Hello,
I'm Amy Ruthie,
And this is a yoga nidra to help you cultivate more self-compassion and self-love.
Before we begin,
Please get as comfortable as you can.
Lie down and support any body parts that might need a little more support,
Especially your head and your neck.
Get super comfortable.
Close down your eyes and breathe in and out through your nose.
And begin to notice the flow of air in and out of your nostrils.
Bring your awareness to the flow of air in through your nostrils and back out of your nostrils.
To help settle in more,
We'll practice a breathing technique called the three-part breath.
I'll explain first and then we'll practice together.
In a moment,
You'll inhale through your nose and bring awareness to your belly.
Watch it expand as the air moves in and watch it contract as the air moves back out.
We'll do that together.
Inhale,
Fill the lower belly,
And exhale,
Empty out the belly.
Inhale,
Belly expands.
Exhale,
The belly falls back towards the spine.
Three more times like that on your own.
You'll inhale and expand your belly and then your ribcage.
So inhale,
Fill the belly,
And then expand the ribcage.
Exhale,
Release the ribs and belly.
Inhale,
Belly and ribs expand.
Exhale,
Soften.
Three more times like that on your own.
Now you'll breathe into your belly,
Then your ribs,
And then your chest.
So inhale,
Fill the belly,
Ribs,
Chest,
And exhale all three at the same time.
Belly,
Ribs,
Chest.
Exhale,
Soften all three simultaneously.
Three more like that.
Now turn to your heart and come up with your Sankalpa for your practice,
Your heart's desire.
Turn to your heart and see what your heart needs right now.
And if nothing comes to the surface,
That's okay.
In a moment I'll provide examples of Sankalpas that you can use during your practice today.
So tune in to your heart and ask your heart what it needs,
What it desires,
And turn that answer into a positive statement in the present tense.
For example,
I accept all parts of myself,
Or I am kind to myself,
Or I am gentle with myself,
Or whatever your words are today.
And repeat that to yourself three times with feeling.
Take your time here.
Now we'll flow to a rotation of consciousness.
During this phase of the meditation,
I'll name different parts of the body,
And all you have to do is bring a gentle awareness to that body part.
You don't have to think about it or focus on it.
Just bring a gentle awareness to each of the parts while keeping your body in complete stillness and silence.
Starting with your mouth,
Bring your awareness to the roof of your mouth.
Back,
Tip of the tongue,
Base of the tongue,
Inside the right cheek,
Inside the left cheek,
Upper gums and teeth,
Lower gums and teeth.
The space between your upper and lower teeth,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
The space between the lips,
Tip of your nose,
Inside the right nostril,
Inside the left nostril,
The right cheek,
Left cheek,
The right eye and eyelid,
The muscles behind the right eye,
Right temple,
Right eyebrow,
The space between your eyebrows,
Left eye and eyelid,
The muscles behind the left eye,
Left temple,
Left eyebrow,
Right ear canal,
Middle ear,
Deep inside the inner ear,
The left ear,
Left ear lobe,
Left ear canal,
Middle ear,
Deep inside the inner ear,
The scalp and hair,
Top of the head,
The whole face and head,
Along with the neck and throat,
Down to the center of your heart,
Right side of the chest,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Lower arm,
Right wrist,
Palm of the right hand,
Left hand,
Back of the hand,
Right thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Back to the center of your heart,
Left side of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Lower arm,
Left wrist,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Back to your heart center,
Front of the chest,
Ribs,
Navel,
Lower belly,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Right upper leg,
Knee,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Right top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Back to the center of the pelvis,
Left hip,
Left upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The whole body,
The whole body,
Sensation in the whole body,
Without changing anything,
Bring your awareness to your body breathing naturally,
No changing the breath,
Just watch your natural breath as your body breathes in and out,
Now feel sensation in the front of your body,
From your forehead down to the tops of your feet,
The whole front side of the body,
The back of the body,
From the back of your head down to your heels,
The whole back of the body,
Awareness in the whole body,
The whole body full of sensation,
Without changing anything,
Imagine the sensation of contraction in your body,
Keep the body still,
The feeling of contraction within your body,
Now the sensation of expansion,
Feel expansion in the body,
Back to contraction,
Body feels contracted,
Now body feels expansion,
Body feels expansion,
Now both feeling of contraction and expansion at the same time,
Now bring your awareness to the point between your eyebrows,
Your mind's eye,
And imagine a place that you've been to before,
Or a place that you'd like to imagine now,
Where you felt very relaxed,
Comfortable,
And at ease,
Maybe you felt self-love and self-compassion in that place,
Bring that memory or image to your mind's eye now,
Keep your eyes closed,
What do you see around you in that scene?
A full 360 degrees around you,
What do you see around you?
What do you hear around you?
Really fill in the auditory scene around you,
What do you hear?
And what do you feel underneath your body supporting you?
And where is that support touching your body?
Really imagine and sense here,
A comforting scene at your mind's eye,
And I'll leave you here for a few moments to observe yourself in this scene,
Simply observe your breath,
Your natural breath,
And feel self-compassion and self-love,
And I'll guide you back after a few cycles of breath to your sankalpa for the practice.
Use your own sankalpa,
Or I accept all parts of myself,
Or I am kind to myself,
Or I am gentle with myself,
And repeat that three more times with feeling.
Start to deepen your breath,
Deeper inhale,
Longer exhale,
Notice the surface beneath you and where it's supporting your body,
Notice any sounds in your current environment,
Keep your eyes closed and notice any colors or shapes coming through your eyelids,
And for the next five breaths,
Count each breath,
Inhale and exhale for one,
And work your way up to five.
Take your time here before you open your eyes,
Notice how you feel in your body right now,
Remember that you can always come back to this place,
It's always here for you,
And as you begin to slowly open your eyes,
Thank you for practicing with me today,
And for allowing me to guide you on this journey for self-love and self-compassion.
Namaste.
