This practice of Yoga Nidra is intended to help you achieve a deep state of rest and can be used prior to falling asleep.
Laying on your back,
Allow your legs to fall naturally apart,
Arms resting by your sides,
Palms facing up.
Close your eyes and begin to settle in now.
During Yoga Nidra,
It's very normal to feel that you're drifting in and out of sleep.
Just follow my voice and let this Yoga Nidra practice unfold naturally for you.
We'll begin with three slow,
Gentle breaths in and sigh it out and let it go with a sigh.
One more time,
Inhale fully and sigh it out,
Allow your breath to return to normal and take some time now to feel the body relaxing into the mat.
There's nowhere else to be,
Just here and now,
Feeling supported by the floor beneath you.
Let the body feel heavy.
Relax your tongue fully into the lower palate and feel yourself settling here in this present moment.
Begin by noticing the world around you.
Hear any sounds in the distance,
The hum of life,
The wind,
Maybe distant voices,
Cars or birds singing.
Feel the temperature of the air on your skin,
The weight of your body supported by the floor,
The light sensation of your clothing.
Gradually bring your awareness inward,
Feel the contact of your body with the floor,
The weight of your arms,
The heaviness of your legs,
The rise and the fall of your chest.
Sense the rhythm of your breath as it moves naturally.
Now focus on your internal body,
The gentle pulses and subtle sensations that are always present but often go unnoticed.
Allow yourself to rest fully in this internal awareness,
Letting go of anything external now,
Sinking deeper into calm relaxation.
Let your Sankalpa rise into consciousness.
The Sankalpa is a positive intention or an affirmation for yourself,
Spoken in the present tense.
It could be something like,
I am calm and peaceful,
Or sleep is available to me.
Take some time now to let your Sankalpa emerge,
Then silently repeat it three times with full awareness.
Now we are going to rotate consciousness through the body,
You may feel warmth,
Tingling,
Pulsing,
Or no discernible sensation as we move through the body with awareness.
Attune to the body and sense the energy moving through as I guide you.
Bring awareness to the eyes,
The eyelids,
The eyeballs,
The space behind the eyes.
Now bring awareness to your right hand,
Right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm,
Wrist.
Sense all the fingers on your right hand.
Become aware of the space between your fingers.
Right forearm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Right side body,
Left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand.
Sense all the fingers on your left hand.
Become aware of the space between your fingers,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Left side of the chest,
Left side body.
Bring awareness to the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the right foot,
Ankle,
Calf,
Shin,
Knee,
Right hip,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
The whole right arm,
The whole left leg,
The whole left arm,
The whole left leg,
The right arm and the left leg together,
The left arm and the right leg together.
Bring awareness to the back of the body,
Shoulder blades,
Upper back,
Front of the neck,
Throat,
Left jaw,
Right jaw,
Space behind the eyes.
Now bring awareness back to your breath.
Feel the natural rise and fall of the belly.
Observe the rhythm without changing it.
Breathe as gently and silently as possible.
Feeling the cool air inhaling and the warm air exhaling.
Now we will experience opposites in the body.
Become aware of heat in the hands,
Warmth emanating from the palms,
Getting warmer and warmer.
Now feeling cool in the hands,
Feeling a chill sinking into the palms.
Now become aware of the body expanding,
To feel the entire room touching each wall,
And then shrinking down to a tiny speck.
Now become aware of heaviness in the body,
Feel the whole body heavy on the floor,
Sinking deeper and deeper.
Now feel lightness in the body,
Light as a feather,
As if it may float away.
Bring your attention back to your face,
To the space on your forehead between your eyes,
The third eye space.
As if watching a screen,
Visualize the following images.
Forest.
Mountain.
Ocean waves.
Sand dunes.
Tall trees.
Night sky.
Campfire.
Rain.
Rain.
A warm orange light.
Return once again to your sankalpa,
Bring it into full awareness,
And silently repeat three times.
Feel it settling deeply into your subconscious mind.
Lay here for a few moments,
And enjoy this deep meditative state.
