Yoga Nidra For Stress & Anxiety

Use this meditation to relax and unwind a busy mind while reconnecting with the present moment. During the practice, we use the Sankalpa "I am free from stresses, worries, anxieties, and fears. I am relaxed and I am happy."

Music by Joseph Beg

Transcript

Let's prepare for the practice of yoga natura.

Lie down in a comfortable position.

Allow your body to sink into the space.

Get comfortable and make any adjustments you wish.

Make your feet a little wider than your hips and allow them to flop out to the sides.

The palms a little ways away from the hips,

Allowing your armpit space to breathe.

Make sure you're warm enough and take a position that would be comfortable for the entire duration of the practice.

Relax your shoulders,

Relax your arms,

Relax your hips,

Your back,

Your knees,

Your ankles.

Lift your head a couple of times to release any tight spots from the back of your neck.

Now allow your eyes to close and keep them closed for the entire duration of the practice.

If you feel any tension or tight spots in your body,

Adjust and bring awareness to that part of your body and consciously relax that part.

It is best that you remain still during the practice of yoga natura.

However if you do become uncomfortable,

Feel free to make changes with very minimal movement.

It is natural to flow in and out of a conscious hearing state during this practice.

Know that whatever you're experiencing today is the experience meant for you and there's no way to do this wrong.

Know that you are in a safe space,

Staying awake and listening to the sound of my voice.

If your mind starts wandering which is totally natural,

Just come back to the sound of my voice.

Now say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga natura.

I am awake and I will remain awake until the end of the practice and I will come out of the practice when I am asked to do so.

The practice of yoga natura begins now.

Become aware of any sounds you hear in this moment.

Nothing else but what you can hear without straining your ears.

Start by focusing on the most detailed sounds and then move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.

Now move your awareness to sounds within the room,

To the sound of your breath.

The sound of your breath flowing freely between your nostrils.

Now visualize yourself within this room.

Visualize the four walls of the room without opening your eyes.

The ceiling,

The floor,

The walls.

Visualize your position in the room,

Your body lying in its space,

The parts of the body that are touching,

Your clothes,

Your mat,

Your blanket,

Your hair,

Your face,

Your entire body lying and resting in its space.

Become aware of your natural breath.

Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.

The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.

It is now time for you to make your Sankalpa,

Your resolution.

Today my suggestion,

You can say to yourself,

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

Repeat your Sankalpa to yourself three times,

Mentally,

Clearly,

With faith and focus.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

You will now begin a systematic journey of awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them name.

Let's begin with the right side.

Right hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the right hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Right side of the waist,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Right calf,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Moving to the left side.

Left hand,

Thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Left side of the waist,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to the back of the body.

The soles of the feet,

Right and left heels,

Right and left calves,

The back of your knees,

The back of your thighs,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The entire spine,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Space between the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Your entire mouth,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

The chest,

The upper abdomen,

The navel,

The lower abdomen,

The whole torso,

The whole body relaxed.

Become aware of your breath now.

Feel the flow of your natural breath in and out of your nostrils.

The breathing is normal and spontaneous without any extra effort.

Maintaining awareness of your breath,

Continue to breathe through the belly with every inhalation the abdomen is expanding.

With every exhale the navel is drawn in towards the spine.

Now as you breathe in mentally say the number nine in your head and as you breathe out mentally repeat nine to yourself.

Breathe in,

Say eight to yourself and as you breathe out repeat eight to yourself.

Continue this way counting backwards from nine to one with every inhale and exhale.

If you lose track of the count midway then begin from nine again.

Check in with your consciousness.

Be sure you are still listening to me.

You are not asleep.

You are practicing yoga nidra.

Now start to think about an experience with anxiety and the feeling of losing control over yourself or any situation where you felt worried,

Stressed and in a state of unknown fears taking over you.

Feel that stress in your mind and body without concentrating on the source or situation that caused this experience.

Feel your body becoming tensed,

Rigid and tight.

Notice this feeling of tightness and tension around your body and focus on these areas.

