Grounding Series: Yoga Nidra

Welcome to Green Lotus Studios.

Now is the time for yoga nidra.

Making sure that you have warm clothes or blankets so that you are as comfortable as possible.

If you can come into shavasana which is traditionally lying on your back.

Legs straight with the heels slightly wider than the hips so that the feet flop out to the side.

Alternatively if this is uncomfortable for the lower back you can bend the knees place the feet flat to the floor.

Have the feet as wide as the mat so the knees can rest in to the center against each other.

Traditionally the arms are around 45 degrees away from the body so the shoulders can release down to the floor.

Hands are palm face up but the palms can be faced down if that's more comfortable.

And alternatively you can bend at the elbows placing the hands to rest on the body resting on the lower ribs.

Head is in line with the spine back of the head resting on the mat beneath.

We'll practice yoga nidra listening to the instructions to the best of your ability.

If at any point you find the mind has wandered or you've slipped off into sleep this is not a problem.

When you become aware again simply pick up where we are continuing to follow the instructions listening to my voice to the best of your ability taking with you anything that resonates and leaving behind anything that doesn't.

The intention is to remain still for the duration of the practice of course if discomfort arises then movement and adjustments might be necessary but returning back to stillness as soon as you are able to and continuing to follow the instructions listening to my voice.

Making your final adjustments coming into stillness and becoming aware of the contact the is having with the mat beneath.

Each point of contact connecting you to the mat connecting you to the earth grounding and supporting the body.

We were able to release any holding that's not necessary in the muscles letting the support of the earth to hold you.

Noticing the contact that the heels are having with the mat and the floor beneath.

Contact of the calves and thighs with the floor and the earth beneath.

Noticing the weight of the buttocks resting on the mat connecting the body to the earth.

Parts of the back and shoulder blades in contact with the floor.

Noticing the arms hands in contact with the mat the floor or perhaps in contact with the body.

Allowing your awareness to come to rest at the back of the head and noticing that heavy weight of the head releasing any holding any tension and allowing the earth to hold the head in stillness.

Awareness traveling back down to the soles of the feet and scanning once more through those points of contact.

Heels,

Calves,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Back,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

Back of the head and noticing that film of contact that's connecting the back of the body to the mat and the earth beneath.

Holding,

Supporting.

A small film of contact that's not quite part of the body and it's not quite part of the floor but it's a bridge connecting the two together.

Allowing your awareness to come to rest on the breath at the nostrils.

Noticing the cool air as you inhale and the slightly warmer air as you exhale.

Breathing in and breathing out.

As you inhale the sense of drawing the breath up to the top of the nose the brow center and then releasing the breath from the brow center out through the nostrils.

The next time you inhale drawing the breath to the eyebrow center we can continue breathing but holding our awareness at the brow center as we explore our sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a positive statement of intent.

If you don't have a sankalpa then I may suggest the statement the earth supports me and meets my needs.

If you can repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times.

The earth supports me and meets my needs.

Leaving the sankalpa here and allowing the awareness to drop into the body as we move into the rotation of awareness around the body.

Here I will name various areas of the body and I invite you to bring your full attention to that specific area.

Naming it mentally to yourself and following my instructions as we guide around the body.

If you lose place or your mind slips away just returning back and picking up wherever we are continuing the awareness and rotation around the body to the best of your ability.

Bringing your awareness into the right hand and beginning the rotation of awareness with the right hand thumb.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the body,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Car,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Awareness of the whole right side of the body.

The whole right side.

Taking the awareness over to the left side of the body and continuing our rotation with the left hand thumb.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the body,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Car,

Left ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Awareness of the whole left side of the body.

The whole left side.

Dropping your awareness into the back of the body with the right buttock,

Left buttock,

Right side of the back,

Left side of the back,

The whole of the spine,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Tip of the nose,

The lips,

The chin,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Centre of the chest,

The diaphragm,

Abdomen,

Navel,

The pelvis and the pelvic floor.

