yoga nidra script

Yoga Nidra Inspired By The Ocean

Autumn Adams

Welcome beautiful human! I’m excited to share this yoga nidra inspired by the ocean with you. This yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is inspired by my short time living by the sea in Santa Barbara, California. I used to love taking the pups over to the beach for a romp in the surf and when the tide was just right I would find all kinds of little gems — sea glass, perfect little shells, and polished stones. We often saw dolphins and seals (or sea lions?) playing in the surf. I often wondered if they were just as enchanted by us as we were by them. It was a beautiful place to call home.

If yoga nidra is new to you, check out some of my other yoga nidra resources:

yoga nidra inspired by the ocean

We’ll practice yoga nidra in shavasana. If you’re not comfortable in shavasana, find a comfortable seat or lie on your side. For shavasana, slide a bolster or folded blanket underneath your knees and another blanket or pillow underneath the back of your head. The body temperature tends to drop during yoga nidra, so a blanket over the top of your body is usually really nice too. Let’s drop into this ocean-inspired yoga nidra.

Preliminary Relaxation For This Yoga Nidra Inspired by the Ocean

Take the next couple of minutes to get really comfortable. Adjust your props, your clothing and remove any distractions from your space. Once we’re in the practice of yoga nidra, you will want to remain still for the duration. 

Settle in. Take care of any last-minute wiggles and invite in a sense of stillness and calm. Close down your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath. Without changing your breath, simply witness it. Witness the rise and fall of your breath at your belly. Witnessing this sacred, natural rhythm. Unhurried. Unrestricted. Stay with the rise and fall of your breath.

Witness its ebb and flow. Your inhale releases into your exhale and your exhale surrenders into your inhale. PAUSE

Yoga Nidra Sankalpa

In yoga nidra we work with a sankalpa. A sankalpa is a positive “I am” statement that is true at the core of who you are. It is your essence simplified into a short positive “I am” statement. Bring into your mind’s eye your sankalpa. Once it has formed, repeat it quietly and internally to yourself three times. PAUSE

Remain aware of my voice and be still throughout the remainder of practice. The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Rotation of Consciousness

Remain aware of my voice and do not sleep. I will guide you through a rotation of consciousness all you have to do is follow along and move your awareness from point to point within your body.

  • 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
  • Now 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 as Prana

Now bring your awareness to your breath. Experience your breath as it is. Follow its natural tide without altering it. Experience the pranic tide of your breath as if your whole body is breathing. Vibrant, white light flowing in and out with each cycle of breath. Waves of sparkling light washing over you with each inhale and falling away with each exhale. Each inhale peaking like a wave of prana cresting and then giving way to the exhale. Experience the peaks and valleys of your breath like the waves of an ocean. PAUSE.

Now count each breath. Count down from 54 to 0. Inhale 54. Exhale 53. Inhale 52. Exhale 51. If you lose count simply begin again. PAUSE

Opposites

Now bring your awareness to an experience of pleasure. Welcome the feeling of pleasure into your being. Hold your awareness on the experience of pleasure.

Now bring your awareness to an experience of pain. Meet the feeling of pain with equanimity. Experience it fully. Hold your awareness on the experience of pain.

Now bring your awareness to your body. Feel your body, mind and soul contracting. Becoming smaller and smaller. 

All at once, the body expands. The mind expands. And the soul expands. Body, mind, and soul expanding into the infinite, boundless.

Now bring your awareness to the experience of holding tightly. Experience the gripping in your body and mind. 

Now bring your awareness to the experience of letting go. Experience the release in your body and mind.

Archetypal Images

I will now describe images to you. Experience them without attachment and allow them to wash over you.

Your bare feet on the earth

You see a meandering path

Tall tufts of grass line the trail

Follow the path toward the sound of the ocean

You glimpse the ocean’s glimmering waves

The sea is calm

Your path gently gives way to a wide stretch of golden sand

You see the vast expanse of sea stretches out before you

The sun dances off the crest of each wave

Your breath in sync with the rhythmic pulse of the ocean

Miles of shimmery sand in each direction

Seabirds dart and dive

Puffs of clouds drift overhead

Dolphins play just beyond the waves

You walk over to the edge of the water

With each step little crabs scurry away

You stop and roll up your jeans

The water flows over your toes

Tiny shells, little gems, and sparkly stones turned and tossed by the gentle sea

A perfect shell washes up to your feet

You reach down and pick it up admiring its perfection

You peacefully slide it into your pocket and walk along the beach toward distant cliffs

A large piece of driftwood provides a spot to sit and rest

You turn your gaze toward the horizon and you take in your surroundings

A sense of ease washes over you

You reach into your pocket and pull out the shell

You turn it over in your hands, one, two, three times

You see a tiny inscription — it’s your sankalpa

Now, repeat your sankalpa internally to yourself. Speak it into the deepest layers of your being with meaning and intention. PAUSE

Gently bring your awareness back to your physical body lying on the earth. Experience your breath as the waves of an ocean. Sensation coming back. Arms. Legs. Torso. Head. Without opening your eyes, find a bit of movement. Little movements to start and finally a full body stretch. The practice of yoga nidra is complete. When you’re ready, roll over onto your side and pause there for a breath or two before coming up to a seat.

I hope you enjoyed this yoga nidra inspired by the ocean and beaches of sunny California. If you would like to learn more about yoga nidra, join me for a yoga teacher training or retreat. Both are great ways to learn more about this immensely healing practice.

Many blessings to you.

Love,
Autumn

Permissions for live in-person classes only: This script is copyrighted Ambuja Yoga© 2020, 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.

Other Resources for Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra Script Inspired by Nature

Autumn Adams
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