Hello and welcome to your journey to mindfulness.
My name is Letitia and today I'll guide you through the deep rest and nervous system reset yoga nidra.
So welcome to this practice.
This is your time for deep rest,
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to go,
Simply allowing yourself to be here,
Exactly as you are.
So find a comfortable position,
Ideally lying down or seated with full support.
Close your eyes gently and notice how the body is supported.
Perhaps you can sense the weight of your bones being held by the surface beneath you.
A gentle reminder that you don't have to hold yourself up right now.
And if it feels good,
Take a slow,
Gentle breath in through the nose and let the exhale be longer,
Softer through the mouth.
Maybe do that again,
Or maybe one breath is enough.
Simply noticing how the breath flows just as it is.
Now sensing into the body,
Noticing where you make contact with the ground,
The back of the head,
The shoulders,
The arms,
The hips,
The legs,
The heels.
Nothing to change,
Just awareness,
A gentle noticing.
You might feel the whole body melting,
Or you might just sense a little more ease.
Either way is perfectly right.
And now we'll slowly drape the awareness through the body,
Beginning at the very top of the head,
Forehead smooth,
Eyes heavy and relaxed,
Jaw unhinged,
No effort in the mouth.
Awareness at the throat,
Open,
Spacious,
Shoulders soft,
As if they are being drawn down towards the earth.
And perhaps you notice the arms,
All the way down into the palms and fingers,
And the heart space,
The belly,
Soft like warm honey.
Awareness drifting into the hips,
Soles of the feet,
The whole body here,
Whole body breathing,
Whole body resting.
And now becoming aware of the natural rhythm of the breath,
As if the breath is breathing you,
No effort at all.
And perhaps if it feels gentle and supportive,
You might let the inhale be a little shorter,
And the exhale a little longer,
Like waves rolling back into the sea.
And maybe you notice how the body softens on those longer exhales,
How the nervous system sighs in relief,
As if it's been waiting for this permission to let go.
Just sensing longer exhales,
Like each breath out is melting tension away,
And each breath in is bringing a little more nourishment,
A little more ease.
And now imagine or simply sense that you are resting in a place of deep comfort,
Perhaps a quiet beach at sunset or sunrise,
A forest,
Or maybe it's just a feeling of being wrapped in a soft,
Warm blanket.
There is no right or wrong here.
Whatever arises is perfect.
Notice what this place feels like.
Is there a temperature,
A texture,
A softness,
A sound that soothes you?
Perhaps you hear birdsong or the hush of waves,
And perhaps it's simply silence,
The fullness of silence.
In this place,
You are completely safe.
Nothing is required of you.
Every cell of your body knows how to rest here.
You might feel the nervous system slowly unwinding,
As if tiny knots are gently loosening.
The body remembers its natural rhythm.
The mind softens into stillness.
The heart rests in ease.
In this place,
You don't even have to breathe for yourself.
The earth is breathing you.
And now slowly letting the image of that place soften,
Returning gently to the breath,
Noticing how you feel now,
Perhaps more spacious,
Or simply more present,
And maybe repeating silently to yourself,
Like a soft whisper within.
I am safe,
I am supported,
I am in harmony.
Resting in this truth for a few quiet moments,
And when it feels right,
Letting the breath deepen again,
Perhaps wiggling the fingers and toes,
And a slow deeper stretch through the body,
A gentle turning of the head side to side,
And whenever you are ready,
Slowly blinking the eyes open,
Carrying this deep rest,
This nervous system balance with you into the rest of your day,
Taking all the time that you need to come back into the world,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing this practice with me today.
Thank you for your support,
And I hope to see you next time for another practice.
Have a beautiful day.
