Sleep Nidra For The Restless Mind

When we climb into bed at night and close our eyes, ready for sleep, it's common for our thoughts to start spinning and racing as we try to process the day. Practicing this Sleep Nidra for the Restless Mind right before sleep will help you release the busyness of your day and calm down the powerful thinking mind. At the end of the recording, I not wake you up, but will instead invite you to drift off into a deep, healing sleep.
Music by Meditative Mind via Audio Jungle.

Transcript

This is Sarah Eiler with Deep Breast Yoga.

Welcome to this sleep nidra for the restless mind.

When we climb into bed at night and close our eyes,

It's common for our thoughts to start spinning and racing.

The mind restless as it tries to process the day.

Fixating on to-do lists,

Replaying conversations,

Or ruminating on what we think we need to accomplish.

In this practice,

We'll be venturing together into the still waters of deep rest,

And then at the end of our time together,

I'll give you the opportunity to drift off into a deep sleep.

All you have to do is listen to my voice and try to maintain a hint of consciousness until the end of the recording.

But if at some point you lose track of my guidance or fall asleep,

Trust that your experience will unfold exactly as it should.

Closing your eyes and getting comfortable now.

Letting the full weight of your body to release down into your bed.

Allow all parts of you to arrive here fully as you return to the sanctuary of your bed after a long and busy day.

Adjusting your body,

Lying on your back or curled on your side.

Using all the sheets,

Blankets,

And pillows until you find your perfect position for sleep.

Starting to practice a simple breath to release tension in your body and mind.

Taking two sips of air in through the nose.

And then a long slow exhale out of the mouth.

Again,

Two sips in through the nose.

And then a big exhale out of the mouth,

Releasing all the swirling thoughts.

Taking two sips of air in through the nose.

And then exhaling,

Releasing all stress and worry.

Two sips in.

And exhaling,

Releasing all thoughts of tomorrow.

Taking two sips in.

And exhaling,

Releasing all the busyness of your day.

And allowing the breath to flow naturally in and out.

As you take each breath,

Notice the rise and fall of the belly.

Each breath connecting you into your body as you release the heaviness of your day.

Being yoga nidra right before sleep allows the body to release the energy of the day.

To calm the powerful thinking mind.

It allows you to become fully present with your body,

Breath,

Emotions,

And ultimately to experience a deep sense of peace and belonging.

Becoming fully present with your body.

Hopping down into your body now and just noticing how it feels.

Perhaps noticing certain parts of your body feeling contracted.

Maybe the jaw,

Forehead,

Or shoulders.

Maybe there's a feeling of tightness in your chest or a shallowness to your breath.

Being present and aware of the state of your body just as it is.

Focusing into your emotions,

Noticing what you're feeling.

Perhaps feeling a deep sense of exhaustion.

Or a feeling like your nervous system is stuck on overdrive.

Just noticing everything you feel with kindness and gentleness.

With continuing to flow in and out,

Bringing in a sense of calm and ease into your entire body.

Allowing the whole body to sink and soften.

Fitting your forehead.

Aligns at the corner of both eyes.

All the micro muscles behind the eyes.

Allowing your lips to gently part.

Feeling tension in your teeth,

Tongue,

And entire mouth.

Letting go of any clenching or holding in your jaw.

Face adopting a neutral,

Relaxed expression.

Just permeating all the muscles and bones in the shoulders and shoulder blades.

Allowing your limbs to sink down and release.

Low back and hips feeling heavy.

Bringing in a personal intention or sankalpa into this practice now.

Asking yourself what you want to bring more of into your life,

Your greatest heart's desire.

Perhaps it's related to healing,

Forgiveness,

Gratitude.

Or maybe you simply want to experience more restful sleep.

If so,

You could work with the intention,

I sleep deeply and wake up feeling peaceful and well rested.

Allow your personal intention to form in your mind.

See it in your mind's eye now and repeat it silently to yourself three times.

Continue to relax and prepare for sleep.

You will now circulate your consciousness through your body.

As I guide your attention to each body part,

Just notice any sensations or energy there.

Begin by bringing all your attention to the space right between the eyebrows.

All your attention to the space right between your eyebrows.

Then moving down just to the right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

And both eyebrows at once.

Then flowing to the right eye,

The left eye,

And both eyes together.

Now to the right ear,

The left ear,

And both ears at once.

Then flowing to the right cheekbone,

Left cheekbone,

And both cheekbones simultaneously.

The bridge of the nose,

Tip of the nose,

And the entire nose all at once.

Feeling sensation in your lips,

Your teeth,

The tip of your tongue,

Base of your tongue,

And entire tongue,

Inside the right cheek,

Inside the left cheek,

The entire mouth all at once.

The right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Entire jaw,

Base of the throat,

Over to the right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

The right thumb,

The right second finger,

The right third finger,

And the right fourth finger,

Right fifth finger,

And then the tips of all the fingers.

