Yoga Nidra - Maximum Body Scan

This is a relaxed pace, extended body scan to help you relieve accumulated stress, and find your way back to your best self. There is a verbal cue for the end, but no bell to wake you if you happen to drift off. The deeply relaxing state you achieve during Yoga Nidra provides a powerful entry into your deeper levels of consciousness where your intention can take root and flourish. This script was originally written as part of my Yoga Nidra/Savasana facilitator training course. Shanti.

Transcript

Welcome to this journey through your body.

Take this opportunity to strengthen your mind-body connection and to release the layers of stress stored in the muscles and tissues of your body.

This can be done sitting,

But for maximum benefit,

Do this lying on your back in the classic Shavasana position,

Arms out to the sides,

Palms up,

And your feet about 8 inches apart.

Your body will cool as the heart slows,

So consider placing a blanket over you.

And you might consider placing a bolster or a rolled blanket under your knees as well.

The more comfortable you are,

The more you'll benefit from this practice.

Let's begin.

Lie back and sense all the places where your body touches the floor.

Your heels,

Calves,

The backs of your thighs,

The buttocks,

The back of your rib cage,

The back of your arms and hands,

And your head.

Now experience the whole body as you are.

Begin to notice where you might be holding tension in your body.

And take a moment to also observe your mental state,

Noticing any thoughts or residues of emotion which may be reflected in the body.

Now bring to mind your intention for this practice.

Your subconscious will be processing this as you drift into the hypnagogic state of Yoga Nidra.

Vividly picture your intention now,

Picturing it as though it were already accomplished.

Now we'll begin to leave behind the busy world of doing and come to the inner world of being and feeling.

Let go of any desire for results,

Any desire to fix or to analyze.

It's enough to just let go and open to the experience.

Let your mind now drift to your breathing.

Just breathe naturally and observe how your body breathes.

Feel the breath caress the inside of your nostrils,

Your sinuses and throat.

Feel it blossom deep into your chest,

Your belly softening,

Floating up and down,

Breathing in,

Breathing out with full awareness.

If your mind wanders,

Simply notice and come back to the breath,

Full awareness on this in-breath and out-breath.

Now keep this same level of relaxed awareness as we go on a journey through the body.

Begin by returning your awareness to your entire body and notice any changes that may have already occurred since the beginning of this practice.

If you still notice any residue of tension,

Just notice it and allow it to be part of your inner landscape.

Notice with self-kindness and compassion,

Releasing any desire to change it.

Trust enough to surrender now to this moment.

And the next.

Let your mind find the sensations in your right foot and focus on the big toe.

And now the rest of your toes in your right foot and the spaces between the toes.

The sole of your right foot.

Now the arch of your foot.

And the heel.

The top of your foot.

And the tendons inside.

Follow these sensations to your ankle.

Now be mindfully aware of sensations in your entire right foot.

Let your awareness drift up into the lower leg,

The belly of your calf.

The shin muscles.

And the whole of your lower leg together.

Experience your right knee and shift your awareness to the joint inside.

Let it open and soften.

Move your sensory awareness upward to find your thigh.

The hamstrings in back.

Quadriceps in front.

Your inner and outer thigh.

Find the junction where your entire thigh meets your hip and sense all the muscles and tendons that attach there.

From your hip to your toes,

Experience the whole of your right leg.

Return for a moment to the breath and say to yourself,

I am awake and fully present in this practice.

And be content with any experiences that arise during this journey.

As your mind now becomes aware of your left leg,

What differences do you notice between the right and left sides?

Shift your full awareness to the left foot and your left big toe.

Sense the rest of your toes and the spaces in between the toes.

Feel the skin along the sole of your foot,

The arch and the heel.

Shift to the top of your foot and the muscles and tendons inside.

Experience your inner ankle,

The outer ankle,

And finally the whole of your left foot.

Become aware of your lower left leg,

Your calf muscles,

Shin muscles in front,

The bones inside.

And now the entire lower leg together.

Move your awareness upward to the knee.

Notice a feeling of spaciousness in the left knee as you relax and soften all the muscles around the joint.

Experience sensations in your left thigh,

The back of the thigh,

The muscles of the quadriceps in front,

And your inner thigh from the groin to the knee,

And the outer thigh from the hip to the knee.

And feel how all of your leg muscles attach at your hip.

And finally experience the whole of your left leg from your hip to the tips of your toes.

Again be aware of both legs and notice any differences between them.

Has anything changed?

Are your legs looser,

More relaxed?

Do they feel more settled,

Heavier?

Expand your awareness to include the whole of your pelvis.

Relax the small of your back all the way down to your tailbone.

And allow the floor of the pelvis to soften and expand with breath.

Accept whatever sensations you discover without judgment.

Experience your belly now,

The skin on the surface all the way around to your waist.

Sense the organs resting peacefully inside,

Your stomach in the upper abdomen,

Your liver and small intestines in the lower abdomen.

And again feel how the belly continues to gently rise and fall as you breathe.

Shift your awareness upward to the chest and sense your respiratory system doing its work.

Feel the lungs just beneath your ribs on either side.

And in between your lungs,

Sense the pulse of your heart as it sends oxygen,

Nutrients and prana to every part of your body.

The residue of past events can echo here at the heart,

Sometimes for years.

Just accept whatever you notice and don't mentally attach to it.

Allow the whole of your chest to open to the healing breath.

Hear shoulders softening and releasing into the cradle of your shoulder blades.

Let your awareness again drop to your tailbone at the base of your spine and slowly begin to sense your way up the spine,

The sacrum at the back of your pelvis,

And now the five vertebrae of your lumbar spine.

Begin to sense the thoracic or ribcage spine and your neck all the way to the base of your skull.

