Yoga Nidra Practice To Release Fear And Anxiety

This Yoga Nidra practice is an opportunity to bring the body into a state of deep relaxation in order that it can rest completely. In the stillness, the mind is encouraged to remain alert, as it becomes calm and tranquil.

In this peaceful environment, feelings of anxiety, fear or stress can be held, acknowledged, and gently released, freeing you to emerge from the practice feeling cleansed and nourished. There is an ending to this practice, however it is ideal for letting go before sleep.

Transcript

Namaste and welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra designed to release fear and anxiety.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is traditionally taken lying down on the back and using any props if you need to in order to support the body and to make yourself warm and comfortable.

I might suggest that you place something under your knees to release any tension in the lower back.

You may like to place a thin folded blanket or a thin cushion underneath the head neck into the top of the shoulders.

An eye bag over the eyes is nice with the weight of the eye bag onto the forehead which helps to promote relaxation.

A blanket is a good idea to cover the body as the body tends to cool during the practice.

So taking a few moments just to make sure that you have all the props that you need in order to make yourself warm and comfortable.

Thinking about having the spine long,

Tucking the chin very slightly in towards the chest and feeling the neck lengthen.

Having the hands away from the body,

Palms facing upwards.

Then lengthening the legs down away from the hip joints and softening the ankles allowing the feet to fold out to the sides.

Just mentally scanning through your body now,

Noticing if there is anything that you need to move.

Even the smallest adjustments to make your body as comfortable as possible.

When your body is as comfortable as it can be,

Then just bringing your mind to your breath.

So the aim of the practice of yoga nidra is to allow the body to rest deeply while the mind stays alert.

As you notice your breathing now,

Just allowing the body to breathe in its own natural rhythm.

Being fully aware of each in-breath and each out-breath.

And now taking a long slow deep breath in through the nostrils and sighing the breath out through the mouth.

We'll repeat that twice more,

Breathing in through the nostrils,

Sighing out through the mouth.

Breathing in and sighing out.

And again allowing the breath now to return to its normal natural rhythm.

Noticing now with every out-breath the body softens a little more,

Releasing any residual tension.

Allowing it to sink down in towards the floor.

You may find as we practice yoga nidra that the mind moves into different brainwave states.

That's very common and very normal in the practice and it may be that my voice seems to move in and out.

You may not always recognize all the words,

You may find that your focus slips a little.

But try to keep your mind on the sound of my voice and that will keep the brain awake and the mind alert.

There's no wrong way of doing the practice,

All you need to do is to allow yourself to sink into the practice and follow the sound of my voice.

Knowing now that you're in a safe environment,

In a protected space where nobody needs anything from you.

I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am awake and I will remain awake throughout the practice.

At the end of the practice I will come out of the practice when asked to do so.

So beginning to notice now any sounds around you,

Perhaps inside the room and maybe outside the room.

Picturing in your mind's eye your body lying now resting,

Noticing the position of your limbs.

As if you're looking down at yourself from above,

Noticing your clothes,

Any covering you may have.

The stillness and tranquility of the body.

Perhaps seeing the chest rising with the in-breath,

Sinking with the out-breath.

In yoga nidra we have what is called a sankalpa,

Which is an intention or a resolution.

And today I'll give you a sankalpa for this particular practice.

The sankalpa for the practice is,

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

So repeating this now three times quietly to yourself with conviction and determination.

I am free from all worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

And now we'll move the awareness around the body.

And as I mention each body part,

You may like to silently repeat the word for that body part.

Or you may like to just listen and follow with your mind's eye.

Yoga nidra is the form of awareness.

We'll take the awareness on a systematic journey throughout the body.

Beginning by moving your awareness down your right arm into your right hand.

And noticing your right thumb.

The right index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

The palm of your right hand,

The back of the hand,

The wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder.

And armpit.

Move your awareness now across the chest,

Down through the left arm into the left hand.

Noticing the left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And little finger.

The palm of your left hand,

The back of the hand,

And wrist,

The forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

And armpit.

Noticing now the whole of each arm,

The whole of each hand,

And all of your fingers and your thumbs.

