Sleep Deeply With Yoga Nidra

This pioneering recording uses the sensory awareness techniques of Yoga Nidra to induce deep relaxation, and ultimately, sleep. The end slowly fades to nature sounds and finally silence. Originally released on the CD "Sleep & Breathe Deeply," this was the first-ever recording to specifically use the powerful techniques of Yoga Nidra to promote restful sleep. Although this use of Yoga Nidra technique is now widespread, the original recording here remains the gold standard for sleep recordings.

Transcript

Begin to find a comfortable position in preparation for deep sleep Make any minute adjustments you need to allow the body to be totally at ease,

Totally relaxed.

Allow the legs to settle,

The hips,

The belly and chest,

The arms,

The head,

The whole body.

Take a deep breath and let it go with a big sigh.

Again,

Deep breath in and let it go.

With each exhalation,

Feel the weight of your body release back into your mattress.

Observe the sensation of your body on the bed.

The blankets over you,

And trust the earth to support your weight.

Notice the sensation of the breath as it begins to slow down.

Allow the breath to discover its own rhythm according to your body's need.

Observe this easy movement of breath in and out of the body,

Like the slow movement of waves on the floor.

Observe this easy movement of breath in and out of the body,

Like the slow movement of waves on the ocean.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Full awareness on the breath.

Mentally scan the body and notice any tight places that might in any way limit the free movement of breath.

If you notice a little area of tension,

Breathe into it and let it go,

Each exhalation releasing more tension.

Allow the belly to soften as it gently rises and falls with each breath.

Feel the chest and heart opening from the inside out,

Throat relaxed and open,

Even the sinuses opening behind your nose and cheeks.

Feel the free movement of the breath.

Imagine the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Feel the breath gently filling the whole body from the soles of the head.

Now let it go.

Let's now begin to explore the deeper world of the senses.

If you discover the mind intruding,

Simply come back to your sensory awareness.

Move your full awareness now to the area of the heart.

Feel the breastbone soften and open.

And in back,

Melt the space between the shoulder blades.

All of the muscles and tissues around the heart softening.

Dissolve any remaining tension in the muscles of the chest,

The side ribs,

The back ribs,

The whole front of the chest,

The whole back of the chest,

The whole of the chest together.

And become aware of the area just above the collarbones and the shoulder blades in back.

Now bring your awareness to the right shoulder and the shoulder joint inside.

Move your awareness to the upper right arm.

Allow the right elbow to open and soften.

The right forearm and wrist.

Palm of the right hand and back of the right hand.

Right index finger,

The second finger,

Third finger,

The little finger,

And the thumb.

Again the right wrist,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

The right shoulder,

And come back to the heart.

Now move your awareness to the left shoulder and the shoulder joint inside.

The upper left arm,

The left elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the left hand,

And the back of the hand.

The left index finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

The little finger,

And the thumb.

Again the left wrist,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

And come back again to the heart.

Now the upper belly,

Lower belly,

And the navel in between.

The whole belly together.

The right side of the waist,

And the left side.

The right hip,

Feel the joint inside the hip,

Relaxing all of the muscles that attach there.

The right thigh,

Right knee,

The kneecap soft,

The ankle,

Heel of the right foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

All of the toes together.

Sole of the right foot,

Right ankle,

Shin,

Knee,

Thigh,

And the right hip.

Now the left hip,

Again feel the joint inside the hip,

Relaxing all of the muscles that attach there.

The left thigh,

The left knee,

Softening the kneecap,

Ankle,

The heel of the left foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

All of the toes together.

Sole of the left foot,

The ankle,

Shin,

Knee,

Left thigh,

And hip.

Now both hips together.

The whole belly,

The heart,

The throat,

The jaw,

Right side of the face,

The right ear and temple,

The left side of the face,

The left ear,

Left temple,

Bridge of the nose,

Eyebrow center.

Linger here at the eyebrow center,

Softening even more.

This feeling spreading into the forehead,

And the scalp,

The whole of the face together,

And again the throat,

And back to the heart.

Now explore sensations in the back of your body,

Feeling all of the places your body touches the bed.

Feel your heels on the bed,

The calf muscles,

The backs of the thighs,

The back of the hips and pelvis,

The back ribs,

Shoulders,

Backs of the arms and the hands,

The back of the head,

The whole body,

The whole body together.

