Welcome,
My name is Amanda and I will be guiding you through your yoga nidra practice today.
Yoga nidra is often called yogic sleep or non-sleep deep rest.
It's a deeply relaxing practice that takes you into a state between waking and sleeping.
This practice is great for regulating the nervous system because it brings you into a state of deep relaxation and stress relief.
It's truly a practice for anyone but is especially beneficial for those who feel overwhelmed,
Anxious or sleep deprived.
Please make your way onto your back if you're not already there and get comfortable in shavasana.
You may want to put a bolster or pillow under your knees to support the legs or perhaps a pillow or blanket underneath your neck to support your head.
You can cover yourself with a blanket for warmth and cover your eyes with an eye mask.
Get nice and cozy in your yoga nidra nest and begin to encourage your body to relax into the ground beneath you.
Allow yourself to feel heavy and supported by the ground beneath you.
We'll begin by taking a couple of nice deep inhales and exhales.
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Expanding your belly,
Filling the lungs and exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Twice more just like that.
Inhale deeply,
Exhale completely.
Once more.
Inhale deeply,
Exhale completely.
Can you allow yourself to get 1% more comfortable here?
Allow your head to feel heavy.
Relax your jaw.
Allow your tongue to feel heavy in your mouth.
Relax your shoulders,
Hips and feet.
I am awake but deeply relaxed.
I am awake but deeply relaxed.
As we settle into our practice,
We will set a sankalpa or intention for the practice today.
If you're working with a sankalpa or intention already,
You can use that one.
If you don't have an intention or sankalpa that you're working with or that you feel called to for today's practice,
The one I'll offer is I am calm and at peace.
I am calm and at peace.
Now,
Rotating attention throughout the body,
Letting your attention move from place to place as you listen to my voice.
The only thing there is for you to do is listen,
Sense and feel.
Moving your attention to different parts of your body as you hear them named,
Knowing that there is nothing for you to do here but listen,
Relax and enjoy.
Begin by sensing the right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Forearm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Wrist,
Waist,
Thigh,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole right leg,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole right side of the body.
Give some time for your attention to move into the left thumb.
Sensing the left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Third finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole left leg,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
And the whole right side of the body simultaneously.
Can you equally divide attention between the right and the left side of the body?
Now,
Sensing the back of the body,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right hamstring,
Left hamstring,
Right glute,
Left glute,
Sacrum,
Whole back of the pelvis,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Moving toward the top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Center of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole body,
Front and back,
Left and right,
The whole body.
Sensing the whole body.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Begin to notice your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
In and out.
Begin to deepen your inhales and exhales.
Feeling the expansion in your belly and up into your chest.
We'll continue by taking two inhales in through the nose,
Then an exhale and sigh through the mouth.
Let's start with two sips in through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Two sips of air in through your nose.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
One more.
Inhale,
Two sips of air.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Now release that and return to your regular inhale and exhale.
We will revisit our sankalpa or our intention.
I am calm and at peace.
Perhaps this is something that you'd like to take with you for the rest of your day or leave here in your cozy yoga nidra nest.
Slowly begin to sense the earth beneath you.
Feel your body heavy on the earth beneath you.
Bring your thumb and forefinger together,
Creating small circles.
Bringing awareness back to the physical body.
You might like to wiggle fingers and toes,
Awakening your body slowly and mindfully and at your own pace.
As you're ready,
Hug your knees into your chest and roll to one side.
Take a few breaths here,
Waking the body back up.
In your own time,
Begin to make your way back to a seated position.
And as you come back,
I would invite you to reflect and journal on your yoga nidra experience and anything that came up for you today.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
May you move through the rest of your day slowly and peacefully.
Namaste.
See you next time.
