Yoga Nidra

 
 

Instructions

Yoga nidra is an ancient practice that originated in India. Yoga nidra is also referred to as “yogic sleep” and is practiced for 30 to 60 minutes lying on the back in a comfortable “nest,” which can include pillows, blankets, eye pillows, etc. Personally, I like to use a travel pillow underneath my neck, extra blankets underneath my lower back / sacrum, as well as a pillow or bolster underneath my knees. When done traditionally, the practice has specific steps, including preparation, Sankalpa (intention), rotation of consciousness, breath awareness, opposite feelings and sensations, visualization, sankalpa, and ending. Sixty minutes of practice has been said to equate to four hours of sleep. Like other yoga practices, yoga nidra has been found to support the reduction of anxiety among many other mind-body benefits (Pandi-Perumal et al. 2022). Each of the steps is demonstrated through the sample script, and you can see an example of a nest as well as a practitioner. 

Prepare For Practice

 

Now that you’ve prepared your nest, slowly come to rest on your back, nestled in your nest.

Move as much as you need to in order to prepare your body for complete relaxation. 

If you’re feeling tense in any part of your body, take a bit of time to contract your muscles for 10 seconds in those areas and then release. 

Do that as much as you need to until you feel completely relaxed. 

Move any part of your body that does not feel 100% comfortable. 

During your practice of yoga nidra, you will want to be completely relaxed and comfortable so that you don’t feel like you have to move. 

Once you feel comfortable, take time to scan the body from head to toe, inviting your body to relax.

Starting with the head, feeling relaxed.

Facial muscles, feeling completely relaxed.

Your upper torso and abdomen, relaxing from the inside out. 

The upper and lower back, feeling relaxed. 

Your upper legs and knees, completely relaxing.

Your lower legs and feet, all the way to your toes, feeling relaxed. 

Feeling complete relaxation throughout your body from your head to your toes. 

 

Choose Your Sankalpa

 

Now that your body is completely relaxed, invite yourself to create a Sankalpa, an intention, something that you would like to cultivate in your life. 

I am peace. I am health. I am love. I am contentment. I am power. 

Whatever resonates with you in this moment is your intention. Take a few moments to set your intention for your practice. 

Once you have set your intention, say your intention three times to yourself, allowing it to settle in your mind and travel between the mind and your heart center. 

With every breath in, cultivating that seed, that intention. 

With every breath out, clearing out anything that gets in the way of that intention. 

 

Rotate Consciousness

 

Now that you’ve set your intention, you’re going to take your awareness on a mindful journey through your body from one point to the next. 

As you journey through your body from point to point, do not linger on any one point.

Just continue to move from point to point without attachment to any one point. 

 

The thumb of your right hand.

Pointer finger

Middle finger

Ring finger

Pinky finger

The palm of your hand

The back of your hand

Your wrist

Forearm

Elbow

Upper arm

Shoulder

The right side body

Your waist

Hip

Thigh

Knee

Calf

Shin

Ankle 

The heel of your foot

The sole of your foot

Your right big toe

2nd toe

3rd toe

4th toe

5th toe

The whole right side of the body

Bringing your awareness to the whole right side of the body

Your right side body

Continuing your journey to the left side body.

The thumb of your left hand.

Pointer finger

Middle finger

Ring finger

Pinky finger

The palm of your hand

The back of your hand

Your wrist

Forearm

Elbow

Upper arm

Shoulder

The left side body

Your waist

Hip

Thigh

Knee

Calf

Shin

Ankle 

The heel of your foot

The sole of your foot

Your left big toe

2nd toe

3rd toe

4th toe

5th toe

The whole left side of the body

Bringing your awareness to the whole left side of the body

Your left side body

Continuing your journey to the back body.

Back of your head

Back of your neck

The whole back, both left back and right back

Right shoulder blade

Left shoulder blade

The whole lower back, both left lower back and right lower back

The whole back body

Bringing your awareness to the whole back body

Your whole back body

Continuing your journey to the front body

Your abdomen

Your chest

Throat

Chin

Lips, upper and lower

Cheeks, both left and right

Nose

Ears, both left and right

Eyes, both left and right

Your forehead

The top of your head

The whole front body

Bringing your awareness to the whole front body

Your whole front body

Bringing your awareness to your whole body

Mindfully bringing your attention to every part of your body as you sweep your awareness from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. 

Bringing your awareness to your whole body, relaxing your whole body.

 

Be Aware of Your Breath

Continuing the journey of relaxation with awareness, move to your breath. 

Mentally visualizing your breath as it travels in through your nose and out through your nose. 

With each breath in, continuing to feel your breath fill you with vital air.

With each breath out, continuing to relax the mind and body.

