Let's just start with a tall seat.
For me I'm seated on my pillow and I just find that a little more comfortable for my hips.
Find a comfortable seat wherever you are but just make sure your spine is nice and tall.
Place your hands in your lap wherever it's comfortable.
You can either close your eyes here or just kind of soften your gaze forward ahead of you.
As you drop into stillness,
Take a little tuck down through your chin so you feel the length in the back of your neck get longer,
Softening across your face,
And tuning into your natural breath.
If at any point you get distracted by any external noises or internal thoughts,
It's all good.
Just let your breath guide you back into your body,
Just staying here for a moment longer.
And I want you to start to reflect on the past year,
Considering if there's something that comes up for you that you're ready to let go of or to release from this past year.
So maybe for you that's a feeling,
Maybe it's an expectation,
Maybe it's a story that you've been telling yourself that's just not true,
A judgment,
A habit.
Just take a moment and just kind of with curiosity see what comes up for you.
There's no right or wrong,
And usually the best one to consider is the first thing that comes to mind.
And just know that we're going to be revisiting this in a moment as we move into our yin yoga portion of the session.
So let's take a deep breath in,
Exhale out the mouth.
Moving on to your yoga mat or your bed,
Wherever you're going to be practicing today,
And go ahead and lay down on your back.
Bend your knees,
Soles of the feet on the mat.
So if you do have a pillow,
You can just slide that off to the side for now.
As you lay down on your back,
You can just start to become aware of that kind of settling,
That ease feeling in your lower back.
And you're welcome to stay here a little bit more grounding to start,
Or we'll come into more of an opening shape,
Reclined back.
Butterfly.
So the soles of your feet come together and your knees fall open to the sides.
Now if your hips are kind of alerting you that that's a little bit too much,
You can slide your pillow right underneath your outer knees.
If you have a nice long pillow,
And that can feel nice and supported.
Now just observing what you need here.
If you need more grounding,
Placing your palms together on your belly.
If you want to open up a little more space,
Especially in the shoulders and the chest,
You can bring your arms out to the side,
Maybe in kind of a cactus shape,
Bending the elbows.
But just find a place where the arms are still supported by the floor,
They're not kind of floating in the air.
And as we settle in here,
I want you to again,
Bring yourself back to just considering what that thing is,
What it is that you are ready to let go of from this past year.
And over our next few yin yoga poses,
We're going to be starting to look at how we can turn that into a positive statement of something that you're ready to bring in to your year ahead.
So your sankalpa often starts with I am or I have.
And so if you think about the thing you're letting go of,
And how you can turn that into an opposite statement,
You're already achieving something positive that you want to bring into your life instead to fill that gap of what you're letting go of.
So you've got a little time to consider what you're letting go of.
What that sankalpa will be for you as we just soften into this shape.
Thinking of something you want to bring into your life,
A feeling,
An energy,
An achievement,
An experience.
Just stay in this shape a little bit longer,
Slow deep breaths to support your nervous system.
Slowing everything down as you allow the back of your body to just feel a little bit heavier as each exhale guides you deeper into the shape.
Reach your arms towards your legs and then gently gather your knees back together.
And then you can wrap your arms around your legs and hug your thighs in towards your belly.
So you're kind of rolling into a little ball here,
Keeping the back of your head heavy on your mat or the bed as you just gently allow your thighs to drop down towards your ribs,
Compressing the front of your body,
Getting a nice little stretch for your lower back.
Let's let that go.
Come back to shavasana.
You can even keep the pillow where it is if it was under your knees.
Just extending your legs out,
Your arms by your side,
Take a moment to just observe.
There's no rush to get anywhere else.
But instead,
Tune into your body and feel your breath.
Okay,
Let's bend the knees again.
Bring the soles of your feet back onto the mat and we'll come into a supported bridge pose.
If you have the pillow,
You can lift your hips up and just slide that pillow right underneath your hips or your seat.
And if it's quite flat,
You might even fold the pillow over in half or use a cushion or even a yoga block if you have it.
We're lifting the hips up and supporting them so that they're a little bit higher than the rest of your spine.
I'll give you a few options here,
Okay?
So you can stay just as you are,
Or you can extend your legs out back to a shavasana,
Or what I like to do here is lift my legs straight up so it's like your legs are up along the wall.
If you have a wall really close by and you want to use that for support,
You could do that,
But we won't be here for too long in this kind of express version of the practice.
And if it's too much to straighten your legs,
No worries,
Keep your legs as bent as you need to so that it's not super tight in your hamstrings in the back of your legs,
But you're able to just kind of hang out here with as little effort as possible.
Really great shape for the lymphatic system and the nervous system as well,
Especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet standing.
We're letting the blood rush down through the legs to the heart.
Slow deep breaths will also support your nervous system even more.
And as you settle into this shape,
You can keep considering what is your sankalpa,
If you don't have it just yet.
That short positive statement that starts with I am or I have,
And we'll be coming back to that a little bit later on.
So just giving yourself about 10 more gentle breaths here.
And slowly,
Once again,
Bend your knees,
Wrap your arms around your legs,
Hug your thighs to your belly,
Take a little squeeze.
Let's let that go.
Feet come down,
Slide your hips out from under the pillow,
Slide the pillow off to the side and just come back to Shavasana.
Lengthen your legs out,
Give yourself a chance to soften here as you feel that rebound,
Probably in the back body,
Especially around the lower back and the hips.
You could feel that anywhere.
Now we'll take a minute or so to set up for the yoga nidra portion.
So if you need any other last little shifts,
Maybe bending your knees and letting them gently fall side to side a few times.
If you need to throw a little sweater or blanket on or a little something to cover your eyes,
You're welcome to do that.
