Welcome to your Yoga Nidra practice today.
My name's Lucy and I will be your guide on this journey of deep restorative rest.
My voice,
My guidance will sketch some lines,
Inviting you to fill this space with the colour and texture of your true self.
Create some space and silence for you to hear your inner voice,
To meet yourself with love and compassion.
Take a moment now to prepare for your practice,
Laying on your back or in a position that feels supportive for you today.
You might place a pillow behind your head and perhaps your knees,
Or even tuck yourself in with a blanket to create a cocoon.
Do these things for yourself with care,
Love and attention.
We begin today's practice with a poem from Mary Oliver called When I Am Among the Trees.
When I am among the trees,
Especially the willows and the honey locust,
Equally the beech,
The oaks and the pines,
They give off such glints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me,
And daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
In which I have goodness and discernment and never hurry through the world,
But walk slowly and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out,
Stay a while.
The light flows from their branches and they call again,
It's simple,
They say,
And you too have come into this world to do this,
To go easy and be filled with light and to shine.
Let's begin by taking a long breath in through the nose,
And as you exhale,
Purse your lips as if blowing through a straw.
Release long exhalation.
Let's do that a few more times.
With each exhalation,
Allow your body to sink a little deeper into the support beneath you.
One more deep breath in and exhale slowly,
Scanning through your body now,
Noticing any areas you can soften,
Your forehead,
Jaw,
Perhaps your shoulders or hips.
Make any small adjustments to your body now to get even more comfortable.
Your intention is to remain still throughout this practice,
But know that you can move or adjust your body at any time.
Take a moment now to welcome in your inner sanctuary,
A real or imaginary place where you feel safe,
A place that inspires feelings of calm and well-being.
Notice the light,
Colour,
Sounds and smells.
Feel immersed in your inner refuge for a moment.
Into this place,
Welcome in an intention for your practice or your Sankalpa,
Or perhaps you can choose to rest in the space of no Sankalpa,
Actively choosing an open space,
Meaning receptive and spacious.
Allow your attention to move through your body,
Following the guidance of my voice.
As I name a body part,
Let your attention settle here in this area of the body.
Bring awareness to the tip of your tongue and all the way down to the root of the tongue.
Inside of the right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek,
The roof of the mouth,
Lower lip,
Upper lip,
The tip of the nose,
Centre of the forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Right eye,
Left eyebrow,
Left eye,
The back of the neck,
The heart centre,
Right side of the chest,
Right shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
The entire right hand and right arm,
The heart centre,
Left side of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
The left hand and the left arm,
The front of the chest,
Back of the chest,
Waist,
Navel,
Pelvic bowl,
Right hip,
Knee,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The entire right foot and right leg,
The pelvic bowl,
Left hip,
Knee,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The left foot and the left leg,
The left side of the body,
Put your attention in the left side of the body,
Focus all of your attention on the left side of the body.
Allow your attention to move to the right side of the body,
The right side of the body,
Bringing attention to the right side of the body and now allow your attention to fill your whole body,
Your whole body now,
Radiant and shimmering with sensation,
Feel sensation throughout your whole body,
Notice your breath,
The natural easy flow of air in and out,
Your body breathing itself,
Just notice the breath without changing the natural rhythm and flow in and out.
With each inhalation feel yourself expand and open and with each exhalation contract,
Inhale expand,
Exhale contract without changing the natural rhythm of the breath.
Inhale expand,
Exhale contract,
Just imagining,
Bring awareness to the place in front of your closed eyes,
Rest your mind in this infinite space,
The quiet darkness.
Welcome the image of a path in front of you,
Notice the colour and texture of the path,
The sound of your footsteps and begin to follow the path into the woods.
The trees around and above cradling the path.
Step into a small clearing surrounded by the trees.
Find a place to sit or lay down in the sun or in the shade.
And start to observe the trees,
Shades of green,
Perhaps reds and yellows.
The texture and movement of the leaves,
The sound of the wind,
The steady solid trunks,
The deep grounding roots.
The grace and strength of the trees,
Unmoving witnesses of the world passing by,
Inviting you to stay,
So why not rest here a while.
Welcome in your heart's vow,
Your sankalpa,
Let the intention,
The feeling rest here with you,
Hearing your inner voice whisper its truth,
Like the wind through the trees.
Begin to sense the breath in the body,
The natural air and flow.
On the next inhalation begin to count up from 1 to 5,
Inhaling 1,
Exhaling 1,
Inhale 2,
Exhale 2.
Continue at your own pace to 5.
Begin to sense any sounds in your environment,
Near or far.
Become aware of the space around you,
Far and near,
The walls,
Windows,
The pillow beneath your head.
Feel the solid earth beneath you,
Your head,
Shoulders,
Legs and feet.
And slowly start to awaken the body,
Making slow gentle movements,
Moving the fingers,
Wiggling the toes.
Take a deep breath and maybe a full body stretch.
When you're ready,
Flutter the eyes open,
Allowing time to come back to the waking state.
Notice any sensations in your body and continue to experience the peace that you have cultivated within you as you return from this state of deep restorative rest.
Thank you for practicing Yoga Nidra with me today.
Namaste.