Right wrist,

Right elbow,

Flowing back to the right shoulder,

Base of the throat,

Attention flowing to the left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

Left thumb,

Left second finger,

Left third finger,

Left fourth finger,

And left fifth finger,

And then the tips of all the fingers,

Left wrist,

Left elbow,

Flowing back up to the left shoulder,

Back to the base of the throat,

Down to the center of the chest,

The navel,

Pelvis,

Over to the right hip,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

And then the tips of all the toes on the right foot,

The right ankle,

Right knee,

Flowing back up to the right hip,

Back to the center of the pelvis,

Over to the left tip,

The left knee,

Left ankle,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And then fifth toe,

And then the tips of all the toes on the left foot,

The left ankle,

The left knee,

Flowing back to the left hip,

Back to the center of the pelvis,

To the navel,

Center of the chest,

Base of the throat,

Back to the space between the eyebrows,

Resting here at the space between the eyebrows,

Paying attention to all sensations in your body,

Noticing any pulsing vibration,

Flowing energy,

Aware of your whole body.

Looking back again to your breath and its natural rhythm,

Observing your breath flowing in and out,

Effortless inhales and exhales,

And with your next inhale,

I invite you to imagine that you're breathing in a healing white light into your body.

With each inhale,

Just imagine a white light flowing up and down your whole body,

Filling up your arms,

Legs,

Fingers,

And toes,

Head,

Torso,

All filled with this light.

Now focus on breathing the light just into the toes of the left foot,

All 10 toes of the left foot infused with light,

And then breathe the white light into the toes of the right foot.

Moving to the left leg,

Breathing the white light up and down the left leg,

Filling up the entire leg with light.

And now the opposite,

Breathing and imagining white light moving up and down the right leg.

Moving up to the left shoulder,

Filling the whole left shoulder and left arm with light as you breathe,

Breath flowing into the left hand and the tips of the fingers on your left hand.

Moving over to the right shoulder,

Breathing white light first into the right shoulder,

On the right arm,

And finally the right hand and all the fingers.

Breathing up to your head,

Breathing in and filling up the left hemisphere of the brain with white light,

And then breathing light into the right hemisphere of the brain.

Both hemispheres together filled with white light.

Sending light into the low back,

Mid back,

Upper back,

And then the entire spine.

Sending this healing white light and breath into the entire nervous system.

Breathing white light into the entire left side of the body now.

And the place where the right and left sides of your body meet.

And finally filling your entire body all at once.

Noticing how it feels to be lit up from within.

And then imagine the light leaving your body,

Flowing out in all directions.

Imagining pulling the light back in again,

Filling the whole body with white light.

Sending light flowing out again,

Radiating out into the space surrounding you.

Notice the light flowing back and forth,

Inward and outward at your own pace.

Filling up and emptying out.

Notice if you can feel both sensations at once.

Feeling both lit up from within and your light radiating outward.

Filled with your own light and connected to the light flowing all around you.

Feeling completely calm,

Open,

And expansive,

And right at the edge of sleep.

Bringing your personal intention statement back into your mind and repeating it silently to yourself again,

Three times.

Emptying your intention like a seed into the deepest parts of your subconscious,

The deepest parts of your true self.

Empty yourself of all stories,

Thoughts,

Emotions,

And release any effort to be or do anything.

Feeling your body heavy,

Your mind soft and quiet,

Ready to flow down into a good night's sleep.

Your day is done.

Tomorrow is filled with infinite possibilities.

But right now,

Your body,

Mind,

And soul are worthy of rest.

May your dreams be peaceful.

May you wake feeling fully rested with a deep sense of gratitude.

Really seeing any last bit of consciousness and giving yourself permission to drift off.

Letting sleep find you as you sink down into a deep,

Restful,

Healing sleep.

Boy!

You You You

Reviews

I fell asleep before the recording was over which always is the goal Nice and gentle guidance as well. 😌

I fell asleep before the ending.And I will definitely come back to this meditation

Really nice yoga Nidra . Your voice is very soothing and the guidance was just perfect. It helped me settle back down when I woke in the middle of the night..✨🙏🏼💜✨

This was so good that I missed the rest of the meditation as I fell asleep. It also helped calm my racing mind after a busy day.

A busy mind with business challenges was able to shut down and fall asleep.

Soft, soothing voice & consistent, lulling sound. Thank you 🤍🙏🏼

Your voice is so clear and soothing. This worked beautifully to get me back asleep in the wee hours of the night. Thank you 😊

Wonderfully restful for early mornings when I can't sleep! Thank you

I remember your soothing voice but that's about it! 😴💤 Thank you for helping me calm down and sleep after a stressful day.🙏❤🙏

Bless you! That worked so well. Thank you so much 🙏🏻❣️

You have a gift! Your soothing voice makes me feel relaxed and comfortable so I can drift off to sleep quickly. Thank you.

Wonderful, healing and your voice is truly amazing!! Thanks for sharing your magic.

Beautiful, light and airy nidra. Esp Wonderfully soothing to listen to when dealing with jet lag on summer travels.

Used this as a mid-day chill out today; I was anxious about 2 upcoming meetings today. I got exactly what was needed by setting intention, and following your guidance🙏💞🌸