Yoga Nidra For Anxiety Relief

Welcome to this yoga nidra specially designed to help ease anxiety. Yoga nidra is the only practice of its kind that offers a unique state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep making it extremely effective at relieving anxiety when one’s nervous system is stuck on high alert.

With very little effort you can be guided into the parasympathetic state where your nervous system can find reprieve, your body can release tension, and your mind can find the peace and calm that you crave. During this practice you'll be gently guided through breathing techniques, a body scan, and a guided visualization, all proven to help relieve anxiety.

Transcript

Namaste.

My name is Amanda and welcome to this Yoga Nidra,

Specially designed to help ease anxiety.

Yoga Nidra is the only practice of its kind that offers a unique state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep.

The deep,

Deep state of rest that can only be achieved during Yoga Nidra makes this practice extremely effective at relieving anxiety when your nervous system is stuck in high alert.

With very little effort,

You can be guided into the parasympathetic state where your nervous system can find reprieve.

Your body can release tension and your mind can find the peace and calm that you crave.

Given the deep state of rest that both your mind and body go into with Yoga Nidra,

Know that it's completely fine if you fall asleep or if you choose to use this practice to achieve sleep.

Replacing sleep deficit is necessary for the body to find true peace and serenity.

Use the next few moments to get yourself as comfortable as you possibly can.

Yoga Nidra is traditionally practiced in Savasana,

A pose where you're laying on your back with your head and neck in alignment,

Your shoulders relaxed,

Arms resting at your sides,

Or gently placed onto your heart or abdomen,

Legs hip distance apart.

You might choose to place a pillow or bolster under your head and neck or under your knees for added support and comfort.

Ensure that you won't be interrupted during your practice by turning off the notifications on your phone.

You might also choose to tuck yourself into a blanket for warmth and coziness,

And if you have a weighted blanket that would be most beneficial.

To remove unwanted light,

Gently place an eye covering over your eyes and for additional comfort and to help encourage your body to sink into a deeply relaxed state.

You might also try placing a heating pad or hot water bottle onto your abdomen or feet.

If Savasana is an uncomfortable pose for you,

Feel free to lay on your side or you could even sit in a seated position.

However you choose to practice,

Ensure that you're comfortable,

Cozy,

And warm.

Please know that you can't do anything wrong as your practice will be whatever it's meant to be and it's all good.

We'll begin with some intentional breathing,

Sending a signal to your brain that it's now time for relaxation.

Please close your eyes and gently place your left hand onto your forehead and your right hand onto your belly.

Begin to breathe in deeply through your nose and allow a long exaggerated exhale out your mouth.

Continue to breathe in this manner and as you do,

Feel the gentle weight of one hand on your forehead and the other on your belly,

Each helping to ground you.

Know that every deep,

Controlled breath is helping everything to slow down,

Even just a little bit.

Each intentional breath is helping to send much needed oxygen to the cells in your blood and in your brain.

You may now slowly release your hands,

Allowing them to find comfort by your side or perhaps both will rest gently on your belly.

Continue to breathe deeply,

Slowly,

And with intention.

As your mind wanders throughout this practice,

Remember that you can bring your focus back to my voice.

Use my voice as your anchor.

On your next inhale,

Begin a count down from the number 10.

Inhale,

10.

Exhale,

10.

Inhale,

9.

Exhale,

9.

Inhale,

10.

Exhale,

9.

Continue at your own pace,

Returning to the number 10 if you lose your count.

It's now time to welcome your sankalpa or your heart's deepest desire.

If you don't have a sankalpa that you're currently working with,

You might use the following.

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm.

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm.

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm.

Silently repeat this intention to yourself for the next few moments until I call your awareness back.

Each time you repeat the phrase,

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm,

You might try to feel the words viscerally.

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm.

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm.

You may now let your awareness follow my voice as you're gently guided on a rotation of consciousness,

Allowing a moment to feel each body part as it's mentioned.

Beginning with the crown of your head,

And moving down to the space in between your eyebrows,

Right eyebrow,

Cheekbone,

Over to the left eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone,

Bridge of your nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Top teeth and gums,

Bottom teeth and gums,

Tip of the tongue,

Root of the tongue,

Inside the right cheek,

Inside the left cheek,

Chin,

Jaw,

Palm and back of the right hand,

First finger,

Right side of the chest,

Sole and top of the right foot,

Over to the left collarbone,

Third,

Awareness on the entire front body,

Your head,

To the very tips of each toe,

Moving your awareness now to the back body,

On the surface beneath you,

Imagine you're sitting near a river,

Note your surroundings,

The nature all around you,

What do you see?

