Postpartum Yoga Nidra With Body Scan And Visualization

This yoga nidra meditation practice is designed especially for postpartum folks recovering from childbirth. Special thought was given to those who have recently undergone surgery and also to those working through postpartum depression or anxiety. This practice can also be helpful to any new parents or caregivers.

You will feel relaxed, peaceful, reconnected to yourself, and supported after this yoga nidra meditation practice.

This track includes ambient background music by Taylor Fox.

Transcript

Hi and welcome.

My name is Taylor and I'll be guiding you through this yoga nidra practice designed especially for postpartum folks.

Before we get into it I want to note a few things.

As caregivers to infants it is tempting to multitask.

You may be beginning this practice while holding your infant as they sleep or feed and this might feel comfortable,

Safe,

And peaceful to you.

If it is at all possible I do recommend trying this yoga nidra practice when you can be alone.

If that is not possible or just not your preference I understand.

Our intention with yoga nidra is to stay present and aware.

So if you feel yourself falling asleep while holding your infant I encourage you to pause your practice and place them somewhere safe.

If for any reason you need to stop your practice to tend to yourself or your little one please do what you need to do.

But instead of rushing out of your relaxed state take a few moments to reconnect to your breath,

Recollect yourself,

Notice your surroundings,

And then begin to move out of your practice just as you would when ending shavasana.

Okay now on to our postpartum yoga nidra practice.

So let's start to get comfortable for yoga nidra.

Traditionally yoga nidra is practiced in shavasana lying flat usually on the floor but that might not be comfortable or possible for you.

Especially if you are recovering from any kind of surgical procedure it's especially important that you find a position that's going to best support you here.

So that might be lying on the bed,

You might even have a pillow behind the backs of the knees,

You might be reclined against a pillow on your bed,

Or even sitting upright maybe in a recliner or a comfortable chair.

You might even lie on your side if that feels good.

And take your time to get comfortable using whatever props you need.

The shape that you arrive into is not important.

What's important is that you feel supported and relaxed.

And if it's comfortable for you to do so take a slow deep breath in and breathe out and let it go.

Take another breath in and as you exhale imagine your breath carrying away the worries and anxieties of your day.

You might find it helpful to visualize this once more as you take another round of breath in and out,

Release,

And then continue your natural breath.

And throughout this practice we're working to develop a feeling of relaxation in the body.

You don't need to deliberately relax your muscles or tell yourself to relax.

You'll follow my voice and instructions and then you'll start to feel more relaxed.

Something like the feeling you have just before sleep.

If any thoughts come up and distract you don't worry.

Notice that you've been distracted and just continue the practice listening with a calm and steady attention.

Remember that you are practicing yoga nidra and say mentally to yourself I'm practicing relaxation.

I will remain present and conscious and I will not sleep.

Falling asleep is okay but it's not the goal of our practice,

Right?

This is a little different from a sleep meditation.

We're here to remain conscious and aware.

If you have any other intention for your yoga nidra practice bring that to mind here.

Let it be something short,

Positive,

And affirming.

Something that makes you feel good to be here practicing yoga nidra.

And now we'll begin to rotate our consciousness throughout the body.

So I will sort of quickly name different body parts.

I don't want you to hyper focus on any of those body parts but I do want you to let your awareness start to settle on each of these body parts as I name them.

You might imagine something like a glow on that body part or just imagine it,

Picture it in your mind.

So we'll start just by bringing our attention to the right hand.

Starting with the right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Right elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Armpit,

Right waist,

Right hip,

Upper leg,

Right knee,

Lower leg,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And pinky toe.

The whole right side of the body.

Notice the whole right side of the body.

And now we'll start to bring our awareness to the left side of the body.

Starting with the hand,

Notice your left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

The left palm,

Back of the hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Armpit,

The left side body,

The waist,

Left hip,

Upper leg,

Left knee,

Lower leg,

Left ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And pinky toe.

The whole left side of the body.

Bringing awareness to the whole left side of the body.

And now noticing the right and the left side of the body at the same time.

We'll start to bring our awareness now to the back of the body,

Starting with the head.

Just noticing the crown of the head,

Top of the head,

The back of the skull,

The back of the neck,

The upper shoulders,

The mid back,

Low back,

The buttocks,

The backs of the legs,

Behind the knee,

Calf muscles,

The heels,

The soles of the feet,

The backs of the arms,

The backs of the hands,

The whole back side of the body.

Bringing awareness to the whole back side of the body.

Shifting our awareness now to the front of the body.

Beginning once again with the top of the head,

The forehead,

Eyebrows,

The eyes,

The space between the eyes,

The bridge of the nose,

Bridge of the nose,

Cheekbones,

The ears,

The jaw,

The lips,

The neck,

The chest,

Especially the clavicles as you breathe in.

