Inviting Softness Yoga Nidra

This is your invitation to end the year soft. In a culture that celebrates pushing through, this yoga nidra meditation offers a different path. One of deep rest, gentleness, and surrender. Through guided body sensing, breath awareness, and the embrace of softness, you'll release the need to do and simply be. This is your permission to slow down, soften, and arrive home to yourself.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra,

And welcome to the softness of rest.

I invite you to lie down or sit in a comfortable position.

Just checking in with your body right now.

What does my body need in this moment?

Making any adjustments that you need so that you can settle in completely to this time of rest.

You might want to put a pillow under your knees and under your head.

You can place your hands at your side or perhaps one hand on the belly and one on the heart.

Whatever feels comforting for you in this moment.

And you're invited to close your eyes or soften your gaze,

Allowing your attention to go inward.

And as you make those final adjustments,

Allow yourself to enter into this time of soft,

Deep rest.

On this Yoga Nidra journey,

I am your guide.

I'm here to support you to rest and come home to your wisdom that is alive within you.

And throughout the practice of Yoga Nidra,

You have the choice to follow the guidance of my voice.

Everything is optional.

And if you don't want to follow any instruction during Yoga Nidra,

You might find comfort in following your breath.

And if you find yourself falling asleep,

You can bring your attention back to my voice,

Or you can give yourself permission to fall asleep.

There's no right or wrong in Yoga Nidra.

The invitation is to experience your experience just as you are,

And just as it is.

I invite you now to take a full breath and release with a sigh.

Do this a few times.

Let your awareness land softly in the body.

Sense how the body meets the space you're in.

Notice how your body is supported and held by the surface below you.

The support beneath you softly embracing the shape of your body.

Sense or imagine the front of your body softening towards the back of your body.

The face,

Throat,

Heart,

Chest,

Belly,

Hips,

The front of the legs softening.

The whole front of the body softening down.

Now sense the back of your body softening into the Earth's unconditional embrace,

Melting into its warmth and support.

Feel your whole body soften into this time of rest.

Like a feather landing gently,

Surrendering into the quiet.

Your whole body softening into this time of rest.

Giving yourself permission to be gentle to yourself.

Connecting to the feeling of softness,

Slowness,

Hibernation,

Ease.

As you continue to settle,

Invite yourself to release any thoughts,

Worries,

Or to-do lists that may be lingering in your mind.

Imagine them gently melting away,

Like soft clouds drifting in the sky.

They can wait,

And for now,

You are here,

In this moment of rest.

Let go of the need to do anything,

And allow the space to soften around you,

Wrapping you in quiet.

This is your time to be held,

To soften,

To be.

There is nothing to do.

There is nowhere to be.

You're taking a journey to return to yourself,

To rest deeply.

Gently and lightly,

Let your attention settle into your heart center.

Rest here a moment,

As though you could curl up inside the soft space of your heart.

Resting here in this space,

Let your intention come into your awareness.

Your deepest,

Most heartfelt desire for yourself right now.

Repeat your intention three times,

Feeling your intention spread from the heart to all parts of the body.

Allowing your words to sink into the cells of your body,

And then let it go.

Let yourself be held,

Settling more and more into this time of rest.

Let's take a journey through the sacred landscape of your body,

Honoring each part as it is.

As each body part is named,

Gently bring your awareness to that area,

Allowing your breath to flow to that area of the body,

And soften that part of the body,

Releasing it more deeply into stillness and rest.

Welcoming your breath into your face and head.

Your breath softening your face and head even more into rest.

The breath moves to the middle of the throat.

Gentle,

Nourishing breath softening the middle of the throat,

Releasing into rest.

The breath travels along the collarbones,

Settling and softening the collarbones into rest.

Notice sensation as the breath travels along the collarbones all the way to your shoulders,

Both right and left.

The breath moving into your right and left shoulders,

Softening and releasing into rest.

The breath travels from the shoulders to the right and left elbows,

Softening the right and left elbows.

Settling more and more.

The breath moving into the right and left wrists.

Your awareness of the right and left wrists softening into rest.

The breath moving into the hands,

Right hand,

Left hand,

And flowing down each finger and thumbs,

Softening the hands into rest.

Now bring your awareness to the sensation of your whole arms,

The shoulders,

The upper and lower arms,

And the hands.

The breath flowing through both your arms,

Softening the arms into rest.

Bringing your attention to your heart center.

The breath flowing throughout your upper body,

Front and back,

Inviting your upper body to soften into rest.

Bringing attention to your navel point.

The breath flowing throughout the middle of your torso,

Both front and back,

Releasing and softening into rest.

And now bringing awareness to your lower belly.

The breath flowing throughout your lower torso,

Both front and back,

Allowing the breath to soften,

Inviting the lower body to settle and release more and more.