Just noting everything around you,

And then now placing your awareness on the river in front of you,

A gently flowing river,

And let this river serve as a metaphor as to how your life can be,

That life can be just like a river,

Flowing at its own pace,

Its own rhythm,

When an obstacle lands in the path of a flowing river,

The flow doesn't come to a halt,

It simply finds a way to continue flowing,

It might flow around it,

Above it,

Or perhaps beneath it,

And the flow of a river finds a way to continue moving forward,

And then you can be just like the river,

Moving at your own pace,

Your own rhythm,

Accepting that obstacles will always arise,

As this is inevitable,

And remembering that you can still flow even in the presence of an obstacle,

You can find flow around any obstacle,

And still continue to move forward,

And let this image of the flowing river remain in your mind's eye for the next few moments,

Slowly release the image now,

And bring your awareness back to your breath,

Your body breathing deeply,

Your breath oxygen filling you,

Life force energy moving through you,

On your next inhale,

Imagine breath coming in through the soles of your feet,

Moving up your body,

To the crown of your head,

And as you exhale,

Breath moves slowly down,

Down,

And out the soles of your feet,

And once again,

Imagine breath coming in through the soles of your feet,

Moving all the way up your body,

Up to the crown of your head,

And as you exhale,

Feel your breath moving and out the soles of your feet,

Continue to visualize your breath moving through your body this way,

Inhaling through the soles of your feet,

All the way up to the crown of your head,

And then slowly exhaling down,

Down your body,

And out the soles of your feet,

Breath flowing in,

In through the soles of your feet,

Up to the crown of your head,

Then down your body,

And out the soles of your feet,

It's now time to bring back your sankalpa,

Perhaps you use the phrase,

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm,

Silently repeat your sankalpa for the next few moments,

I am here now,

Making space for peace and calm,

And calm,

Release your sankalpa,

And slowly begin to bring your awareness back to the present moment,

You might begin by allowing a deep breath,

Followed by a soft sigh on the exhale,

If it feels good for you,

Allow one or two more breaths just like that,

And with your eyes remaining closed,

Visualize the room you're in,

The walls around you,

The ceiling above you,

The ground beneath you,

Visualize where you are in the room,

You might gently rub your thumbs and your fingers together,

Beginning with your thumb and first finger,

Then move to your second finger,

Your third finger,

And your little finger,

Perhaps your body feels like a stretch,

And reaching your arms overhead,

And stretching out your legs,

Your feet and toes,

Your torso,

And fingers,

You could roll over to one side,

And remain in that position for a few moments,

As your body continues to slowly awaken,

And return to the present moment,

If this yoga nidra has resonated with you,

Continue to practice it daily,

Even if you aren't experiencing anxiety,

And please know that if you're suffering from other chronic health conditions,

Including long COVID,

Every time you practice yoga nidra,

You're gently expanding a feeling of safety in your nervous system,

And rewiring the neural pathways in your brain,

To accept peace and calm within,

You might also find some of my other yoga nidra offerings on this platform helpful,

As many are designed for chronic health conditions,

Again my name is Amanda,

And I thank you so much for practicing with me today,

I appreciate you,

And I deeply appreciate every comment I receive,

So if you benefited from this practice,

Please let me know in the comments,

Not only because I love hearing from you,

But because your comments help others to find this recording,

And benefit from it as well,

So,

May you remember that peace and calm is accessible within you,

Today,

And every day,

Namaste

Reviews

I’ve been switching between Yoga Nidra for cfs and anxiety because they are so intertwined. It’s been a week and I will continue to do them. I feel calmer and hopefully will continue feeling better. Thank you from Vancouver Island.🙏🏻🕊️💗

A break of soothing peace and well-being when I needed it the most, thank you Amanda! 🙏💐

This helped me recover from high anxiety this afternoon. Thank you.

Soothing tone and tempo to match the intention of mindfulnessbased stressreduction and a lovely relateable visualisation. Thanks for sharing❣️

Beautiful practice that has left my mind and soul at ease. The visualizations were so effective for soothing my nervous system. Thank you for offering your beautiful gift to help us heal 🙏

Thank you so much for this, Amanda! Really appreciate your offerings. 🙏🏼

Thank you Amanda for offering this session. We’re all feeling a bit more anxious to start 2025. This really helped me.

Dear Amanda, i love all your Nidras, and this one is also very soothing and wonderful ♥️🙏🏼💜
Since i m sick with Long-Covid and ME/CFS i practise Yoga Nidra minimum 2 Times a day and it really helps me a lot 🙏🏼 thank you very much for giving US Hope, that healing is ocuring 💜🙏🏼♥️☀️🌺