Yoga Nidra To Relax And Restore

Give your nervous system the opportunity to melt into the deepest states of rest to restore your wellbeing. Though yoga nidra is a form of NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest), during this practice feel free to let yourself be guided into sleep if that's what your body requires at this time. This practice will gently guide you through breath awareness, a body scan, and soothing images all intended to help your mind and body sink into blissful relaxation. Get yourself cozied into your yoga nidra nest and enjoy. Namaste.

Transcript

Welcome.

This is Amanda and I'm so glad you're joining me for this Yoga Nidra intended to help you relax and restore.

Yoga Nidra is sometimes referred to as a massage for your nervous system.

You might use that visual as you settle in for today's practice.

An opportunity for your entire nervous system to melt into the deepest states of rest where your mind and body can do the deepest healing to restore your well-being.

As your mind wanders throughout the practice,

As it naturally will,

Use my voice as your anchor and gently bring your awareness back to my words.

During this practice,

Feel free to let yourself be guided into sleep if that's what your body requires at this time.

Be generous with your time right now as you become as comfortable as you can be.

Remember,

You are getting yourself ready for deep relaxation.

You're laying the foundation for rest and repair.

Be sure to bring in whatever you require to ensure complete comfort.

Yoga Nidra is traditionally practiced in Savasana,

Laying on your back with your spine in alignment,

Feet resting hip distance apart,

Shoulders relaxed,

Arms at your sides,

Palms facing up.

However,

Feel free to lay on your side or sit in a seated position if that's more comfortable for you right now.

If you're bringing in a blanket for warmth,

You might even tuck yourself in for additional coziness in your Yoga Nidra nest.

Or if you have a weighted blanket,

You might choose to use that.

You could also place a pillow,

A hot water bottle,

Or a heating pad on your low belly for additional comfort.

When you're ready,

Close down your eyes and allow for any final adjustments.

Do a quick check in.

Are there any body parts that require adjusting at this time?

What could you do to feel even 1% more comfortable?

We'll begin today's practice with Brahmari breath,

Also known as the buzzing bee breath.

This breathing technique helps to release tension,

Soothe stress,

And relax the mind and body.

On your next breath,

You will inhale through your nose,

Then exhale through a closed mouth with your teeth slightly parted,

Allowing sound to come from the back of your throat,

Like this.

Inhale through your nose,

And exhale through a closed mouth,

Teeth slightly parted,

Allowing sound like that of a buzzing bee to come from the back of your throat.

We'll do three more of these breaths.

Release that now and return to your natural breathing pattern,

Not forcing your breath in any way,

Simply allowing your body to breathe at its own natural rhythm.

On your next breath,

Become conscious of how your exhale releases tension from your body.

Begin to let go of any tightness in your scalp and forehead.

Unwind the little muscles around the eyes.

Unclench your jaw.

Let your shoulders sink down.

Allow your arms,

Hands,

And fingers to become loose and lazy.

Release any tightness in your chest and abdomen,

And intentionally let go of tension in your hips.

Your legs,

Feet,

And toes becoming loose and limp.

Your entire body letting go and surrendering with each exhale.

As you continue to melt into a blissful state of deep relaxation,

Welcome in your sankalpa.

You might choose to use the following if you don't have a sankalpa that you're currently working with,

Or if you would like a second sankalpa.

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being.

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being.

Silently repeat your intention to yourself three times,

Each followed by a deep breath.

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being.

Let your attention to follow my voice as you're gently guided on a rotation of consciousness,

Your awareness moving from one body part to another seamlessly and with ease.

Starting with the tip of the tongue,

Root of the tongue,

Inside the right cheek,

Inside the left cheek,

Lower lip,

Upper lip,

The space in between the lips,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Both nostrils together,

Breathing,

Right cheekbone,

Left cheekbone,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Both ears together,

Listening,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right eyelid,

Left temple,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Both eyelids together,

Closed and heavy,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space in between the eyebrows,

Crown of the head,

Back of the head,

Base of the neck,

Right shoulder blade,

Right shoulder,

Armpit,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

Wrist,

Palm of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third,

Little finger,

All five fingers from the base to the tip,

The space in between each finger,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Right collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Right waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Little toe,

All five toes from the base to the tip,

The space in between each toe,

Top of the right foot,

Ankle,

Knee,

Hip,

The entire right side of the body,

Could you place all of your awareness onto the right side of the body,

Moving your awareness now up to heart center,

Heart center,

Over to your left shoulder blade,

Left shoulder,

Armpit,

Armpit,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm,

Wrist,

Palm of the left hand,

Left hand thumb,

First finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

All five fingers from the base to the tips,

The space in between each finger,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Left collarbone,

Left side of the chest,

Left waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Little toe,

All five toes from the base of each toe to the tip of each toe,

The space in between the toes,

Top of the left foot,

Ankle,

Knee,

Hip,

The entire left side of the body,

Your awareness on the entire left side of the body,

Allow your awareness to fall on both sides of the body now,

Right and left together,

Feel the whole body as it sinks deeper into rest and relaxation,

Now witnessing the natural breath breathing your body in and out,

Air flowing in and air flowing out,

And you might notice a slight pause at the top of the inhale and again after the exhale,

No need to change your breathing in any way,

Just notice,

Observe,

Sense and feel,

And right you begin a count now with each breath,

Counting down from the number 27,

On your next inhale 27,

Exhale 27,

Inhale 26,

Exhale 26,

Continue to count down silently with each breath,

If you lose your count,

Simply return back to 27.

