Healing Trauma Workshop: Yoga Nidra For PTSD

Welcome to a healing workshop.

Yoga Nidra for healing trauma,

Support for chronic traumatic stress exposure,

And post-traumatic growth.

The following recording was part of an offering for first responders on December 12,

2020.

You can find more about these offerings for first responders at www.

Firstrespondersleeprecovery.

Com.

My name is Jacqueline and I am the co-founder of this program.

It is sincerely my honor to share a truly meaningful,

Impactful practice where you can effortlessly rest into your being.

And become connected to a deep part of yourself that is often forgotten when traumatic events are experienced.

A resounding takeaway that I hope you receive from your experience with me in this practice is that healing is possible.

Whether it be from a mental or physical injury,

A serious illness,

Or the grief of losing a loved one.

May this practice accompany your own healing journey as it serves to activate the body's innate healing mechanism.

And wisdom that unites and integrates our mind,

Body,

And spirit into wholeness.

As a preparation for the practice,

Please mentally repeat or simply open and receive the following affirmation.

I remain open with a curiosity that healing is possible.

When I trust in the process of healing,

I become an active facilitator of the process.

I am in control of my own healing experience.

I will welcome what is that arises emotionally because that which I resist becomes stronger.

Today I began my healing journey to total radiant health and well-being in mind,

Body,

And spirit.

Now that we have reinforced the immense power of the innate healing mechanism of the body,

Take some time to prepare yourself and arrange your environment so that you have an undisturbed space to rest comfortably and deeply.

Welcome and enjoy.

Let's begin.

Settle into a comfortable resting position.

If it is available and comfortable to you,

You are invited to lie down flat on your back or you may adopt a position of comfort to you.

Get yourself supremely comfortable.

You may place bolsters under the knees,

A thin pillow under the neck,

And cover the body with blankets.

If you're on your back,

Make sure the body is straight from head to toe.

Feet may be flopped out to the sides,

Hands slightly away from the body.

Palms may be faced upward or slightly inward facing the body.

Please know there is no wrong way to do the practice.

I invite you to remain aware,

But it is completely normal and natural if you drift in and out of consciousness.

So do not be concerned if you miss some of my words.

Just simply follow along and remain aware as it's natural to your own process.

And should there be any external sounds or anything that comes to distract the practice,

Don't engage it.

Just observe it pass by and then simply return back to my voice and follow along.

Whenever you catch the mind wandering away with thoughts,

Observe for a moment and then quickly without engaging the thoughts.

Let them dissolve and return back with full awareness to the practice.

Listen to my voice,

Follow along,

And stay connected to my guidance at all times.

Let's begin by becoming aware of the body.

So notice the body from the top of the head down to the tips of the toes.

Feel the meeting points where the body is in contact with the support beneath you.

The only thing needed for the practice is listening and feeling.

Draw your outward focused attention inward until all that is left is your internal awareness of being here right now.

As a compassionate witness,

Observe all that is felt in the body.

Observe the breath.

With a childlike curiosity,

Observe your internal landscape.

Just for this time,

There is nothing to do,

Nowhere to go,

And nothing to achieve.

You are already enough just as you are.

You are welcome to this practice and welcome yourself home to your body.

You have arrived.

We will practice a progressive muscular relaxation.

Make both hands into tight fists.

Engage the muscles of the arms,

And as you tense,

Breathe normally.

Flex the arm muscles and hold.

Tighten.

Hold.

Good.

Now release the arm muscles.

Exhale.

Visualize the biceps relaxing from contraction to expansion.

Breathing in and exhaling slowly.

Let go of all tension.

Now focus on your lower extremities.

Tense the muscles from the glutes to the toes.

Tense and hold.

Feeling the glutes,

Quads,

Calves,

And all of the leg muscles engage.

Hold.

Tighten even more.

Hold.

Good.

Now exhale and release the tension.

Let go of all holding.

Breathe in and out.

Now visualize one of the muscles,

Maybe the glutes or the quads,

Calves or hamstrings.

Focus your awareness on one of these muscles and visualize the muscle going from contraction to expansion and relaxing.

Breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly.

Feeling the lower body.

