Yoga Nidra: The Silence Within

This grounding Yoga Nidra invites you to soften into stillness and rest in the silence that lives within. Through gentle breath awareness, body sensing, and witnessing presence, you’re guided to release effort, dissolve tension, and settle into deep, nourishing quiet.

Ideal for moments when life feels noisy or scattered, this practice offers a sacred pause — a return to the calm beneath the surface.

Let go of doing. Listen to the silence. Be held by presence.

Music by Chris Collins

Transcript

And welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.

So take a moment to make any adjustments to your shape,

To your position,

To your props,

To your cover,

To your eye pillows,

Whatever adjustments you might want to make,

Make them now.

Letting yourself settle into supreme comfort.

Tune in and notice whether having a cover,

A block,

A bolster on top of your belly or solar plexus might feel like it contains your energy,

Like it helps you drop in more deeply.

And go with what feels good now,

Not what felt good a day ago or moments ago,

But what feels good now so that you can really settle in.

Sense the connection points of your own body with the earth beneath you.

As you soften into the earth beneath you,

Know you are welcome here.

Here in this space,

On this land,

Among us here,

Fully welcome.

And whatever arises within,

Be it sensations,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Desires,

Images,

Be it tears or smiles,

All are welcome.

And if any distractions arise from outside,

Be it sounds or disturbances,

Allow it all to be here with a sense of welcoming.

Make it an invitation to move you more deeply within,

Knowing all along that you are held here in the awareness that is Yoga Nidra.

Give yourself full permission to simply move through this practice in any way that you can.

Any way that feels good to you.

There are no pressures,

No demands placed on you,

No expectations to be any other way than you truly are.

This practice is to fully support your body's deepest healing wisdom.

So let's invite another deep breath in through the nose.

At the top of the inhale,

Hold the breath for a moment.

Let a little bit of tension build.

And when there is a natural urge to release,

Then let it go into the earth beneath you with a long,

Outgoing breath.

A long,

Exhaling sigh.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Within the potent space that is Yoga Nidra,

We will now invite your attention towards your intention,

Your sankalpa.

A way of being born of your heart and planting in the heart of your being this seed of intention.

This could be a wish for yourself that aligns with your deepest heart's yearning.

Or perhaps an intention that moves you towards what you want to create or become.

If you have words that form a statement stated in a positive way in the present tense that express your heartfelt mission or desire that gives your life meaning and direction.

An intention could also be an image or a felt sense if words do not arise.

And if nothing in particular arises,

Simply trust in the deeper intuitive guidance of your own soul's wisdom that already knows the way.

Can you listen to the heart and say yes to its guidance?

Allow your words or your felt sense or any associated images to ripple through your being as though it were already so.

And letting that go,

As we enter a quieter state of being,

Let's connect with our inner sanctuary.

Take a moment to ask yourself what is needed to invite a deeper sense of felt safety?

Is it an animal?

Perhaps a power animal?

A loved one or wise one?

Is it a place in nature?

Or an element of nature?

Or something else?

Like a magical object?

Object?

Or a special connection with the realms of the ancestors?

Anything invited in to deepen your sense of felt safety?

A sense of peace and well-being?

Just notice what shows up without engaging with the thinking mind.

Know you can return to your inner sanctuary any time,

Allowing you to deepen into a sense of softening and self-compassion.

Now let the sound of my voice be your guide and support you in experiencing sensations throughout your body.

As I name each area,

You may feel sensations that are present or nothing in particular,

But whatever you experience is perfect just as it is in this moment.

Now invite attention to sensations inside your mouth,

Roof of the mouth,

Floor,

Inside cheeks,

Left and right,

Back of the throat,

Tongue,

The entire mouth,

The field of sensation,

The ears,

Left ear,

Inside,

Left ear,

And out,

Right ear,

Inside,

And out,

Sensing both ears at the same time,

Sensation in the nose,

Left nostril,

Right nostril,

Both nostrils at the same time,

Left eye,

Right eye,

Both eyes together as a field of radiant sensation,

Sensing forehead,

Scalp,

Back of the head,

Neck,

Sensation inside the throat,

Left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Left palm,

Thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Sense the entire left arm as radiant sensation,

Right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Right palm,

Thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Sense the entire right arm as radiant sensation,

Sense both arms and hands together as one field of vibrant sensation,

Sense upper chest,

Upper back,

Middle chest,

Middle back,

Abdomen,

Lower back,

Pelvis,

Sacrum,

The entire torso as a field of vibrant sensation,

Left buttock,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The entire left leg as radiant sensation,

Right buttock,

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The entire leg as radiant sensation,

Sensing both legs and feet at the same time as vibrant sensation,

Sense the entire body joining together all of the sensations throughout the body into one field of radiant sensation,

The entire body saturated with sensation,

Sensation saturating the space within the body,

Between the organs,

Between the cells,

Between the molecules,

Between the atoms,

Feel the body as a mass of sensation radiating in all directions simultaneously inside and outside as a field of luminous sensation,