Moving your awareness down now into your right foot.

Noticing the big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

The sole of the right foot and the heel.

The top of the foot,

The ankle,

Shin,

Calf,

Back of the right knee,

Front of the right knee,

Front of the thigh,

Back of the thigh,

The right buttock,

And hip joint.

Move your awareness over now and down into the left foot.

Noticing the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

The sole of the left foot and the heel,

Top of the foot,

Ankle,

Shin,

Calf,

Back of the left knee,

Front of the knee,

Front of the thigh,

Back of the thigh,

The left buttock,

And hip joint.

Let your awareness now move to the base of your spine.

Sensing the lower back and the lower spine.

Moving your awareness up into the middle of your back,

The middle of the spine.

The top of your back and the top of the spine.

Noticing your left shoulder blade and your right shoulder blade and the space between the shoulder blades.

The back of the left shoulder,

The back of the right shoulder,

All the way down through the back.

Sensing both legs,

Both feet,

And all your toes.

Getting your awareness back now to the back of the neck,

The back of the head,

The crown of the head,

Your forehead.

Feeling the forehead soften and relax.

Left temple,

Right temple,

Left eyebrow,

Right eyebrow,

Left eye,

Right eye.

Both eyelids softly closed over the eyes.

Noticing the bridge of your nose,

The tip of your nose,

Left nostril,

Right nostril.

Feeling the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.

Being aware of your right ear and inside the ear,

The left ear and inside the ear.

Left cheek,

Right cheek,

Top lip,

Bottom lip,

The tongue resting in the mouth,

The space inside the mouth.

Noticing your chin,

The left side of the jaw,

All the way around to the right,

The jaw softening and relaxing.

Sensing your throat,

The left collarbone at the base of the throat,

And the right collarbone,

And the space between the collarbones.

Be aware of the right side of your chest,

The left side of your chest,

The centre of your chest.

Sensing or feeling your heart beating in the chest.

Feeling your lungs moving with every breath.

Be aware of the left side of the rib cage and down the left side of the torso,

The right side of the rib cage and down the right side of the torso.

And then notice the centre of the rib cage,

The solar plexus just below the rib cage,

The navel,

The whole of the abdomen.

Sense the organs inside the abdomen,

The pubic bones,

Become aware of the whole of your torso.

Become aware of your head and your face.

Sensing the face,

A serene expression,

A softness through the cheeks and lips,

Relaxation in the forehead.

Feel the weight of your head against whatever it is resting on.

Become aware of the right side of your body,

From the head all the way down to the tip of the big toe.

Noticing the whole of the right side of the body.

Move your attention over to the left side of your body,

From the head all the way down to the tip of the left big toe.

Noticing any sensations in the left side of the body.

Noticing the back of your body,

From the back of the head all the way down to the heels.

Noticing any sensations in the back of your body.

Then become aware of the front of your body,

From the forehead all the way down to the toes.

Any sensations in the front of the body.

And taking a moment to remind yourself,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra,

While my body rests my mind is awake and alert.

Noticing again now your breath as the body softly breathes in and out.

Watching the breath,

Every inhalation and exhalation.

We are going to count the breath down from 9 to 0.

Breathing in 1,

Breathing out 9,

Breathing in 8,

Breathing out 8.

Continue breathing in and counting all the way down to 0.

And if your mind loses focus then just start again at 9.

We are going to count the breaths,

Talking to each other and slightly Executive Center.

And now releasing any focus on the breath,

Allowing the body to continue breathing.

Begin to recollect the experience of feeling anxious,

A feeling of losing control in a situation where you felt worried,

Anxious or stressed,

In a state of unknown fears taking over you.

Just beginning to feel that stress in your mind and body without thinking about the source of the stress,

The fear or the anxiety.

Noticing how your body feels now,

Becoming tense,

Perhaps rigid and tight.

Noticing any feelings of constriction,

Contraction,

Any feelings of tightness and tension within the body and focusing on these areas.

And at the same time being aware of the breath as the body breathes slowly in and slowly out.

