Short 10 minute Yoga Nidra for Sleep from Yoga with Melissa West

This short 10 minute yoga nidra is for sleep. Yoga nidra affects your body chemistry by producing specific hormones to help you sleep. Yoga nidra prepares your body chemistry for sleep by producing and releasing hormones. It does so by releasing the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by your pineal gland. Your pineal gland is a small gland in your brain. Melatonin sets your body's circadian rhythm, your 24-hour sleep-wake schedule, which determines both when you fall asleep and when you wake up. Secondly, research has shown that meditation increases the amount of DHEA in your body and those with higher levels of DHEA may sleep more soundly through the night. DHEA is a hormone made by your adrenal glands. DHEA induces an increase in REM sleep and also helps to neutralize cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone and often high levels of cortisol in your body keep you up through the night as well. So by neutralizing the cortisol through repeated use of this yoga nidra sleep meditation, you'll be supported in sleeping through the night. So hi, I'm Melissa from Yoga with Melissa and today I am so grateful to be a guest here on Yoga JP for Sherry and offer you this short 10-minute yoga nidra for sleep. If you come on over to my channel, Yoga with Melissa, you'll see that Sherry has created a chair yoga for you for back pain. And for today, you're going to need either a yoga mat, a blanket, a bolster, an eye pillow, but you could also do this class lying on the ground or on your bed or on your couch or your favorite chair. So whatever is best for you. There will be no clothes out today so that you can just release into sleep, go to sleep, rest deeply through the night. So thank you so much for subscribing, for liking before watching, and for leaving the comment I fall asleep quickly and deeply in the comments. If you'd like my seven days of yoga for sleep, my best yoga, Ayurveda, self massage and breath practices to fall asleep, go to melissawest.com slash sleep, put your email in and we'll deliver that right to your inbox. There's some people in the background doing a polar bear dips, going swimming in the Pacific Ocean. That's the noise. I hope you enjoy the yoga for sleep. Namaste. Welcome to the short yoga nidra for sleep. Allow yourself to be as comfortable as possible. Let your eyes be heavy. Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it fall out of your mouth. Feel your body sinking down and into the ground. If there's any way that you can relax more deeply, please allow yourself to do that now. As we go through this process of yoga nidra, I invite you to welcome anything and everything that comes into your awareness. Thoughts may come and go and allow them to float through the sky of your mind like clouds. As we scan your body, don't try to control your experience. Know that this yoga nidra will prepare your body chemistry to fall asleep quickly and sleep deeply through the night. Simply pay attention to my words and welcome the release of melatonin to support your sleep cycle, DHEA to increase your REM sleep, and the neutralization of cortisol to support you in sleeping through the night. Begin by noticing ambience sounds. Notice the sounds that are far away and then notice the sounds that are closer in. Breathe into the space behind your eyebrows. Notice your mouth. Feel the sensations in your mouth. Become aware of your upper lip, your lower lip, and notice where your lips touch. Feel the inside of your mouth, the roof of your mouth, under your tongue, upper teeth, gums, lower teeth and gums, tongue, root of tongue, center of tongue, tip of tongue. Notice the taste of your mouth. Feel the left inner cheek, right inner cheek, and then feel all the parts together as a whole in your mouth. Become aware of your eyes, ears, your entire face, and your entire head. Feel the sensations on your neck and throat. Notice your shoulders and your arms. Become aware of your left arm, top of your left arm, bottom of your left arm. Become aware of your right arm, top of your right arm, bottom of your right arm, left arm, right arm, and then feel both arms at the same time. Bring your awareness to the sensations in your torso. Breathe into your heart center. Breathe into your belly. Breathe into your lower back. Notice your pelvis, front of your pelvis, back of your pelvis, and sides of your pelvis. Bring awareness to the sensation of your legs. Feel your left leg, top and bottom. Feel your right leg, top and bottom, left leg, right leg, and then feel both legs together. Now feel the entire left side of your body from head to toe. Then feel the entire right side of your body from head to toe. Left side, right side, and then feel both sides together, becoming aware of your entire body. Begin to feel as if your body is very heavy, and then imagine that your body is very light. Very heavy, and then now light. Now adopt the feeling of being both heavy and light simultaneously. This does not need to make sense. Simply feel being both heavy and light simultaneously. What is the part of you that can be both heavy and light? Notice your awareness letting go into itself, unrestricted by time and space, where there is nothing to do, nothing to accomplish, nothing left to complete, nothing you need to get, nothing you need to know, and nowhere you need to be. Sleeping deeply, sleeping soundly through the night without interruption, and waking in the morning fully rested, restored, and refreshed.