Yoga Nidra Script Inspired by Nature

yoga nidra script inspired by nature

Hello Beauty!

I’m happy you’re here. If you’ve been on retreat with me before, you know how much reverence I have for the natural world. Today I would like to share with you a yoga nidra script inspired by nature, one of my regular retreat destinations and cowritten by fellow retreat leader Toni Larson and myself. It’s also one of the yoga nidra scripts that my yoga teacher training students learn in their yoga nidra module.

This short yoga nidra script will take approximately 20-25 minutes and its format is inspired by the teachings of the Bihar School in India and it follows an inward journey through the koshas, from annamaya kosha to anandamaya kosha.

Yoga nidra has so many benefits… from relieving stress to improving sleep and accessing that bliss state, ananda. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of yoga nidra, check out this blog post here.

A Few Tips For Teaching and Practicing Yoga Nidra

Remember that when you’re preparing your yoga nidra script, you want your language to be simple and precise. When you’re reading or reciting your script, avoid too much inflection in your voice. Speak clearly, with an even volume and tempo.

Yoga nidra is a wonderful and fertile space for working with a sankalpa. Formulate your sankalpa as a positive “I am” statement. If one doesn’t come to mind, I encourage you to use the sankalpa, “I am the witness”. You may just discover that your sankalpa was hidden within this whole time.

If you are facilitating yoga nidra, make sure that you are seated upright in a position that you can be still in. Make sure that you are comfortable. If you are distracted by discomfort in your body, that distracted energy will carry over to your students.

If you are practicing yoga nidra, make sure that you are comfortable. Use a pillow or folded blanket under your head and a cushion or bolster underneath your knees will help release your lower back. The body temperature does drop while yoga nidra, so drape a blanket over your body. You want to be as still as possible, so make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible.

yoga-nidra-yogic-sleep

Yoga Nidra Script Inspired by Nature Written by Autumn Adams

We will practice yoga nidra in Savasana, lying on your back. Please take a moment to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Use any props you have available to support your body.

Before we begin, bring into your mind’s eye your sankalpa, your “I am” statement. Repeat it quietly and internally to yourself three times. [PAUSE]

Preliminary Relaxation

As you settle into Savasana, bring your awareness to the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you. Invite your body to soften and rest. As you begin to surrender into relaxation, notice the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you becoming smaller and smaller. Your body relaxed, lying on the floor.

We will begin a rotation of awareness. All you have to do is allow your awareness to follow my voice as I guide you from point to point within your body.

Option #1: An Abbreviated Rotation of Awareness — Perfect for when you’re short on time

Right heel. Left heel. Right calf. Left calf. Right knee. Left knee. Right thigh. Left thigh. Right hip. Left hip. Both hips together. Lower back. Middle back. Upper back. Back of right hand. Back of left hand. Right wrist. Left wrist. Right forearm. Left forearm. Right elbow. Left elbow. Right upper arm. Left upper arm. Right shoulder. Left shoulder. Both shoulders together. Neck. Back of head. All points of contact with the earth. [PAUSE]

Option #2: Long Form Rotation of Awareness

Move your awareness to your mouth. Become aware of your tongue. Lower jaw. Lower row of teeth. Upper row of teeth. Gums. Upper lip. Lower lip. Space between your lips. Both cheeks. Right ear. Left ear. Forehead. Both temples. Top of the head. Back of the head. Tip of the nose. Right nostril. Left nostril. Right eyelid. Left eyelid. Right eye. Left eye. Right eyebrow. Left eyebrow. Space between the eyebrows. Now go to the right hand. The right hand thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Little finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Right armpit. Ribs. Waist. Hip. Right thigh. Knee. Calf. Ankle. Heel. Sole of the foot. Top of the foot. Right big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Go to the left hand. The left hand thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Little finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Left armpit. Ribs. Waist. Hip. Left thigh. Knee. Calf. Ankle. Heel. Sole of the foot. Top of the foot. Left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Groin. Right buttock. Left buttock. Lower back. Mid-back. Upper back. Right shoulder blade. Left shoulder blade. Back of the neck. Back of the head. Right inner ear. Left inner ear. Roof of the mouth. Throat. Right collar bone. Left collar bone. Right chest. Left chest. Middle chest. Upper abdomen. Navel. Lower abdomen. Groin. Whole spine. The whole head. Right arm. Left arm. Both arms together. The whole right leg. The whole left leg. Both legs together. Whole front body. Whole back body. Be aware of the whole body. [PAUSE]

