Relax For Sleep Yoga Nidra - 20 Mins

This 20 minute practice is a guided meditation that helps you relax and drift into sleep. The meditation begins with getting settled in your position, choosing a sankulp; something like "I fall asleep quickly'. We then transition into the practice with a progressive muscle relaxation followed by guided imagery.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position that you can relax your body in and maybe even fall asleep in. Make all the adjustments. Ensure that your head is properly supported and that your chin is lower than your forehead. Take a big breath in and a big breath out. Ask yourself, Can I adjust my position to breathe any easier? Make any changes necessary. Notice your temperature. You might think about adding layers as you relax your body. When your body becomes relaxed, It often begins to cool. Ask yourself, If I could be one percent more comfortable, What would I add or change? Give yourself this gift. Now that you're comfortable, Take a moment to think of a sankalpa. A sankalpa is a short, Positive phrase that you say to yourself in the present tense. It is intended to be something that you want to experience. You will use a sankalpa each and every time you practice yoga nidra with this intention. You continue to practice this sankalpa until it becomes true in your life. Think of the sankalpa like a little seed that you're planting in the fertile land of your mind. If your intention is to fall asleep, Then you might use a sankalpa like, I fall asleep with ease. I am blessed to have deep sleep. My sleep is peaceful and restful. I'm going to give you a minute to think of your sankalpa. That's about it. Thank you. Keep the sankalpa in your mind as we will use it in our practice. I'd like to invite you to take a breath in, Hold it, And now breathe out. I'm going to name regions of the body. Inhale and hold while you tense that area as much as possible. You'll hear me say, Exhale. That is your cue to let go of your breath and body. Let's begin. Feet exhale. Legs exhale. Hips exhale. Entire lower body. Exhale. Core. Exhale. Torso. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Shoulders. Exhale. Hands. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Arms. Exhale. Entire upper body. Exhale. Neck. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Face. Exhale. The whole body. The whole body. The whole body. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. Exhale. The whole body. Exhale. The whole body. Exhale. Take a big breath in. Let it out. And begin to slowly breathe in, Filling to the point of a little bit of resistance in your abdomen. Hold. Long, Slow exhale. Allow for a few natural breaths to flow. Long, Slow breath in, Just to the point of resistance. Hold. Longer, Slower exhale. Allow for a few natural breaths to flow. Long, Slow breath in. Hold. Longer, Slower exhale. Allow for a few natural breaths to flow. And continue to breathe in this way. Letting go of any control over your breath, Allowing it to become natural. Bring to mind a place where you feel safe and relaxed. This place can be real or imaginative. Now imagine yourself there. The practice of yoga nidra begins now. Bring to mind your sankalpa. Repeat it to yourself several times now. I'm going to name some areas of the body once again. This time, Notice the area of the body named, And consciously allow it to become heavy and relaxed. Toes. Feet. Ankles. Lower legs. Knees. Upper legs. Upper thighs. Fingers. Hips. Low back. Mid back. Neck. Upper back. Belly. Rib cage. Chest. Fingers. Hands. Wrists. Fists. Lower arms. Elbows. Upper arms. Thumbs. Shoulders. Neck. Scalp. Up. Forehead. Eyebrows. Cheeks. Lips. The whole right leg. The whole left leg. The whole torso. The whole right arm. The whole left arm. The whole head. The whole body. The whole body. The whole body. The whole body. Begin to visualize your body. Imagine that as you breathe in, Your body begins to glow. At first a neutral, Bright glow. And as you breathe out, Allow that glow to fade. I'm going to begin to name colors. Visualize your body glowing each color as you hear it named. Allow yourself to experience the glow in any thoughts or emotions. Become curious about your experience. Simply noticing, Simply experiencing. We begin with the color red. We begin with the color red. Orange. Orange. Green. Blue. Yellow. Indigo. Purple. White. Blue. Imagine now a screen before you. I'm going to name things and experiences. Allow images, Emotions, And thoughts to enter and exit freely. Giving yourself permission to simply observe. The ocean. A warm embrace. The sound of rain. A place of peace. A soft texture. Heavy eyes. The feeling of warmth. A sense of comfort. Softly repeat your sankalpa to herself several times. Give yourself permission to be heavy and relaxed. Heavy and relaxed. Heavy and relaxed. Allow yourself to drift into sleep. This ends our practice of yoga nidra. Namaste.