Welcome to today's nidra practice.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Start to find your way into a comfortable position lying down.
You can lie on the floor or on your bed.
And as you start to create your space,
I want you to be almost overly comfortable for today's practice.
Use pillows,
Blankets,
Or other props you may have around you.
Some days I ask that you lie traditionally in shavasana,
But today I want you to surround yourself with support,
Whatever support you may need.
Also take a few more moments to gather your cushions and settle in.
If you are already in place,
Then just breathe.
Now that you are becoming settled and comfortable,
Close your eyes.
You may also try keeping the eyes slightly open,
Lids light,
And gaze soft towards the ceiling.
Sometimes keeping the eyes gently open feels more comfortable.
Maybe try both eyes open and eyes closed and see what works best for you.
And as you start to find the comfort in your space and the comfort in your body,
Begin to notice your breath.
And for right now,
I ask that you take your breath a little bit bigger,
Inhaling and filling your lungs,
Expanding the ribcage,
And then slowly sighing the air out.
Continue to breathe really big,
Slow,
Deep inhales,
And on the exhales,
Sigh it out.
Maybe your sighs are silent and only in your mind.
Maybe they are just a whisper.
Maybe they are loud or even dramatic.
Give yourself the freedom to let your breath go,
Allowing each audible exhale to be a release.
A release of tension and a path to relaxation.
Breathing in deeply and sighing it out.
Over and over,
Again and again.
Breathing deep and sighing it out.
A few more times.
Now let the deep breaths begin to fade,
Returning to your natural rhythm of breath.
Invite a sense of stillness into the body.
And become aware of the space around you.
Aware of the space you are in and the space you take up.
Then imagine within that space you are lying within a circle.
This circle surrounds you completely.
You can see the circle.
See it surrounding you like a bubble on all sides,
Above and below.
This bubble is transparent and malleable.
You can break the circle or pop the bubble at any time.
But for right now,
You are content to rest within it.
As your body is resting,
You are breathing.
This bubble that surrounds you,
It moves with you.
It breathes with you.
It is a part of you.
Now let your awareness move towards what you hear within that bubble.
Noticing all of the sounds around you without any judgment.
Let your mind flow from sound to sound to sound,
Whatever they may be.
Then imagine gently guiding those sounds to the outside of your bubble,
Leaving your space quiet and peaceful.
Begin to notice your body resting.
Feel yourself.
Doing a slow scan of the body to notice any part that feels constricted or muscle that is holding tight.
We will begin at the feet.
Noticing your toes,
Your ankles.
Allowing that awareness to rise to the knees and the hips.
Is there any tension residing here?
Can you release it?
Allowing the legs to feel light.
Notice your spine.
The length of the spine.
The muscles surrounding it.
Can you feel the belly,
The ribs,
The chest,
The whole center of the body?
With each breath,
Imagine softening this space.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Releasing tension,
Relaxing the body.
Notice the hands,
The wrists,
The elbows and shoulders.
For a moment,
Make a fist of the hands.
Give a gentle squeeze and then release them.
Relax the entire arm through the shoulders to the neck.
Breathing,
Relaxing,
Letting go of tension.
Become aware of the expression you are holding on your face.
Are you serious?
Are you pursing the lips?
Or furrowing your brow?
Or clenching your jaw?
Let this space soften.
Maybe by parting the lips.
Softening your gaze with the eyes slightly open or beneath the eyelids.
Feel your entire body relaxing.
Your whole body breathing.
Feel the bubble of comfort you have created just for yourself to rest in.
Let yourself rest.
And as you rest,
Repeat the following words quietly in your mind.
I honor the space my body is in right now.
I honor the space my life is in right now.
I trust that I am supported,
Nurtured and seen.
All is as it should be and so it is okay for me to rest.
I honor the space my body is in right now.
I honor the space my life is in right now.
I trust that I am supported,
Nurtured and seen.
All is as it should be and so it is okay for me to rest.
I honor the space my body is in right now.
I honor the space my life is in right now.
I trust that I am supported,
Nurtured and seen.
All is as it should be and so it is okay for me to rest.
Let yourself rest.
Feel yourself resting.
Feel your body breathing.
But begin to bring awareness back to your mind.
Let your mind acknowledge that you are resting.
Allow the body to remain in this sensation of rest as the mind awakens.
As the mind comes back into focus,
Remind yourself of the following words.
I honor the space my body is in right now.
I honor the space my life is in right now.
I trust that I am supported,
Nurtured and seen.
All is as it should be and so I let my tension,
My stress and worries fade away.
I honor the space my body is in right now.
I honor the space my life is in right now.
I trust that I am supported,
Nurtured and seen.
All is as it should be and so I let my tension,
My stress and worries fade away.
This is where we end today.
With your mind calm and your body relaxed.
I invite you to stay as you are lying down.
Maybe drifting off to sleep within the peaceful bubble you have created.
Or maybe releasing the bubble and taking your time to slowly awaken at your own pace.
Whichever feels right for you.
I thank you for joining me today.
Your Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Namaste.
