Welcome to your practice.
Make sure that you're comfortable.
If you need to take any blankets or pillows or extra support,
Take whatever you need to be sure that you can relax without any distraction from the body.
Close your eyes and feel your body beginning to relax.
Become aware of the places where your body connects to the surface beneath you and feel the body becoming heavy at each of these points.
Allow the breath to carry you into your relaxation,
Becoming heavier and heavier every time you exhale.
Observe the gentle movements of the chest and the abdomen as the breath moves in and out,
The body relaxing with every exhalation.
Become aware of the sounds you can hear,
Sounds from far away,
Sounds from closer to you and perhaps even the sounds of your own body,
Of the breath and of the heartbeat.
Welcome every sound knowing that its purpose is to guide you into stillness.
Make the intention that you will rest deeply for the duration of this practice and that you will return to your life refreshed and re-energized and know that there is no way to do this practice wrong.
You can continue to listen to my voice or you can drift away and ignore it.
This is your practice,
Your rest.
So welcome whatever arises knowing that this is the perfect experience for you today.
Now we'll take the awareness around the body,
Resting for a moment at each point as it's named,
Beginning at the space between the eyebrows and the space between the collarbones,
The right shoulder,
The right elbow,
The right wrist,
The right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
The right wrist,
The right elbow,
The right shoulder,
The space between the collarbones,
The left shoulder,
The left elbow,
The left wrist,
The left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
The left wrist,
The left elbow,
The left shoulder,
The space between the collarbones,
The centre of the chest,
The right side of the chest,
The centre of the chest,
The left side of the chest,
The centre of the chest,
The navel,
The space below the navel,
The right hip,
The right knee,
The right ankle,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The right ankle,
The right knee,
The right hip,
The space below the navel,
The left hip,
The left knee,
The left ankle,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The left ankle,
The left knee,
The left hip,
The space below the navel,
The heart centre,
The space between the collarbones,
The space between the eyebrows,
The top of the head,
The space between the eyebrows,
The space between the collarbones,
The heart centre.
Notice how heavy the body has become.
Feel the body becoming heavier and heavier.
The body is becoming so heavy it's sinking into the earth.
Feeling one with the earth.
Heaviness in the body.
Heaviness in the body.
And I feel the body becoming very light.
The body is becoming lighter and lighter.
So light that it can float away into the sky.
Becoming one with the sky.
Lightness in the body.
Lightness in the body.
And is it possible to feel both of those at the same time?
Can you sink into the earth and float away into the sky at the same time?
Can you feel heaviness and lightness together?
Bring the awareness to the breath.
Bring the awareness to the breath.
Observe the natural flow of the breath.
The air gently entering and leaving the body.
Begin to count the breaths backwards from 15 to 0.
Like this.
Breathing in 15.
Breathing out 15.
Breathing in 14.
Breathing out 14.
And so on.
If you make a mistake or if you reach 0.
Going back to 15 and starting again.
Keep watching the breath and counting.
Stop counting.
And bring the awareness to the space behind the closed eyes.
I'm going to name some objects.
Allow an impression to arise of each thing as it's named.
Try not to force it or think about it too much.
Just allow it to arise as it comes.
Starting with a rose bush.
Snow-capped mountains.
A deer.
A waterfall.
A lonely hut on a hillside.
A bunch of grapes.
A shining star.
A weeping willow tree.
The sun rising over the mountains.
A butterfly.
A kitten with a ball of string.
A yogi sitting in meditation.
Stillness.
Recall your intention to rest deeply for the practice.
Begin to return to your life refreshed and re-energized.
Begin to turn the awareness back outwards.
Noticing any sounds you can hear.
And in your mind begin to create a vision of the room you're in.
Can you recall the walls?
The ceiling?
The floor?
The furniture?
Your own body?
Begin to deepen the breathing and make some small slow movements with the body in preparation to end the practice.
Start stretching in any way that feels comfortable for you.
When you are ready,
Begin to blink the eyes open to let the light back in.
This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