And then taking a deep breath in and imagine these areas becoming slightly more relaxed as you breathe out.

Breathing in and with every exhalation the body is becoming more and more relaxed.

Imagining now what this feels like,

Your body becoming soft,

Loose and gentle,

Free from any tension and calm and allowing this feeling of relaxation to grow throughout the body.

Inhaling calmness into the body and exhaling away any tension and stress.

Breathing in relaxation,

Breathing out any worries and fears.

And begin now to create an image in your mind of a place where you feel comfortable and safe.

It may be where you are now,

A favourite place or somewhere in your imagination.

Imagine now that you are in this place surrounded by light and positive energy.

And this light and energy creates a circle of protection around you,

Feeling safely cocooned inside this circle of protection.

Here you can be peaceful and free from all anxieties,

Worries and fears.

Enjoying now how it feels to be in this safe place,

Feeling grounded and tranquil,

Safe and secure.

And as you rest in this space of safety and peace,

Revisiting the experience of the same anxiety that you felt before.

Allowing this experience to be with you again,

Just resting beside you.

Keeping the image of you in your safe place,

Cocooned by your light inside your circle of protection.

And noticing how these feelings of anxiety,

Worry or fear simply melt away in the light.

This is your place,

Your secure protected space that remains free from all worries,

Anxieties and fears.

Resting here now as the breath becomes longer and deeper.

And sensing that any residual pains or tensions or worries are floating away from you.

And that right now in this moment you are safe and well,

Happy,

Calm and peaceful.

I am practicing Yoganidra and while the body rests my mind stays alert.

I'm repeating your sankalpa for today three times with depth and feeling.

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

And visualize your sankalpa taking shape.

And as we come towards the end of this practice of Yoganidra,

Becoming aware once more of your breath,

Noticing the inhalation and the exhalation.

Body breathing soft and gentle in its own natural rhythm.

Noticing your physical body relaxed at peace.

And feeling all the different parts of your body lying on the floor or the bed.

And taking your awareness to all the points that are touching the floor or the bed.

The back of the heels,

The thighs,

The back,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

And taking in a long,

Slow,

Deep breath through the nostrils.

And as you breathe out sending the breath all the way through the body down into the feet and toes,

Out into the hands and fingers,

Up into the crown of the head.

Letting your awareness rest now on the hands and feet as you begin to bring some movement into the fingers and the toes.

Up circling the wrists and the ankles.

And taking your time there is no hurry,

Enjoying this sense of peace and tranquility.

And then just thinking about bending the knees and bringing them up into the chest.

And wrapping the arms around the lower legs and rocking from side to side if that works for you.

Or moving in any other way that your body feels is appropriate.

Perhaps reaching the arms overhead and having a big stretch.

Just do whatever feels right for you.

And then you may like to roll over onto one side and pause there before coming up into sitting.

Feeling safe and secure,

Calm and peaceful.

Knowing that you can return to this practice at any time.

Preparing to come up into sitting whenever you are ready now.

And as you do finding a comfortable seated posture.

And once you are up in sitting taking a deep inhalation and a full exhalation and bringing your palms together in front of the heart centre in the centre of the chest.

Rubbing the palms together vigorously now creating some heat in the palms.

And then placing the palms over the eyes allowing the heat from the palms to enter through the eyelids into the eyes.

Opening the eyes if they are still closed behind the palms.

And then creating some space as you widen the fingers and let some light in.

Slowly releasing the hands down away from the face.

Bringing your hands back to your heart centre and bowing your chin slightly,

Gazing down towards the heart.

Giving thanks for this time that you have given yourself.

Thank you for practicing with me.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Peace Peace Peace

Reviews

So much thanks for your beautiful nidra practice. It truly is so calming and relaxing Sarah.

Really wonderful. Simple and deep. Nice pacing. Thank you 🙏

This Yoga Nidra is amazing.
My whole body and mind was consumed by anxiety.
This helped me to calm and relax.
Thank you Sarah.
🙏

My anxiety levels were at 7/10 before beginning this practice as I had a hospital app they lowered to nothing. Thankyou. Very grateful for this practice