Free · seven stages · about 17 minutes read aloud
Yoga nidra script
This is a complete yoga nidra script to read aloud, for a class, a friend or your own recording. It follows the traditional shape in plain English: settle, set an intention, move through the body, count the breath, feel opposites, picture simple images, and come back. Read slowly and keep the pauses.
Guided session · 10 min
Tranquil Balance
A gentle 10-minute guided body scan, read by a human voice with no music.
Peaceful Pause10 min
Ten minutes to settle when the day has been a lot.
How to read it
- 1
Set up the listener
They lie on their back with a blanket, since it's easy to get cold lying still. A pillow under the head and one under the knees are fine. Dim the lights.
- 2
Read slower than feels natural
Aim for an even, unhurried voice, about half your normal speaking pace. The body rotation is the exception: read it briskly, one place per line, like a list you know well.
- 3
Keep the pauses
The cues in brackets are seconds of silence after the line. Silence is half the practice, so resist filling it. If you're recording, count the seconds in your head.
- 4
Bring them back clearly
Always read the return stage, even if the listener seems asleep. It ends the practice and helps them get up gently.
The script
Read everything in plain type aloud. Bracketed cues are silence. About 17 minutes at a calm pace.
1. Settle
Get comfortable and agree to stay still.
This is yoga nidra, a guided rest that you do lying down.
Lie on your back, with your arms a little away from your sides and your palms facing up. Let your feet fall apart.
Make any last adjustments, so that you won't need to move again. Close your eyes.[pause 5s]
This is a practice for resting deeply while staying just awake. If you fall asleep, that's fine.
Let the sounds around you come and go.[pause 6s]
Feel the whole body lying still on the floor or the bed.[pause 6s]
Take one slow breath in, and let it out through the nose.[pause 6s]
2. Intention
A short sentence the listener repeats silently. Traditionally called the sankalpa.
Now choose an intention: one short sentence, in the present tense, as if it were already true.
Something like, I'm at ease, or, I can rest, or, I have enough time. If nothing comes, borrow one of those.
Say your sentence silently to yourself, three times.[pause 15s]
3. Body rotation
Read briskly, one place per line, with only a breath between lines.
Now we'll move through the body, one place at a time. As I name each place, let your attention touch it, then move on with my voice.
The right thumb. The second finger. The third finger. The fourth finger. The little finger.
The palm of the right hand. The back of the hand. The wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The right shoulder.
The right side of the waist. The right hip. The thigh. The knee. The calf. The ankle. The heel. The sole of the right foot. The toes.[pause 4s]
The left thumb. The second finger. The third finger. The fourth finger. The little finger.
The palm of the left hand. The back of the hand. The wrist. The forearm. The elbow. The upper arm. The left shoulder.
The left side of the waist. The left hip. The thigh. The knee. The calf. The ankle. The heel. The sole of the left foot. The toes.[pause 4s]
The back of the head. The shoulder blades. The spine, from the neck all the way down. The lower back. The backs of both legs.[pause 4s]
The forehead. The eyebrows. The space between the eyebrows. The eyes. The ears. The cheeks. The nose. The lips. The chin. The throat.
The chest. The belly. The lower belly.[pause 4s]
The whole right leg. The whole left leg. Both arms together. The whole back. The whole front. The whole head.
And now the whole body, all at once.[pause 8s]
4. Breath
A silent countdown gives the mind a simple task. Losing count is part of it.
Now notice the breath, without changing it. The belly rises a little as you breathe in, and falls as you breathe out.[pause 8s]
We'll count the breaths backwards, silently, from twenty-seven down to one. Each breath in and out is one number.
Breathing in, twenty-seven. Breathing out, twenty-seven.[pause 4s]
Breathing in, twenty-six. Breathing out, twenty-six.[pause 4s]
Carry on by yourself, at the pace of your own breath.[pause 60s]
If you lose count, start again at twenty-seven. It doesn't matter.[pause 60s]
Now let the counting go.[pause 6s]
5. Opposites
Pairs of sensations. Slow down here and leave clear space after each.
Bring up the feeling of heaviness. The whole body heavy, as if it were made of wet sand.[pause 10s]
Now let heaviness go, and bring up the feeling of lightness. The body so light it barely touches the floor.[pause 10s]
Heavy.[pause 5s]
Light.[pause 5s]
Now bring up the feeling of warmth, like sitting in strong sunshine on a summer afternoon.[pause 10s]
Now let warmth go, and bring up the feeling of cold, like stepping outside on a winter morning.[pause 10s]
Now let all of them go, and feel the body as it actually is right now.[pause 10s]
6. Images
Ordinary pictures, named one at a time. Clear, faint or absent are all fine.
Now I'll name a series of ordinary things. Let a picture of each one come, however it comes, and move on with the list.
A wooden door, half open.[pause 6s]
Rain running down a window.[pause 6s]
A cup of tea on a table, steam rising.[pause 6s]
A long road across flat fields.[pause 6s]
A lit window in a dark street.[pause 6s]
A stone at the bottom of clear water.[pause 6s]
An empty beach at low tide.[pause 8s]
Now let the pictures go. Rest in whatever is left, aware of the body lying here.[pause 30s]
7. Intention and return
Repeat the intention, then bring the listener back clearly.
Now come back to the sentence you chose at the start. Say it silently to yourself, three times.[pause 15s]
Begin to notice the breath getting a little deeper.
Feel the floor or the bed underneath you, and the air on your face.[pause 5s]
Hear the sounds in the room and outside it.
Move your fingers and toes. Stretch in whatever way feels good.[pause 5s]
When you're ready, roll onto your side and rest there for a moment.
Then, slowly, open your eyes. The practice of yoga nidra is complete.
Rather listen than read?
NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) is a term coined by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman for practices like yoga nidra. Our sessions are NSDR: the lying-down body scan and slow breathing at the heart of yoga nidra, in plain English, with nothing to believe in. Source: Huberman Lab: NSDR
If you'd like to try yoga nidra yourself rather than read it to someone, press play above. Our guided sessions keep the body scan and slow breathing; both above take 10 minutes.
Questions
Can I use this script for a group class?
Yes. Ask everyone to settle before you start, keep your voice even and a little louder than feels natural, and give the silences in full. Leave a few minutes after the return stage before anyone gets up.
How long should a yoga nidra script be?
Traditional sessions run 20 to 45 minutes. This one takes about 17 minutes read at a calm pace. To make it longer, lengthen the pauses and let the breath countdown run for longer.
Why count the breath backwards?
A countdown gives the mind a simple job that's easy to lose. When you notice you've lost count, you start again from twenty-seven. Noticing and starting again is the practice.
Do I need to use Sanskrit?
No. This script stays in plain English, with no chanting, chakras or religious imagery.
How is a yoga nidra script different from an NSDR script?
An NSDR script is usually shorter and keeps only the body scan and breathing. Our NSDR script guide has three of those, at 10, 20 and 30 minutes.
Yoga nidra is a relaxation practice, not medical care. If you have a sleep disorder, an anxiety disorder or another health condition, talk to a clinician.