As you watch your breath travel through your nose, in and out, begin to count backwards from 54. 

Breathing in 54, breathing out 54.

Breathing in 53, breathing out 53. 

Breathing in 52, breathing out 52.

And continuing to count, naturally following your own breath’s pace and pattern. 

If you complete your count to 1, start over. 

If you become distracted or lose count, start over without judgment. 

[Pause for 2 minutes to allow for internal counting.]

 

Feel and Sense Opposites

Your journey now flows into feeling and sensing opposites.

Starting with cold. 

Welcome the feeling of cold in your body. 

Feeling cold within your body from your head to your feet. 

Coolness permeating your toes, up your legs, into the trunk of your body, and up to the crown of the head. 

Feeling cool throughout your whole body. 

Cold throughout your body. 

 

Filling yourself with heat now. 

Welcome the feeling of heat into your body. 

Feeling hot within your body from your head to your feet. 

Heat permeating your toes, up your legs, into the trunk of your body, and up to the crown of the head. 

Feeling heat through your whole body. 

Hot throughout your body. 

 

Visualize

As part of your journey, you set off on an adventure to the Emerald Forest. 

This journey that you are on will bring you to a guide, someone from your past, present, or future that can provide you guidance for something you’ve been thinking about.  

As you set off on a dirt path, the temperature is not too cold, not too warm. 

The path is set between two fields of tall grass. 

The breeze blows the grass, making the grass look like waves in a green ocean.

The path meanders left and right, up and down small rolling hills. 

You watch as different birds fly in the blue sky, swooping around, calling to each other.

You see white clouds slowly moving their way across the sky.

You smell the grass and begin to see the pine trees in the distance. 

As you continue to walk the path, the pine trees grow taller and taller before you.

You reach the first rows of pine trees. 

You’ve arrived at the Emerald Forest. 

As you enter the forest, the air cools and dampens.  

You pull a sweatshirt on that you’ve been carrying. 

You continue to venture into the woods.

The forest’s canopy allows streaks of light in from the sun, which is now directly overhead. 

The path is filled with twigs, branches, leaves, and moss. 

You see squirrels and chipmunks foraging on the ground and running up the trees.

As the path turns to the right, you notice a bit of a clearing before you. 

The clearing is the center of the forest. 

At the clearing, there is a small pond. 

As you reach the pond, you look in. 

In the pond, there are rocks and green vegetation. 

Lilly pads at the top of the water act as springboards for the frogs that jump from one to another and into the pond to swim. 

You also notice your reflection in the water. 

As you look into the water, you can also see your guide. 

Your guide can be a trusted friend, an animal, someone from the past or present that can offer you support. 

Take a few minutes to ask your friend for guidance and listen to the message that they have to share with you. Also tell your friend your intention, saying it three times clearly.

[Pause for 2 minutes.]

Thank your friend for listening to you and for providing you with guidance. 

Thank yourself for taking time to be with your friend and for asking for support. 

Find a comfortable spot on the ground or near the pond to rest. 

Take time to rest for the next several minutes. 

You’ll hear my voice again after your rest. 

Rest gently until then. 

[Pause for 10 minutes.]

Arising from your resting place in the forest, you turn to face the path that leads you back to where you started your journey. 

You continue walking the path, through the forest. 

You reach the edge of the forest and see the grassy fields to the left and right of the dirt path. 

As the sun is starting to slowly come down in the sky, you can tell it’s a couple of hours before sunset. 

You enjoy the peacefulness of the wind in the grass, the clouds in the sky, and the sun’s warmth.

When you reach the point where you started, you lay down in a field of tall grass as the sun begins to set, resting a bit from your journey to the Emerald Forest.

[Pause for 2 minutes.]

 

Revisit Your Sankalpa

Breathing in, cultivating your intention. 

Breathing out, letting go of anything that is in the way of your intention.

 

End Your Practice

Breathing in, feeling the breath flowing into the body.

Breathing out, feeling the breath flowing out of the body. 

Bringing awareness to the feeling of the breath as it flows into and out of your body as you breathe in and breathe out.

Yoga nidra is now complete. 

Continuing to breathe in and out as you bring your attention to your mind and body. 

When you’re ready, gently wiggle the fingers and the toes, rotate the wrists and ankles. 

If it feels okay, bring your knees into your chest and gently rock from side to side. 

When you’re ready, bring yourself up to a seated position. 

Bowing the head toward the heart center as you bring one hand over the heart and the other hand over that hand. 

Thanking yourself for practicing yoga nidra, for taking the time and making the space that you need to take care of yourself.

Modifications

  • N/A

Contraindications

Type of pose

  • Meditation

Parts of Body Benefited