Yoga Nidra For Stress Relief

A classic Bihar style yoga nidra, the practice begins with relaxing breathing exercises, moves through the rotation of consicousness and more breath awareness, and guides you through a visualization before bringing you back to the present moment.

Transcript

We're about to practice yoga nidra.

So find a comfortable spot lying flat on the ground or in your bed.

You might want to find a few extra blankets to place this padding underneath your body.

And maybe a thin pillow under your head,

Under your sacrum or under your knees or all three.

So we get a very high level of comfort generated before we even begin.

And this just helps to prepare us to fully relax into stillness.

So staying still is an important part of the practice.

So we generate a really cozy nest right now so that for the remainder of the practice we can remain totally and completely still.

So please turn off any devices,

Close your door,

Let your family or neighbors know what you're doing so that you won't be disturbed.

So any final adjustments that you need to make.

And if you're feeling cozy then really try to stay still and see,

Just kind of check in with where you're at.

And if that does really feel good.

We're aiming for a perfectly straight spine so the head,

Neck and trunk are all aligned fully in one straight position.

Making sure that your head is comfortable.

Notice if there's any pressure already building on the back of the skull and maybe you want to find another layer there to just give you that extra cushion.

Just really be comfortable and then begin to let go into the floor.

Letting your body get really heavy.

Each exhale brings you a little bit more calm,

A little bit more still.

Become aware of your body.

Become aware of your whole body from the top of your head down to your toes.

From the tips of your toes up through the crown of the head.

However this feeling emerges for you is perfectly okay.

You can't do this incorrectly.

Just becoming aware of your body.

Know that you have the ability to move your body but right now you're not using that ability.

It's not being taken away from you but you're choosing to experience stillness.

So repeat to yourself silently in your head,

I can move my body but I choose to remain completely still.

I can move my body but I choose to remain completely still.

Just begin to experience this stillness throughout your entire body.

Be aware of the stillness and also of the ability to move but know that you are not moving.

Yoga nidra has now begun.

Begin to survey the body from head to toe and from toe to head.

Begin however you feel your body is okay,

You cannot do this incorrectly.

Observe the body as if you are really curious,

Curiously examining each nook and cranny.

Being as if you were an explorer serving this place for the first time.

Let your awareness move deep within the body and travel through the center of the bones and the organs.

You may experience sensations in the physical body,

You may experience sensations in the organs and the bones or you may experience a feeling or an emotion or a sensation of energy.

Any type of sensation you're feeling or ways that you're experiencing the body are welcome.

Let your awareness sink into the head,

Dropping deep within the head.

Allow your awareness to move through the head,

Behind the forehead,

Eyebrows and eyes.

Awareness moving through the center of the cheekbones and the jaw.

Awake and aware.

Awareness now moving down through the neck to the right shoulder.

Let your awareness move into the center of the bones,

To the very bone marrow itself.

Allow your mind to travel through the bone marrow of the upper right arm bone.

Through the elbow,

Down to the lower arm bone.

Awareness traveling through the center of the bones of the right wrist,

The bones of the right hand,

Of the right fingers.

Awareness now returning through the bones of the right wrist,

Up through the lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The right shoulder.

Awareness moving through the center of the chest to the left shoulder,

Down through the bones of the left upper arm.

Let your observation be keen but relaxed.

The mind travels down through the left elbow into the bone marrow of the lower arm bones.

Awareness of the left wrist and the bones of the hand.

Observation moves through the bones of the left fingers.

Let your mind travel back now,

Back through the center of the bones of the left wrist,

Back to the lower arm,

To the left elbow,

The upper arm,

To the left shoulder.

Let your awareness remain in deep as it descends through the chest,

Moving through the two lungs.

Awareness moves through the heart,

The stomach,

The liver,

The gallbladder,

The pancreas,

The spleen,

Kidneys.

Continue to allow the mind to move through the intestines,

Reproductive organs.

Let your awareness move into the center of the right hip.

Allow the mind to move through the marrow of the right upper leg bone,

Through the right knee,

The lower leg bones.

