Redirect your focus from an overly active intellect back into your physical form, harmonize your energies, and reclaim contact with the solid support of the earth and structure.
Recommended Preparation and Follow-up:
This session is particularly beneficial for anyone experiencing feelings of being overworked, weighed down, stressed, or caught in the cycle of hyperactivity followed by exhaustion.
Start with a physical yoga sequence targeting the lower energy centers. For illustration, a series of seated movements such as neck releases, shoulder circles, forward folding postures, gentle twists, and side bends would be suitable. Makarasana (Crocodile Pose), including its supported variation, is also profoundly centering.
Finding Stillness
Recline comfortably—whether on your back, side, or stomach. Alternatively, sit upright with support.
Any physical posture is acceptable. Extended, curled up, the exact configuration isn’t the focus.
Tune into your body’s needs to select the posture that serves your grounding practice best in this very moment. (pause)
Prepare yourself for this grounding Yoga Nidra experience. Use a cushion or rolled towel beneath your head.
If it aids your sense of rootedness, cover yourself with a blanket, or perhaps even two. (pause)
You might find comfort in embracing a bolster or a thick blanket. (pause)
If you are resting on your belly, perhaps the gentle weight of a folded blanket across your back would be supportive. (pause)
Perhaps an eye pillow would feel soothing for your eyes. (pause) Merely pay attention and respond to what arises.
What is your physical self requesting right now? (pause)
Adjust your supports and positioning in whatever manner feels right for you at this time. (long pause)
During this session, you are permitted to alter your position whenever necessary, but aim for such profound comfort that you have no desire to shift. (pause)
Verify that everything feels perfectly set. (pause) Ensure your feet are at ease. (pause) Your legs are comfortable. (pause)
Your hips are settled. (pause)
Your entire back area. (pause)
Your arms and hands. (pause) Shoulders. (pause)
Your neck. (pause)
Your jaw, tongue, and forehead. (pause)
Your complete body, positioned as comfortably as possible. (pause)
Sense the solidity of the surface underneath you. Allow it to sustain you as you completely yield to the pull of gravity. (pause)
Surrendering into that support.
Permit your physical form to settle deeply into the ground below. Becoming rooted in the earth. (pause)
Sustained by the earth. Unconditionally. Without any prerequisite or expectation. (pause) You are not required to achieve anything. There is nothing you must do. (pause)
Take a deliberate, deep inhalation… and as you release your breath, let go of any perceived responsibilities you feel you should be attending to currently. (pause)
There are no obligations. Nothing demanding your mental effort. Place everything aside for now. (pause)
The body is finding its anchor. (pause)
Attention is gently drawn inward. (pause) Inhale, acknowledging your presence in this precise moment.
Exhale, releasing all external concerns from this moment.
Inhale, fully present within this moment.
Exhale, letting go of anything occurring outside of this exact time and space. (pause)
Allow your sense of hearing to broaden, like a sensitive auditory device, registering incoming sounds without judgment or immediate analysis. Simply take in whatever sounds are present. (pause)
The most distant sounds (pause)
Closer sounds (pause)
Perhaps even the subtle sounds originating within your own system. The cadence of your own respiration. (pause)
Bring your awareness to the physical body. Be conscious of your form in its totality, from the very top of your head down to your toes, and then an awareness sweeping from your toes back up to the apex of your head.
Recognize that your body is currently at rest in comfort. (pause) Sense the stillness residing within your physical frame.
If the impulse to reposition arises at any point, feel free to do so.
Otherwise, you are welcome to sink further into the repose you have cultivated for yourself.
Free to settle into your personally established haven of ease. (pause) Free to simply allow. (pause)
Total ease. Exactly as you desire. Solely for your benefit.
Without strain. (pause)
The Yoga Nidra practice now commences. (pause)
Progression of Consciousness
Guide your awareness inward now—deep into the very structure of your being. Embark on an effortless expedition through your body, shifting focus from one defined point to the next. Move attention fluidly between locations.
Avoid lingering too long on any single spot.
There is no requirement to analyze, concentrate hard, or puzzle things out.
It is impossible to navigate this incorrectly. (pause)
Simply maintain the swift and unconstrained movement of your awareness. Begin by acknowledging the right-hand side of your body. First, bring awareness to your right hand.
