Yoga Nidra For Full Body Relaxation

In this practice we will begin by finding a comfortable, relaxing place to lie down for the practice. I will first cue specific breath awareness and guide you through a full body progressive relaxation by bringing your awareness to individual body parts and then the body as a whole. We will return to gentle breath awareness and do a visualization of the shoulder anatomy, guiding breath and relaxation into the shoulders and upper back. At the end of the practice, I will wake you with 3 chimes.

Transcript

Music We will prepare for yoga nidra.

Please find a comfortable place to lie down.

On your bed,

Your couch,

A gently reclining chair,

Or even on the floor.

Use as many props as you like to make yourself as comfortable as possible during your practice.

Find your most comfortable position,

Adjusting any clothes or props as needed to make yourself even just a little bit more comfortable.

When you feel ready,

Softly close your eyes and take a deep breath in through the nose,

Pausing at the top,

Enjoying the sweetness of the breath,

And then let it out slowly and controlled.

Let the breath wash over the torso,

Encouraging the body to stillness.

Let go.

Take another deep breath in through the nose,

And this time open the mouth slightly and let the breath slowly roll off the tongue.

Let go.

Allow your breath to settle in and out through your nose at your own comfortable pace.

Bringing your inner awareness to the right leg,

Engage all of the muscles on the right leg,

Tense the leg and point and flex the toes.

Take a deep breath in and extend the leg,

Lifting it a few inches off the ground.

And as you exhale,

Relax your leg to the ground.

Gently rock your leg side to side,

Toes pointing out and in and relax.

Return to stillness and bring your awareness to the left leg.

Engage all of the muscles on the left leg.

Tense the leg and point and flex the toes.

Take a deep breath in and extend the leg,

Lifting it a few inches off the ground.

And as you exhale,

Relax your leg back down.

Gently rock your leg side to side,

Toes pointing out and in and relax.

Come back to stillness.

Bringing your awareness to the right arm.

Engage all of the muscles on the right arm.

Tense the arm and open the hand and make it into a fist.

Take a deep breath in and lift the arm a few inches off the ground.

And as you exhale,

Relax your arm back down to the ground.

Gently rock your arm from side to side,

Allowing your hand to fall open and closed and relax.

Return to stillness and bring your awareness to the left arm.

Engage all of the muscles on the left arm.

Tense the arm,

Open the hand and make it into a fist.

Take a deep breath in and lift the arm a few inches off the ground.

And as you exhale,

Relax your arm back down.

Softly rock your arm side to side,

Allow the hand to fall open and closed.

And relax.

And come back to stillness.

Bringing your awareness to the belly and abdomen.

Inhale to expand the belly and the lungs.

As you exhale,

Release the belly and let the lungs deflate slowly,

Relaxing onto the earth.

Bring your awareness to your shoulders.

Inhale,

Lift the shoulders up to the ears.

And on your exhale,

Drop your shoulders,

Relaxing them onto the earth.

Bring your awareness to your face.

Inhale and squeeze your face.

Squeeze the eyes and the mouth,

The nose and cheeks.

And on your exhale,

Let it go.

Relax the face and softly rock the head from side to side.

Come back to stillness.

Relax.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Feel your cares and worries float away.

Relax.

Feeling the body heavy and weighted to the floor.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the toes.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the ankles.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the shins and calves.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the knees.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the thighs.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the hips and glutes.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the lower back.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the upper back.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the shoulders.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the fingers.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the wrists.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the forearms.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the upper arms.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the neck.

Relax and let go.

Bring your awareness to the breath.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Send the breath to the head and brain.

Relax and let go.

Notice the way the breath has softened and relaxed the entire body.

Feel the body as relaxed and supported.

Notice the gentle softness of the breath.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the toes,

Arches,

Feet,

And ankles.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the calves and shins.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the thighs and hips.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the pelvis and pelvic organs.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the belly and chest.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the shoulders and arms.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the elbows,

Forearms,

And wrists.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the hands and fingers.

Relax.

Send the gentle breath to softly touch the neck,

Throat,

And head.

Relax.

Notice relaxation permeating the entire body.

The body so heavy that it is anchored to the earth.

Notice the way the body is completely still.

Notice that when the body is still,

The mind is still also.

Bring your awareness to the shoulders.

Feel both shoulders supported by the earth,

Even and safe.

Visualize the shoulders as I paint a picture of the inside of your shoulder girdle.

Visualize the collarbone,

Beginning from the center of your chest and extending three quarters of the way across the front of your body.

Visualize your shoulders resting safely on the back,

Supported by the earth.

Visualize the shoulder blade,

A triangle shaped bone with a bony protrusion on the outermost side that wraps around to meet the collarbone on the front of the body.

Imagine the shoulder blade gently hugging the armband into the glenoid or your shoulder socket.

Place your awareness in the right shoulder socket where the labrum rests between the glenoid and the arm bone.

Focus your awareness here,

Sending gentle healing breath to the soft tissue between the shoulder socket and the arm bone.

Continue breathing gently into that soft tissue between your arm bone and the shoulder socket.

Begin to change your awareness to the left shoulder socket,

Where the labrum rests between the glenoid and the arm bone.

Focus your awareness here,

Sending gentle healing breath to the soft tissue between the shoulder socket and the arm bone.

Continue breathing gently in the direction of the soft tissue between the arm bone and the shoulder socket.

Bring awareness back to your gentle breath.

Begin to bring that gentle breath back to the fingers and the toes,

The wrists and the forearms,

Elbows and upper arms.

Bring the gentle breath to the shoulders and shoulder blades,

The ribs,

Waist and hips.

Bring the gentle breath to the glutes,

Thighs,

Knees and calves.

Sending the gentle breath to the ankles and the feet,

All the way to the toes.

Let the gentle breath fill the throat,

Head,

And even bathe the brain in vitality and aliveness.

Slowly begin to bring movement back into your fingers and your toes.

Softly integrating the whole body into gentle movement as you awaken.

In your own time,

Stretch anything that needs to be stretched.

And take your time to find your way to a seat with your eyes,

Softly closed and palms gently resting at the center of the heart.

Embody the gentle breath.

Acknowledge the vital life force,

Breathing you,

Living you,

Embodying you,

And offer gratitude to the healing power within.

When you feel ready,

Gently blink your eyes open.

And as you breathe in,

Circle your arms out wide and up overhead.

Bring your palms to touch and send your thumbs down to the center of your forehead.

May you always see your inner courage.

Touch your thumbs to your lips.

May you always speak your strengths and bring your thumbs down to your chest.

May you always hold joy in your heart.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today.

Namaste.

.

Reviews

Very enjoyable. The tensing and releasing moves felt good to do. Lovely clear instructions and gentle music. Thankyou Caroline. 🙏🏻🧡🎼🌿