Awareness now of the whole right leg,

The whole left leg and both legs together.

Whole right arm,

Left arm,

Both arms together,

The front and back of the body,

The whole of the head and neck.

Awareness now to the whole body,

The whole body lying on the floor practicing yoga nidra.

Returning the awareness back to the breath,

Watching the inhale and exhale.

We'll continue our yoga nidra with a breath practice counting from 27 to 1,

Where each inhale and exhale is one count.

If you find that you reach one or you lose count,

Simply return back to 27 and continue the practice.

We'll begin together inhaling 27,

Exhaling 27,

Inhaling 26,

Exhaling 26.

Continuing in this way counting the breath.

If you notice the mind wandering from the count and from the breath,

Simply notice and return back,

Beginning again at 27.

Releasing the count and the awareness of breath and returning back to your natural rhythmic breathing.

Inhaling and exhaling as we move into our rapid images.

Here I will name various images.

Please follow along to the best of your ability,

Visualising the descriptions and the images and objects,

Taking what resonates and leaving what doesn't.

A red square,

A four-petalled lotus flower,

Roots of a tree,

A red rose,

A sunset,

Elephant moving,

Warm soil,

Padlock and key,

Heavy blanket,

The earth beneath,

A relaxing afternoon,

A lonely rock in the mountains,

Sandy beach,

A warm embrace,

Balanced scales,

The four directions north,

South,

East,

West,

A dormant snake,

Soles of your feet,

Downward pointing triangle,

Your body lying on the floor,

Your body lying on the floor,

Practising yoga nidra,

Bringing the awareness back to the nostrils,

Noticing the inhale and exhale,

Drawing the breath once more to the top of the nose,

The eyebrow centre as you inhale,

Releasing as you exhale.

On your next inhale,

Allowing your attention to rest at the brow centre and repeating your sankalpa once to yourself,

The earth supports me and meets my needs.

Bringing your awareness into the abdomen and chest as you deepen the breath,

Finding the expanse,

The movement within the breath,

Moving the core of the body as you inhale and exhale,

Noticing the contact that the body's having with the floor,

Noticing the point of contact,

The back of the body,

Supporting you against the earth,

Connecting the body to the earth beneath,

Noticing the heels,

Calves,

Buttocks,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

Back of the head,

The contact of the body,

Bringing your full awareness into the physical body and its contact that it's having with the mat and noticing that movement of breath as you inhale and exhale,

Bringing your awareness from the internal to the external,

From the practice of yoga nidra,

We gradually move out of stillness into movement.

We can do this by wiggling fingers and toes,

Starting from the extremities of the body,

Creating some movement to further externalise from the internal to the external,

Rotating ankles and wrists,

Taking the arms overhead and inhaling with a big stretch and maybe a natural yawn occurs here.

Perhaps you want to explore drawing the knees into chest and squeezing tightly a rock and a roll from side to side,

Massaging through the back,

Generating some more movement within the body,

Further externalising,

Returning back into the room that you're practising in,

Remembering the room that you're practising in,

The floor beneath,

The walls and the ceiling above,

Remembering the room around you,

Taking any movements that feel right and appropriate for you in this moment,

Maybe a twist,

Maybe you want to return to stillness,

Keeping the eyes closed whilst you explore movement or stillness,

Stretching,

Squeezing,

Twisting,

Moving in whatever way brings awakeness into the body and gently rocking from side to side and options to roll over to one side using the hands to come up to seat or if you prefer you can rock forwards and backwards,

Rocking up to a seated position or any other way to come into a comfortable seated position.

We'll close the class together.

Remaining in stillness with the eyes closed,

You can bring the hands to the heart centre into Anjoli Mudra.

We'll chant the mantra Om once together to close.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Lengthening the breath,

Finding space within the body.

We'll chant together following the next inhalation.

Breathing in,

The practice of Yoga Nidra is complete.

Thank you for joining me.