Take your time with this one, namely in the body scan section and pause as you see fit with your clients -- Yoga Nidra literally means the union of sleep and it is one of the paths to enlightenment within the many practices of Yoga…it’s a beautiful one indeed and open to all levels of experience.  It is a meditation, not a traditional yoga practice. 


So let us begin this yoga nidra meditation allowing awareness to begin with the entirety of the body 

feeling the body laying fully relaxing fully into the mat into the floor
And taking a moment here to just relax all aspects of the body and get comfortable

 knowing that now there's nothing else to do nowhere to go 

and this time is just for yourself 
just for your full practice of yoga nidra 

so before we begin with the investigation of the body, I'll ask you just to repeat in your mind.

 I am practicing yoga nidra and I am not asleep

And we simply rest here in this space for a few minutes prior to starting the yoga nidra practice…just let go and allow the mind and body to quiet down


And now to begin our yoga nidra practice, bring your awareness now down to the toes. 

See if you can mentally be aware of all 10 toes five on each foot. 

Perhaps you can feel them all at once, simultaneously. 

Allow each of them one by one starting from the pinky toe moving towards the big toe to just fully relax.

 Starting at the outside edges of the foot, the small toe let them relax. 

You may do this by mentally counting inwards as you move towards the big toe or maybe you can feel each toe individually

finally allowing the joints the tendons the little tiny pads on the ends of the toes just letting everything fully relax

as if they become detached from the body 

bringing the awareness now to the soles of the feet.
The entirety of the foot from the ankles down to the toes. 

Perhaps you can feel the very soles of the feet themselves tingling and you can feel the air brushing against the sole of the foot. Space being aware of the entirety of the foot from the ankle to the toes.

Beginning with the left foot 

just finally allowing it to relax and release the entirety of the left foot soft effortless, relax 

moving to the right foot now and allowing the entirety of the right foot to meet with the left. Effortlessly open and free.

Allowing the feet to finally surrender from their day 
allowing them the space to just finally relax. 

All they do for us throughout the day. 
Just letting them be free is if they're not even attached to the body you just let them float away

open and free 

awareness now to the left ankle. 

If you can be mindful of all of the aspects of the left ankle and you may just ask yourself to let any tension in the ankle release

likewise with the right 
bring the mind the awareness of the mind down to the right ankle. 
Allowing that space to just open release any tension any burden that it may be carrying. 

Keeping the awareness fully down just on the feet. 

So the mind focus just on the feet and just on the ankles allowing everything to relax

moving up now to the left leg, left calf up to the left knee. 

Bones of the lower leg and the left lower left calf muscle. 

See if you can picture this muscle in your mind's eye and allow it to just open as if it was receiving a massage.


See the tension finally being released bring that awareness to the shin on the left leg.
Going all the way down to the bones, the tendons and the ligaments in the ankle.

 Down to meet the feet and the toes. 

Everything in the left leg from the knee to the foot relaxed, free and open. 

Seeing if you can seamlessly carry that awareness now over to the right leg from the knee of the right leg down to the calf muscle 

the shin 
the right ankle 
the right foot again back to the toes.

Letting go fully both legs from the knees down to the toe fully relaxed going to the thigh on the left leg, the femur from the hip to the knee bring your awareness first to the muscle of the thigh and just let it open again as if it was receiving a massage

letting it fall to the floor opening fully releasing any tension strain anything you may be carrying from the day 

And now take your awareness into the hip joint itself 

the very top of the femur coming into the pelvis joint

Here we carry so much and hold so much, so much weight, strain, pressure, tension. Allow it to just finally be free and relaxed following down with the awareness of the left femur, bringing that into the knee itself and then continuing from the knee all the way down to the toes of the left leg allowing the entirety of the left leg to be fully and totally relaxed 

as if it's become an effortlessly light yet equally heavy weight on the floor 

bridging that awareness over to the right leg now starting with the thigh muscle on the right leg allowing this muscle to open release relax and just relieve any tension in the thigh itself.

Going deeper now into the femur. Starting at the pelvis, the joint between the hips and the leg. 

Feeling again the space the very top of the femur connecting to the past others allow your body to just create space in this joint itself, as if finally the muscles the tendons and the ligaments and the bone itself can just let go. Just release bringing the mental awareness now down through the femur into the knee itself
to meet with the entirety of the thigh, the entirety of the right leg all the way down to the feet balancing with the effortless relaxation, the left leg noticing both sides from the hips to the toes, the right and the left balanced, relaxed.
Simultaneously effortlessly light and incredibly heavy. 

Just letting go fully and completely

 I invite you now at this stage to repeat to yourself 

I am practicing yoga nidra
and I am not asleep 

bringing the awareness into the pelvis 

Perhaps picturing the pelvic bone and all of the tendons, the psoas muscles, the hip flexors

 all the intricacies of the hip itself knowing we store so much emotion 
so much past residue 
within the hips 
so much tension from the day. 

