Mantra: “In stillness, I remember who I am.”

Tonight, we journey inward — not through doing, but through softening. In this Yoga Nidra practice, we enter conscious rest.

We live in a world of constant movement — but deep inside, there’s a still point that never wavers.

The Buddha called this your inner refuge.

This practice isn’t about falling asleep. It’s about waking up to who you are, beneath the noise.”

Metaphor: The Eye of the Storm

“Imagine a hurricane swirling with chaos. But at its very center, there is total stillness.

That’s what we’re accessing tonight — your calm center. Your breath may move. Thoughts may swirl. But you can remain at the still point within — grounded, quiet, and whole.”

Quotes to Weave Into the Journey

“In stillness, I remember who I am.” — Class Mantra

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” — The Buddha

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” — Caroline Myss

“You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” — Mary Oliver her ppoem – Wild Geese

Let’s break it down gently in the spirit of your class:

Mary Oliver is inviting us to stop fighting our own nature.

The “soft animal” refers to our instinctual, embodied self — the part of us that longs to rest, to feel, to love, to be close to the earth. She’s saying you don’t have to be perfect, or “good,” or meet all of society’s expectations.

Instead, your only job is to honor the truth of your being, just as animals do — without shame, without overthinking. Let your body feel what it feels. Let it soften. Let it love.

It’s a deeply compassionate reminder, and perfect for Yoga Nidra, where we ask students to return to their essential nature without resistance.

“There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” — Rumi

“To rest is not to quit. It is to restore.” — David Scott

“You are not a problem to be solved. You are a being to be felt.”

“Even your breath loves you — it never leaves.”

“The body says what words cannot.” — Martha Graham

Yoga Nidra Practice

A. Settling the Body

“Let the floor hold you. Soften the jaw. Loosen the belly. Let the breath come naturally.”

B. Body Scan (10–15 minutes)

Hands

Let your hands rest like leaves that have just fallen — no tension, no grasping, just being.

Feel the fingers soften, as if each one were melting into warm wax.

Imagine the palms open like flower petals in the morning sun — soft, effortless, receiving.

The backs of the hands sink gently, like driftwood floating just beneath the surface of still water.

Feel your wrists like silk ribbons resting across the earth — loose, light, unbound.

Each finger releasing like the last threads of a dream slipping into daylight.

Let the hands grow warm and heavy, as if the bones themselves were exhaling.

Feel the life in your hands — not doing, not reaching — just pulsing gently with quiet aliveness.

Allow the hands to forget every task, every tool, every touch they’ve carried today.
Now, they simply rest.

Head & Face
Let your forehead be smooth, like fresh silk stretched in moonlight.
Let the space between your brows open like a window to the sky.
The eyes rest like petals on water — soft, weightless, at peace.
Feel your jaw soften, as if it’s remembering how to smile in your sleep.
Let the tongue rest like a leaf floating in a still pond.

Shoulders & Arms
Allow your shoulders to melt, as if warm sunlight were gently pouring over them.
Feel the arms grow heavy, like golden ropes laid down after a long journey.
Hands open like seashells, no longer needing to grasp.
Elbows resting like anchors in deep water — no effort, just being.

Chest & Heart
Let your heart center open like the petals of a lotus touched by first light.
The breath rises and falls like the tide — slow, sure, eternal.
Imagine your chest bathed in warm light — steady, glowing, free.

Back & Spine
The spine, like a mountain range — strong and still beneath the sky of your awareness.
Let your back settle like sand after a wave has passed.
Each vertebra cradled like stones in a riverbed — grounded and quiet.

Belly & Abdomen
The belly breathes like a sleeping animal — safe, calm, at home.
Let the navel rise and fall like a lantern swaying in slow wind.
The abdomen softens as if exhaling centuries of tension.

Hips, Legs, and Feet
Let the hips be wide and easy, like open gates leading inward.
The thighs rest like tree trunks in rich soil — rooted and still.
Feet softening like warm sand beneath your soles.
Toes releasing, like blossoms returning to the earth.

C. Breath Awareness
“Now become aware of your breath — gentle, natural, effortless.
Notice where you feel it most… the nostrils… the chest… the belly.
Let the breath rock you, like waves lapping at the shore.”
(Optional counting down from 10 with exhales to deepen relaxation.)

D. Sankalpa
“Bring to mind a simple, heart-centered intention. A quiet truth.
Maybe it’s: ‘I am safe.’ Or ‘I am whole.’

Let it arise from the stillness, not the thinking mind.
Silently say it three times to yourself, like planting a seed in fertile soil.”

E. Guided Visualization
Theme: Inner Sanctuary Journey

“Imagine yourself walking through a forest at dusk. The light is soft, the earth warm beneath your feet.

You reach a clearing… in the center, a still pool reflects the sky. You see yourself — not as the world sees you, but as your soul remembers you.

Radiant. Whole. Undamaged by time.

A warm light begins to glow at your heart. It spreads gently through the body. Let this light hold you. Let it whisper: ‘You are already enough.’”

(Pause often. Use long silences. Soften voice to a near whisper.)

F. Return & Awakening
“Begin to feel the edges of your body again.
Notice the rise and fall of the breath.
Wiggle fingers… toes…
Slowly roll to your right side, resting for a moment.
And when you’re ready, come up slowly to a comfortable seat.”

Closing Reflection
“You didn’t come here tonight to escape. You came to remember.
Beneath the rushing, the roles, the doubts — there is a self that is untouched.

That self is always here.

Let this stillness walk with you, not as something fragile, but as something true.

And when life becomes too loud… simply pause and say:

‘In stillness, I remember who I am.’”

(Optional: One silent Om or bow of gratitude.)