Thank you for taking this time for you.
My name is Julie and it's a privilege to guide you through this yoga nidra practice.
Today we will explore presence,
Noticing each breath,
Each sound and each sensation as brand new.
A moment that has never been before and will never return in quite the same way.
Please lie down in a comfortable position,
Your spine long,
Arms resting naturally by your sides,
Palms facing the sky or gently placed over your heart or belly.
Use any cushions or blankets for support and make any adjustments so your body can rest without distraction and shavasana.
When you are ready I invite you to close your eyes,
Allow my voice to guide you into stillness.
Take a slow deep breath in and a gentle complete exhale.
Again breathe in deeply,
Filling the lungs and breathe out releasing everything you no longer need.
One more time,
Inhale fully and exhale,
Allowing the body to settle.
Know that in this moment you are supported by Papatūnuku beneath you,
Held by the space around you and you are complete and whole just as you are.
Allow your body to settle with each breath.
There is nowhere else you need to be,
Nothing else to do,
The moment is here.
Bring your awareness to the sounds around you,
Hear them as passing moments appearing,
Fading,
Never to repeat in exactly the same way like clouds in the sky.
Now notice the feeling of the air on your skin,
The weight of your body,
The rhythm of your breath.
This is the texture of right here,
Right now.
Turning your awareness inward,
Noticing your inner gaze,
The spaciousness of your mind.
Observe without judgment.
We will now move through a gentle rotation of consciousness.
Bring awareness to the crown of your head,
Your forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyes,
Your jaw.
Noticing the tension melting away through all the little muscles in your jaw.
Noticing your neck,
Your right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger.
Shifting your attention to your chest,
Upper back,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Belly.
Dropping your attention to your pelvis,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Ankle,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Shifting your attention to your left hip,
Big toe,
Little toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe.
Notice your whole body lying here,
Perfectly still,
Perfectly present.
Bringing your focus to your breath,
Inhale,
Feel the cool air entering the nostrils,
Exhale,
Feel the warm air leaving.
With each inhale,
Imagine the mind awakening to the freshness of this moment.
With each exhale,
Release all that belongs to the past.
Now bring to mind your sankalpa,
Your heart's intention.
If one does not arise,
You may choose something simple,
Such as,
I am here,
I am love,
I am at peace.
Repeat your sankalpa silently three times,
Planting it in your heart like a seed.
Now we will take a short journey of imagination.
See yourself standing beneath a vast open sky.
It is a sky you have never seen before.
Its colours shift and change with each breath.
Now I will share words from Terry Pratchett,
Whose work we honour and recognise here.
The universe is,
Instant by instant,
Recreated in you.
There is in truth no past,
Only a memory of the past.
Blink your eyes and the world you see did not exist when you closed them.
Therefore,
The only appropriate state of mind is surprise.
The only appropriate state of the heart is joy.
The sky you see now,
You have never seen before.
The perfect moment is now.
Be glad of it.
Let those words settle into you.
Notice how your body responds.
Notice any feelings that arise.
Inhale surprise,
Exhale joy.
Breathe in newness,
Breathe out gratitude.