Take a deep breath in and imagine those areas becoming slightly relaxed with every inhalation your body is becoming more and more relaxed.

Imagine what this feels like.

Your body is becoming soft,

Loose,

Gentle,

Free and calm.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to grow inch by inch throughout your body.

Inhale all the calmness into your system and exhale all the tension and stress out.

Breathe in all the relaxation and breathe out all the worries and fears.

Begin to create an image in your mind,

An image or picture of a support person or your higher consciousness.

It could be anyone or any place where you feel maximum comfort and peace.

Imagine this figure of grace sending you a huge light of positive energy and creating a circle of protection around you.

Imagine yourself safely cocooned inside this circle of protection where you are peaceful,

Stress free and free from all anxieties.

Enjoy the way you feel in this safe space.

You feel calm,

Safe and secure here.

See how that feeling of anxiety or tension simply melts away as you feel protected in this safe space.

This is your zone,

Your secure,

Protected space that is free from all worries and tensions.

Remain in your peaceful place while you breathe in and out longer and deeper.

Imagine that all of the pains,

Tension and worries are floating away from you right now in this moment.

In this moment you are happy,

Calm and peaceful.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

I will now call out a number of different things,

Visualize them on a level of emotion,

Memory and imagination as it resonates with you.

Jump from image to image and do not linger on any image for too long.

You will feel clear water,

Vibrant sunset,

Tall mountains,

Traffic lights,

A good night's rest,

Deep breath,

A beautiful garden,

Temple bells ringing,

Deep blue sky,

A relaxing afternoon,

A cat stretching,

A warm hug,

A doctor's office,

Your reflection in a mirror,

A meditating Buddha,

Mother,

Home,

Laughing with friends,

The sound of my voice,

Your body lying in its space.

It is now time to repeat your sankalpa.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

Repeat your sankalpa three times with focus,

Clarity and determination.

Visualize your sankalpa taking shape.

Feel your sankalpa through your whole body.

Feel your sankalpa becoming your truth.

I am free from stresses,

Worries,

Anxieties and fears.

I am relaxed and I am happy.

Finally coming back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils,

Maintaining your awareness of that breath,

Becoming aware of your physical body,

Your body that is relaxed and lying in its space.

Feel the different parts of your body and take into your awareness all of the points that are touching the back of your heels,

Your thighs,

The back,

The shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

Shift your attention to the sounds within the room,

The sound of your breath,

The sound of my voice.

Now move your attention to the sounds outside of the room,

The sounds that you can hear without strain.

Move your awareness back to the room inside and visualize the room.

Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.

Lie down quietly until you feel ready to move.

Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.

Take your time and there's no hurry.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

Bend your knees and roll over to the right side.

Spend a few moments here revisiting your practice,

Feeling safe,

Secure,

Calm and peaceful.

When you are ready,

Use your left hand to press yourself up,

Slowly sitting up into your comfortable position.

Take a deep inhalation and exhale out completely.

Bring your palms to your heart center and rub your palms.

Transfer the warmth of your palms to your eyes.

Rub your palms together one more time,

Generating heat.

Place your palms on any part of the body that may need some comfort or healing.

Bring your palms in front of your eyes.

Slowly open your eyes looking in to your palms,

Blinking the eyes open fully.

Thank your body and your mind for their dedication to this practice.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Reviews

Thank you so much for this calming meditation 🧘

Perfectly delivered, accessible and relaxing - thank you 💜

Really good great voice

Thank you for your clear, calming voice and positive guidance in this session. I especially enjoyed the choice of background music 🙏🏼

Wonderful! Thank you, Namaste 🙏💚

Excellent

Wonderfully relaxing. I awoke earlier than usual today so it was easy to drift off, even with instruction not to. All good. Thank you! Namaste
🌺🙏🌺

Beautiful voice and words. It put me I to a deep sleep. Thank you so very, very much.

Loved it! Wonderfully peaceful and healing—thank you so much, Jennifer 🙏🏻♥️

Amazing! 💙⭐🙏

So simple , so profound thank you

Lovely meditation feel very relaxed and peaceful