You may release the count now and bring your awareness to your mind's eye as you're guided through a series of images,

Let yourself move seamlessly from image to image,

Beginning with a white swan floating on smooth water,

Clean sheeps hanging on a clothesline blowing in the breeze,

A field of lavender,

A hummingbird,

A blue sky,

A blue sky,

An eagle soaring high above,

Your hands wrapped around a cup of warm tea,

The flame of a candle,

Fireflies flickering in the dark,

A full moon,

Stars filling the night sky,

And now sensing the weight of your body resting deeply on the surface beneath you,

Can you sense the weight of your body resting deeply on the surface beneath you,

Your body comfortable,

Relaxed,

And resting deeply,

Feel the bliss that only comes from deep rest,

And allow this blissful feeling to spread throughout you,

Moving towards and filling the edges of your body,

Filling every space within you,

There's nothing else to do right now except breathe and be,

Let yourself linger here for a little while,

It's time to bring your sankalpa back,

Planting its seed deep within,

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being,

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being,

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being,

I am now allowing my mind and body to rest deeply,

To restore my well-being,

Now begin to witness your natural breath breathing your body,

On your next inhale begin to count up from one to five,

Inhaling one,

Exhaling one,

Inhaling two,

Exhaling two,

Continue at your own pace until you reach the number five,

Release the count and begin to sense the surface beneath you,

And the room that you're in,

As you ever so slowly start to wake the body,

Listen,

Can you hear sounds in your space other than my voice,

And you might begin to see the room that you're in,

In your mind's eye,

The walls,

The ceiling,

The floor,

And you could ever so slowly begin to wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes,

Slowly and intentionally nod the head from side to side,

And perhaps allow a big stretch if your body so desires that,

You might also allow a deep breath in and then sigh it out,

And if you want to linger for a little while longer,

Please feel free to remove your headphones or press pause on this recording,

If you're lying on your back,

Softly roll your body over to one side,

And enjoy the fetal position for a few minutes,

And with absolutely no rush,

Only when you're feeling ready,

Very slowly and gently begin to flutter the eyes open,

Allowing for more awareness,

And it's important that you don't rush back into the busyness of life immediately upon completion of this recording,

And please give yourself the time and space that you require to completely adjust before going back out into the world,

And let your body settle in slowly,

With ease,

With intention,

So that it may fully absorb all the benefits it's just received,

And as you continue to awaken,

Let me use this time to say thank you so much for practicing with me today,

This has been Amanda,

And as always it's been such an honor to lead you through this yoga nidra practice,

If you have a couple of minutes,

Please leave a comment letting me know where you're practicing from,

And how this yoga nidra benefited you,

And how this yoga nidra benefited you,

I love hearing from you,

And i love to know where you are in the world,

May you move through your day feeling deeply rested and restored,

Namaste

Reviews

Thank you for today Amanda 🙏. Often return to your calm, guidning voice in this soothing Yoga Nidra 💚. Best wishes from Sweden 🌲🌳🌲

Very relaxing! Perfect for napping! 😌 Thank you!🙏

Namasté Amanda
Thank you 😊
Greetings from Bogotá, Colombia.

Yoga Nidra is one of my favorite practices.
I really appreciate this one!

Thank you so much Amanda ! Your Nidras are so amazing , wonderful and beautiful !
I currently have now reached Day 21 in my journey of total sobriety and your voice has been a major source of comfort especially on days that felt the hardest .
Thank you ; thank you ; thank you !

Absolutely amazing!!! I did not want this to end. Thank you so much 🙏

It helped me a lot in a sleepless night, thank you!

Peaceful and relaxing yoga nidra with a beautiful and nicely paced voice. Listening from Whitman, MA, south of Boston. Thank you Amanda ✨🙏🏼.

I am listening in England.
I found this to be a very pleasant and relaxing meditation.
Amanda's voice is perfect.

Exactly what i needed. Thanks for Your nidra that supporterd my restorative restful nap. From Stockholm. Sweden.

It was very nice and helped me calm my busy mind and tense body. I’ll certainly be back again. Thank you 🙏
I’m in New York, USA

Thank you🙏 That was so beneficial and exactly what I needed. I am in Australia

I'm from The Netherlands! 🙂 I love this yoga nidra, I've added it to my playlist so I can listen to it more often. Thank you! 🙏🍀

Wonderful nidra that I’ll return to. Allowed me to relax, almost drifting off after a tough time getting to sleep last night. Thanks for your guidance through this healing journey. Many blessings to you from this New Orleanian ⚜️🖤💛living in San Diego, CA 🙏🏼✨💖✨🕊️✨

Very relaxing! Enjoyed it from Tilburg, the Netherlands ✨

Beautiful session. I drifted off to sleep midway through, but the parts I remember were soothing. Thank you.

Hi from Texas! Thank you for this nidra. For me, it felt a bit too much emphasis on rotation of consciousness compared to the bliss stage. Nevertheless, that was the state from which I saw the sun rise over the bayou on the shortest day of the year. Thank you for that🙏🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏🏻

Hello Amanda, I’m in Lancaster, UK and I found this practice deeply relaxing and nourishing. Thank you so much 🙏I’ll look out for more of your meditations. I especially liked the time you allowed for the Sankalpa.

I'm from Australia 🇦🇺 and I absolutely love your meditations. Thank you Amanda 🙏💜

Lovely slow yoga nidra with nice voice and music. Thank you from the UK 😊

Listening again Oct 24, so calm and restful ❤️

That was so extremely relaxing I fell asleep quite early on… so looking forward to returning so I can hear and ‘imbibe’ your whole lovely practice. Love & gratitude, Maureen 💜🙏