Feel the back of the whole body on the bed.

Now just the front of the body.

Become aware of sensations at the tops of the feet,

The shins,

The kneecaps and thighs,

The front of the pelvis,

The low belly softening even more now,

And the upper belly,

The whole of the belly together,

The front of the chest,

And shoulders,

And the arms,

Now the throat and the face.

Feel the sensation of gravity on your body like a thick warm blanket,

And the whole back body against the bed.

And now again,

The whole body together,

Sinking back into the bed like an ancient log on the forest floor.

The word Hatha,

As in Hatha Yoga,

Literally means sun and moon.

Like Yin and Yang,

This implies the return to balance that comes from this practice.

We'll now balance the right and left sides of the body.

Fully experience sensations in the right foot and toes,

And now the left foot and toes.

Feel any differences between the two feet,

And allow the sensations to equalize.

Sensations in both feet now merging.

The right ankle,

And the left ankle,

Balancing the sensations between the two.

Notice what you feel in the right shin and calf,

The left shin and calf,

Both now equalizing.

The right knee,

And the left knee,

The right thigh,

The left thigh.

Now let them balance.

Allow the sensations in the right and left hip to find balance.

The right and left waist,

Be aware of sensations in the right side of the chest,

And the left side of the chest,

Allowing the sensations to become the same in both sides.

The right and left shoulders,

Now both arms,

The right hand and fingers,

The left hand and fingers.

Allow the sensations in both hands to equalize.

Now the right side of the face,

The right ear,

Temple,

Jaw,

The right cheek,

The right eye,

And eyebrow,

And the left side of the face,

The left ear,

Temple,

Jaw,

Cheek,

The left eye,

And eyebrow,

Both sides of the face now balancing.

Feel the sensation of the whole face come to balance.

Be aware of the whole right side of the body,

The right side of the face,

The right shoulder,

Arm,

And hand,

The right side of the chest,

The right waist,

Hip,

The right leg and foot,

And the left side of the body,

The left side of the face,

The left shoulder,

Arm,

And hand,

Left side of the chest,

Left waist,

Hip,

The left leg and foot,

The right and left sides of the body together,

Both sides together.

Feel the whole body,

Now the whole front of the body from the crown of the head to the toes,

From the soles of the feet and the heels to the back of the head,

And finally the whole body together,

The mind and body together in perfect balance.

Now we'll open and relax the energy centers in the body known as the chakras.

Feel and soften each point as we go.

Become aware of the base of the spine near the tailbone.

This is muladhara.

Notice any sensations or even emotions here.

Simply observe.

Move your awareness now to the base of the spine in the area of the low belly.

This is svaristana.

Again observing any sensations or emotions here.

If you notice tension,

Let it go.

Focus now on the mid-spine behind the solar plexus,

Third chakra or manipura.

Allow the breath to gently fill this place.

Allow it to open from the inside out.

Now bring the focus to the spine at the heart.

This is anahata.

Softly bathe it with the breath.

What feelings or sensations are you experiencing here?

Move the focus to the throat,

The throat softening from the inside out.

The throat chakra is vishuddhi.

As you sense this place,

Melt any remaining tension and let it float away with breath.

Mentally come to the space between the eyebrows.

Eyebrow center is ajna,

The third eye.

Full awareness on eyebrow center and observe any sensations or feelings associated with this place.

As this area softens,

Allow that feeling to spread to the forehead and into the scalp.

Your full awareness now at the crown of the head.

The crown chakra is sahasrara,

The thousand-petaled lotus.

Picture a radiant white light emanating from this place,

Surrounding your whole body.

The whole body bathed in radiant white light.

From the crown of your head,

Bring your awareness back again to the throat and the heart,

Solar plexus,

Low belly center and the floor of the pelvis.

Now sense the whole length of the spine,

From the tailbone to the crown of the head.

Now we will count backwards from ten to one.

Like a descending staircase,

Each step takes you closer to a deep and profound sleep.

Picture the number ten.

This is how you feel now.

Observe the level of relaxation in your body now at number ten.

This is your starting point.

We will now drop down one level,

Number nine.

Allow that feeling of relaxation to deepen.

Feel what it is to be at this new level,

Number nine.

Let's go deeper,

Number eight.

Be fully present for what you feel now at number eight.

Seven,

Number seven.

Notice how this feels,

Every step taking you deeper.

