Namaste.
Today I will guide you in yoga nidra for sleep.
So,
Get into your bed and lie comfortably,
Finding your most comfortable position,
Preferably on your back.
And when you've settled yourself,
Say to yourself mentally,
Now I'm going to do the practice of yoga nidra.
And I'll have a deep and restful sleep.
Take your awareness outside and listen to all the sounds that are happening around us.
Hearing as many different sounds as you can.
As if you're mentally imitating them.
And whatever you hear,
It's okay.
Loud sounds or soft sounds.
Just let the sounds come and go.
And now,
Come back.
Feel the comfort and coziness of your body.
And feel your body resting against the bed,
At the contact points between your body and the bed.
And say to yourself mentally,
Now I'm going to have a deep and restful sleep.
And I'll wake up totally refreshed and full of energy.
And now,
We're going to move the mind around each part of the body.
Unwinding the mind,
Relaxing each part of the body.
So,
Let's start by going to the right thumb.
No moving,
Just feeling and relaxing.
Taking note of the different parts of the body.
Right thumb,
First finger,
Relaxed.
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Loose.
Little finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Relaxed.
Back of the hand,
Wrist.
Forearm,
Heavy.
Elbow.
Upper arm,
Loose.
Armpit,
Relaxed.
Shoulder,
Heavy.
Right chest,
Relaxed.
Right waist.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Half muscle,
Loose and relaxed.
Ankle.
Heel,
Heavy.
Top of the right foot,
Relaxed.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Sole of the right foot,
Totally relaxed.
And now,
Feel the whole of the right side of your body.
Soft,
Relaxed,
And heavy.
Feeling good.
And now we'll do the left side.
No moving,
Simply relaxing.
Noting each part of the body.
Mind unwinding,
Starting with the left thumb.
Relaxed.
First finger,
Loose.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm,
Heavy.
Elbow,
Loose.
Upper arm,
Soft.
Armpit,
Relaxed.
Shoulder,
Heavy.
Left chest,
Relaxed.
Left waist,
Loose.
Left hip,
Heavy.
Thigh,
Loose.
Knee,
Relaxed.
Calf muscle,
Loose.
Ankle.
Heel,
Heavy.
Top of the left foot,
Relaxed.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Sole of the left foot,
Relaxed.
Now spread your awareness throughout the left side of the body.
Feel the whole of the left side of the body.
Comfortable,
Loose,
And relaxed.
Just letting go.
Enjoying the feeling of relaxation in your body.
And now we'll go up the back of the body.
Back of both heels,
Relaxed.
Back of the calves,
Loose.
Back of the knees,
Easy.
Back of the thighs,
Loose.
Buttocks,
Relaxed.
Lower back,
Easy.
Middle back,
Comfortable.
Upper back,
Relaxed.
Back of the shoulders,
Heavy.
Back of the neck.
Imagine that someone is massaging the back of your neck and shoulders.
Massaging away all tightness and tension from your neck and shoulders.
And now feel the whole of your head,
Heavy,
Sinking into the pillow.
Relaxed.
Relax your scalp,
Letting go.
And now your forehead.
Feel a gentle hand stroking and smoothing your forehead,
Wiping away all cares and worries.
Wiping away all thoughts and anxieties.
Just wiping them away from your mind.
So good.
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow.
Relax them.
Right eye,
Left eye.
Just let your eyes sink into their sockets.
Relax the eyelids,
Just letting go.
Right cheek,
Left cheek.
Let the cheeks go loose and soft.
Right ear,
Left ear.
Both ears together.
Relaxed.
Right nostril,
Left nostril.
The whole of the nose.
Relaxed.
Top lip,
Loose.
Bottom lip,
Loose.
Tongue,
Loose.
Relax your mouth.
Chin,
Relaxed.
Jaw,
Loose.
Now spread your awareness throughout your face and feel the whole of your face like a mask that you're wearing.
Let that external mask melt away.
All tensions and tightness of that mask melting away,
Letting go.
Melting away,
Letting go.
Throat,
Relaxed.
Chest,
Loose.
Stomach,
Loose.
Top of the legs,
Loose.
Feel the whole body at once.
Relaxed and comfortable.
Cozy.
Heavy.
Relaxed.
And know that when you relax your body in this way,
Your mind is also relaxing.
And you can relax your mind as easily as you're relaxing your body.
Just knowing how to do it like we just did.
Enjoy.
Enjoy the feeling of comfort in your body.
Letting go.
Enjoy the feeling of peace and comfort and stillness in your body.
And within the stillness of the body,
You begin to notice the subtle movement of your relaxed breathing.
Be very careful not to change the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Just let it continue as it has been doing.
As if you're watching someone else breathing.
You can feel the gentle movements of your body as you breathe.
Notice which parts of your body are moving as you breathe.
Is the stomach moving as you breathe?
But don't exaggerate it.
Is the chest moving as you breathe?
Don't change it.
Keep feeling the subtle,
Gentle movements that are happening in your body with each breath.
Perhaps you can feel a slight expansion as you inhale and a gentle contraction as you exhale.
Exhale is letting go.
Exhaling is relaxing.
Focus on your exhaled breath.
When we exhale,
There's no effort at all.
Just letting go.
And the breath automatically exhales by itself.
So let's focus on the exhaled breath now.
And also count our breaths.
Counting them backwards from 27 to 0.
Breathing in and out,
27.
Breathing in and out,
26.
Breathing in and out,
25.
Keep counting your breaths backwards in this way.
Adjusting the speed of your counting to suit the natural rhythm of your relaxed breathing.
Each breath taking you deeper and deeper.
If you lose count,
Start again at 27.
Count perfectly.
Each exhaled breath letting go of thoughts.
Each exhaled breath breathing out worries.
And now take your awareness to the deepest part of your being.
The part where you see your dreams when you sleep at night.
The part where you drop off to sleep.
You can feel it.
Perhaps you're experiencing a dream right now.
Or gently falling asleep.
Rest there in that deep,
Peaceful place.
Rest in that safe and secure and comfortable place.
It's okay to let go in that sleepy place.
And now I'm having a deep and restful sleep.
And I'll wake up totally refreshed and full of energy.
If you're still wide awake now,
It may be best to gently get up and do another activity.
So gently get up.
Even if you didn't get sleep this time,
You can do the Yoga Nidra in the morning to refresh and energize and catch up on sleep.
