Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.
I'm Gabby Makra,
Yoga therapist and meditation teacher,
And I will be guiding you today.
Begin to prepare yourself by getting as comfortable as possible.
Lie down on your back with the feet slightly apart.
If there is any discomfort in your lower back,
Place a pillow or cushion under your knees.
You may also wish to place a pillow under the head and neck.
Place the arms out at your sides with the palms facing up to the ceiling or sky.
You may also choose to place a blanket over you for warmth as during the practice your body temperature may drop.
Take any adjustments you need to make yourself even 1% more comfortable.
A wiggle of the fingers,
Toes,
Or a little wiggle of the hips to settle the body.
Now begin to take long,
Slow breaths.
Breathe in through the nose,
And breathe out through the mouth.
Breathe in through the nose,
Breathe out through the mouth.
Breathe in,
Feel the chest expand,
Filling up the corners,
Edges,
Front,
And back of lungs.
Breathe out,
Feel the chest relax,
Emptying the corners,
Edges,
Front,
And back of the lungs.
Breathe in,
Feel the belly rise.
Breathe out,
Feel the belly fall.
Now begin to let go of any conscious control of your breath.
Let go of any worries or cares,
Simply letting them flow out of you with every breath.
Simply breathe in,
And breathe out.
Now gradually become aware of your surroundings.
Imagine yourself where you are,
The four walls,
Ceiling,
Or sky above you,
The surface you're resting on,
And all of the supports beneath you and all around you.
See and feel yourself resting comfortably in this space that is yours alone.
Now become aware of any sounds around you,
The sounds outside,
The sounds inside,
Even the gentle hum of the room that you're in.
Now become aware of my voice,
And rest your awareness on the sound of my voice.
Rest your awareness on the sound of my voice.
Make a resolve to follow my voice and its instructions throughout the practice.
Do not analyze,
Strain,
Or overthink the instructions.
Simply see if you can follow along with gentle awareness.
Make a conscious resolve to stay awake throughout the practice.
Mentally repeat these words three times to yourself.
I will remain aware and awake.
If at any point your thoughts do wander,
It's okay.
When you notice they have done so,
Simply and gently,
Bring your attention back to the sound of my voice.
Now become aware of your whole body,
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Become aware of your whole body,
Your whole body,
Your whole body.
And now we begin the practice of Yoga Nidra.
Start by setting your intention,
Or sankalpa.
Choose a short,
Simple,
Positive phrase.
It may come to you naturally,
Or you may have it prepared.
If nothing comes to mind,
You may use,
I am healthy,
Happy,
And safe.
Now repeat your intention to yourself three times.
Do so with feeling and emphasis,
Knowing that any intention set during the practice of Yoga Nidra is bound to come true.
We'll begin by rotating your consciousness around your body.
As I name a part of the body,
Bring your awareness to that part and simply notice any sensations.
We'll begin by moving your awareness through the right side of the body.
Start by bringing your attention and awareness to the right hand thumb.
Right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the right hand.
Back of the right hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
Hip.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Move to the left side of the body.
Bring your attention and awareness to the left hand thumb.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Back of the left hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Left thigh.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
The entire spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Right foot.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Middle of the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
Throat.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Right groin.
Left groin.
Pelvic floor.
Whole right leg.
Whole left leg.
Whole right arm.
Whole left arm.
Whole left arm.
The whole face.
The whole head.
The whole torso.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Continue to lie in stillness,
Awake and aware of your whole body.
See and feel yourself resting comfortably in this space that is yours alone.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
Follow the natural and automatic rhythm as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Continue with complete awareness on your breath.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Focus your awareness at the navel center and follow the natural rhythm.
Breathe in,
Feel the belly rise.
Breathe out,
Feel the belly fall.
Feel the belly rise.
Feel the belly fall.
Rise and fall.
Rise and fall.
Now start to count backwards from 27 to 1.
27 belly rises.
27 belly falls.
26 belly rises.
26 belly falls.
25 belly rises.
25 belly falls.
Continue counting backwards,
Following the rise and fall of the belly.
If you lose count,
Simply start again at 27.
Now bring your attention to your chest.
Focus your awareness at the heart center and follow the natural rhythm of your breath.
Breathe in,
Feel the chest expand.
Breathe out,
Feel the chest relax.
Feel the chest expand.
Feel the chest relax.
Expand.
Relax.
Expand.
Relax.
Again,
Start to count backwards from 27 to 1.
27 chest expands.
27 chest relaxes.
26 chest expands.
26 chest relaxes.
Continue counting backwards,
Following the expansion and relaxation of the chest.
If you lose count,
Simply start again at 27.
Now bring your attention to your throat.
Focus your awareness at your throat and follow the natural rhythm of your breath.
Feel the sensations at the throat as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Feel the sensations at the throat as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Again,
Start to count backwards from 27 to 1,
Just like you did before.
Continue counting backwards as you rest your attention on the sensations at the throat.
If you lose count,
Simply start again at 27.
Now bring your attention to the tip of your nostrils.
Focus your attention at the tip and follow the natural rhythm of your breath.
Breathe in,
Feel the coolness of the air at the tip of your nostrils.
Breathe out,
Feel the warmth of the air at the tip of your nostrils.
Breathe in,
Coolness.
Breathe out,
Warmth.
Coolness in,
Warmth out.
Coolness in,
Warmth out.
Continue to follow the change in temperature as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
And start to count backwards from 27 to 1,
Just like you did before.
Continue counting backwards as you rest your attention at the tip of your nostrils.
If you lose count,
Simply start again at 27.
Now come back to your intention,
Your sankalpa,
From the start of the practice.
Repeat your intention quietly in your mind three times.
If you are using this practice to fall asleep,
At this point,
Go ahead and let yourself begin to drift off.
And simply let my voice trail off into the background.
If you are coming back to wakefulness,
Continue to follow my voice.
And begin to gently lengthen your breath.
Filling up the corners,
The edges,
The front,
The back.
And emptying out the corners,
The edges,
The front,
The back.
Become aware again of your body in the space around you.
The ceiling or sky above and the surface you are resting on.
Begin to find some movement.
A wiggle of the toes,
A wiggle of the fingers.
Maybe gently roll the head from side to side.
Reach the arms overhead and take a big,
Long stretch from the tips of the toes to the tips of the fingers.
Hug your knees into your chest.
Take a little rock from side to side.
With your eyes still closed,
Gently roll onto your right side.
Rest here for a few breaths.
Begin to feel the shift in relationship to your space.
With your eyes still closed,
Start to make your way up to a sitting position.
When you get there,
Sit up nice and tall with a long spine.
Now place the right and left palm together.
Give your hands a little rub,
Creating some warmth.
Place the palms over the eyes and gently start to blink the eyes open.
Spread the fingertips and let the light gently enter in.
When you are ready,
Release the palms down to your lap.
At this point,
Take as much time as you need to let your awareness take in the space around you.
The colors,
The shapes.
If you have time,
Sit and rest for a few minutes.
The practice of yoga nidra has now finished.