Release and unwind.

Final time now.

Tense the whole body.

Hands in fists,

Biceps engage,

Abdomen tightens,

Even the face.

Quads,

Calves,

Toes tighten and feel the whole body becoming stiff like a board.

Breathe normally and hold,

Tensing every muscle.

Tighten.

Feeling that tension build.

Hold.

Even tighter.

Hold.

Good.

Now exhale and relax.

Feel the weight of the body completely release.

Feel every bone,

Muscle and organ relax.

Calmly and effortlessly visualize the subtle relaxation of the whole body going from contraction to expansion.

Visualize it.

Shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

No effort,

No doing.

Simply resting.

Here we welcome the senses to open.

Welcome the ears to hear sounds.

Notice sounds far off into the distance.

Then draw your attention closer to ambient sounds within this room.

Become aware of the ears hearing sound.

The outer architecture of the ear and the inner ear canal receiving sound.

Now shift your attention to the mouth area.

Notice your lips and the distinct meeting point where the lips touch and come together.

Notice your teeth in the upper and lower mouth and the gums that line the teeth.

Notice the roof of the mouth and the underside of the tongue.

Notice any saliva that lines the tongue or any dryness.

Welcome all sensation in the mouth and notice any taste that resides there.

Shift your awareness to the jaw.

Unhinge the jaw so the teeth are no longer clenched.

Open and close the jaw to release any tension or holding there.

Bring your awareness to the tip of the nose.

Notice the nostrils receiving air and feel the breath enter separately through both nostrils.

Notice how the breath travels down into the lungs and how the inhale effortlessly becomes the exhale.

Scan the breath for any smells.

If there aren't any pronounced smells in your environment,

Think of a pleasant smell that brings you comfort.

Observe the natural rise and fall of your navel with each inhalation and each exhalation.

As we explore and welcome sensations in the body with a childlike curiosity,

You may like to invite an image in your mind of a symbol,

Person or place,

That reminds you of a time where you felt completely at ease and completely safe.

Can you recall a person,

Place or even imaginary place that gives you this feeling?

What does that feel like?

And where do you feel that sense of safety and ease in the body?

Just notice.

You may stay with this feeling as long as you like and you are welcome to come back to this image and feeling at any time during our practice or any time during your day.

Let's affirm our heartfelt desire.

Visualize the reality you wish to experience.

Ask your body,

Ask your heart,

What does it most yearn for?

This is your heartfelt desire.

Take a moment to notice what bubbles up to the surface.

If you are in recovery from a mental or physical injury,

Perhaps you visualize your injury completely healed.

And you are doing all the desired activities you wish to do in your life.

Visualizing the reality you wish to experience is a powerful tool to set this reality into motion.

Let's affirm it by creating a present tense statement declaring it as if it already exists.

For example,

I experience total radiant health and well-being.

Or maybe your intention is around relationships.

Perhaps your statement could be,

I am fulfilled by the relationship I have with myself and others.

Or your statement could be for a calmer,

Less anxious mind.

You might say,

I am deeply relaxed and calm.

Or for self-acceptance,

An affirmation could be,

I am whole,

Healthy and complete,

Just as I am.

You may use one of these affirmations or you may create your own.

Let it come to you naturally.

If nothing arises,

You may use an ancient mantra,

Soham,

Which means,

I am that I am.

Whatever your heartfelt desire is,

Mentally repeat it in your mind and heart three times with full awareness,

Emphasis and feeling now.

Begin to breathe in through the nose and with slightly pursed lips.

Exhale out as if you are blowing through a small straw.

Your lips are making the shape of a little O.

Breathing in gently,

Notice your abdomen expand.

And as you exhale,

Notice the belly softens.

Breathe fully and deeply,

But without strain.

Continue to breathe in through the nose and exhaling out through slightly pursed lips,

As if to be blowing out a small straw.

As you continue,

Progressively slow down the breathing by extending the length of the exhale.

As you inhale,

Count to three.

And as you exhale,

Count to six.

Try that a few times.

Breathing slowly,

Softly,

And effortlessly.

Imagine this breath cycle like an infinity symbol.