So bringing the awareness into the pelvis itself and just opening this fully

Opening the entirety of the bones

 the entirety of the joints 

perhaps envisioning even the pelvis

 itself separating and becoming open 

creating space allowing energy to flow from the top of the body the top half of the body down through the legs via the pelvis.

The pelvis completely relaxed, effortlessly open. 

And notice how it may give just an extra millimeter of space to the femur now and then that in turn gives an extra millimeter of space to the knee and the ankle and so on down to the toes as a domino effect of relaxation moves from the hips
down through the feet. 

Everything finding space and balance 

coming into the lower abdomen now and just bringing the awareness inside inside the large intestine to the descending part of the large intestine down to the colon
bringing the awareness to the small intestines, the bladder the sexual organs perhaps picturing them in your mind's eye or perhaps even feeling them in the body itself. 

Allow them the space to just release and let go. 

You may choose to do this by very simply telling your large intestine that it's okay to be relaxed are allowing the abdomen the lower abdomen itself to just be open and free

You may be able to envision all of the organs of the lower abdomen and if so, I invite you to let those organs become as large as you wish. As big as you wish and in that space to become free
feeling that space become created in the lower abdomen and just gradually moving up to the very middle of the torso into the area of the solar plexus. 

And it's the organs that govern digestion, the stomach and the spleen, the gallbladder, the liver, the small intestine, the pancreas. 

As if seeing each organ itself, in the mind's eye, or perhaps feeling each organ in the torso 
feeling the muscles of the abdominal wall on top and moving into the awareness of the lower parts of the ribcage on the sides and the back. 

Just letting the middle of the torso meet the very bottom of the torso transitioning effortlessly into the pelvis, down via the femur 

into the knees, and eventually out from the feet. 

Any stress and anxiety being held in the large intestine being washed away with energy from the solar plexus. 

Any discomfort in the stomach 
any difficulties 
worries or energy is being held by the liver, the gallbladder.

any energy at all being held in any of the organs of digestion, just allowing that space and that freedom to allow that energy to drain out of the body draining fully and completely and allowing for rest

Allowing all the space from the solar plexus now to the feet to finally rest and release. 

Just allowing space and balance to return once again to the body
bringing the awareness to the diaphragm now bringing that awareness equally to the breath and see if you can't bring the awareness of the breath
into awareness of the diaphragm itself.

 Perhaps feeling those muscle throughout the middle of the torso
if it's difficult to feel or be aware of the diaphragm, which very well may be just tell your body to allow the diaphragm to relax. 

In many ways the diaphragm is the doorway keeping our anxieties and fears blocked. 

So allowing us to relax will allow that tension to just flow out of the body via the feet 

everything in the body from the diaphragm down to the toes relaxed  now

keeping the awareness of the breath coming into the heart chakra and starting with the lungs. 

Perhaps you can be aware now on every inhalation all the space all of the area the dimensions of the lungs themselves, feeling that cool oxygen flowing into the lungs of the product being received on the in breath coming into the lungs.

 All of the old gases are being released on the exhalation via the lung.

 Letting that circular flow of energy now permeate body passing through the diaphragm releasing anxiety from the lungs.

Down through the torso, the legs and eventually the feet. 

Perhaps you can feel the full body being connected one circular path of energy movement throughout the body awareness now into the very center of the heart chakra into the heart itself. 

See if you can become mindful of the rhythm of your own heart. See if you can feel it beating in your chest. And take a second to Marvel and give thanks
and give space to rest to this muscle that has been beating all your life. 

Always and endlessly working to keep you alive to circulate blood and energy through the body. 

Going into the heart itself, just give thanks. And just allowing it to relax. 

Just like every other muscle in the body that will respond. 

And see if you can bring the heart chakra to join with the solar plexus, the sacral and the root traveling down the body and just let energy drain out of the feet. Almost as if a shower is washing over you from the heart all the way down to the feet. 

Washing stagnant old energy out of the body and allowing balance space to fulfill it


I invite you here at this moment and in this space to just repeat our mantra of 

I am practicing yoga nidra and I am not asleep 
I am practicing yoga nidra and I am not asleep
I am practicing yoga nidra and I am not asleep

Awareness now moving into each and every rib of the ribcage, the cartilage between the ribs and extend that awareness from the ribs all the way back to the spine. 

Feeling them connected to the vertebra the middle back and seeing now if you can simultaneously be aware of all aspects of the spine, from the hips all the way up to the base of the skull and the ribs, the collarbone the shoulder blades in the back allowing all the bones and the torso to just open. Find space and release
releasing any tension being held between any tightness in the cartilage any resistance to the discs. 

The space between each vertebra for our backs and perhaps asking the body to release or perhaps feeling it if you travel down the spine or over each rib with your awareness
just let go. 

The torso, the legs and the feet in your awareness now to your hands. 

