Release - Yoga Nidra To Rest The Mental & Emotional Body

Hello and welcome.

I'm so honored to be here with you.

Welcome to your Yoga Nidra practice,

Your rest practice.

Today's rest practice,

The second in the Rest Release Rise series,

Is intended to help you rest and restore your mental body,

To invite in ease and relaxation into the mind,

Leaving you feeling calm and centered.

Eleanor Brown says that rest and self-care are so important.

When you take time to replenish your spirit,

It allows you to serve others from the overflow.

You cannot serve from an empty vessel.

So just inviting you to pause for a moment to honor yourself and show yourself some gratitude for being here and taking some time for self-care,

Just for you today.

Traditionally,

Yoga Nidra is practiced comfortably in a supported Shavasana-like pose for the entirety of the practice.

However,

If lying down is not an option for you today,

That's perfectly okay.

Please find yourself a comfortable seated position,

Preferably with support for your head to lean on,

And place your feet flat on the floor.

Either way,

All you have to do is simply listen to the sound of my voice as I guide you into a relaxed state.

So that being said,

I'm inviting you now to take some time to get nice and comfy cozy,

Seated or lying down.

Feel free to use any props or blankets that would make you feel comfortable.

Know that if you become uncomfortable to the point of distraction through your practice,

Know that it's okay to shift or move.

I simply recommend keeping your eyes closed and trying to stay as turned inward as possible.

You know,

Some people may experience deep emotional shifts through their Yoga Nidra practice,

And some will experience deep relaxation,

And some will experience both.

Please know,

Again,

There's no way to do this wrong,

And whatever comes up for you today,

Whatever you experience today,

That's what's right for you,

Right here and right now.

So again,

Inviting you to let go of any expectations around your practice today,

And simply being open and allowing to whatever comes up for you.

Once you're nice and cozy,

You're welcome to close down your eyes if that feels good,

Or if you prefer to keep your eyes open,

You can simply soften your gaze towards the ground,

Or to your lap,

And begin to invite relaxation into your body.

Start to feel the support of the earth beneath you,

And really settle into that support.

You are held,

You are safe,

And you are supported.

And begin to deepen the breath,

Slowing down breath.

In our practice today,

You'll be working with something the yogis called a sankalpa,

An I am statement of your choosing.

A sankalpa is an intention formed by your heart and your mind.

Positive,

Present tense affirmation,

How you want to be,

And how you want to show up in this life.

It's quite common for you to use the same sankalpa over time,

Until you feel you've really fully embodied it in your practice and in your life.

However,

It's completely up to you if you prefer to work with another one,

Feels more timely for today's practice.

Again,

Giving you some examples,

A sankalpa could include,

I am peaceful,

Or I am releasing what doesn't serve me,

Or I am worthy of rest.

Choosing whatever feels right to you to bring about positive change,

Or more positive direction in your life.

Take a nice deep breath in through the nose,

And a nice deep exhale out through the mouth.

Again,

Let's inhale nice and deep,

And exhale to sigh.

And listening now to the whispers of your heart,

Knowing there's no way to do this wrong,

Is taking a moment now to set your sankalpa.

Choose an intention that feels right for you.

Deepen the breath,

Deepen the breath in the body.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Allow your body to surrender into this pose,

And into the support that's beneath your body.

Feel supported by the props and the mat or seat beneath you,

And begin to allow all of your muscles to release any tension.

Release any holding,

And begin to settle more earthward.

Inviting relaxation into the tips of your toes.

Relaxing through the arches of the feet,

And the ankles,

And the knees.

Breathing spaciousness into your hips.

Softening across your collarbones and your shoulders.

Letting your hands fall heavy,

Wherever they may be resting.

Relax the space between your eyebrows,

And soften the space between your lips.

Allow your whole body to be completely and totally relaxed.

Deepen the breath,

Deepen the breath in the body.

Travel your awareness to your breath,

And notice the quiet,

Gentle rhythm of the natural flow of your breath.

Notice where your breath is landing in your body.

Notice the pace of your breath.

Notice its rhythm.

Notice how your breath feels cool as it enters your nose,

And warm as it leaves.

Allow the breath now to expand through your entire body.

Breathing from the soles of your feet,

All the way to the crown of your head.

And then back down from the crown of the head,

Down to the soles of your feet.

Your whole body expanding and condensing with the breath.

And then make a commitment now,

And say to yourself,

I will not fall asleep.

Stay relaxed in your body,

But alert in your mind,

Anchored to the sound of my voice for the entirety of the practice.

And if you find yourself drifting,

Use your breath as your anchor.

You'll hear me through the practice,

Reminding you to deepen your breath,

To help you stay alert and focused,

Yet relaxed and calm.

The body is breathing.

The body is relaxed.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

And now just listen.

Expand your listening to the farthest point you can,

And notice what you hear.

Try not to attach yourself to any one sound,

But rather simply float from one sound to the next,

Releasing the need to label or search for the source.

And then slowly begin to draw your sense of sound closer to where you are,

Hearing the sounds within you and within this room.

Breathe in.

Hear the sound of your own breath.

See if you can hear the sound of your own heart beating.

Body is resting.

Breath is breathing.

Mind is calm.

Bring to your mind your sankalpa,

Your heart-centered affirmation,

Which you make to reshape the direction in your life to a more positive line.

As you make this positive statement,

Create more than just the words in your mind.

Allow yourself to feel how it would be to have this in your life right now.

Visualize your life as it is.

And see yourself already living in the light of your sankalpa.

