Beloved heart,
Welcome.
Today we enter a restorative practice,
Your nervous system reset.
Our modern lives often leave us trapped in the sympathetic or fight or flight state.
But this practice,
This yoga nidra,
Is a conscious invitation to activate your parasympathetic side,
Your rest and digest mode.
This is a time to release the body's vigilant guard and allow profound healing to occur,
Gently lowering your heart rate and easing the burden of chronic stress.
Please allow yourself to lie down comfortably now,
Finding a position where your body feels safe,
Supported and utterly still.
Grab a blanket and maybe a pillow,
An eye covering if you have one,
And let the silence of this moment begin to wash over you.
We make a quiet vow now,
A sankalpa,
Or heart's intention.
It is a simple,
Present tense truth that supports the nervous system's return to balance.
Perhaps it is,
My body is safe to rest,
Or I allow my nervous system to find peace,
Or I trust the unfolding of my life.
Choose this gentle truth now and repeat your chosen sankalpa.
Three times to yourself.
Now we begin the quiet journey of body surrender.
We move through the physical landscape,
Naming each part and offering it the permission to simply soften.
There is no effort,
Only allowance.
Bring your soft awareness to your right hand.
Feel the right thumb,
The index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
The little finger,
The palm,
Let the entire right hand release its grip and dissolve.
Now the right wrist,
The forearm,
The entire upper arm.
Let the entire right arm become heavy,
Sinking deep.
Bring your awareness down,
Down,
Down,
To your right hip,
The right foot,
The entire right ankle.
Let the entire right leg and foot release their hold and dissolve into the earth.
Now gently move your awareness to the left hand,
The thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
The entire left hand softening.
Now the left wrist,
The forearm,
The elbow,
The entire upper arm.
Let the entire left arm become heavy,
Sinking deep.
Bring your awareness down,
Down,
Down,
To your left hip,
The entire left leg and foot release their hold and dissolve into the earth.
Feel the sacred weight of your spine,
The gentle curve of your lower back,
The broadness of your shoulder blades.
Feel the entire back of your body being cradled,
Supported,
And loved by the earth.
Now the front of the body,
Your chest,
The soft,
Gentle rise and fall of your abdomen.
Your throat,
Your jaw,
Your cheeks,
Your forehead.
Let the expression of your face become quiet and utterly undefended.
Let any held tension in the eyes or the brow simply melt away.
You are now simply a vessel of breath.
Every exhalation is a gift of softening,
Signaling safety to your deep nervous system.
Every inhalation is a gift of nourishment.
Know that in this stillness,
Your deepest healing begins.
Your nervous system is recalibrating.
Rest here for a moment,
Bathed in the quiet safety of your own surrender.
Gently bring your awareness back to the room,
But keep the peace in your body.
Recall your sankalpa,
Your heart's intention,
Repeating it three times.
You are whole.
Carry this peaceful surrender with you as you move forward.
You are loved.