Now bring your attention to your hips,

Both right and left.

Allow the breath to travel to your hips,

Settling into your hips and softening into rest.

And from the hips,

The breath flows into both legs.

The breath flowing down your legs,

Both right and left,

All the way to the bottom of your feet,

Softening with the breath.

Bring your awareness to your whole body,

And feel your breath moving throughout your whole body.

Now bring your awareness to the right side of your body,

Breath flowing from the crown of the head to the bottom of the foot on the right side of the body.

And now bring your awareness to the left side of your body,

The breath flowing from the crown of the head to the bottom of the foot on the left side of the body.

Now sense your whole body,

Your whole body being breathed,

Every part of your body nourished by your breath,

Every part of your body softening and releasing into rest.

Now come to the soft space between your eyebrows and rest here.

Notice sensation in the body.

Now bring your attention to the feeling of softness in your body.

Notice where you can feel softness.

It may be deep inside or on the surface of your skin.

Simply notice softness in the body.

And wherever it is,

Allow that softness to expand.

Let the feeling of softness grow.

Let it spread through your body,

Moving into every part.

Notice how it feels to let your body soften,

And allow this softness to fill you completely.

There's no need to do anything.

Just feel the softness.

And if it feels right,

Let the softness extend beyond your body into the space around you.

Softness in every direction,

Expanding outward with no end.

Feel this.

Now come to the space between your eyebrows and rest here.

Feel all sensations.

Welcome whatever you're feeling.

Now I invite you to bring your attention to the dark space behind your eyelids.

Become the observer of the following images.

Witness them as though you are watching a movie,

Welcoming all sensations and emotions that arrive and letting them pass,

Staying attached to nothing.

You are the observer of the following images and experiences.

Snow falling in a quiet forest.

A fawn nestled with its mother.

The embrace of a well-loved armchair.

A fluffy pillow resting on a sunlit window sill.

Candlelight flickering in the dark.

The scent of mandarin oranges.

A warm cup of tea held gently in both hands.

A plush rug under bare feet.

Sinking into a feather bed.

Releasing the grip.

In service of softness.

Now let this go and come to the soft space of the heart and do absolutely nothing.

Experience a minute of silence.

Nothing to do.

Nothing to be done but resting here.

Every part of the body is nurtured and nourished deeply.

Let go into softness.

From this peaceful place,

Bring your intention into your awareness.

Repeat your intention now three times to yourself,

Planting it like a seed in the rich soil of your inner garden.

It's time now to welcome in your guides and mentors.

The ones who see you and support you in being your whole self.

These are your kindred spirits,

Your mentors,

Your well-ancestors.

They could be people you know or don't know,

Real or imagined.

They could be animal guides,

Flowers,

Plants and trees.

Let your breath call them forward and listen for them arriving.

Is there a message for you to receive from these guides and mentors?

Allow the following affirmations to land softly in your body.

I can go slow.

I honor my rhythm and move at my own pace.

It's okay to take breaks,

To feel my body and to let it lead me.

I am in service to my softness.

I am enough.

I can go slow.

I honor my rhythm and move at my own pace.

It's okay to take breaks,

To feel my body and to let it lead me.

It's okay to take breaks,

To feel my body and to let it lead me.

I am in service to my softness.

I am enough.

Your guides and mentors may leave for now as you begin to breathe in and out of your heart.

Long,

Slow heart breathing.

Has your heart and your body got anything it wants to tell you?

What would it be like if you gave yourself permission to receive the intuitive wisdom that arises in the deepest nourishment of rest?

Where in the spaces inside the body would this wisdom be resting now?

Is there a word,

An image,

Or a felt sense that's rising for you from this time of rest?

Let yourself be open and receptive to receiving.

And if nothing comes,

That's totally okay.

You may receive something in your sleep or during the day.

And know that simply to be here is enough.

Now begin to bring your focus back to the feeling of your body connected to the surface below you.

Bringing an awareness of the earth below you that has been supporting you on your journey tonight.

Feel the solidity of the earth.

Feel the solidity,

The groundedness of your body.

And bring your focus to the feeling of your body connected to the sky above you.

Feel the way the air gently holds your body.

Feeling the gentleness of the air and the softness of your own body.

And if you're waking up,

Beginning to notice the space around you more and more.

The sounds,

The smells,

Your breath,

Your body,

Your softness.

Your softness.

Your enoughness.

Feel all of this inside of your body,

Outside of your body.

Feel the sweet nectar of rest inside your body and around your body.

Carry this with you into your sleep,

Into your day,

And into your life.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

You have arrived,

And you are home.

Sacred and wise.

Supported and held.

Reviews

Shelagh, I love your gentle voice and the beautifully restful language of this nidra. Thank you making this available to us 🙏💖

Arrived just when I needed it. Thank you for this practice.