Welcome to your Yoga Nidra practice today.
This short practice is designed to help you rest and reset your nervous system.
Take a moment to get comfortable for the practice today,
Laying on your back with your arms resting by your side,
Your feet about hip distance apart,
Placing any pillows and blankets for extra comfort.
As you settle in,
Scan through your body and make any small adjustments to get even more comfortable,
Adjusting your head,
Your arms,
Your hips and legs,
Really settling in to the surface beneath you.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth,
Extending the exhalation.
We'll do that three more times,
A long breath in through the nose and let it go.
One more time,
Long breath in through the nose and extend the exhalation,
Feeling your body relax a bit further into the surface beneath you.
You might want to set an intention for this practice or your Sankalpa.
If you're not working with a particular Sankalpa,
Perhaps you can choose.
I am resting deeply to restore all layers of myself,
Mentally whispering your heart's vow to yourself three times.
Start by focusing all of your attention at the mind's eye centre,
The centre of the forehead,
The right eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
The right eye resting back.
Left eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
The left eye resting back.
The bridge of the nose,
Down to the tip of the nose,
Feeling the coolness of the inhalation in the nostril,
The warmth of the exhale.
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Inside of the mouth,
The tip of the tongue down to the root of the tongue,
The throat centre,
The right collarbone,
Right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
The palm of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
The space between and around the fingers.
Return your attention to the heart centre,
The left collarbone,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
The palm and back of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
The space between and around the fingers.
Return your attention to the heart centre,
The chest,
Front and back,
The neck,
Waist,
Navel,
Lower belly,
The right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
The calf and the shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The space between and around the toes.
Returning your attention to the belly,
The left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
The calf and the shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The space between and around the toes.
Allow your attention to fill the left side of the body,
From the left foot,
Up the left leg,
Left side of the torso and arm,
Throughout the left side of the body and the right hemisphere of the brain,
Left body,
Right brain.
Moving your attention now to the right side of the body,
From the right foot,
Up the right leg,
Right side of the torso and arm,
Throughout the right side of the body and the left hemisphere of the brain.
The right body,
Left brain.
And now feel sensation throughout your whole body,
The left and the right side,
The left and the right side of the brain,
Feeling sensation throughout your whole body.
Once again,
Begin to notice the breath in the body,
The subtle movement at the chest,
The belly.
Without changing the natural rhythm in any way,
Start to count your inhalation and exhalation,
Inhaling 10,
Exhale 10,
Inhale 9,
Exhale 9.
And now welcome the feeling of warmth in your body,
Feel all of the areas where you feel warm,
As if the sun is gently warming your skin,
Feel warmth in your body.
And now welcome the feeling of coolness in your body,
Feeling all of the areas where you feel cool,
As if a gentle breeze is cooling your skin,
Feel coolness in your body.
And now welcome both feelings simultaneously,
Warmth and coolness,
As if you feel the sun and the wind on your skin,
Feel warm and cool simultaneously.
Letting go of that,
Bring your attention to the space in front of your closed eye,
Notice if there's any colors or patterns,
The light and the darkness.
And welcome the image of a path in front of you,
Notice the color of the stones,
And hear your footsteps as you follow the path into a meadow.
The meadow has long grass dotted with wild flowers of yellow and white.
The grass is long and tickles your ankles as you walk.
Hear the gentle wind as it moves the grass,
Making waves like a sea of green.
Hear the birds singing.
You lay down in the tall grass,
And from this perspective,
The grass feels like a nest all around you.
The earth is soft,
You feel your body resting on the ground.
The sun is soft and low in the sky,
And warms your skin.
The wind is light,
Its touch is cool.
Here in this meadow,
Surrounded by nature,
You find calm,
You are at peace.
Why not rest here a while?
Begin to notice the earth beneath your body,
All the points where your body meets the ground,
Your head,
Shoulders,
Hips,
Heels.
Take your time to come back to the waking state,
Returning with the feeling of peace and calm that you have cultivated through this practice today.
Thank you for practicing Yoga Nidra with me today.
Namaste.