Awareness continuing through the ankle,

The bones of the right foot,

The toes.

Awareness moves back up through the bones of the ankle,

Lower leg,

And knee.

Continue to let the mind travel through the bone marrow of the upper right leg bone and the right hip.

Awareness travels through the center of the bones of the left hip.

Allow the mind to move through the marrow of the left upper leg bone,

Through the left knee and lower leg bones.

Awareness continuing through down to the ankle and the bones of the left foot and toes.

Observation moves back up through the bones of the ankle,

Lower leg,

And knee.

Continue to let the mind travel through the bone marrow of the left upper leg bone to the left hip.

Awareness comes to the tip of the tailbone and moves inside the tailbone.

Let the mind travel up through the center of the sacrum,

Through each vertebrae of the spine.

The mind continues to travel up through the spine until it finally returns back to the center of the head.

We now begin the rotation of consciousness,

The rotation of awareness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body.

As quickly as possible,

The awareness is to go from part to part.

Repeat this part in your mind and simultaneously become aware of that part of the body.

Keep yourself alert but do not concentrate too intensely.

Become aware of the right hand thumb,

All of your awareness,

All of your concentration into that right hand thumb.

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Become aware of your palm,

Back of the hand,

The right wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

The right waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

The ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the right foot,

Top of the right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

The whole right side together,

The whole of the right side together,

The whole right side.

Moving the awareness to the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole of the left side together,

The whole of the left side,

The whole of the left side.

Now to the back of the body,

Become aware of the right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The right buttock,

Left buttock,

Spine,

The whole back together.

And go to the top of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Both sides of the head,

The right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Nose,

Tip of the nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Throat,

The right chest,

Left chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Abdomen,

The whole of the right leg,

Whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together.

The major parts again,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together.

Please do not sleep,

Maintain total awareness with no sleeping and no movement.

The whole body on the floor,

Become aware of your body lying on the floor.

Your body is lying on the floor,

See your body lying perfectly still on the floor in your room.

Visualize this image in your mind.

And breathe now as though your whole body is breathing.

Without actually altering the physical breath in any way,

Simply focus the mind entirely on the breath.

Visualize that you are exhaling from the top of your head down to your toes.

Breathe as though you are inhaling from the toes up to the top of your head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the toes.

Exhale from the top of the toes up to the head.

Continue to exhale from the top of the head down to the toes.

Exhale from the toes up to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the ankles.

Exhale from the ankles up to the top of the head.

Continue to exhale top of the head down to the ankles.

Inhale from the ankles to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the knees.

Inhale from the knees up to the top of the head.

Continue to exhale from the top of the head down to the knees.

Inhale from the knees up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the perineum at the base of the spine.

Inhale from the perineum at the base of the spine up to the crown of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the navel.

Inhale from the navel up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head to the space in the middle of the chest.

Inhale from the space in the middle of the chest up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the throat.

Inhale from the throat up to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the nostrils.

Inhale from the nostrils up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the throat.

Inhale from the throat up to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head to the center of the chest.

Inhale from the center of the chest to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the navel.

Inhale from the navel up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the perineum.

Inhale from the perineum up to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the knees.

Inhale from the knees up to the top of the head.

Exhale top of the head down to the ankles.

Inhale from the ankles up to the top of the head.

Exhale from the top of the head down to the toes.

Exhale from the toes up to the top of the head.

Be aware of the space between the eyebrows and the third eye.

Breathe now as though you are breathing from the third eye.

In and out through the center of the eyebrows,

The third eye space.

Continue breathing with full awareness of the breath coming in and out of the third eye.

Reviews

Great meditation, thank you

Beautiful, I enjoyed your soft voice mixed with music and I slept so well!!!! Thank you. 🕊

Very good relaxation. Thank you

Loved it. So much space

It's unusual to find a real yoga nidra, Ian (YN teacher)

Pure and gentle journey. lovely tone and timing. thankyou

Nice yoga nidra with relaxing music and a park visualisation, and then some space towards the end. Loved the body and breath work at the start. Thank you x

An oasis on such tough times. Thank you.