Hello and welcome to She'll Love Yoga and Breath.
My name is Natalie.
As a certified fertility yoga teacher,
My passion and my training are both deeply rooted in women's health.
Understanding the beautiful rhythm of her hormones,
Enhancing menstrual wellness,
And using targeted movement and breath to support women's overall well-being.
Today's session is a yoga nidra practice for your menstrual phase.
By keeping your stress to a minimum and taking time to slow down and to rest during menstruation,
Even if just for a short time,
Your physical and emotional well-being will benefit greatly.
Whether you're here to honor your natural rhythm,
Find relief,
Or simply give your body permission to rest,
This is your space.
Come as you are.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable,
Cozy,
And soft space.
You may choose to lay down on your back with your arms to your side,
Palms facing up.
You might choose instead to lie on your back with your hands resting on your lower abdomen,
Palms facing down.
You may choose to place a pillow under your head and your knees,
Cover yourself with a warm blanket,
And place a soft covering over your eyes.
Take any position that feels most supportive to you in this moment.
Soften your forehead,
Allowing the skin to become completely smooth.
Loosen your jaw,
Creating space between your teeth.
Relax the muscles in your neck.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and then let them release.
Melting down into the support beneath you.
Feel your chest soften,
Your belly loosen.
Uncurl the fingers and toes.
Relax your hands and your feet.
Develop a feeling of relaxation in your body like the feeling that comes just before sleep.
Begin to notice your natural breath.
You don't need to change it,
Just notice yourself breathing.
We will now move into a breathing exercise called the Upana breath.
Take a deep breath down the entire length of your spine,
Filling up the back of your lungs,
Down to the mid-lower back.
And into the belly.
And down to the root of the spine.
Momentarily pause the breath in the pelvic region.
Then,
As you exhale,
Imagine you are sending your breath out of your pelvis and down your legs.
Through your feet and into the earth.
Inhale,
Down your spine.
Through your lungs,
Back.
Belly and into the root of your spine.
Pause the breath into the pelvic region.
As your uterine lining sheds,
Imagine you are shedding your worries and all your tension through your exhale,
Out of your pelvis,
Down your legs,
Through your feet,
And into the earth.
Inhale,
Down your spine,
Through your lungs.
Belly and into the root of your spine.
Pause the breath into the pelvic region.
And send all your worries and tension through your exhale,
Out of your pelvis,
Down your legs,
Through your feet,
And into the earth.
I will now pause to give you a moment to repeat this on your own.
And as you do so,
Consciously invite your lower abdomen to become soft and spacious.
Allow your body to release with ease.
Gently release control of your breathing and return to your natural breath.
Now,
Turn your awareness to your sankalpa.
A Sankalpa is simply an intention,
A short positive statement phrased in the present tense as if it's already happening.
You might think of your Sankalpa as your deepest heartfelt desire.
For this practice during your delicate bleeding time.
A new cycle,
A new beginning.
Your sankalpa might be healed.
By slowing down today,
I invite ease and grace into the month ahead.
Another option is.
.
.
I honor my body's need to rest,
Creating a clean slate for the remainder of my cycle.
Another option is,
I pause to protect my energy,
Moving forward only with what serves me.
Pick any one of these that feels right to you or choose another phrase that may have arisen on its own.
Choose the Sankalpa that feels most supportive to you right now.
Once you've chosen your sankalpa,
Mentally repeat it to yourself silently three times.
We now begin the rotation of awareness around the body.
When I name a part of your body.
Simply bring your awareness to that area.
There's nothing you need to change or do,
Simply notice,
Then allow your awareness to move on to the next area,
Following the sound of my voice.
We begin with the left side.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Left armpit.
Left side ribs.
Waste.
Thigh.
Me.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Whole left side of the body.
Awareness of the whole left side of the body.
Relaxed and tingling with sensation.
And now the right side of the body.
Right thumb second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Right armpit.
Right side ribs.
Waste.
Bye.
Me.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Tap of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Whole right side of the body.
Awareness of the whole right side of the body.
Relaxed and tingling with sensation.
Now,
Moving awareness up the backside of the body.
Left heel.
Right heel.
Left calf.
Right calf.
Back of the left knee.
Back of the right knee.
Back of the left thigh.
Back of the right thigh.
Left buttock.
Right buttock.
Lower back.
Middle upper back.
Left shoulder blade.
Right shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Round of the head.
Whole backside of the body.
Awareness of the whole backside of the body,
Relaxed and tingling with sensation.
Moving your attention now to the front of the body.
Forehead.
Left eyebrow.
Right eyebrow.
Space between the eyebrows.
Left eye.
Right eye.
Left right cheek.
Nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lips.
Jaw.
Tip of the tongue.
Root of the tongue.
The rote.
Center of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Mid abdomen.
Lower abdomen,
The womb space.
Stay here for a moment,
Inviting ease and relaxation into the womb space.
Let go of any gripping in the belly.
Whole front side of the body.
Awareness of the whole front side of the body,
Relaxed and tingling with sensation.
Now bring your awareness to your whole body.
Your whole body.
Awareness of your whole body relaxed and tingling with sensation And now,
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing.
There's nothing you need to change,
Simply notice the breath moving in and out.
And now,
We'll begin counting the breath backwards from eleven.
With each breath,
Simply count down by one.
Inhale.
.
.
11.
.
.
Exhale,
Eleven.
Inhale.
.
.
10.
.
.
Exhale,
10.
Continue now with your own pacing,
And if you lose count,
That's okay.
Simply return to 11 and begin again.
And now,
Allow the counting to fall away.
Bring your attention to your mind's eye,
The soft screen of your imagination.
Visualize yourself resting deeply in a beautiful quiet garden bed at the very beginning of winter.
The air around you is cool and crisp.
But you are wrapped in the cozy warmth and comfort of a heavy blanket.
You feel the solid ground beneath you.
Holding your body exactly as you are.
.
.
You look down at the earth beside you and you notice the rich,
Dark soil.
You realize that winter is not a time of emptiness.
It is a sacred,
Necessary pause.
Right now,
Deep beneath the surface,
The Earth is working quietly,
Breaking down the old seasons to create a completely blank slate.
You reach down and place your palm against the quiet ground.
Just like the earth,
Your body knows exactly how to release the old month to make space for the new.
You don't have to force anything.
You don't have to strive.
You were allowed to just soften.
Sink into the dark quiet of this rest.
And trust that your fresh,
Intentional beginning is already growing quietly beneath the surface.
Bring your awareness gently back to the center of your heart.
Return to your sankalpa now,
Your intention.
Repeat it silently three times,
Feeling it settle into your mind and body.
And when you're ready,
Begin to notice your body resting here.
Notice the surface beneath you Notice the sounds around you.
Slowly begin to awaken your body,
Bringing gentle movement back to your fingers and toes.
Stretch your arms.
Stretch your legs.
And move your head from side to side.
Take a deep,
Slow,
Conscious breath.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Carrying this permission to rest with you.
Know that you can return to the space as often as you'd like,
Benefiting from the cumulative positive effects of Yoga Nidra.
And if you're ready to bring some gentle physical movement to your cycle,
You're invited to practice my yoga sequence for menstruation.
It's a soft,
Gentle movement designed to support your body exactly where it is today.
And if this Yoga Needs Your Practice brought comfort to your heart.
Please leave me a comment below to let me know how you are feeling as you step back into your day.
I would genuinely love to connect with you.
May you carry this calm,
Intentional foundation with you into the rest of your month ahead.
Thank you for pausing with me today.
Namaste.
