Yoga Nidra For PTSD & Anxiety

Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep for PTSD and anxiety. Yogic sleep is the practice of accessing the deep unconscious mind. Yoga nidra practitioners enter a state of deep relaxation that’s distinct from normal sleep and wakefulness. 30 to 40 minutes of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to 3 or 4 hours of REM sleep.

Transcript

Welcome,

I am Elisa.

I will be your guide through this practice of yoga nidra.

We'll begin with lying on our backs with our knees slightly bent and supported,

Preferably on something soft and luxurious.

Make sure that you are warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable for the duration of the practice.

It is best that you remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and your brain have a chance to fully relax.

However,

If you become uncomfortable,

Please feel free to change positions.

Once you find that sacred,

Comfortable space,

I invite you to close your eyes.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep.

One that will guide you to a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.

Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

You will be asked to move your awareness to various bodily sensations,

Emotions,

And images.

Letting go of all concentration.

During this meditation,

Please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.

If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,

Come back to the sound of my voice.

The fastest way to meditation is to become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment without strain.

Become aware of the distant sounds that you can hear and let your sense of hearing radiate outward.

Searching out these distant sounds and following them for just a few moments.

Follow the attention from sound to sound without labeling the source or labeling them as good or bad,

Right or wrong.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.

To the sounds that we hear in this space and share together.

Become aware of the sounds within your own mind.

The sound of your thoughts,

Judgments,

If any.

Starting to let them go.

Without opening your eyes,

Visualize the space that you are in.

Imagine your body lying on the earth.

Visualize your body lying on the earth,

The position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your face,

And become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the earth.

Now become aware of your natural breath.

Becoming aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.

Feeling the coolness of your breath as you inhale through the nose,

The back of the sinuses,

The throat,

Into your lungs.

Then notice there's a sense of warmth as you exhale your breath.

Feel this warmth through the nose as you breathe out.

The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.

Allow your breath to become longer and slower.

The longer and slower you can make your breath,

The more you activate the vagus nerve within the body that tells the body and the mind it is time for rest and digest,

Relaxation,

Homeostasis,

Coming back to that place of calm and stillness.

Take a long,

Slow inhalation,

Followed by an even longer,

Slower exhalation.

With your breath in,

Feel your whole pelvic floor start to expand,

Feeling the belly rise all the way into the ribcage,

Into the heart,

All the way up through the sinuses,

Through the crown of the head.

And then make your exhale even slower.

Notice the slight pause after the exhale.

And slow inhale.

And even slower exhale and pause.

Feel the urge to breathe in bubble up inside of you.

And when you're ready,

Take a breath in and release.

Long,

Slow inhale.

And longer,

Slower exhales.

And then again,

Pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.

And please continue breathing in this way for just a few moments,

Releasing any control over your inhale or exhale.

And now allow your breath to be in its natural rhythm.

And the practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

At this moment,

Set an intention or your sankalpa,

A short I am statement.

I am love.

I am peace.

I am worthy.

I am abundant.

I am safe.

I am relaxed.

I release.

I let go.

Please state your intention that you have chosen or your sankalpa clearly with awareness three times mentally now.

The sankalpa you make during Yoga Nidra plants a seed in the deep,

Rich,

Fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

And also say to yourself,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

I am awake and relaxed.

We will begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body.

And as soon as you hear them named,

Repeat the name of the body part to yourself and just feel that part of your body without any movement.

The practice begins on the right side,

The right hand,

The thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth left hand,

Thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Becoming aware of the back of the body,

Right heel,

Left heel,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock.

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The entire spine,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril.

Left nostril,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right groin,

Left groin,

The pelvic floor,

The whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

The whole face,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Imagine the whole body becoming light as though your body could float away from the earth to the sky.

The head is light and weightless.

The limbs are light and weightless.

The torso,

Light and weightless.

The whole body,

Light and weightless.

You are rising higher and higher away from the earth.

Imagine your whole body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all the parts of your body.

Each part is becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

The torso is heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

So heavy that it is sinking down into the deep rich soil of the earth.

Awaken the experience of cold in the body.

The experience of chilly cold.

Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing.

You feel this chill permeating your entire body.

Allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.

Remember the feeling of heat in the summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.

You feel heat radiating onto your skin,

Heat all around your body.

You are completely comfortable.

Recollect the experience of anxiety.

Intense anxiety and worry and fear.

Feel the stress in your mind and your body but do not concentrate on its source.

Create the experience of anxiety as clearly as possible.

Allow the feeling of complete calm to envelop you.

Manifest the experience of calm in your entire mind,

Body and emotions.

You are relaxed and aware.

You are completely calm.

Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transparent screen as if you were at a movie theater.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.

Colors,

Patterns and light,

Whatever you see.

This is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.

Practice detached awareness only.

If any subtle images make themselves known,

Simply notice them.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go.

Continue watching the dark space.

Continue this with detached awareness.

I will state several different things.

Sceneries.

Envision them on a level of emotion,

Memory and imagination as best you can.

Gaze from image to image as soon as you hear it.

A red desert.

An orange sunset.

A yellow morning sunrise.

Green valleys and trees from atop a mountain.

Turquoise blue waters.

A deep blue violet butterfly.

Bouquet of violet lilacs.

A bright pure white light.

You meditating.

A good night's rest.

Full moon.

Your reflection in a mirror.

Foggy morning.

Waiting for results.

Sun shining overhead.

Bouquet of flowers.

Tall trees.

Receiving help from others.

Cool clear water.

A relaxing afternoon.

Laughing with friends.

A warm embrace.

A burning candle.

Temple on a mountain.

Path in the woods.

Taking a deep breath.

A cat stretching.

A beautiful garden path.

Your favorite song.

The sound of my voice.

Your body lying on the earth.

It is time to repeat your intention or sankalpa.

Please repeat the same intention you made at the beginning of the practice.

Three times mentally now.

I am loved.

I am peace.

I am worthy.

I am relaxed.

I am abundant.

I am safe.

I am calm.

I let go.

I receive.

Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the earth.

Feel the container of your skin and the clothes and the comforts that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the earth.

Take your awareness into all the body points that are touching the earth.

In the back of your heels,

Your thighs,

Your buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

With eyes still closed,

Visualize the surrounding space.

Imagine where you are in the space and any other objects that are around you.

Start to gently and slowly move your hands and feet.

If you choose to wake from this yogic sleep,

Take your time.

There is no hurry.

If you are sure that you are fully ready to move,

Gently roll to your left side.

Come into a fetal position.

You can either allow yourself to drift off into sleep here or you can rise to a seated position.

Keeping a soft gaze or your eyes closed.

As you are pressing yourself up into your seated position,

Should you choose to wake,

Allow your head to come up last.

Gently opening the eyes.

Taking your time to move throughout the rest of your day.

If you are choosing to drift into dream state,

May you rest well.

Reviews

Excellent guide into a relaxed and peaceful state. Thanks!

Beautiful Peace, completely relaxing , wonderful imagry. Will use again right away!!!! P.S. Also who is the flutist? Very serene!!!!

Great voice, but the flute was too loud.