Yoga Nidra To Prepare For Sleep

Designed to be practiced right before sleep, this 35 minute meditation will help you unwind from the stress of your day and prepare your body for a deep, healing sleep. May your dreams be tranquil, may be your heart be filled with equanimity, and may you awaken feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Music by OctahedronMusic and picture by Pixabay

Transcript

This is Sarah Eyler with Deep Rest Yoga.

In this practice,

I will be guiding you down into a liminal state,

Residing somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.

A place of calm,

Unity,

And peace.

We'll be deeply resting there together and then at the end of this recording,

I will give you the opportunity to drift off into a deep and healing sleep.

When we sleep deeply,

We give our bodies a chance to heal,

We give our mind a chance to reboot,

Consolidate all of our memories,

And process the day.

Try to maintain a hint of consciousness until the end of this recording.

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

Know that this may be just what your body needs today.

So as we arrive in this space together,

I invite you now to orient your body in any way that feels fully supportive.

Lying on your back or curled on your side,

Adjust your sheets,

Blankets,

And pillows until you find your perfect position for sleep.

Allow the full weight of your body to sink down into your bed,

Feeling the momentum of your day slowing down.

Your bed an oasis from the outside world.

As you begin to turn inward,

Just allow your eyes to soften and close,

Your body to be heavy,

All the muscles soft and loose.

Beginning to call back all parts of yourself,

Calling back all the energy that you gave to others throughout the day.

Leaving behind whatever occurred right before this moment,

And just residing here,

Fully present.

I invite you now to release any tension that you're holding onto in your jaw or forehead.

Allow your collarbones to spread and soften,

Your shoulders and shoulder blades to release back and down.

Take a deep breath in,

And as you do,

Squeeze and tighten your entire body,

And then a big exhale out of the mouth,

Releasing all tension.

Again,

Another big inhale in through the nose,

Squeezing and tightening your entire body,

And then exhaling deeply,

Releasing all the tightness.

One last big breath in,

And then exhaling slowly and deeply,

Releasing all tension.

Allowing your breath now to move effortlessly in and out,

Without controlling your breath in any way,

Just noticing the rise and fall of your belly,

Chest,

And lungs.

Each breath connecting you into your body,

And allowing you to release and let go,

Your breath rolling in and out like an ocean wave.

Each breath allowing you to sink and surrender down into deep rest,

Softening your entire forehead,

The lines at the corner of both eyes,

Releasing all the micro-muscles behind the eyes,

Allowing your eyes to drop back towards the center of your head,

Gently parting your lips and releasing any tension in your teeth,

Tongue,

Or jaw,

And letting your whole face let go of any tension.

Allowing your arms,

Hands,

Legs,

And feet to sink down into your bed,

Releasing the low back and hips,

A sense of ease and calm flowing throughout,

Starting to mentally scan your body from the crown of your head to the base of your spine,

Noticing all areas of your body,

Any coursing energy or tingling,

Any areas of your body that feel particularly alive,

Noticing if there are any areas that need tending to,

Any areas of tightness,

Stiffness,

Or pain.

Directing your breath into these areas now,

Allowing these areas to release and soften.

Tuning in now to all the layers of yourself,

Noticing what you're sensing,

Feeling,

And thinking.

Knowing everything is welcome here,

This is a safe space to release and let go.

A healing space to be quiet,

Still,

And deeply rest,

Tuning into and sensing any and all emotions,

Just noticing everything you feel with kindness and gentleness,

Perhaps feeling a sense of weariness,

Frustration,

Numbness,

Or maybe feeling a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for all the blessings in your life.

Remembering that this is an effortless practice,

All you have to do is listen to my voice.

Breath continuing to flow in and out,

Body continuing to slip down into deep rest.

Now,

I invite you to bring into this practice your own personal intention statement,

A powerful word or phrase that will imprint on your subconscious mind,

Using words that deeply resonate with you.

What words would encapsulate your hopes and dreams?

3 times.

Continuing to relax and prepare for sleep,

You will now rotate your consciousness through your body as I guide you through this body scan,

Just noticing any sensations or energy.

I invite you to begin by noticing any sensations in your mouth,

Noticing all sensations in the entire mouth.

Awareness now to the tip of the tongue,

The base of the tongue,

The roof of your mouth,

Inside your right cheek,

Inside your left cheek,

Noticing all sensations in the entire mouth,

The entire mouth alive with sensations.

Bringing all your awareness now to the flow of air at the tip of your nose,

The bridge of your nose,

The entire nose all at once.

