbone,

The left shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

Left wrist,

Left palm,

Left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

And fifth finger,

And the spaces between all the fingers on the left hand,

And back to the base of the throat,

Down to the center of the chest,

Down through the navel,

And into the center of the pelvis,

Over to the right hip,

The right thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Top of the right foot,

The right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

And the spaces between all the toes on the right foot,

And back to the center of the pelvis,

Over to the left hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

And then all the spaces between the toes of the left foot,

Noticing any and all sensations in both legs,

Both hips,

Both sides of your waist,

Both shoulders,

Both arms,

Hands,

And fingers,

The entire front of the body,

Back of the body,

And the whole body at once,

From head to toe,

Noticing any and all sensations in the whole body,

Beginning to notice your breath now,

Flowing in and out,

Observing your breath as it effortlessly flows through your body,

Noticing the inhales and exhales,

And the turning points in between,

Now bringing in the opposites of coolness and warmth,

And allowing a sensation of coolness to enter your body,

A deep sense of coolness,

Like you're walking outside on a cold and snowy day,

Cold snowflakes melting on your skin,

A feeling of coldness permeating your entire body,

Now bringing in a sense of warmth,

A warm feeling flowing through your body,

Like you're sitting next to a warm fire,

A cold winter's night,

The warmth of the fire permeating your entire body,

Now trying to bring in a sense of coolness and warmth at the same time,

Noticing if you can imagine or sense these opposite feelings in your body,

Releasing these opposite feelings in your body,

Bringing in your intention again,

And repeating it silently to yourself three more times.

Continuing to listen to my voice,

I invite you to start to visualize or observe yourself like you're watching yourself on a movie screen,

Observing yourself from a distance,

Imagining,

Sensing,

Or visualizing that you're walking in a peaceful winter forest,

Walking on a path in a winter forest of your imagination,

Visualizing yourself surrounded by tall,

Snow-covered trees,

The snow blanketing the ground as far as you can see,

Moving quietly along the path,

Each step leaving an imprint in the snow,

The quiet sounds of your footsteps muffled by the snowy landscape,

Witnessing yourself walking here as vividly as you can,

Noticing all the sights and sounds and fragrances of this place,

Your winter forest,

Perhaps imagining that you can feel a cool winter air on your skin,

Or notice the tiny snowflakes floating and swirling all around you,

The stillness of this forest bringing in a sense of calm and peace,

A sense that nature is resting all around you,

That you can tap into this restful state,

Taking a few moments here to feel grateful,

Peaceful,

And completely at ease,

Resting in the quiet knowing of this winter forest,

Resting here,

Feeling open,

And spacious,

Body sleeping,

Mind awake,

Bringing your intention back into your mind now,

Planting it in the fertile soil of your subconscious by repeating it silently 3 times.

And the practice is starting to come to a close,

Starting to leave this winter forest and come back to the room where you are resting,

Back to your body and your breath,

Feeling all the points of contact between your body and the surface you are lying on,

And noticing how you feel compared to when we first started this practice,

Ever so slowly starting to bring in small movements into the fingers and toes,

Making any other movements that your body is calling for,

Or maybe just resting in the silence for several minutes,

Thank you for being courageous enough to take time for self-care as you navigate this holiday season with greater ease and a sense of inner peace.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Remember this practice is here for you whenever you need it.

The light in me honors the light in you.

Wishing you a wonderful,

Joyful holiday season.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this one! I wish I found it a few days earlier, but it was still a great reminder for me to give myself some grace around this time of year. I appreciate your content! Keep it up! ❤️

On point and more valuable, so soothing. Truly a gift!

A wonderful break from the December rush and go! My stress headache is relieved and I feel rejuvenated. Thank you!