Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra meditation.
Allow this practice to help you reground and recenter yourself by bringing your full attention to physical sensations and experiences happening in the present moment.
Begin by finding a comfortable and quiet place where you can lie down without being disturbed.
Take the next few moments to allow yourself to get as comfortable as possible.
You might choose to place support underneath your knees to take pressure off of your low back.
You might choose to place support underneath your head to take pressure off of your neck.
A blanket over your body will ensure warmth and a sense of safety.
You might have something to place over your eyes.
Know that it is worth the effort to get even one percent more comfortable here.
Take all the time you need to settle in.
Allow your eyes to soften until they gently close.
Let the weight of your body surrender down into the support underneath you.
Become aware of your surroundings.
Tuning in to any sounds around you.
Notice what is present in the current moment.
Know that sensations,
Thoughts,
And emotions may arise during this meditation.
Try to simply notice them without the need to attach or become involved.
Allow yourself to become an observer by staying present and allowing these things to come and go.
Shift your awareness to your breath.
With every inhale,
Feel your belly rise.
And with every exhale,
Feel your belly fall.
Notice the natural pause between the inhalation and the exhalation.
Simply observing.
If the mind begins to wander,
Simply draw your awareness back into the sensations of your breath.
Now take a slow breath in,
Breathing wide into the lungs and deeply down towards the belly.
Hold it for a moment and then slowly release it through the mouth with a deep sigh.
Repeat this four more times,
Allowing your body to relax more and more with every exhale.
Now draw your awareness to your forehead,
To the space between your eyebrows.
Noticing any sensations.
Noticing any tingling,
Pulsing,
Heat,
Or coolness.
Not trying to change or fix anything.
Just becoming more aware.
And now shifting that awareness to the center of your throat,
And the right shoulder,
And the right elbow,
And the right wrist,
And the right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger.
Awareness coming back into the right wrist,
The right elbow,
The right shoulder,
And back to the center of your throat.
Awareness now moving into the left shoulder,
The left elbow,
The left wrist,
The left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger.
Awareness back into the left wrist,
The left elbow,
The left shoulder,
And back to the center of your throat.
Awareness moving down now into the center of your chest,
And then feel into the whole right rib cage,
And come back to the center of the chest.
And now feel into the whole of your left rib cage,
And then come back to the center of your chest.
Moving awareness down now into the solar plexus,
The space right below the ribs,
And then down into the space behind the navel,
And down into the base of your spine.
And now awareness into the right hip,
The right knee,
The right ankle,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
Awareness moves back into the right ankle,
The right knee,
The right hip,
And back into the base of your spine.
And now awareness moving into the left hip,
The left knee,
The left ankle,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
Awareness back into the left ankle,
The left knee,
The left hip,
And back into the base of the spine.
Shifting your attention back up into the space behind the navel,
The solar plexus right below the ribs,
The center of your chest,
The center of your throat,
The space between your eyebrows.
And now gathering all of your attention at the crown of the head,
And then back into the space between the eyebrows,
Sinking into an even deeper relaxation.
And now bring your attention to the whole body,
Noticing all sensations throughout the whole body,
From the crown of your head to the tips of your toes,
The weight of your clothes on your body,
Feeling fully present,
Fully aware.
Allow yourself to feel relaxed.
Allow your entire body to soften even more.
Now in your mind's eye,
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a forest.
Use your imagination to create all the colors,
Shapes,
Textures,
Sounds,
And smells of this forest.
You take a step forward,
And as you do,
You notice the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath your feet.
Take another step,
And the sound of a gentle stream catches your ear.
You breathe in deeply,
And the fresh scent of pine fills your lungs.
As you walk deeper into the forest,
Allow your senses to fully awaken.
Notice the sunlight filtering through the trees,
Dappling the forest floor with patches of light and shadow.
Listen to the birdsong and the rustling of the leaves in the breeze.
Feel the cool air on your skin and the softness of the ground beneath your feet.
With each step,
Imagining yourself shedding a layer of anxiety and tension.
As you inhale,
Visualize drawing in calm and tranquility.
As you exhale,
Imagine releasing all of your worries and fears into the forest,
Where they dissolve and disappear.
As you continue walking,
Allow yourself to fully immerse in the beauty and serenity of the forest.
Let your mind quiet down and your body relax.
Feel yourself becoming more grounded and centered with each passing moment.
When you're ready to return,
Take one last deep breath and thank the forest for holding you and helping you release your anxiety.
Know that you can return to this forest within your mind any time you need to find peace and relaxation.
Slowly begin to bring awareness back into your breath.
Awareness of breathing and awareness of relaxation.
Only as you are ready,
Begin to slowly flutter your eyes open and begin to make any small movements that feel good to you in this moment.
Allow yourself to carry with you these feelings of grounding,
Relaxation,
And presence throughout the rest of your day.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
May there be peace above you,
Peace below you,
Peace all around you,
Peace to your mind,
Body,
And spirit.
