Hello and welcome to this guided meditation.
My name is Cassidy.
I am a clinical mental health counselor and the owner of Inner Soul Counseling and Wellness.
When I began meditating,
It truly changed my life and so it's really an honor to be here with you today,
Sharing a little bit of what I've learned and passing it along.
I thank you for being here and for trusting me with this process.
I want to remind you that this is your time.
This is your space.
There is nowhere you need to be,
Nothing you need to do.
The meditation we're going to do today is a yoga nidra for beginners.
Yoga nidra translates to yogic sleep.
It gives the brain and the body a deep rest from our busy world.
Before we get started with the meditation,
I would like you to take a moment to really notice your posture and the position of your body.
You can engage in this practice either sitting or laying down in a comfortable position.
If you choose to lay down,
Lay down with your back straight,
Trying to strengthen your spine as much as possible.
Place your palms upward,
Ready to receive,
And begin to think about relaxing your muscles.
You can let your feet relax outwards.
If you have chosen a seated position,
Try to sit with your feet flat on the floor and again with your spine straight and elongating.
You can imagine tying a string to the very top of your spine and gently pulling it upward until your spine is straight.
Again you can take a moment to relax your shoulders away from your neck.
You can place your hands in your lap,
Palms facing up,
Open and ready to receive.
I want you to keep in mind as we are meditating to not be so hard on yourself,
Especially if you are new to meditating.
It can feel frustrating when we have a difficult time slowing down our minds,
Turning off our thoughts.
I want you to know that is perfectly normal.
The more times you bring your awareness and your attention back to this meditation or any meditation,
The stronger that muscle in the brain will become.
It is called a meditative practice because you get better and better each time.
It becomes easier to shut off the mind each time you practice and give yourself a break.
For the rest of the practice,
I would like you to try to remain as still as you can.
If you need to move now to get a little bit more comfortable,
Please do so,
So that you can try to remain still for the rest of the practice.
A part of Yoga Nidra is setting an intention for the practice.
This is also known as the sankalpa.
A sankalpa is a short,
Present tense statement that describes what you want the most in your life.
Take a moment to think about what you need the very most in your life.
It might be love,
Joy,
Abundance,
Acceptance,
Peace,
Rest,
Self-love.
Whatever you're really needing the most is how you create your sankalpa.
For example,
If what you are needing most in your life is sleep,
Your sankalpa could be something like,
I feel deeply nourished and rested.
Take a moment now to create your own sankalpa in the present tense,
As if you already have it.
Once you have your sankalpa in mind,
I want you to repeat it to yourself five times,
Either in your head or out loud.
As you are repeating it,
I want you to truly feel as though you already have it in the present tense.
What would that look like?
And more importantly,
What would that feel like?
I want you to sit with that feeling as you're repeating it in your mind.
Beautiful.
Now I want you to take a moment to really connect with your breath.
Notice your breath just how it is,
Without trying to change it.
Feel the inhale and the exhale.
Stay with the breath as it goes in and out of your body.
Notice how the air feels cooler going in and warm as it exits.
Many times throughout the practice,
When you feel yourself getting lost,
Distracted,
You can always bring yourself back to the breath.
It is the body's natural present tense moment.
I want you to start imagining releasing all of the tension from your body.
Take a second to really relax your muscles as much as you can.
Letting go of all the tension you've been carrying through all of the day.
You might notice tension in your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your jaw,
Your back.
Just begin to breathe into those areas where you notice the most tension.
I'm going to start naming the parts of your body.
As I do,
All you need to do is bring your mental awareness and attention to that part of the body.
Notice any sensations that come up for you as I name a part of your body.
You may feel a release of tension,
Some tingling.
Just notice any sensations that come up and move on to the next body part.
I want you to bring all of your awareness to the very top of your head.
Imagine smoothing out the top of your head,
Releasing all of the tension.
Now bring your attention to the back of your head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Right ear,
Right cheek,
Right nostril,
Nose,
Left nostril,
Left cheek,
Left temple,
Left ear,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Jaw,
Tongue,
Throat,
Neck,
Right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Right elbow,
Right lower arm,
Right hand wrist,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the right hand,
Right hand thumb,
Pointer finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Baby finger.
Now take your attention and bring it to your left hand shoulder,
Upper arm,
Left elbow,
Lower arm,
Left hand wrist,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Left hand thumb,
Pointer finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And baby finger.
Alright,
Now I'd like you to bring all of your awareness to your chest,
Your armpits,
Your belly,
Your pelvis,
Right hand wrist,
Hip,
Your right thigh,
Right knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Bottom of the foot,
Heel of the foot,
Right hand big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And baby toe.
Now bring your awareness back up to the left hip,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Bottom of the left foot,
Heel,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And baby toe.
Now bring your awareness back up to your head,
The back of your head,
Back of your neck,
Shoulder blades,
Upper back,
Middle of your back,
Lower back,
Butt,
Back of the legs,
Bottom of your feet.
Now I want you to bring your awareness to the whole right side of your body,
The whole right side.
Bring your awareness to the whole left side of your body.
Notice any sensations you feel.
Right now bring your awareness to your whole body.
I want you to sit and just feel your whole body.
Notice how your body feels right now.
Feel free to just embrace this level of relaxation.
Just be here for a moment.
Imagine yourself sinking deeper and deeper into your bed or your seat.
Let your body feel heavy and supported.
Give yourself the permission to let go in this moment and enjoy this level of relaxation.
I'm going to let the music continue to play for a moment.
I want you to stay here as long as you need.
Thank you for meditating with me today.
Be well.
Namaste.