Finally,

Experience the whole length of your spine from your tailbone to your head.

Become aware of your right hand and the skin on the back of your hand,

The palm,

And all of your fingers.

Sense the whole of your right hand with a feeling of gratitude for all that it does for you.

Now your wrist,

Your right forearm,

And the muscles inside.

Focus your awareness on sensations in your elbow,

Your upper arm,

And its attachments at the shoulder.

And finally the whole of your right arm together.

As you become aware of your left arm and hand,

Notice the subtle differences in the sensations between your two arms.

Now shifting your focus entirely to your left hand and the skin on the surface of your hand,

The muscles underneath,

Your palm,

And the joints of your fingers.

As you sense the whole of your left hand,

Picture with a sense of gratitude all that it does for you.

Now your left wrist,

Your forearm inside and out,

Your elbow,

The upper arm,

And everywhere it attaches at your shoulder.

Experience the whole of your left arm together.

And finally experience the whole of both arms and picture with a deep sense of gratitude all that these arms do for you.

Again sense your shoulders.

Simply acknowledge what you observe,

Accept it with compassion and without judgment.

And maintain your awareness fully in the present.

Now be aware of the entirety of your shoulders,

Arms,

Chest,

Belly.

Pause to fully experience your aliveness in this moment.

Become aware of your neck and the cervical spine and back.

Sense the muscle attachments along the sides and the back of your head.

With a sense of compassion and loving kindness,

Feel the whole of your throat and your vocal cords inside,

This place where we often store suppressed emotions.

Release the root of your tongue and the soft palate inside your mouth.

Relax your entire jaw,

Allowing a little space between the teeth.

Become aware of your mouth,

Softening the line between your upper and lower lips.

Feel your cheeks,

Your nostrils,

And feel the breath as it enters and exits.

Experience the whole of your nose from eyebrow center to the tip of your nose.

Focus for a moment on your ears and the ear canals inside.

Sense your scalp and let the muscles just beneath the skin of your forehead soften,

Those worry lines melting away.

The whole of your brow relaxed.

Allow your eyes to melt back into their sockets and experience their presence with a sense of gratitude for all that they do for you.

And become aware of the whole of your head together and experience the abundance of sensations here.

Now let your awareness roam downward through your entire body,

Starting at the crown of your head,

Your face,

Your neck,

Shoulders,

And the shoulder joints inside,

Your arms,

And your hands.

And again the chest,

Upper belly,

Lower belly,

Your entire abdomen together,

The whole of your pelvis and hips,

Your thighs,

Knees,

Lower legs,

Ankles,

And feet.

Finally experience the whole of your physical body together,

Your whole body together.

Take this moment to observe the abundance of physical sensations available to you.

Sense your whole body contracting and expanding as you breathe,

As if the whole universe expands and contracts with you.

You feel open and light,

Totally relaxed.

You are completely alive,

Completely present in this moment.

Picture yourself as healthy and joyful and living with a sense of peace and tranquility.

You are confident and courageous as you travel through life.

Picture this now.

As we approach the end of this meditation,

Feel a sense of gratitude for this time,

Knowing that performing this practice is an act of self-love and compassion.

Now revisit your intention for this practice and picture it clearly again in your mind.

As you again focus your awareness on your body,

Begin to sense the possibility of movement.

And when you're ready,

Begin to explore some small movements.

The fingers and toes,

Arms and legs,

Or anything that will help you through the transition.

And when it feels right,

Roll onto your side,

Staying there for a couple of breaths.

Now find your way up to a seated position.

And take a moment to notice how you feel.

This concludes our practice.

Namaste.

Reviews

Your beautiful voice is so soothing.Thank you for a lovely meditation!

With the first words my body started to feel relaxed. This is the best body scan I experienced so far. Thank you 🙏

No words to discribe my gretitude . Really effective 💙🌺💜🌺💚🌺🧡🙏

One of my favourites. I listen to this mediation regularly.

Calm, serene, still - like the surface of water. Thank you.

I loved this. The pace is perfect for me and your voice remains calm and even throughout. I liked the little reminders too.

I needed a little rejuvenation this rainy afternoon and this practice was just right

This was so lovely, well paced and calming
I will return to this one in the future
Thanks so much ☺️

Wonderfully restful yet invigorating 30 minutes. Thank you!

I wasn't able to follow 100% because of where things are for me just now, but it really helped me put the challenges in my life into perspective. Thank you for this. 💖🕯🏡🌄

Wow, this was one of the best yoga nidras ever! Thank you so much! Your voice is super calming and soothing. This was 👌🏻 perfect!

Thanks for this restful practice! I appreciated your soothing voice and pacing!

This was a really beautiful practice. I needed some time to refresh and connect, things are getting my life atm. I am so so grtfoenyour voice, the speed at whi h you give guidance and even the way you describe and explore anatomy, the latter really helps me to focus on howy body connects up, this understanding allows me a greater sense of release as well as bringing me closer to my body. I really cannot describe how grateful I am to you and to this practice. thank you Steve 🙏🏾💗

I use this meditation almost every night before bed. It promotes more restful sleep with fewer disruptions throughout the night. If you are someone who struggles to fall asleep and stay asleep, this is for you

That. Was. AWESOME!!!
Your voice is as warm and soothing as honey. Beautiful practice. I'll be back for more! 💛💕💛

Really wonderful pace and detail, feeling rested and grateful
Thank you 🙏🏼

The relaxed pace was perfect. Didn't feel rushed. This is now my favorite yoga nidra. Grateful.
🙏🤍🌼

Very calming and soothing voice. Just what I needed. Thank you.

Wow! Truly amazing! I couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed while doing this yoga nidra meditation . It was exactly what I needed. I’ll revisit this again!

Great body scan thank you I almost fell back asleep