Breath Awareness

Now bring your awareness to your breath. Follow the gentle tide of your breath without altering it. Now, envision your breath as a golden light flowing up and down your spinal column. With your inhale, the golden light flows from the tailbone to the crown of the head. And with your exhale, it flows from the crown of the head back down to the tailbone. A cosmic tide of prana. Stay with your breath as it flows up and down your spinal column, golden, vibrant, radiant. [PAUSE]

Opposite Sensations

Now bring awareness to the sensation of heat. Your right leg warm. Your left leg warm. Both arms warm. Torso warm. The whole body becoming hot. [PAUSE]

All at once, your body becomes cold. Legs cold. Arms cold. Torso cold. The entire body cold. [PAUSE] Now let that go. [SHORT PAUSE]

Guided Imagery Journey

Imagine that you are standing outside in nature
You feel your bare feet on the earth
You’re standing in an open meadow surrounded by a lush forest
You tip your face upward to feel the warmth of the sun
Smell the wildflowers in the air
In the distance you see a path leading into the forest
You walk toward the path and step into the forest
Once inside the forest, your eyes adjust to the shade of the trees
The path continues in front of you and winds easily up the hillside
Sunlight shines through the trees, birds sing in the distance
You continue on the path as it climbs steadily uphill
Near the top of the hill you see a small opening in the side of the mountain
This opening is a cave
You feel drawn to the cave and walk toward it
Within the cave you see a single lit candle
You realize you’ve stumbled into a sacred temple
You sit down upon the earth
A sense of calm washes over you, you feel at peace with all that is
You need nothing from the outside world, you gaze into the candle flame
You drop into deep meditation
In the middle of the flame you see the purest golden seed, untouched by the flame
On the surface of the seed, see your sankalpa inscribed.
Gaze into the flame once again
The seed is no longer in the flame
The seed is now in your heart
Repeat your sankalpa 3 times, quietly, internally and with meaning.
[PAUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES]

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Gently guide your awareness back to your physical body, lying on the earth. Become aware of your breath. Your body slowly breathing in and out. Without opening your eyes, become aware of your surroundings. The earth beneath you. As your awareness comes back, invite your breath to deepen. When you feel ready, stretch your arms long overhead, extend your legs long, point your toes and take a full-body stretch. Slowly roll over into the fetal position on your right side. A posture that resembles a newborn child or fertile seed, a posture that symbolizes new beginnings. Take a moment here. When you’re ready, gently press up to a comfortable seat.

So many of you have asked for a recording to practice with, so I’ve just recorded this yoga nidra script and put it up on YouTube. Here it is. Enjoy!

25 minute yoga nidra practice inspired by nature

Please feel free to reach out with questions. Happy healing!

Love and Light,

Autumn

Permissions for live in-person classes only: This script is copyrighted Ambuja Yoga© 2019, all rights reserved. You may use this script to guide live in-person classes or events only. Descriptions and advertising for any live in-person class using this script in whole or in part must include one of the following attributions: script ©Ambuja Yoga used by permission, or modified from script ©Ambuja Yoga used by permission.

This use does not convey the right to borrow from this script or to reproduce it in any way. No part of this script may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, digital copying, print, audio or video recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

yoga nidra script for rest and relaxation

Other Resources for Yoga Nidra

Easy Office Yoga

7 Simple and Easy Office Yoga Exercises

Hey yogis and workaholics and workaholic yogis… this blog post about easy office yoga is for you. But don’t worry, no experience is required. Within the past year or two my business has grown a lot and I am spending more and more time on my computer, so I welcome you to my office. When I feel tension and tightness creeping in or my posture disintegrating I work a few of these postures into my breaks.

Please don’t mind the cat butt or the melting dog face. There is always at least one pet in my office and today there were three.

I try to be super mindful about my posture, but I find myself starting to slump, or lean on an elbow or jutting my head forward… I’m seriously probably doing a combination of these three right now..ugh. I am fortunate that I work from home so I can get up and stretch, go for a walk or do some sun salutations pretty easily, but that’s not always the case. When I’m limited for time I will pick just a couple of these simple yoga exercises… and sometimes I will add in a low lunge to stretch out my ridiculously tight hip flexors.

There are plenty of opportunities to work these easy office yoga into your work routine that won’t make your coworkers weirded out (too much), but really… who cares? Here are 7 easy office yoga exercises you can do to reduce stress and tension, to improve your mood, and boost your circulation.