Bringing your awareness now to the space between your eyebrows and then over to the right eyebrow,

The right temple,

The right cheekbone,

The right eyelid,

And the entire right eye itself and all the muscles behind the right eye.

The whole right eye filled with sensation.

Bringing all your awareness now to the left eyebrow,

The left temple,

The left cheekbone,

Left eyelid,

And the left eye itself and all the muscles behind the left eye.

The whole left eye resting deeply.

Attention and awareness scanning the forehead,

Then flowing through the scalp and the hair,

Sensing both hemispheres of your brain,

Imagining them softening,

Unwinding,

And letting go of any tension.

Sensing your way over to your right ear,

The whole right side of the ear and earlobe,

And deep into the right ear canal,

The right ear open and receptive and listening to sounds.

Bringing your awareness now to your left ear,

The outer left ear and earlobe,

And deep inside the inner ear canal,

The whole left ear listening and anticipating sound.

Awareness to both sides of your jaw,

The tip of your chin,

The base of the throat,

The center of your chest,

Lingering here and noticing any and all sensations in the heart center.

Welcoming everything that arises from the center of your chest.

Bring your awareness now to the tops of both of your shoulders,

Both upper arms,

Both elbows,

Both lower arms,

Both wrists,

The back of both hands,

And the palms of both hands,

Both thumbs,

Second fingers,

Third fingers,

Fourth fingers,

And fifth fingers,

Fifth fingers,

And then the tips of all ten fingers at once,

And the spaces between all ten fingers.

Noticing all sensations in both arms.

Attention flowing back to the center of your chest and then down to the navel center,

Into the low belly,

And into the pelvis.

Flowing all your attention now into both hips,

Both thighs,

Both knees,

Both calves,

Both shins,

Both ankles,

Both heels,

The soles of both feet,

And the tops of both feet,

Both big toes,

Big toes,

Second toes,

Third toes,

Fourth toes,

And fifth toes,

And then the tips of all ten toes at once,

And the spaces between each toe.

Noticing all sensation in both legs,

From the tips of your toes to the tops of both hips.

Sensing the whole body now,

All at once,

The whole body resting deeply,

All the cells of your body welcoming in the medicine of presence and deep rest.

Bringing your awareness just to the right side of your body,

Noticing all sensations in the right side,

And then over to the left side,

Noticing sensations flowing in just the left side of your body,

Moving to the front of your body,

The back of your body,

Sensations deep inside your body,

And on the surface of your body,

Coming back to all sensations in the whole body,

The whole body from head to toe,

And then noticing how far your energy radiates out of your body,

Radiating out in all directions.

Coming back to your breath now,

And its natural rhythm,

Just observing your breath as your belly,

Ribcage,

And chest fill with air,

Your life force energy filling your entire body,

Noticing how your breath enters into all parts of your body,

Connective tissues,

Organs,

Muscles,

Bringing all your awareness now into your heart center,

Letting go of any judgment or resistance,

And allowing the light of your awareness to illuminate your heart,

Dropping into the intelligence of your heart,

And imagining or sensing that you can feel your heartbeat,

Its constant rhythm always with you,

Sensing into your heartbeat,

Each heartbeat creating a wave of sound flowing through your entire body,

Every cell bathed in the heart's rhythm,

Imagining now that you can breathe in and out of your heart,

The energy of your breath filling your heart center,

Cleansing and revitalizing this entire area,

Continuing to breathe in and out of your heart for several more breaths,

As we sink down even deeper into rest,

Allowing a sense of calm and peace to infuse your whole body,

Empty yourself of all stories,

Emotions,

Patterns of imbalance,

Or wounds that you're still carrying,

Releasing any effort to be or do anything,

Your heart containing all the wisdom that you need,

Bringing back your personal intention into your mind,

Just repeating it silently to yourself,

Planting it like a seed that will grow and germinate over time,

Feel your body relaxed and supported,

Your heart wide open,

Releasing all thoughts of today or tomorrow,

Ready to let sleep find its way to you,

May your dreams be tranquil,

May your heart be filled with peace and equanimity,

May you awaken feeling refreshed and rejuvenated,

Releasing any last bit of consciousness now,

Giving yourself permission to drift off into a deep,

Peaceful,

And healing sleep.

Reviews

Thank you for helping me back to sleep in the wee hours. Namaste
🌺🙏🌺

Hi Sarah, I've listened to this track every night for the past weeks!!! It is awesome, 5 stars😍. (Also reminds me a bit of Jennifer Piercy vibes🙏☺️ )

Soothing to my mind and body so I could finally sleep! Thank you.