Yoga Nidra For Exploring Fear

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.

To begin,

Make sure that you are comfortable.

You can support your body as much as you need to be sure that you'll be able to rest comfortably and that you won't be distracted by any physical discomfort as you practice.

Traditionally,

Yoga Nidra is practiced in Shavasana,

Lying with your legs a little wider than hip distance apart and with your arms a little away from your sides,

With the palms of the hands facing upwards.

But if Shavasana isn't a comfortable position for you to stay in,

Find another position that feels better for you.

Perhaps bringing your feet to the mat a tip distance apart and letting your knees fall in together,

Or bringing your feet together and letting your knees open out to the sides,

Or otherwise come into any position that feels comfortable.

You can even do the practice sitting if that feels best for you.

And when you're ready,

Close your eyes and give yourself permission to rest.

Bring your awareness to your breath and notice how your breath is flowing today.

Follow the inhalation and the exhalation.

The rising and falling of the chest.

And notice the qualities of your breath right now.

Is it fast or slow?

Shallow or deep?

Where does the breath flow to?

Is it flowing into your chest?

Into your abdomen?

Or somewhere else?

And notice how every breath is gently guiding your body into relaxation.

With every exhalation tension releases from the muscles and your body surrenders into the surface beneath you.

And now bring your awareness into your nose and feel the air on the insides of the nostrils.

Follow the breath as it moves in and out of the nostrils.

And now move to the ears.

Can you feel the feeling of the air on the insides of your ears?

And with the awareness inside the ears,

Notice any sounds that are present in your environment.

Just allow the awareness to move from sound to sound without getting too involved in any of them.

Just acknowledge that those sounds are there and know that they're not going to disturb you but that they can only enhance your relaxation.

And now picture yourself surrounded by a protective bubble of colourful light.

See that light surrounding you in the colour that makes you feel the most safe and secure,

The most at peace.

Feel yourself securely contained within the bubble of light so that you are completely safe and secure for your practice and the worries and dramas of the outside world cannot affect or disturb you.

And if there's anything that you want to bring into your bubble that will make you feel even more safe and secure,

Invite that into the bubble with you.

Notice what you feel inside your body with the increasing feeling of safety.

Welcome the physical feeling of safety and feel that feeling expanding into the whole of your body.

Feel it vividly.

This is your feeling that you have created for yourself and that you can always come back to at any time if you need to.

The feeling of absolute safety and security.

The feeling of peace and well-being.

We're going to take a journey around the body.

Rest the awareness at each point as its name.

Beginning at the tip of the tongue.

Rest the awareness at the tip of the tongue.

And the whole of the tongue.

Awareness on the whole of the tongue.

The roof of the mouth.

The bottom of the mouth.

The teeth.

The gums.

The upper lip.

The lower lip.

The chin.

The jaw.

The right ear.

The left ear.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

The inside of the right nostril.

The inside of the left nostril.

The tip of the nose.

The whole of the nose.

The right eye.

The left eye.

The right eyebrow.

The left eyebrow.

The eyebrow centre.

The forehead.

The top of the head.

Awareness at the top of the head.

The back of the head.

The back of the neck.

The right shoulder.

The right upper arm.

The right elbow.

The forearm.

The right wrist.

The palm of the right hand.

The back of the right hand.

The right hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

The palm of the right hand.

The back of the right hand.

The right wrist.

The right forearm.

The right elbow.

The upper arm.

The right shoulder.

The right collarbone.

The left collarbone.

The left shoulder.

The left upper arm.

The left elbow.

The left forearm.

The left wrist.

The palm of the left hand.

The back of the left hand.

The left hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

The palm of the left hand.

The back of the left hand.

The left wrist.

The left forearm.

The left elbow.

The upper arm.

The left shoulder.

The left collarbone.

The left side of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

The left side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The right hip.

And the left hip.

The right thigh.

The left thigh.

The right knee.

The left knee.

The right lower leg.

The left lower leg.

The right ankle.

The left ankle.

The right heel.

The left heel.

The sole of the right foot.

The sole of the left foot.

The right toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

And the left toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

And moving up the back of the body,

Bring the awareness to the right heel.

The left heel.

The back of the right knee.

The back of the left knee.

The right buttock.

The left buttock.

The spine.

Send the awareness up every vertebrae of the spine.

The right shoulder blade.

The left shoulder blade.

The back of the neck.

The back of the head.

The top of the head.

Awareness at the top of the head.

And the whole of the body.

Awareness on the whole of the body together.

The whole of the body together.

Bring the awareness to the breath.

Follow the breath as it flows in and out.

Watch the chest rising on the inhalation.

And sinking on the exhalation.

Continue to watch the breath.

And begin to count the breaths backwards from 27 to 0.

Like this.

Breathing in 27.

Breathing out 27.

Breathing in 26.

Breathing out 26.

Breathing in 25.

Breathing out 25.

And so on.

All the way to 0.

If you make a mistake.

Or if you reach the end.

Go back to 27 and start again.

Continue counting the breaths backwards.

Stop counting.

And now invite the feeling of fear to arise inside you.

Feel the sensations that arise inside your body.

The feeling of fear.

Feel the sensations that arise inside your body with the feeling of fear.

Welcome the feeling.

Feel it vividly.

The feeling of fear.

Invite the feeling.

The feeling of fear.

The feeling of fear.

And now the feeling of trust.

Invite the feeling of trust to arise inside your body.

Feel it vividly.

Feel the sensations that come with the feeling of trust.

Intensify the feeling.

Feel it vividly.

The feeling of trust.

Welcome the feeling of trust.

Fear and trust together.

Welcome both feelings as they arise simultaneously inside the body.

Feel the sensations that come with the feeling of fear.

And the sensations that come with the feeling of trust.

Welcome both feelings together.

Fear and trust together.

Intensify the feelings.

Fear and trust together.

Bring the awareness to the heart center.

Rest here.

Free.

Be in the peace of the heart center.

Recall your bubble of light.

Recall the safe,

Protective,

Colorful bubble of light around you.

Feel back into that feeling of safety.

Welcome the feeling of safety throughout the whole of your body.

Feel it vividly inside every cell.

This is your feeling that you have created for yourself.

And you can always return to it at any time if you need to.

The feeling of absolute safety and security.

Peace.

And well-being.

And now very gently begin to turn your awareness back outwards.

Become aware of the sounds that you can hear in your environment around you.

Let the awareness jump from sound to sound.

Without getting too involved with any one sound.

Just acknowledge that they're there.

Feel into the feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

The feeling of the air flowing in and out.

Watch the air flowing into your body as you breathe.

And feel the air flowing into your hands and your feet.

Animating the fingers and the toes.

Begin to make some movements with the fingers and the toes.

With the hands and the feet.

And give yourself a stretch if it feels good for you.

And when you're ready,

Slowly open your eyes.

Your practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you for listening.