So you can begin by finding a comfortable position,
Closing your eyes or finding a spot on the ceiling to look at.
Taking any little movements you need to get your body to be comfortable and know that you can move it at any point during the meditation.
If your mind wanders,
It's supposed to do that.
That's what minds are meant to do.
So just thank yourself for noticing.
Come back to the exercise,
Back to the sound of my voice.
And if your thoughts get stuck,
Just tell yourself,
I promise I will pay attention to this thought.
And that can sometimes make it easier to set it aside.
So we'll start just by welcoming in the environment around you.
Sensing the chair beneath you where it touches your body or the bed or floor.
Sensing the feel of the clothing or a blanket against your skin.
Maybe a touch of air.
Noticing the sounds around you,
Perhaps sounds outside this room.
Sounds within the room.
And maybe even sounds within your body itself.
And just notice your breath without having to change it in any way.
Feeling your body rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.
And as you exhale,
Saying to yourself,
I am aware and resting at ease.
Inhaling,
I am aware.
Exhaling,
Resting at ease.
We're going to come into an exercise called body sensing.
So I'm going to name different areas of your body and your only job is to sense into that area,
See what it feels like.
So I'll give you some probing questions for the first couple of spots to help get into what it is to feel sensation.
And then after that,
I'm going to move pretty rapidly through the body.
If you find yourself wandering,
Just come back in where you realize.
So we'll begin with the scalp.
Just noticing what it feels like there.
Maybe you can sense some tingling or warmth or coolness.
Maybe there's no sensation at all.
All of this is okay.
Just naming that,
Describing it to yourself.
Let go of that and sense our forehead.
The muscles feel tense or relaxed.
No need to judge it.
Just feeling.
Letting go of that and seeing if you can sense your left eye.
What does that feel like?
What about your right eye?
Does it feel any different or about the same?
And is it possible to notice both eyes at the same time?
Allowing that to drift away and bringing your attention to your nose.
Seeing what you can feel here.
Maybe the breath going in and out over the upper lip or the tips of the nostrils.
Maybe that sensation of breathing,
You can feel it further up in the nose.
And bringing your attention now to your left ear.
Can you feel anything there?
Your right ear.
And both ears at the same time.
Noticing now your jaw,
If your teeth are closed together or spaced apart.
Perhaps noticing your upper lip,
Lower lip,
Maybe even the tongue inside the mouth.
Just noticing,
No judgment.
Bringing your attention to travel down to your neck.
360 degrees around.
Seeing what you can sense here.
Letting that go and bringing your attention down into your left shoulder.
And in your mind,
See if you can follow your left arm all the way down.
So past the shoulder,
Past the elbow,
Through the wrist,
And into each one of your left fingers.
If it's difficult to sense those things,
You can bring a little movement,
A little wiggling to the fingers to bring the attention there.
And then see for just a moment if it's possible to sense the entire left arm from shoulder to fingertip.
Let that drift away and bring your attention to your right shoulder.
Allowing your mind to travel down the arm.
Just noticing what you feel.
Until you come into each one of those right fingertips.
And seeing if you can sense now the entire right arm,
Shoulder to fingertip.
Just for a moment,
See if you can sense both arms at the same time,
Shoulders all the way down to the fingers.
Gently letting go of that and noticing now the front of your torso,
Back of your torso,
Left side,
Right side,
Inside of the torso,
And outside of the torso.
And see if just for a moment you can sense your entire torso,
360 degrees around.
Letting go of that and bringing your attention down to your left hip.
Traveling down that left leg until you reach each one of those left toes.
Feeling free to move them a little if that helps bring attention there.
And then try the same thing with your right leg.
Bringing your mind's eye,
Your attention to that right hip.
And traveling down your body until you reach those toes.
Feeling free to take any little movements to help your mind notice that area of the body.
And now see if you can sense both of your legs at the same time from hips all the way down to toes.
And finally,
See if you can sense your entire body from the tips of your toes all the way back up to your scalp.
One field of sensation.
And feel yourself as the observer of these sensations.
No need to judge them.
We're simply being,
Simply existing.
And affirming to yourself,
Repeating in your head,
I am aware and resting at ease.
We'll come now into breath sensing.
So you'll bring your mind,
Your attention back to your breath.
Feeling your body rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.
If it feels good to you,
Perhaps playing with exhaling out of the mouth.
Maybe an audible sigh.
Or an H-A sound if that helps the muscles to relax,
To let go.
And each time you exhale,
Feel your abdomen releasing,
Letting go of tension.
And as you breathe,
Say to yourself,
Inhaling,
I am aware,
Exhaling and resting at ease.
I am aware and resting at ease.
We'll come now into something called feeling sensing.
You're going to pick a feeling,
Either one that's present for you right now in this moment,
Or a feeling that you'd like to work on or perhaps are working on already.
And once you select that word,
I'd like you to see if you can find where that feeling lives in your body.
If it's helpful,
You can give it a color,
Maybe a shape or texture,
Weightedness,
Maybe it's moving or still.
But see if you can make it a physical,
Tangible thing.
And as you're aware of where that's located,
See if any thoughts or images come up with that feeling word.
And as you're ready,
I invite you now to bring in the opposite feeling.
So if you were playing with joy,
You can maybe explore sadness or anger.
If you were playing with peace or ease,
Maybe you explore tension.
So finding an opposite that makes sense to you and locating that in your body.
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
And do any thoughts or images come along with it?
And see if it's possible to move back and forth between those two opposites,
Feeling joy and then sadness or anger,
Feeling tension and then ease and tension again,
Whatever you've chosen.
Moving back and forth at your own pace and noticing what this experience is like for you,
Knowing it's okay if it's not available today.
And just for a moment,
See if you can hold both of those feelings at the same time.
And notice what this is like for you.
And we can allow that to drift away,
Reminding ourselves as we inhale,
I am aware,
And exhale,
And resting at ease.
I am aware and resting at ease.
And finally,
We'll welcome in a sense of well-being,
A sense of joy,
Feeling that spreading into the body and out into each of our extremities until every cell has joy and well-being invited in.
And you can simply exist in this,
Just be here,
Allowing thoughts to drift away,
Nowhere to go,
Nowhere to be.
You can simply exist.
And welcome in yourself as a whole being,
You are the observer of your physical sensations,
Of your thoughts and feelings.
Those are things that continue to change from moment to moment,
Day to day.
And recognizing these different parts of yourself,
The wholeness of your life.
And recognizing yourself as a unique expression of the wholeness of life altogether,
Feeling that connection between you and everything around you,
Simply awareness inside and out,
Undeniable,
Indescribable.
You're welcome to stop this recording and come fully into rest,
Knowing that if you fell asleep,
That's okay.
And if you didn't,
That one hour of yoga nidra is about the equivalent of four hours of deep sleep,
Whether or not we fall asleep.
And if you're ready to come out of the meditation,
You can bring your attention back to your breath in and out.
And invite the environment around you in once more,
Noticing the feel of your body,
The supports beneath you,
Sounds around you.
And as you're ready to come back into the space,
You can take three big cleansing breaths.
And slowly return to the space,
Taking any little wiggly movements,
Stretches,
Big cat-like morning movements,
Whatever feels good in your body.
