Yoga Nidra

Welcome to your practice.

Through this practice of yoga nidra,

Know that you'll be lying very still for the next chunk of time,

During which time through relaxation your body temperature will drop a little bit.

So if you have a pair of socks or a sweater or a blanket,

Just some cozy layers that you can add,

Please do so.

And then come into a quiet space where you won't be disturbed.

And come to lie down,

Either on the ground.

Feel free to prop your head with a pillow a little bit,

So long as it doesn't take your neck out of alignment.

If you'd like to place a bolster underneath the knees to support the low back,

Or a pillow under the knees,

You can do so.

Or if you're using this practice right before bed,

You can lie in your bed.

Wherever you are,

Bring your feet a little wider than hip distance,

Extend your legs fully.

Feel the ankles to relax as the toes drop to the sides.

And then bring your palms face up,

Arms about 45 degrees away from the body.

Tuck the chin ever so slightly so you feel nice length through the back of the neck.

Close your eyes.

Flex through your right foot.

Press the right heel away,

Toes point up toward the ceiling.

Feel all that length through the back of the right leg.

And then relax.

Flex through the left foot,

Left toes point up,

Left heel presses away,

Lengthening through the back of the left leg.

And relax.

Right hand,

Palms still face up,

Hover it just a little bit off the ground and reach your right fingers toward your right foot.

Feel your right shoulder blades slide down and away on the floor underneath you.

And relax,

Letting the hand lower.

With your left hand,

Palms still face up,

Reach your left fingers toward your left foot.

Feel the left shoulder blades slide down and away.

And then gently lower the left hand.

See the deep inhale in through the nose.

Exhale out through the mouth.

Deep inhale.

And exhale.

One more time,

Deep inhale.

And exhale.

Ideally throughout this practice,

There will be no desire for movement,

But if you feel the desire to move,

I ask that you first just notice and watch the desire arise.

Maybe it will pass.

And if the feeling persists,

Then move but do so mindfully and with the intention of returning back to a relaxed place.

So if there's any other little movement that you can do right now before we really sink in that would make you feel even more comfortable,

Do so.

Check in with the jaw.

Create space between the top and bottom rows of teeth,

Relax the tongue.

Bring awareness to your third eye center,

The space between your eyes.

And allow that space to soften,

Soften through the eyebrows,

Forehead.

Become aware of your body touching the support beneath you,

Whether it's the floor,

The props that you're using to support your body or your bed.

Become aware of the parts of your body that are touching the floor and allow those parts to feel very grounded and rooted,

Heavy.

Bring awareness to your nostrils.

Notice any smells around you in this space.

Notice the feeling of breath moving in and out through the nose.

Understanding whether it feels cool or warm.

Bring awareness to your mouth.

Notice any taste.

And then notice the meeting point of your top and bottom lips.

Let go of any extra tension or pressure,

Just feeling a softness,

A soft meeting point.

Allow your awareness to travel up toward the back of your eyelids.

Notice any movement or light or shapes,

Any dances happening on the back of the eyelids.

If tension arises in the eyebrows,

Let it go.

Bring awareness to your ears,

Notice any sounds around you in this space.

Imagine the sound moving around all the curves of your ear.

Bring awareness to your body.

Notice the feeling of your clothes on your skin,

The air on your skin.

Bring awareness now to the tip of your right thumb,

Right index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

The space between the fingers,

Palm of the right hand,

Right wrist,

Right elbow,

Right shoulder,

Right chest,

Right ribs,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Right shin,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth,

The space between your toes,

Sole of the right foot,

Right heel,

Right calf,

Back of the right knee,

Back of the right thigh,

Right buttock,

Right low back,

Right upper back and shoulder blade,

The center of the back of the neck,

Back of the skull.

Bring awareness now to the tip of your left thumb,

Left index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

The space between your left fingers,

Palm of the left hand,

Left wrist,

Left elbow,

Left shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Left ribs,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

Left shin,

Left ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth,

The spaces between your toes,

Sole of the left foot,

Left heel,

Left calf,

Back of the left knee,

Back of the left thigh,

Left buttock,

Left low back,

Left upper back and shoulder blade,

Center of the back of the neck,

Back of the skull.

Bring awareness to the entire right side of your body,

The right side of your body relaxing.

Bring awareness to the entire left side of your body,

The left side of your body relaxing.

Bring awareness to the front of your body.

Bring awareness to the back side of your body.

Relax your entire body,

Your entire body relaxing.

Bring awareness now to your breath.

Just begin to notice the steady rise and fall,

The expansion of the inhale,

The contraction of the exhale.

With each breath,

Every inhale,

Maybe imagine that that inhale is traveling farther through your body,

All the way out to your fingers and toes.

And then with each exhalation,

It draws back to that starting point,

That place where the spark of inhale and the end of exhale live in your body.

And then begin to imagine your breath expanding beyond your body,

Your inhale leaves out through your fingertips and your toes into the space around you,

Infusing the space.

And then on the exhale,

It's collected.

And let's begin to notice the breath.

Let that go.

Just notice the breath in your body again.

Allow your body to feel very warm,

Like you're lying in the sun.

And with that warmth,

Allow there to be a heaviness,

Like you're lying in sand,

Your body making an imprint in the earth beneath you.

And now allow your body to feel very cool.

And with that coolness,

Imagine a lightness,

Almost like your body is floating just an inch or two above the floor.

And now see what it's like if you allow your body to feel both warm and cool,

Heavy and light,

Feeling all four of those things at the same time.

Let that go.

Now imagine that you're a fly in the corner of the room.

You're flying in the corner of the room,

Looking down at your body below.

See your body lying in a relaxed state.

Notice how your body feels.

Notice how your breath feels.

Notice how your body feels.

Notice how your mind feels.

And recognize that this feeling is available for you at any time.

It's just taking the time to cultivate it.

Feel the back of your body and the support beneath you.

Tuning in once again to the weight of your body.

Take a moment in this space to cultivate gratitude.

Thinking of three things you're grateful for in this moment.

Become aware of your breath and allow your breath to both deepen and become louder.

Breathing in and out through the nose.

Using the breath to wake up the body.

And bring small movements back into the fingers and toes.

Roll out the wrists and ankles.

Turn your head to the right.

And left.

Right.

And left.

And then on your next inhale,

Reach both arms up overhead.

Through the feet,

Full body stretch.

And as you exhale,

Hug the knees into the chest.

If you're using this practice before bed,

Good night.

Sleep well.

And if you're using this practice in the midst of your day,

Gently roll over to one side and come up to a comfortable seat.

The light in me honors the light within you and the light within all beings.

Thank you for sharing your practice.

Namaste.