Find a position where your body can be comfortable and supported.
There's no need to overthink it.
And once you've arrived,
Allowing your eyes to gently close and your mind to rest back.
And let the sound of my voice guide you from here.
Start by welcoming yourself to the practice of yoga nidra.
Welcoming yourself back home to you.
Welcoming in all that you are.
There's nothing to achieve or fix or improve.
You can let yourself soften the efforts just a little.
Your practice of yoga nidra begins now and it will end when you hear the words Hari Om Tat Sat.
Start by noticing any sounds around you.
Whether they are far away or close by.
There's no need to label them or change them.
Allow these sounds to relax you as they are supposed to be there and you are supposed to be here.
Feel the support beneath your body and allow your weight to be held by the earth.
We are gently shifting now from thinking and doing into feeling and being.
Feel that spring is arriving.
The light is returning.
The earth is softening and life is stirring beneath the surface.
Nature rises without urgency.
Rooted,
Resilient,
Ready.
And just as the seasons turn so you too are allowed to change.
The season of rest is gently ending and the season of rebirth is beginning.
Without fear allow yourself to imagine a shift.
A soft but powerful becoming.
Letting go of any old stories,
Habits or expectations that may feel heavy or no longer true.
Make space for what is now ready to emerge.
Trust the rhythm of transformation.
Trust your inner strength and remember everything you need is already within you.
And remember too that growth does not happen alone.
Like the forest we rise stronger through connection.
Supported,
Intertwined and alive together.
Now bring to mind your sankalpa.
Your heartfelt intention.
And if no words arise you're invited to use this one.
I meet this season with courage,
Joy and wild openness.
I meet this season with courage,
Joy and wild openness.
I meet this season with courage,
Joy and wild openness.
Repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times.
Let your sankalpa settle into your heart space.
Allow it to radiate gently through your whole being.
Amplified by the renewing energy of spring.
Now bring your attention to your physical body.
We will take a trip around the body.
Witnessing the body with curiosity and effortless awareness.
Perhaps you will smile at each body part or in your mind say hello as we hop from one body part to the next.
No need to think,
Just awareness,
Noticing and then moving on.
Start by bringing awareness to the point between your eyebrows.
Effortless awareness to the point between the eyebrows.
The throat,
The right shoulder,
The top of the arm,
Elbow joint,
Forearm,
Wrist joint,
Right thumb,
Right index finger,
Right middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Back to the right wrist joint,
Elbow joint,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Top of the arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist joint,
Left thumb,
Left index finger,
Left middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Back to the left wrist joint,
Elbow,
Left shoulder joint,
Right shoulder joint,
Effortless awareness of both shoulders,
Heart centre,
Right side of the chest,
Heart centre,
Left side of the chest.
Heart centre,
Back body,
Pelvis,
Tailbone,
Right hip joint,
Right thigh,
Right knee joint,
Shin,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
The top of the foot,
Toes,
Bottom of the foot.
Back to the right ankle,
Calf muscle,
Shin,
Right knee,
Right thigh,
Hip joint,
Pelvis,
Left hip joint,
Left thigh,
Left knee joint,
Shin,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
The top of the foot.
Toes,
Bottom of the foot,
Back to the left ankle,
Calf muscle,
Shin,
Left knee,
Hip joint,
Pelvis,
Belly button,
Heart centre,
Throat,
Eyebrow centre,
Eyebrow centre,
Eyebrow centre.
Now bring your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Notice the cool fresh air as you breathe in through the nose and the slightly warmer air as you breathe out.
With each inhale the body gently expands and with each exhale the body softens and settles.
Notice how both effort and ease are present.
Breathing happens without your control and yet you are aware of it.
Sense the rise of the breath and the fall of the breath.
Alert and relaxed.
Grounded and spacious.
Resting and quietly ready.
There is nothing to change,
Nothing to improve.
Simply allow the breath to breathe you as you rest in this balance of opposites.
Complete awareness of the breath for the next minute or so.
Activity,
Intuition and wisdom.
While you are comfortably resting with steady breath,
Your awareness is free to travel and explore.
Begin to imagine yourself standing at the edge of a forest.
A thick living forest filled with tall ancient trees.
Their trunks are wide and steady.
Their branches reaching skywards.
Their roots deep and intertwined beneath the earth.
You are welcome here and as you step inside the light shifts.
Dappled sunlight filters through fresh green leaves.
The air feels cool and clean as you breathe in and gently warmer as you breathe out.
With each breath your body softens and with each step you feel the ground supporting you.
Solid,
Reliable,
Holding you with ease.
As you walk through the forest notice that you are carrying layers.
Old stories,
Old efforts,
Old ways of being that have done their job.
You don't need to analyse or judge them.
Simply allow them to fall away like heavy coats no longer needed as the season changes.
With every exhale something loosens and with every inhale space opens.
All around you the forest is waking up.
New shoots push gently through the soil.
Buds swell with quiet determination and life rises without force.
Rested,
Renewed,
Ready.
Notice how stillness and movement coexist here.
How rest and readiness live side by side and how softness and strength belong together.
As you continue into the forest you sense others nearby.
Not separate,
Not distant.
Simply sharing this space,
This moment,
This season of becoming.
Like the forest itself,
Growth here is collective.
Roots weave together underground,
Unseen yet essential.
Support flows naturally and no tree stands alone.
Take a moment to feel that connection to the earth beneath you,
To the life around you,
To the quiet strength that comes from belonging.
Ahead the forest opens into a sunlit clearing.
Warmth touches your skin.
Light dances through the air.
Here joy stirs.
Not loud or forced,
But wild,
Alive and unmistakably yours.
This is the energy of spring,
Rebirth,
Emergence and the courage to begin again.
Now allow your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention to arise.
And if it feels right,
Gently repeat those words within yourself.
Or gently repeat,
I meet this season with courage,
Joy and wild openness.
Allowing the words to settle into your heart space.
Trust that everything you need is already within you.
Just as the forest knows how to grow,
So do you.
And now slowly allow the images of the forest to soften and fade.
Bring your awareness back to your physical body.
The weight of your body resting.
The points of contact beneath you.
The steady rhythm of your breath.
And notice how you feel.
Grounded and uplifted.
Calm and quietly energised.
Carry this sense of connection and renewal with you,
As you gently prepare to transition outward.
Observe the chest rising and falling with each breath.
And know your practice of yoga nidra is coming to an end.
While keeping the eyes closed,
Mentally visualise the room you are in.
See the walls,
The floor,
The objects in the room.
Notice the colours in the room,
The textures.
Notice where you are in the room.
Become aware of the sensations in the physical body.
The surface beneath you.
The feel of any fabric on your skin.
The temperature of the air touching your skin.
Bringing awareness back to the body.
Wiggle your fingers and wiggle your toes.
Making any gentle movements your body is asking for.
And when you're ready,
We'll begin to make those movements a little bit bigger.
Begin to move your arms,
Your legs.
And when you're ready,
Come to roll onto your right side.
Knowing there is no rush,
Slowly push yourself up to sitting.
And take a few deep breaths as you integrate your yoga nidra practice.
Take a lovely smooth inhale in.
And a melodic exhale out.
When you're ready,
Slowly open the eyes,
Taking time to adjust to the room.
Your yoga nidra practice is now complete.