Your forearms everything up to your elbows, 

each finger

 the skin on your forearms 

perhaps even the hairs on your arms themselves.

 feel as if your hands and your forearms can just melt away. 

If each all nine radius of the right and the left arm can just detach from the wrist and the elbow feel as if every single bone in the fingers and everything can just release the elbow, gaining space opening and allowing freedom allowing that breath to permeate through the body 

permeating into the elbow into the fingers as it moves down through the torso, the legs and the feet simultaneously allowing that pronto to saturate all the muscles of the body all of the bones, the tendons and the ligaments, likewise into the hands and the forearms into the elbows. 

Everything relaxed now
 and bring that awareness now from the shoulder blades and the collarbone down to the elbow, allowing first the space in the shoulder joint itself. 

Allowing that space to just open we hold so much tension in our shoulders. So much stress from the day being carried and the tightness of our upper back. 

This extends down to the arm. So just let space permeate. 

Let softness and relaxation come into those tense and tight muscles of the neck and the shoulders. Allowing the space in the joint and the shoulder itself to open feeling it become more relaxed

the fingers the forearms, biceps to the shoulders or collarbone. 

The ribs, the spine itself, all the organs of the torso, the skin, the hips, the thigh thighs, the knees, the calves, the ankles, all the way down to the very end of the toes all relaxed, finally letting go. 

Finally just letting go. 

Bring the awareness into the neck now from the shoulders traveling up the shoulder blades back to the spine and then into the neck, the muscles of the neck. 

Noticing how the muscles transition back into the shoulders themselves.
muscles on the chest all the muscles of the upper torso itself feeling as if they can finally let go all the muscles in the back.

pectoral muscles the shoulders the muscles of the upper and lower back tension releasing from the spine

everything becoming relaxed, becoming effortless 

each vertebra in the spine open.

 Free and effortless. 

Taking an opportunity with the awareness on the spine being open and free to notice now that the nervous system is so still.


Perhaps you can feel tingling throughout the body. 
Perhaps you can feel sensations on the feet and the hands 
Perhaps you can feel heat 
Or perhaps it’s coolness travelling through the body
This is the response to your energy flowing 
Or perhaps you simply don’t feel anything at all and are just fully detached

Repeating again:

I am practicing Yoga Nidra, I am not asleep


Perhaps you can see different colors. sparkles are flashes of light. Knowing this is just your own chi flowing through your nervous system.

flowing through the entirety of your body as it's open and release. Bringing the awareness now to the skull. 

Starting at the very base by the neck base of the skull and the spine and moving upwards the muscles the lower part of the face, the lips, the tongue, the jaw, all the tension that we hold in the jaw just let it fall and relax

the muscles in the cheeks the eyes letting the eyes sink into the head, the ears, the forehead, all of the skin on the face and the skull

even into the nostrils feeling all the head hair on the top of the head

becoming aware of each individual hair allowing the scalp to meet with the head and the neck, the torso, the legs and the feet, the arms to the hands fully relaxed

just feel the state now this full body relaxation in yoga nidra. 

Just staying mindful of any thoughts or any situations or experiences that you may be having, but allowing it all to pass and I invite you now to look down on yourself as you're laying in yoga nidra to see your whole body and relaxation. 

And just take this opportunity to marvel at how beautiful you are.

 How precious you can be how relaxed you are, how still you can become. 

Take this opportunity to just marvel at yourself. 

marveled at the light within the love that radiates through the body. 

And if you feel you're lacking in any type of emotion or love or compassion, 

and I invite you as you look down on yourself and yoga nidra to just pour love into the body into the mind.

Just flood yourself with love and compassion through the entirety of the body in the state of full body awareness in yoga nidra now I invite yourself to give thanks.

Just begin a very brief dialogue with the body perhaps thinking your organs, the different systems in your body, perhaps your skeletal system, your muscles, your nervous system, the organs of digestion or all of the vital organs themselves or perhaps your mind or whatever you wish. 

Just give thanks to everything that your body does everything physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, that you're able to overcome and comprehend everything that passes effortlessly without even any understanding or awareness how all the organs function without your awareness. 

Just give them things and notice how the body responds here now.

And so with the entirety of the body here in full relaxation we simply let go and rest in noble silence

pause for 5-10 minutes often repeating the mantra:
I am practicing Yoga Nidra, I am not asleep as needed)

So I invite you now to very slowly and mindfully start coming out of yoga nidra taking one last opportunity to just acknowledge your entire self acknowledge your body and yoga nidra the relaxation that you're able to accomplish

and I asked that we just give one moment of silence for thanks to conclude. 

So in that silence again thanking yourself thanking yourself for your presence come now out of yoga nidra begin by wiggling the fingers on the toes. bringing that awareness slowly back into the body and as you become more aware of your surroundings more aware of yourself on the floor on the mat. 

Just use this opportunity for one last mental note of anything you may have experienced during this yoga nidra meditation and then slowly and mindfully coming on out at your own pace to conclude