There is no start and there is no end.

The inhale merges with the exhale.

And the exhale dissolves into the inhale.

Consciously soften the quality of the breath.

Feel the progressive breath slowing down,

Bringing a calming energy into the body and state of being.

Ride the calm,

Fluid waves of your own breath for a few more slow and steady cycles.

Now stop the straw breathing and allow the breath to return to a natural rhythm,

Breathing in and out of the nostrils.

Remain aware that the body is being breathed spontaneously,

Naturally.

Now we will take a trip through the body.

As I name different body parts,

Rest your awareness on each body part while simultaneously visualizing it,

Sensing it,

And feeling it.

Repeat the body part after I name it.

It's sometimes helpful to guide the awareness through the body by imagining a laser beam of light shining down on each of the body parts.

You may choose a color to assign this light,

Such as a beautiful blue or white light shining down.

Begin with awareness in the right palm of the hand,

Right hand,

All five fingertips,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Hip,

Side,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot.

All five right toes.

Awareness in the left hand,

Palm of the hand,

All five fingertips,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Side,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle.

All five right toes.

All five left toes.

Left eyebrow.

Eyebrow center.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper left.

Lower left.

Chin.

Jaw.

Tongue and teeth.

Throat,

The hollow part of the throat.

Pit of the throat.

Right collarbone.

Right chest.

Left chest.

Middle of the chest.

Internal organs.

Navel.

Upper abdomen.

Lower abdomen.

The whole of the pelvis.

Right groin.

Left groin.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right knee.

Left knee.

Right calf muscle.

Left calf muscle.

Right ankle.

Left ankle.

All five right toes.

All five left toes.

Out the back.

Right sole.

Left sole.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf muscle.

Left calf muscle.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left knee.

Back of the right thigh.

Back of the left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Right hip.

Left hip.

Whole of the pelvis.

Whole spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Top of the head.

Major parts.

Whole right leg.

Whole left leg.

Both legs together.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together.

Whole of the head together.

Whole of the back together.

Whole front together.

Whole body together.

Whole body together.

Whole body together.

Welcome any tingling or pulsation felt in one or many parts of the body.

Welcome in a warm wave of sensation.

Feel it ripple through you.

Feeling warm like a warm liquid hot springs bath.

Feel the body relaxing and renewing.

If it feels good to you,

Imagine submerging your lower body into a beautiful hot springs in nature.

Perhaps it's in the early morning you watch the sun rise.

Or perhaps it's late at night and above you is a starry sky.

Sun sun feel this experience.

Deeply relaxing into the warmth of the hot springs.

Listening to the natural sounds of bubbling water around you.

Soothing you.

Now welcome a new scene on a summer afternoon.

Feeling the fresh coolness of a cold mountain river.

Imagine dipping your hand into this icy cold glacial water.

It feels so fresh it awakens every sensation in the whole body.

With a vibrant sense of aliveness.

Now welcome this sensation of coolness like the cold mountain river to flow through the left side of the body.

Like a tributary.

Making its way to every corner and crevice of your internal landscape.

Then welcome it to rush through the right side of the body.

Flooding through and washing away any emotional debris.

Totally cleansing and renewing.

From the top of the head down to the tips of the toes.

Fill every nerve and cell of the body with a pulsating healing energy.

Bask in this radiant field of healing energy.

Releasing all imagery and dropping into the deepest space of tranquility.

Non-doing.

An effortless state of deep peace where all doing stops.

Let go.

Let go even more.

Entering the deepest state of relaxation.

Come back to your heartfelt desire.

Visualize and feel the reality you wish to experience.

Recall the statement,

The affirmation you made.

And mentally repeat it with full awareness,

Emphasis and feeling in the same words as before.

And mentally repeat it three times now.

Become aware of your deep relaxation.

And begin to rise to the surface of consciousness.

Becoming aware of the deep shifts of healing that happened within.

Welcoming in a sense of joy and deep gratitude for your healing that has already happened.

Slowly take your time.

You may rest here as long as you need.

And whenever you feel ready,

You may roll onto your right side.

Slowly transitioning out of the practice and moving on with your day.

Your practice is now complete.