1. Easy Office Yoga for Your Back & Shoulders: Seated Cat-Cow

Benefits:chair-yoga-for-your-back

This movement is so simple and so overlooked. Seated cat-cow is a backbending and rounding motion and help relieve tension and tightness in the back, shoulders, neck and hips. Cat-cow can even help relieve tension headaches.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front edge of your chair and bring your hands to your thighs. For this exercise you will coordinate breath with movement. On your inhale breath you will tilt your pelvis forward and lift your chest and your gaze up to the ceiling to arch your back and backbend your spine. On your exhale breath begin by tilting the pelvis back, pulling your navel to spine and drawing chin to chest as your round your back. Repeat 5-10 times connecting breath with movement.

2. Easy Office Yoga for Your Spine: Seated Twist

Benefits:office-yoga-twist

Twists massage and tone our abdominal organs and release tension in our lower backs. Twists also stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system, so they are calming in nature. Gentle twists are also beneficial for our intervertebral discs.

Practice:

Sit tall in your chair with both feet firmly planted on the ground and hips width apart. Bring your left hand to the outer edge of your right thigh and your right hand to the outer edge of your chair (on the right side) or to the back of the chair (see photo). Inhale to lengthen your spine and sit a little taller and exhale to twist. Draw your gaze over your right shoulder. Keep the spine long as you twist. Hold for 5-7 breaths and then repeat on the opposite side.

3. Easy Office Yoga Exercise for Your Hips and Lower Back: Seated Figure 4

office-yoga-hip-stretch

Benefits:

Tight hips can contribute to lower back pain. This seated figure 4 stretch is the perfect stretch for the piriformis.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front portion of your chair. You want your sit bones (the bony protuberances that you sit on) at the bottom of your pelvis to be almost to the edge of your chair. To start cross your right ankle with foot flexed over your left thigh. Let your right knee drop down. See how this feels. If this feels okay you can use the right hand to gently press the right knee down while tilting the pelvis slightly forward. Hold for 10 breaths and then switch sides.

4. Easy Office Yoga for Your Lower Back: Seated Forward Fold

chair-yoga-for-hips-back

Benefits:

In your seated forward fold you have an opportunity to release the muscles of your back.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front edge of your chair, knees bent, feet planted hips width apart. Inhale and lengthen your spine long and exhale hinge forward from your hips and bring your belly to your thighs. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

5. Downward dog at your desk, chair or wall. 

office-yoga-downward-facing-dog

Benefits:

Downward dog stretches the muscles of the shoulders, the side body and the muscles of the back body.

Practice:

Bring hands shoulder width distance to the edge of your desk, your chair back or the wall and walk your feet away until your back can straighten and your biceps are by your ears. It’s okay to have the knees bent if you need to… the focus is on straightening the back.

6. Easy Office Yoga Exercise For Your Eyes

Benefits:

Eye exercises can help relieve strain in the eyes while toning the optic nerve. It will also help relieve any tension you may hold around your eyes.

Practice:

To start just find a comfortable seat. Begin with a side to side motion. Taking the gaze all the way to the right and then all the way to the left without strain. Repeat 5 times to each side. The change the gaze to move to the top and bottom of your vision. Repeat 5 times each. Then do circles with your eye gaze. Letting the gaze draw a circle around the outer edges of your vision. Repeat 5 times clockwise and 5 times counter clockwise. Slow down the motion in the places the eyes get a little jumpy or sticky. Then close your eyes, bring the palms of your hands together and rub them together quickly until heat is generated and then bring your palms to your eyes. Leave the hands there until they’ve cooled.

7. 5 minute Pranayama and Meditation for Wellbeing

Take 5 minutes for a gentle breathing and meditation exercise. Sitting comfortable in your chair or outside in a quiet place close your eyes and begin to bring your awareness to your breath. Set a timer for 5 minutes (so you won’t be late to return to work). At first just notice the breath without changing it. Become aware of its texture, the quality, it’s depth without judging or labeling it. Then begin to deepen your breath. Inhale for 4 counts. Pause at the top of your inhale. Exhale for 4 counts. Pause at the bottom of your exhale. Breathe in this manner for 10-15 breaths. Then allow your breath to return to normal. Follow your breath for the remaining time with eyes closed. When your mind wanders off bring your awareness back to your breath.

Yogi’s I’d love to hear how these yoga exercises influence your mood, attitude, and productivity in the office. Feel free to shoot me a private message. I am also available for corporate yoga sessions and would be happy to guide your staff in weekly/biweekly/monthly in-office yoga classes. I have plans available for both small and large offices. Contact Autumn for more information.