The rib cage,

The space below your heart,

Your navel,

The space below your navel,

Your pelvis and pubic bone,

The tops of the legs,

The knees,

Shin bones,

Tops of the feet,

All of your toes.

Moving back up to the fronts of the shoulders,

The upper arms,

The inner forearms,

And palms of the hands,

The whole front side of the body.

Bringing awareness to the entire front of the body.

And now practice noticing the back side and the front side of the body at the same time.

The back and the front of the body together.

The right and the left side of the body together.

The whole body.

Notice your whole body.

Now become aware of your breath.

Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.

You don't need to purposely change the rhythm of your breath.

Let your breathing happen naturally,

Automatically,

So that you are not controlling it.

Your breath is effortless.

Now concentrate on the movement of your breath around your navel area.

Notice your navel area move as you breathe in.

Your navel is rising and falling slightly with each and every breath.

Concentrate on this movement in relationship with your breath.

Practice seven full breaths with this concentration,

This awareness around the navel.

So as you inhale,

You can count seven.

And exhale,

Seven.

Now notice your navel area.

As you inhale,

You can count seven.

And exhale,

Seven.

Inhale,

Six.

And exhale,

Six.

Counting backwards all the way to one.

If you lose count,

That's okay.

Now shift your attention to the chest.

Your chest too is rising and falling slightly with each and every breath.

Become aware of this.

Continue concentrating on the movement of the chest as you breathe in and out.

And we'll start counting backwards from seven breaths in the same way as before.

Inhale,

Seven.

Exhale,

Seven.

And continue at your own pace.

And last breath in.

And last breath out.

And out.

Now imagine that you are on the ceiling looking down.

And below you see your body resting.

Now see your body slowly stand up and tiptoe to the door.

You quietly open it and go outside,

Closing the door softly behind you.

See your body walking outside.

See the familiar things around you.

There is no sense of effort as you walk around and take in the sights.

You feel a weightlessness and begin to float off the ground and into the sky.

Now your body is floating over the sea.

You watch the dark blue sea glistening below.

You smell the sweet scent of the sea.

Salt water.

And you feel refreshing sea spray on your skin.

Your body floats like a cloud.

Wherever the wind blows the clouds,

Your body is also blown.

Wisps of cloud brush past your face.

Below you,

Sunlight reflects off banks of white clouds.

Above you,

A puff of cloud scurries across a blue sky.

Now your body is lifted by currents of air and carried over the land.

On the ground below,

You see farmhouses,

Carefully laid out fields,

Thick forests,

Winding rivers that reflect the sun.

Pause for a moment and look closely at yourself floating above the land.

Your body is totally relaxed and on your face is an expression of peace and calm.

See your body immersed in color as you pass through a rainbow.

Feel yourself embraced by subtle colors.

Feel yourself embraced by subtle colors.

Red,

Orange,

Yellow,

Green,

Blue,

Indigo,

And violet.

Feel the colors washing over your whole body,

Nourishing and invigorating you.

Then slowly make your return.

See your body float down to the ground very gently.

See the familiar objects outside.

Quietly open the door,

Walk inside,

And close the door after you.

Then return to your resting position.

Become aware of the meeting points between your body and the ground.

The surface you're resting on.

Concentrate on these areas.

Feel where your body is supported and held.

Now extend your awareness to every part of the body.

As you inhale,

Feel the life-giving force that permeates your whole body.

And as you exhale,

Become aware of your relaxed body.

Now as we draw our practice to a close,

Remember your intention that you said at the very beginning of this practice.

Then without opening your eyes,

Become aware of your breath.

Allow your breath to grow a little bit more spacious in your body and in your consciousness.

Notice the sounds around you.

Start to bring some gentle movement back into the body.

Maybe just by wiggling fingers and toes,

Rocking the head from side to side.

And then as you exhale,

Allow your breath to grow a little bit more spacious in your body.

Rocking the head from side to side.

Without any rush,

You can start to grow these movements a little bit more dramatic.

Maybe reaching the arms,

Stretching the legs.

Whatever feels natural and good to you as a way to wake your body back up from your Yoga Ninja practice.

You can stay here and rest a little longer if you'd like.

You might come up to a seated position.

But as we close out this practice,

I want you to take a moment to offer yourself some gratitude for taking this time to be here practicing Yoga Nidra,

Supporting yourself.

In honor of this practice we share,

And as a reminder of the roots of this tradition,

I'd like to close practice with a simple greeting that means I bow to you.

Namaste.

Reviews

Beautiful nidra. Just what I needed on my postpartum journey. Thank you.