Yoga Nidra: Inner Sanctuary (Live, No Music)

Welcome to Inner Sanctuary, a Yoga Nidra designed for every body and every mind.

This trauma-sensitive, choice-based practice invites you to settle into safety, reconnect with your body, and rest deeply.
We begin with gentle seated movement and grounding through the senses, then move into a body scan, optional intention setting, and a guided inner visualization to support calm and belonging.

You’ll be reminded throughout that you are always in charge of your experience: free to move, open your eyes, or pause as needed.
This session emphasizes autonomy, accessibility, and inclusion for all genders, bodies, and minds.

Transcript

This practice is for all genders,

All bodies,

All minds.

And it's very much a choice-based practice.

So we'll start with a gentle and predictable flow,

Settling in first.

Experiencing gentle,

Accessible movement in a seated position.

And then we'll move on to the practice of Yoga Nidra in the position of your choice.

Setting an intention,

Always an option to do so.

Bringing awareness to the body,

And also exploring some optional imagery,

And returning to grounding at the end.

Please know that it's normal to drift,

So come back to the sound of my voice.

Noticing your body,

Noticing your breath,

Or any support that is in the space around you.

So as an option,

I would invite you to signify the beginning of this practice with an arrival gesture,

Such as touching your heart,

Bringing your hands in prayer and bowing,

Or simply landing your hands in your lap.

And this will mark the beginning of our session.

So starting with some gentle seated movement to begin.

So let's start with sweeping up the arms,

And sweeping them down.

And if you'd like,

Synchronizing this with the breath,

Inhaling up,

And exhaling down.

Option to inhale up,

Option to exhale down.

One last time.

Up,

And down.

Let's move into a side stretch now,

With the option to bend,

Well to lift the arm as you bend,

And bending from the waist.

If you've got the arm over your head,

Tracking somewhere around your ear,

And moving to the other side,

With the option to lift the arm up.

And now with the option to synchronize the breath with this,

So lifting the arm up on an inhale,

And exhaling,

Bending down.

Inhaling up,

And over,

Exhaling.

Option to inhale up and over.

Option to exhale.

Option to inhale up and over.

Option to exhale.

One last time.

Bending one side,

And then the other.

And in a seated position,

Finding our cactus arms here to open up the heart center.

And just perhaps squeezing the shoulder blades together,

And letting that go.

Inhaling,

Optional always,

Open up the heart center,

Chest forward,

Arms at a 90 degree angle,

Shoulder blades squeezing,

And release,

Exhale.

Inhaling,

Opening up from the heart,

Exhale,

Bringing the arms down.

And now finding a seated figure four to stretch a little bit of the hamstrings,

And the side muscle called the iliotibial band.

So bringing your ankle over the opposite knee,

Making a figure four.

And if you want,

Bending forward,

Hinging at the hips,

And this will create a nice stretch along the gluteal muscles,

The muscles in the buns.

Inhaling back up,

And switching,

Now bringing the other ankle on the other knee,

The opposite knee,

In a figure four.

And with an option to hinge at the hips,

And lean forward to deepen that stretch.

And repeating this,

We can perhaps synchronize the breath with this.

So inhaling,

As you bring your ankle over your knee,

And exhaling as you fold forward from the hips.

Inhaling back up,

Exhaling,

On making that figure four,

And making it with the other leg.

So the ankle is back on the opposite knee,

The other knee that you just had your other ankle on.

Inhaling,

And hinging at the hips,

Forward,

Exhaling.

Inhaling back up,

And putting your foot back on the ground.

And from here,

We can also,

I'm going to scoot back here on my chair,

Fold forward the same way we just did,

But just with both feet on the ground.

Finding the hinge at the hips once again,

Leaning forward,

Really opening through heart center like we did with the cactus arms as we lean forward.

Maybe tucking in the chin,

Finding a nice length,

Nice expansion through the spine.

And coming back up.

Let's try this again.

Inhaling,

Lengthening the spine,

Exhaling,

Hinging at the hips,

Leaning forward,

Tucking in the chin,

Taking a breath here.

And with your next inhale,

Coming back up,

Exhaling,

And bringing your hand on your heart,

Or on your belly,

As I scoot forward here.

Taking a moment now to notice objects,

Colors,

Or sounds in the space around you.

Perhaps reaching for some water or some tea,

Some candy if that's helpful.

Finding some headphones if you'd like to make your practice very private.

And perhaps adjusting the lighting in the room.

I'd like to remind you that for the practice of Yoga Nidra you may choose to sit,

Lie down,

Or stand up.

And where you sit or lie down is entirely up to you.

Whether that's on a chair,

On a mat,

On the floor,

On a bed,

On a couch,

Wherever you're going to feel comfortable.

And you may wish to keep your eyes closed or open,

Or something halfway in between,

And to step away at any time.

Beginning always an option here with an intention,

Setting an intention or a sankalpa.

Choosing a supportive phrase,

A short phrase,

Such as,

I am safe,

Or I choose rest.

Repeating it to yourself three times.

Sort of like planting a seed,

Planting that intention in the soil.

And moving on now to the rotation of consciousness or a body scan.

And as we move into that body scan remember that you're in charge of your experience.

So feel free to move or open your eyes or pause at any time.

And if at any time you feel spaced out or disconnected,

Gently press your feet into the ground,

Wiggle your fingers,

Or look around the room to come back.

So I'll now guide your awareness through the different parts of the body.

Simply notice each part as I name it,

Without trying to change anything.

And if your mind drifts,

Just gently return to the body.

Each part is welcome.

Each sensation part of the whole experience.

So beginning with the hands,

Noticing your right hand,

Its weight.

Noticing where it's resting.

