A Zen Mind Guided Meditations - Yoga Nidra for Deep Nervous System Restoration: 20 Minute Meditation

Episode Date: May 6, 2026

🧘 This is our very first Yoga Nidra session together. Yoga Nidra (also known as yogic sleep) is a restorative meditation practice, which helps guide the body into a deep state of relaxation, while the mind remains aware.  It’s a powerful practice to help regulate the nervous system, release tension in the body and mind, and guide you into that delicate space between wakefulness and sleep (perfect for healing and subconscious reprogramming).  During this practice, we’ll move through a gentle yet swift &  rhythmic  body scan, at a pace that maintains awareness, while allowing the body to fully surrender. This helps keep the mind lightly engaged, supporting that dreamlike state that Yoga Nidra is known for. Throughout the meditation, we also work with balancing energy throughout the body with the breath, by bringing awareness to both the left and right hemispheres individually, and then together as one.  We will close our practice with a peaceful visualization under the vast night sky, where you can connect deeply with your personal intention, or sankalpa. It is best to do this practice lying down, or if you wish to nap or sleep after. Take a deep breath, and allow yourself to graciously receive this healing practice. ♡ With love, Jo __ Explore more from A Zen Mind Join me on ⁠Instagram⁠ 💖  ⁠ azenmindglobal.com⁠ Ad-free + extended episodes on ⁠Patreon⁠ Join the ⁠email list⁠  — Our Partners Mental Health Support: Talkiatry Online psychiatry with licensed providers and personalized, evidence-based care — all from home. Elevated Essentials: QuinceTimeless, high-quality pieces at accessible prices. Build Your Business: ShopifyEverything you need to start, run, and grow your business online. This episode is for relaxation and educational purposes only and is not a replacement for professional medical or mental health care.

Hello and welcome to A Zen Mind, part of the Airwave Podcast Network. I'm your host, Joe, and I'm so grateful that you're here. If you enjoy this meditation, please consider rating the show on your listening platform, as it truly helps the show reach even more people. You can follow me on Instagram at a.orgend.mind, and for ad-free episodes, check out my Patreon. All links can be found in the description. Now a quick message from the sponsors of today's episode. And as always, once the meditation begins, there will be no advertisements and no disruptions.

Thank you so much for being here. Hello to this guided yoga nidra meditation. Take a moment to find the most comfortable position as you lie down, giving yourself permission to fully occupy this space, letting yourself settle super-turb. deeply into this practice, perhaps placing a pillow behind your head or underneath your knees, or on either side of you, grabbing your blanket or any other props that you may want or need. And just allowing your body to begin settling and taking whatever time you need.

And as you sink into this space, I encourage you. to let go of any expectations, of any distractions, of anything connecting you to the outside world. This is a time and space for you to nurture your inner world. And so give yourself this gift, this practice, this time, this space. Because it is for you and only once you feel ready. We're going to begin with a deep breath in and if it feels comfortable and safe as you do squeeze every muscle in your body curling your toes squeezing your legs and your glutes bringing your hands into fists and tensing the muscles in your face

tightening everything for just a moment just this breath in holding it and exhale releasing it all letting it all go letting your body completely release feeling weighted and heavy sinking even deeper into the surface beneath you and with your next breath let's take two soft sips of air in through the nose and one long exhale out and again And two sips in and a long exhale out. I'm two sips in and a complete exhale out. Just letting your breath return to its natural rhythm. That familiar, beautiful and delicate current of your in-breath and out-breath. And we're just going to gently begin moving awareness. throughout the body. As I name each area, just let your attention rest there. You may even

wish to imagine your awareness, like a thread of soft, warm, sparkling light, just traveling wherever it's guided, beginning at the crown of your head, left side of the scalp, left ear, left eye, the tiny muscles behind the eye left nostril tip of the nose upper lip tip of the tongue of the mouth back of the throat left side of the neck shoulder tip of the thumb index finger middle finger ring finger little finger back of the hand left shoulder left side of the chest left side of the chest In between the shoulder blades, back of the ribs, hip, left thigh, knee, shin, calf, ankle, top of the foot, big toe, second toe, middle toe, little toe, sole of the left foot, gently traveling back up, ankle, left ear, left eye, one of the head, Envision breathing into the left side of the body only as if the breath could just fill the left hemisphere The air feels vibrant and clean Expansive breathing into the left side of the body only just the left side of the left side This again right side of the scalp right ear

Right eye the tiny muscle Bessels behind the eye, nostril, tip of the nose, upper lip, tip of the tongue, roof of the mouth, back of the throat, right side of the neck, right shoulder, left hand, tip of the thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, back of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, right side, right side, of the chest in between the shoulder blades back of the right rib hip right thigh shin ankle top of the foot big toe second toe middle toe fourth toe sole of the right foot gently traveling back up ankle knee hip shoulder neck right ear right eye, crown of the head, and here, breathing into the right side of the body only. Right hemisphere of your brain, of your body, the right side only. Pure and fresh prana. Can you gently divide your awareness into both sides of the body, equally, both sides of the body, equally, both,

hemispheres left and right at the same time sensing the whole body as one right as one resting you at the center of your forehead your third eye as you imagine inhaling through the center of the forehead right into the brain into the pineal gland and as exhaling out through the crown of your head. Inhale, center of the forehead. Guide you. Now reversing it. Inhaling through the crown of your head and exhaling through the center of the forehead. Build ink across a canvas. Expansive and spacious. Can you bring to mind one sparkling star? and another a distant planet installation. Can you sense the stillness, a quiet from this space?

Can you see your body? Resting below, completely still in this yoga nidra, and ever so gently, let your intention come to mind of feeling across the sky and just resting with that, a part of it. it nothing to separate you you are one and from here we'll begin a slow countdown from 10 back to awareness as you inhale 10 exhale 10 inhale now the way down to zero begin to bring your awareness to the shape of your body here the energy flowing around you and within you, to the texture of the surface beneath you, and gently, ever so gently, awakening the body, placing the thumbs to the tips of each finger, perhaps rolling your head

side to side, being to come back, taking your time. Whenever you're ready, you may take a deep, breath in and a deep breath out and slowly open your eyes moving into the remainder of your day or night with this beautiful energy of a clean slate wishing you so much peace and so much love namaste