Mandy F

Anthony

Windham, ME, United States

Sara

Milwaukee, WI, USA

Martin

Copenhagen, Denmark

Sheila Marsden

Julia

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Jamie

Johannesburg, South Africa

Colorado, USA

Vanessa 

Hastings

Jenny Hulthe

Sweden

Mark D60

Cayman Islands

Eri Constransitch

Jen Vogel Davis

Montclair, NJ

Janie🐞

New Orleans, LA, USA

Marcq En Baroeul

Julie

New Smyrna Beach, FL, United States

Catherine

Bob Strunge

Columbia, MD, USA

Ceri Dobbing

Megan Whitney

Chicago, IL, United States

Relax into a deep Yoga Nidra practice to release tension and transition into a state of nourishing rest.

Spirituality

Sleep

Yoga

Yoga Nidra

Visualization

English

This Yoga Nidra meditation is designed specifically for those nights when you just can't seem to get to sleep. Being well-rested is the foundation on which physical, mental, and emotional health is built. It is my deepest wish that you access truly nourishing sleep through this meditation. But Yoga Nidra is so much more than a sleep meditation. Over time, Yoga Nidra will help you feel safe to let go, in life and in sleep. This practice contains no ending bell to signify the end of practice. 

This Yoga Nidra meditation is designed specifically for those nights when you just can't seem to get to sleep. Yoga Nidra is so much more than just a sleep meditation. Being well-rested is the foundation on which physical, mental, and emotional health is built. Over time, Yoga Nidra will help you feel safe to let go, in life and in sleep. This practice contains no ending bell to signifiy the end of practice. 