Repeat your affirmation in your mind three times,

And allow it to be absorbed into all the layers of yourself.

I am.

Deepen the breath.

We'll now move your awareness through the body using a rotation of consciousness.

When I name body part,

You'll take all of your awareness to that part of your body,

But your body itself will remain still.

Allow your awareness to fill into that body part and feel it and deeply relax it.

The only movement will be your movement of awareness.

Bring all of your attention into your right hand,

The palm of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Forefinger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side ribs,

Right side waist,

Outer hip on the right side,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Bring your attention to the palm of the left hand,

Thumb,

Forefinger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Back of the left hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Forearm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side ribs,

Left side waist,

Outer hip on the left side,

Armpit,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.

Feel the right sole,

Feel the left sole,

Feel both soles together.

Achilles tendon on the right side,

Achilles tendon on the left side,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Back of the right knee,

Back of the left knee,

Back of the right thigh,

Back of the left thigh,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Whole length of the spine from the tailbone all the way to the back of the neck.

Feel into your right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Both shoulder blades together,

Back of the skull,

Crown of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between your eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Bridge of the nose,

Tip of the nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Upper teeth,

Lower teeth,

Tongue,

Right lower jaw,

Left lower jaw,

Whole jaw and mouth together,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Chin,

Front of the throat,

Right side chest,

Left side chest,

Whole chest,

Upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Whole torso together,

Whole right arm,

Whole left arm,

Whole right leg,

Whole left leg,

Whole body,

Whole body.

Hold your awareness here and feel your whole body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head,

The whole body together,

The whole body is resting.

Shift your awareness now to your breath and deepen the breath in your body.

Develop the ability to become an intent observer of your breath.

See as your natural breath flows through your body so easily and so effortlessly.

Begin to imagine a transparent tube flowing from your throat to your navel and inside that tube is a bright white light.

As you inhale,

See the light flow up the tube from your navel up to your throat and as you exhale the light flows back down from the throat to the navel.

Inhale,

The light moves up.

Exhale,

The light flows back down.

Continue to watch this movement of light,

This movement of your breath.

On your next exhale,

Release the image of the breath and allow your mind to create the vision of yourself seated peacefully,

Eyes closed in a wide open field.

Feel the warmth of the sun above radiating against your skin,

Cooled slightly by the soft gentle breeze.

The scent of wildflowers fills the air and you hear them brushing softly against each other in the tall grass as they sway gently in the wind.

As the sun above starts to move behind a cloud,

Allow the sensation of heaviness to start to spread through your body.

Feel the weight of every bone,

Every muscle,

Every joint in your body as you start to sink ever so slightly into the earth beneath you.

Feel as though there is an invisible force pushing down heavy upon your shoulders then spreading out to the edges and corners of your body.

It adds weight to your fingers and your toes,

Sinking deeper and deeper into the earth.

Feel yourself so heavy that you couldn't lift yourself up if you tried.

So heavy So heavy Extreme heaviness Lightness,

Lightness,

Lightness.

Your body now becomes light,

Weightless.

As the sun illuminates the sky again and warms your skin,

Every bone,

Muscle,

And joint begins to lighten and feel buoyant,

Beginning to float up off the earth,

Your hands grazing the edges of the wildflowers as you rise above them.

You feel infinitely light.

The boundaries of your physical body begin to dissolve and fade away as your inner space begins to merge with the space surrounding you.

Lightness,

Lightness,

Extreme lightness.

Deepen the breath,

Deepen the breath in the body.

Release the image of the field and let your awareness now settle into the space of your heart.

Sink your attention into the most center point of your heart and see a tiny white light at that center point.

And with full awareness,

Begin to see that white light grow as it begins to fill your entire anatomical heart.

Connect to the feeling of this expansion through your heart,

Allowing the light now to move beyond the physical boundaries of the heart and see it shifting and expanding out into the surrounding energy of your heart space,

Your whole chest.

Bring your attention here and rest in the peaceful silence of your heart.

Body is resting,

Breath is breathing,

Mind is calm.

And now in this heart space,

Bring your sankalpa,

Your intention,

Back into the space,

Into your heart and hold it here for a moment.

Remember it,

Re-feel it,

Re-visualize the words,

The feeling and the experience of your sankalpa.

Repeat your sankalpa now three times with feeling,

Faith and awareness and allow the energy of your sankalpa to fill your heart space and wash over your entire being.

I am.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

On your next inhale,

Slowly start to bring your awareness back to the body.

Become aware of your physical body and that you are relaxing.

Feel the air moving past the tip of your nose as you draw it into your lungs and begin to observe the subtle movements of the body as the breath moves through you.

Feel your body in space.

Feel your seat or your mat beneath you and your clothing on your skin.

Feel the temperature of the air in the room.

Stay motionless here for a few more moments,

Slowly becoming aware of the external world around you.

Notice any sounds you hear close or far away.

And then slowly begin to awaken your body by inviting in small movements,

Maybe wiggling the fingers and the toes and circling the wrists and the ankles and just really taking a moment to listen to your body and ask what it needs to wake itself up.

Maybe a stretch overhead,

Maybe turning the head from side to side or maybe both.

Just listening to what your body needs in this moment.

And then taking a moment here to connect one last time to your breath to simply breathe,

To observe and to notice how you feel.

Notice how you feel in both body and mind.

And then one last moment to acknowledge yourself and thank yourself for taking time for you today for your rest practice,

For filling your cup.

Practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Wishing you peace and rest.