Noticing your right thumb,

Your index finger,

Your middle finger,

Your ring finger,

Your little finger,

The palm,

The back of the hand,

The wrist,

The forearm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit.

Letting this whole right side rest soft and heavy.

Saying to yourself,

Every part of me is welcome here.

And now moving to the left hand.

The left thumb,

The index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

The palm,

The back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit.

Feeling the left side soften.

Whispering to yourself,

This too belongs.

Moving the awareness to the right foot.

Sensing where it meets the ground.

The toes,

The sole,

The top of the foot,

Ankle,

Calf,

Knee,

Thigh,

Hip.

Noticing the sensations,

However subtle.

And whispering to yourself,

This too belongs.

Now the left foot,

The left toes,

The sole,

The top of the foot,

The ankle,

The calf,

The knee,

Hip,

Heavy,

Grounded,

At ease.

This too belongs.

Bringing an awareness to your face,

The forehead,

The eyes,

The cheeks,

The ears,

The nose,

Lips,

Jaw,

Chin,

Throat,

Neck,

Back of the head.

So many expressions live here.

Letting them all soften.

This too belongs.

And now the torso,

The chest,

The heart center,

The stomach,

The abdomen,

The lower back,

Upper back,

Spine.

Noticing the gentle rise and fall of the breath.

This too belongs.

And finally sensing the whole body as one field of awareness from the crown to the toes.

The weight of the body,

The breath,

The aliveness,

The whole body resting in connection,

Nothing left out.

This too belongs.

And letting yourself rest here,

Aware and at ease.

You may stay in this calm or slowly continue to the next stage of yoga nidra.

The next stage would be breath awareness,

But we're going to do a grounding awareness today,

Focusing on the body,

But differently than we did with the body scan.

So taking a moment to notice the support beneath you,

Whether it's the floor,

A cushion,

A chair,

Whatever is holding you up right now.

Sense how it meets your body.

Stable,

Steady,

Reliable,

Unhurried.

You don't have to do anything to be held here.

Allowing your awareness to rest in this support.

Notice the points of contact,

Your seat,

Your back,

Your legs.

And if it feels okay,

Just letting your body become a little heavier.

Trusting that the ground will hold what it can.

Now imagine the steadiness extending beneath you.

It's a quiet,

Solid foundation like rich soil or smooth stone.

You might picture gentle roots extending downward from your body,

Not reaching nor grasping,

Just resting into the earth's calm strength.

And if your attention wanders,

You can always return to this anchor.

This feeling of support,

The sense of gravity,

The quiet presence of the earth beneath you.

Let that steadiness rise through you,

Up through the hips,

The spine,

The shoulders.

A slow grounding current,

Bringing you a quiet stability.

A reminder that you are here and you are supported.

No need to follow the breath.

If you notice it,

Let it be soft and in the background.

Woven gently into your sense of being held.

And as you rest here,

Feel yourself balance between earth and space.

Supported from below,

Spacious from within.

This is your inner sanctuary,

A place of quiet belonging and ease.

And for our visualization,

Let's begin to imagine that inner sanctuary.

A room or natural space that feels completely at ease.

There's no need to decide what it looks like right away.

Just allow a sense of comfort to begin forming in your awareness.

Perhaps you find yourself in nature,

In a quiet forest clearing,

A soft meadow,

Or a gentle beach.

Or maybe it's an indoor space,

A warm sunlit room,

A cozy nook with soft fabrics and familiar light.

Wherever it is,

It feels like home to your body.

Notice how the light moves in this place.

It might filter gently through leaves or windows.

Golden,

Silvery,

Warm against your skin.

You don't need to picture it perfectly.

Just feel its quiet presence.

The air here is comfortable,

Neither too cool nor too warm.

You might notice a faint smell or a faint scent.

Perhaps wood,

Earth,

Sea air,

Or something that reminds you of peace.

Everything in this space seems to breathe with you.

A slow,

Steady rhythm of calm.

Now let's take a moment to explore this inner sanctuary through the senses.

The textures under your hands or feet.

The colors and shapes around you.

The subtle sounds,

Maybe birds or a gentle wind.

Or a stillness that's so deep it feels alive.

This space has an energy.

It's calm,

Steady,

And supportive.

It holds you just as you are.

You don't need to be different here.

You don't need anything to earn rest.

You are already welcome.

And if your mind wanders,

Let it.

The sanctuary will remain.

It doesn't depend on concentration.

It lives in your body.

It lives in your body's memory of safety and belonging.

Perhaps you find a spot to rest.

A soft patch of grass,

A cushion,

A smooth stone,

A chair near the window.

And as you settle,

Sense the gentle weight of your body being received.

Notice how peace slowly fills the spaces inside you.

The ways on light fills a quiet room.

You might even sense a soft glow at the center of your chest.

As though this sanctuary already exists within you.

The calmness of your body.

The calm you feel around you begins to live inside you too.

A warmth that moves through your heart,

Your belly,

Your whole being.

Know that this place is always available,

Even when you leave.

The memory of it travels with you.

In the steadiness of your feet.

In the quiet rhythm of your body.

In the way you breathe and belong.

You can return here anytime.

By remembering,

Sensing,

Or simply whispering to yourself.

Calm is within me.

I am safe here.

I am safe here.

And when you feel ready,

Starting to wiggle,

Or stretch,

Or both.

Touching a solid surface.

And if your eyes were closed,

Opening your eyes.

Noticing three colors,

Objects,

Or sounds.

Sensing yourself grounded and supported.

Whispering inwardly,

I am held.

I am safe to rest.

And if at any point,

Any time during this practice,

Something felt unsettling,

Please take time to ground and reach out to a trusted person.

Thank you for taking the time to take care of yourself today.

Namaste.