Sleep Deeply With Yoga Nidra 

 Hi there, welcome to your yoga nidra for sleep meditation. I'll be your guide, Hillary Jackendorf, and thanks so much for joining me this evening. If you're new to yoga nidra, all you have to do is lie down comfortably and get yourself as cozy as possible. You can be lying in your bed or if you're having a hard time sleeping tonight, you might like to make yourself comfortable on the couch or even on the floor. Sometimes when we're struggling with a difficult night of sleep, changing locations can really help to take the pressure off. So first of all, make sure that you're as comfortable as you possibly can be. And once you settle in, just allow me to guide you fully. It's possible that your attention will move this way and that you might even feel as though you're in a dream state. And that's fine, no problem. Simply follow the instructions and know that you might fall asleep and you might not. Either way, there's no need to worry. Often when we're having a rough night, we develop tension and anxiety around still being awake, making it pretty unlikely that we'll be able to fall asleep. So if you find yourself still awake at the end of the meditation, simply press play again. Recognize that no matter how much sleep you get tonight, if you practice yoga nidra through the night and give yourself permission to deeply relax, you'll feel rested in the morning. Sleep comes when we let go. So consciously release the desire to sleep and replace it with the desire to rest. And now get yourself supremely comfortable, making sure that you'll be warm enough that your cushions and blankets are all just so. Begin now to feel into your body. Just feel your body, noticing how it rests on the surface beneath. Feel into a deep sense of being held, supported, trusting that you can let go of any physical tension that you might be carrying. Briefly scan through your body, noticing if you discover any areas of tightness or tension. If you do, see if you can imagine breathing in and out of these areas, in and out of these body parts. Feel as though the warmth of every exhalation melts the tension right out of your muscles. Visualize the tension leaving your body, dissolving into the surface beneath, absorbed by the earth. Begin to consciously feel into sensations in different parts of your body, feeling into sensations present in the toes, all 10 toes. What can you feel? The soles of both feet, sensations here, tops of the feet. Feel into both ankles and sensations present in the ankles. Awareness of the lower legs. What can you feel? The knees. Aware of sensations here. Hips and pelvis, place all of your attention on the hips and pelvis. Sensations in the hips and pelvis. In and lower back. Chest and upper back. Feel into sensations in the chest and the upper back. The shoulders. The shoulders. The arms and hands. Feeling sensations in the arms, the hands, and all 10 fingers. Feeling into the shoulders once again. Feeling the shoulders flush to the surface beneath. Awareness of sensations in the neck. Sensations in the neck. Sensations in the head, the face. Now have an awareness of the entire body. The entire body. Feel into the space you occupy. The dimensions of your body and the way you've positioned yourself. Be aware of how you've positioned your feet, the distance of your feet from your midline. Aware of the placement of your arms and your hands. Turn your attention to any sounds that you can hear. Letting your sense of hearing occupy all of your attention. Focusing fully on sound. See if you can hear the more subtle sounds. They may be almost imperceptible. Listen carefully. Can you hear your heart beating? See if you can hear the sound of your body drawing breath. Feel your breath. Observe your body breathing. Effortless, easy, spontaneous breath. Know that your body is breathing perfectly. Bring in exactly as much oxygen as it needs with every breath. Recognize that the natural process of sleep happens the same way your heart beats, the same way your breath flows. Nothing to do. Simply trust. Allow and let go. At this time, the awareness will move through the body. Different body parts will be named and as they are, feel into them as though from the inside. Mentally repeat the name of each body part. Breathing on the right side of the body, attention to the right hand thumb. Feeling it, perhaps allowing it to soften. Mentally repeat right hand thumb. Index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, right side of chest, waist, hip, thigh, knee, shin, ankle, sole, top of foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, left toe, fourth toe, fifth toe, whole right side of the body, to the left side, left hand thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, left side of chest, waist, hip, thigh, knee, shin, ankle, sole, top of the foot, the left big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe, whole left side of the body. Moving attention to the back of the body and simply feel each part. Focus of the right heel, left heel, right calf, left calf, back of right knee, back of left knee, back of right thigh, back of left thigh, right buttock, left buttock, lower back, middle back, upper back, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, the space between, back of the neck, back of the head, crown of the head, forehead, right temple, left temple, right eyebrow, left eyebrow, the eyebrow center, right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, bridge of nose, tip of nose, right nostril, left nostril, the whole nose, upper left, lower lip, tongue, teeth, gums, right side of jaw, left side of jaw, chin, the whole face, front of the neck, throat pit, right side of chest, left side of chest, the center of the chest, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, navel, right side of pelvis, left side of pelvis, the pelvic floor, the whole pelvic area, the entire right leg and foot, the entire left leg and foot, both legs and feet together, whole of the right arm and hand, whole left arm and hand, both arms, both hands together, whole trunk of the body, the entire trunk, front, back and sides, the neck, the head, head, neck and trunk together, the entire right side of the body, the entire left side of the body, entire back, entire front, feel into the entire body, the entire body held in awareness within the peaceful stillness of the body, notice the spontaneous breath, feel that every time the breath flows in, a gentle wave of calmness moves through every cell of your being, every out breath easily carrying away any cares or worries you might be holding onto, feel them flowing out of the body, out of the mind. Continuing to feel the body breathing, adding a count now to the natural breath, counting the breath down from the number 54, counting like this, breathing in 54, breathing out 54, breathing in 53, breathing out 53. If the count is lost, simply begin again at 54. What is to being? You You Draw attention now to the presence of sensations in the body Begin to notice if any areas of the body feel light Feeling into this experience lightness Explore deepening this feeling Imagining or feeling that the body is weightless Incredibly light No tension could be present in such a profound state of lightness Light body light mind Mind allowing this experience to drift away And notice areas in the body where heaviness is present Noticing a feeling of heaviness in the legs the arms The entire body growing heavier moment by moment The entire body heavy and relaxed Within the heaviness of the body cultivate the felt experience of being held supported The body completely released to the surface beneath Let go of this experience and feel the body just as it is deeply at rest completely at ease Sense the awareness being drawn upward towards the space in front of closed eyes Drifting awareness into the space of the mind Begin to visualize the following images as they're named Visualize clouds passing through the night sky Clouds passing through the night sky A leaf floating on a gently moving river The moon illuminating the dark sky Stepping into a warm bath The sound of rain falling Counting stars in the night sky Rolling waves gently coming into shore Quiet forest at sunset The warmth of a cozy fire on a cold night Incense smoke rising The stillness and silence as snow falls The stillness and the silence as snow falls A radiant bubble of peace surrounding you A peaceful, quiet sanctuary of deep, nourishing, healing rest A peaceful, quiet sanctuary of deep, nourishing, healing rest