And then you'll go ahead and bring yourself back into Shavasana,
Laying on your back,
Maybe sliding that pillow underneath the back of your knees or under the back of your head if you have a nice light pillow.
Any last little shifts,
Just feel free to take those,
Any wiggles,
Any stretches,
And then make your way into stillness in Shavasana for our short yoga nidra session.
And as you settle in onto your back,
You can close your eyes or soften your gaze,
Whatever feels best for you today.
And just observe,
Just as you are laying on your back in Shavasana,
There's nowhere else to be,
There's nothing to change,
Just becoming aware of the simplicity of your breath.
How each inhale invites a sense of awareness and presence,
And each exhale just offers you an opportunity to surrender,
To release,
And to let go.
Now laying here just as you are,
Start to draw your awareness to the center of your forehead.
Just imagine going deep into the center of your consciousness right behind your eyes.
If at any point your mind does wander,
Bring your awareness right back to this spot.
And as you stay with your breath,
Once more,
I want you to recall the past year,
Or even the past few months,
And what it is that you're ready to let go of.
Whatever it is for you,
Whether it's an energy,
A feeling,
An expectation,
A judgment,
Something you're holding on to that you're ready to release.
Imagine that coming together in a ball of light,
Floating right above your body.
There's no wrong way to do it,
Just be curious and open to it.
As that ball of light floats over you,
You might even notice that there's a color associated with the energy.
You could imagine or notice that anything is releasing out of your body,
Different parts of your body,
Just observing that whatever that is that you're ready to let go of,
It's just rising over your body into that ball of light.
And as you stay with your breath now,
I invite you to release that ball of energy.
So for you,
Maybe it floats up into the sky and disappears,
Or maybe it rises way above you and explodes like a firecracker.
Whatever feels more intuitive,
Just observe what happens as that energy disappears.
Notice how you feel,
Taking a moment to enjoy just the expansiveness of that release.
Now it's time to state your sankalpa,
So your short positive statement,
Starting with I am or I have.
It's what you want to bring into your year ahead.
Silently state it to yourself three times with really deep meaning,
As if it's already happening.
And now I want you to imagine a big golden funnel floating over your body.
This funnel is inviting in only the most positive and light energy to fill your body with your sankalpa,
Filling up all the empty spaces where the old energy from the past was residing.
And as you stay open to receiving this sankalpa,
This fresh light energy,
You might even notice a little bit of a physical sensation here or there,
Maybe a little tingling or twitching,
That's okay.
It's just your body responding to the shift in energy.
Gentle deep breaths as you invite this fresh energy in.
When it feels like this energy has filled your body,
Just take a moment to close off that funnel and remind yourself you can reopen this at any time,
Whenever you need to invite in the best energy and your sankalpa.
So as you allow that golden funnel to slowly dissipate your sankalpa and that lightness feeling stays within you.
Now bring your attention to the weight of your body.
Feel the weight of the entire back of your body sinking deeper into the floor beneath you,
The back of your heels,
Hips,
Shoulder blades,
And a heaviness in the back of your head.
Now feel the weight of the right side of your body,
The back of the right hand,
Right elbow,
Shoulder,
Right side waist,
Hip,
Leg,
And foot.
Now notice the heaviness in the left side of your body,
Back of the left hand,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Left side waist,
Leg,
And foot.
Feel a softness washing across the soles of your feet,
Your calf muscles,
Inner thighs,
Across the front of your hips,
Your belly,
The chest and heart space,
Your throat and face.
Just observing your whole body in this space,
Releasing any tension and heaviness that you've been carrying around.
And as you gently shift your awareness back to your breath,
Just notice how each exhale invites a deeper sensation of surrender.
And as we explore a few feeling states around the body,
You can repeat each phrase silently in your mind and allow yourself to feel the sensation that I mentioned.
Heaviness.
My arms and hands feel heavy.
My legs and feet feel heavy.
My arms and legs feel heavy.
Warmth.
My arms and hands feel warm.
My legs and feet feel warm.
My arms and legs feel warm.
My heart is calm and relaxed.
My breathing is slow and easy.
My stomach is calm and relaxed.
My face is cool and soft.
My entire body is calm and relaxed.
Now bring yourself back to that feeling and the image of the golden light filling your entire body with your sankalpa.
Just for a moment,
Imagine how it would make you feel as you imagine that this intention,
This sankalpa is already happening.
You can visualize what it would look like,
Where you would be.
Imagine how you're feeling and what's surrounding you.
And now it's time to repeat the same sankalpa silently to yourself three times with the same deep meaning as before.
For a moment longer,
Just staying as you are,
Laying on your back as you feel your bones and muscles completely relaxed and at ease.
Experiencing the safe restorative feeling of stillness that you've gifted yourself today.
As we allow the practice of yoga nidra some time to integrate,
Continue to silently commit to stillness in the body,
Calmness in the mind,
And gentle awareness of breath.
You're welcome to stay right here as long as it serves you.
If you'd like to finish off the practice with me back in a seated position,
You can keep your eyes closed to start.
Just start to bring a little bit of life back into your fingers and toes,
Give them a wiggle.
Take whatever stretch feels good in the moment,
Maybe reaching your arms over your head and pressing your toes away from you.
Gently roll through to one side of your body and take a couple of breaths there,
No rush.
You can even keep your eyes closed or gently open them up as you press yourself back up to a tall seated position.
And wherever you are,
I invite you to bring your palms together in front of your heart,
Just taking a moment to land in gratitude for the time and space to show up for yourself in this practice.
Because that ripple effect moves outward to your loved ones and all of those around you.
And the practice is now complete.
Namaste.