Experience this field of sensation extending outward into the space around the body,

Behind the body,

Out in front,

To the left of your body,

To the right,

Below the feet,

Above the head,

Experience the body radiating at the same time in all directions into the space all around the body into the room,

Out beyond the room,

Expanding infinitely into the universe,

Hundreds of miles out into space,

Millions of miles,

Billions of miles into infinity,

Is there a center to this radiance or is it felt to always be here everywhere you are,

Is there a periphery to this radiance or is it infinitely endless everywhere you are it is,

Here now without center or periphery feel yourself aware and awake here now aware and awake with no need for thinking only pure experiencing pure radiant vibration that is everywhere and here without center or periphery now become aware of the body breathing and the flow of the breath as sensation in the nostrils the abdomen gently rising as breath flows in and releasing as breath flows out the body breathing naturally and rhythmically the body breathing itself and for the next several breaths you're invited to inhale through the nose and upon exhaling gently purse the lips almost like you are whistling and empty the breath out through the mouth with control as though breathing steadily out through a straw breathing in through the nose fill your lungs fully completely without straining and exhale with softly pursed lips until you have emptied the breath completely your exhale is a steady stream of breath inhaling through nose each time you exhale breathing out through pursed lips empty your mind of all expectations release any tensions out through the breath each time you inhale drop into a deeper level of silent awareness with each exhale let go even more now drop that breath come back to your natural breathing rhythm with each breath drop into a greater stillness and ease feel a profound sense of peace descending down over your body and being letting the breath be just as it is with each exhalation feel the body more and more being received and embraced by the earth feeling the heaviness and weight of the body being received by the support of the earth and the ground the earth receiving the body into it body dropping deeper becoming the element of earth being held by the element of earth earth dissolving into earth and allowing inhalation to invite in an opposite feeling of lightness a feeling of airy lightness as if the body is floating lightly on a cloud of sensation lightness airy airy lightness and then come back to the weight and heaviness of the body feeling the solidity and density of the body the weight of the body earth dissolving into earth and coming back to the airy lightness of the breath a feeling of lightness as if the body is floating lightly on a cloud of sensation lightness airy lightness then sensing both heaviness and lightness at the same time holding both heaviness and lightness in your awareness and letting that go if a new sensation or an emotion appears just let it be here with an acknowledgement of your inner voice like a whisper that lovingly,

Tenderly,

Compassionately says I hear you I've got you and now become aware of feeling your entire body invite pleasure or joy into your body,

Into awareness your body lighting up with a smile from deep inside the heart a smile that spreads out from the heart into the body into the shoulders smiling,

Arms smiling head,

Lips curving up ever so gently every cell smiling the entire body vibrating with joy remember what it's like to celebrate something with the whole body every cell in celebration perhaps a memory reminds you of pleasure and joy,

Happiness invite the memory in and then set the memory aside and feel the purity of joy itself like liquid sensation pouring into the body radiating in all directions saturating the space in and around the body with joy this energy field begins to extend beyond your body and spreads everywhere there is nothing to be done you are entering a new dimension the dimension of simply being dissolving into just being resting here in awareness of all that comes and goes resting in the sacred stillness of your own being now take this moment to nourish your sankalpa allow it to be received at the most subtle level of your being here your intention or resolve can be actualized and fulfilled with effortless ease its guidance will show up when needed in its own perfect time there is no need for you to do anything about it when there is a natural urge to begin to rise to the surface of awareness allow yourself to drift a natural rising back to waking state of consciousness as you rise back through these states of consciousness sense your presence deeply rooted to the timeless peace of your own being where you remain untouched,

Boundless and free connected to your own body's wisdom with your own inner sanctuary holding you safely sense yourself rested and grounded all the while receptive to the whispers from your deeper source wisdom universal intelligence and take a moment to gently scan your body for what feels good what feels pleasurable and rest for a moment in that goodness if it feels good to place a hand somewhere on your body giving yourself some tender touch then heed the invitation from your own body's wisdom remain curious and connected to your inner felt sense begin to notice the sounds around you in this space and the sounds in the distance the spaces between the sounds sense the flow of air on your skin the pressure of any clothing or props and when you feel ready begin to invite a little bit of movement into the body perhaps in the fingers and toes maybe the arms start to stretch overhead and begin to draw your knees in towards your chest if you're lying on your back starting to make your way onto your side coming fully back into our shared space anchoring to your breath arriving fully back in your body sensing the support of the ground beneath you take a moment to revisit your sankalpa whether it's words or a felt sense or an image and then starting to gently push your way back up to your seat keeping eyes,

Soft gaze or eyes closed and just take a moment to notice how quiet the mind may be how still the breath and quiet the heartbeat may be know you can return to this space anytime this yoga nidra is now coming to a close namaste

Reviews

A beautiful practice as always Simone, thank you 😊 🙏