Thumb of the right hand
Forefinger
Middle finger
Ring finger
Little finger
The palm area
The back of the hand Effortless
Right wrist Lower arm segment Elbow Upper arm segment Shoulder Armpit area
The right side of your rib cage Right side of your midsection Hip region
Thigh Knee Joint Lower leg segment Ankle Heel
The bottom surface of the foot Top surface of the right foot Right big toe Second toe Third toe Fourth toe Fifth toe
Awake and alert
Shift focus to the left side. Become aware of the left hand. Left-hand thumb
Forefinger Middle finger Ring finger Little finger
The palm area
The back of the hand Left wrist
Lower arm segment Elbow Upper arm segment Shoulder Armpit area
The left side of your rib cage
The left side of your midsection
Hip Thigh Knee Joint
Lower leg segment Ankle Heel
The bottom surface of the foot Top surface of the left foot Left big toe Second toe Third toe Fourth toe Fifth toe
Awake and alert
Transition to the head’s apex. Crown of the head
Forehead area
Right side of the head Left side of the head Right brow Left brow Center point between the brows
Sweep awareness across the Right eye
Left eye
Right ear Left ear Right cheek Left cheek Right nasal passage Left nasal passage Upper lip Lower lip Chin area
Throat center Right side of the collarbone Left side of the collarbone
The right side of the chest The left side of the chest Center of the heart
Navel Pelvic area
Direct awareness to the back of the body Right buttock
Left buttock Lower back Mid-back Upper back
The right shoulder blade area
The left shoulder blade area
Back of the neck Back of the head Crown of the head
Move awareness down to encompass the entire right leg The entire left leg
Both legs considered as a unit The entire torso
The whole right arm
The whole left arm Neck area
The Head
The entire front aspect of the body The entire back aspect of the body
Become conscious of your physical form as a complete whole
The total body integrated
The total body integrated (long pause)
Observing Respiration
Now, turn your attention to the breath as it enters your nostrils. Accept it precisely as it is. No intervention is required. Just register the movement of the breath. (pause)
Note the incoming breath as if it were two delicate currents entering your nostrils. (pause)
Perceive these currents moving inward along the base of your nasal passages. And then feel the breath exiting.
Flows of air moving along the floor of the nasal passages as you inhale.
And flows of air flowing outward.
Center your attention on your right nostril.
Track the inhalation as it enters via the right nostril, and as you breathe out, note it exiting through the left.
Maintain focus on the left nostril for the inhalation, and as you exhale, feel the breath emerge through the right.
Simulated alternate nostril flow. Inhale via the right.
Exhale via the left. Inhale via the left. Exhale via the right.
Inhale through the right, mark it as 1. Exhale through the left, mark it as 2. Inhale through the left, mark it as 3.
Exhale through the right, mark it as 4. Continue counting until 54.
If your attention drifts, restart the sequence. (pause for 2 minutes) (After 1 minute, state: “Awake and alert.”) Now release the counting process.
Completely disengage from the tally.
It makes no difference to what number you reached or if your thoughts wandered. Simply let go of the counting exercise. (pause)
Imagery and Symbolism
Transitioning now to accessing inner sagacity. An effortless connection point.
Within you resides an inexhaustible reservoir of understanding. (pause)
A sequence of images will be presented.
Your mind may or may not spontaneously generate visuals. You are not tasked with eliciting, seeking out, or analyzing these images. There is absolutely nothing you need to *do*. (pause)
Simply observe, acting as a detached spectator, much like watching clouds drift across the sky.
Whether imagery appears or not is irrelevant. Observe with a sense of detached awareness. (pause) A verdant meadow (repeat 3 times)
A gray elephant (repeat 3 times) Boots covered in mud (repeat 3 times) The pyramids (repeat 3 times)
A stone covered in moss (repeat 3 times)
A steaming cup (repeat 3 times) Deep, woody roots (repeat 3 times) A dusty track (repeat 3 times) A weighty bed cover (repeat 3 times) A sky full of stars (repeat 3 times) (pause)
If any flashes of insight surfaced organically, carry those with you. If not, that is equally fine. Understand that this period has served to stimulate your imaginative and intuitive faculties. (pause)
Returning Awareness to the External
Once more, tune into the process of your breathing.
Acknowledge that your physical body is engaged in respiration. (pause)
Feel the motion in your abdomen and chest as they ascend and descend with each breath cycle. (pause)
Sense the feeling of the air at your nostrils. (pause)
Register the physical state of your body at rest—your current positioning… any objects supporting, touching, or surrounding your form. (pause)
Notice the way any fabric feels against your skin. (pause) Register the ambient temperature of the air touching your skin. (pause) Bring your awareness back to the physical body.
Extend your consciousness outward.
Listen for sounds originating within the immediate space. (pause)
Become aware of the enclosed area you occupy—the floor, the vertical surfaces, the overhead expanse, the items within the space. (pause)
Awareness settles upon the room surrounding you.
Awareness acknowledges your body resting comfortably within that room.
Take one deep inhalation… drawing awareness back into your physical form and reconnecting with the room itself. (pause)
The Yoga Nidra practice is now concluded. (pause)
Begin the gentle movement of your fingers and toes. (pause)
Stretch or move your body in whatever manner feels appropriate. (pause)
And if you were lying down, upon feeling ready, gently turn onto your right side. (pause)
Take a few deep breaths in this position. (pause)
If you were reclining, slowly ease yourself up into a seated position. Maintain your eyes closed if you can. Allow yourself the time you deem necessary. (pause)
Seated upright, strive to maintain a long spine, with the very top of your head reaching upward toward the sky.
Take several deeper breaths, noticing the energy beginning to revitalize, yet remaining securely anchored and linked to the earth supporting you. (pause)
Sense your connection with the ground beneath you. Firm and reliable. (pause)
We will conclude by reciting the sound “Om” and the word “Shanti” (peace), three repetitions each. Om is a universal vibration, and Shanti signifies tranquillity.
Om Om Om Shanti Shanti Shanti (pause)
When you feel completely ready, softly and slowly, open your eyes. Re-assimilate into your surroundings, back into the flow of your day, feeling renewed and firmly rooted.