Dropping into number six.

Each exhalation bringing sleep another step closer.

All remaining tension melting away.

Halfway down,

Going deeper still,

Five.

Notice how you feel as you drop into number five.

A warm glow radiating through the whole body.

Four,

Feel this warm glow expand to the legs,

The arms,

Down the whole length of the spine.

Going deeper still,

Number three.

The boundaries of your physical body melting away.

Let it go.

Almost there now,

Number two.

You feel a deep sense of peacefulness overtaking you.

Bask in this warm feeling of contentment.

And prepare to take the final step.

One,

Number one.

You are now in a place of profound rest and ease.

Only the sensation of breath remains.

Surrender your weight to gravity.

Gravity against the feet,

Legs,

The whole of both legs settling.

The weight of your pelvis sinking back.

And sense the organs in your belly.

All of the organs settling into their natural places.

Feel the weight of your rib cage on the bed.

Your arms and shoulders heavy on the bed.

The weight of the head settling back.

Now reverse that feeling.

Imagine yourself barely touching the mattress.

You are weightless,

Almost as if you were floating in space.

Your arms and legs.

The whole body is light.

Imagine you can sense the space between the molecules of your body.

Now reverse that feeling.

Imagine yourself barely touching the mattress.

You are weightless,

Almost as if you were floating in space.

Your arms and legs.

The whole body is light.

Imagine you can sense the space between the molecules of your body.

You are nothing but energy.

Nothing but pure light.

Picture this light radiating out in all directions.

Again return to the feeling of heaviness.

Experience the full weight,

The totality of your physical form resting on the earth.

And sense the sheer vastness of the earth as it supports you.

Imagine that you even send roots deep into the earth,

Drawing sustenance.

Your whole body now merging with the earth under you.

Feel your deep connection with the earth.

Return now to a feeling of lightness.

Your physical form dissolving into weightlessness.

And once again you are nothing but energy.

Nothing but pure light.

Picture the vastness of the universe around you.

And your own energetic form merging with this vastness.

You float in an infinite sea of pure energy,

A sea of prana,

Of grace.

You have no body,

No physical form,

No thoughts,

Only pure consciousness.

Reside in this place of elemental being.

You simply exist with no need for anything more.

As you continue to drop away from the turbulence of the intellectual mind,

Come back to an awareness of breath,

And begin to count the breaths backwards from 99.

Just count the breaths as they occur naturally.

If you lose track,

Simply go back to the last number you remember.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Counting as you go.

Breathe in 99,

Out 99,

In 98,

Out 98,

In 97,

Out 97.

Find your own rhythm.

Stay with the counting.

Each exhale taking you closer to a deep,

Restful sleep.

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Reviews

Unbelievable effect, no words to discribe my gratitude , 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Thoroughly relaxing, although I did not get back to sleep. Will bookmark this one.

His recordings are exeptional for promoting both relaxation and sleep.

Love this for helping me go back to sleep

Loved it! Nice soothing voice. Thank you 💗💗

Excellent, thanks!

Asleep deeply, quickly. Namaste.

Lovely soothing voice which helped me relax and connect with my body. Each body part mentioned was tingling and pulsing. I really enjoyed the experience and fell asleep before it ended. I'm giving 5 stars👌🙏❤️

I was floating in the stars. Devine. Thank you🙏🏼💕

Fantastic...fell back to sleep to get that much-needed last 2 hours of sleep 😴 🙏🧘‍♀️😌

Excellent for sleep thank you

🙏🏼

Fell asleep quickly & woke up 3 hours later. Going to repeat! Thank you kindly for this practice! 🤗🙏👍

Great

Fantastic, I liked the clear and thorough description. Going into detail of body parts that aren’t usually included in yoga nidras like the sinuses, really helped me up go deeper into this meditation. I didn’t hear the end though as I fell fast asleep 💤

I believe this meditation was incredible as have no idea when I fell asleep and am writing the review the next morning. Deeply relaxed at the beginning all supported by the beautiful music and your gentle soothing voice. Definitely returning to listen again! Thank you so much.🙏🏽💚🌞💚

The bestest Yoga Nidra yet! www.gratefulness.org, ahimsa

What a beautiful nidra meditation. I love the long body scan. Thank you so very , very much.

💕

Exquisite practice and music. Like being tucked in by a gentle cowboy. I will definitely return to this one!