Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra,
Your space of refuge to rest and recharge.
Begin by lying down on your back with your arms and legs comfortably away from your body,
Creating space.
Use as many blankets,
Pillows,
Cushions,
Whatever is at your disposal to make a really comfortable nest,
So you can lie still for the next 20 minutes or so.
Support your head with a pillow,
And if you wish,
Some support under your knees,
Taking time in your preparation,
And a blanket in case you get cold.
If you prefer,
You can lie in a different position,
If that's better for you.
Check in with your body now to see if there's anything else you need to adjust to make yourself even more comfortable.
If you do need to move during the practice,
Please do so sensitively,
So you can create the least amount of disturbance for yourself.
As you begin to come to stillness now,
Take three long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Three long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Welcome again to this practice of Yoga Nidra,
Your space where you need make no effort,
Just listen.
There's nothing to do,
No one to please,
Nowhere to go.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Lying on your surface,
Let yourself be supported,
Supported by the ground,
The warm,
Deep,
Nourishing ground.
Breathe in and up from the ground.
Breathe out and down into the ground.
Breathe in and up from the ground,
Connecting with the earth.
Breathe out and down into the ground,
Connecting with the earth.
Breathe in and up from the ground,
Connecting with the support of the earth.
Breathe out and down into the ground,
Connecting with the support of the earth.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Give yourself this time,
This time for you,
Connecting with the earth,
Connecting with the support of the earth.
I invite you now to take a journey around the body.
As I mention each part of the body,
Please take your awareness there.
You may repeat the part of the body to yourself if you wish,
Or you may just listen.
We start with the right side of the body.
Right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of the body,
Waist,
Hip,
The thigh,
Knee,
Back of the knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand,
Top of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the body,
The waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Back of the knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
The heels,
Any part of the legs touching the floor,
Buttocks,
The lower back,
Mid-back,
The upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
The whole of the spine,
The whole of the spine,
The whole of the spine,
Back of the head,
Right side of the head,
Left side of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
The nose,
The upper lip,
Lower lip,
The chin,
The throat,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
The breastbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
The diaphragm,
The abdomen,
The pelvis,
The right arm,
The right leg,
Right arm and right leg together,
Left arm,
Left leg,
Left arm,
Left leg together,
The whole of the right side of the body,
The whole of the left side of the body,
The whole body together,
The whole body together,
The head,
The whole head,
The whole head and body together,
The whole head and body together,
The whole head and body together.
Feel your body now,
Lying on your surface.
Feel your body.
Feel the warmth of the body.
Feel how warm it is.
Feel the cool air on your skin,
The cool air on your skin.
Feel how warm the body is.
Feel how cool the skin is.
How warm is the warmth?
How cool is the coolness?
Rest in a place between the two,
Between the warmth and the coolness,
Between the warmth and the coolness,
Resting in this space.
Feel your body resting on your surface,
Really resting,
Really resting so much you feel weighted down and solid on the earth and grounded on the earth.
Feel your body as if it's as light as a feather,
So light and airy.
Your body grounded on the earth,
Your body as light as a feather.
Feel yourself in the space between the solid heaviness and the lightness.
Feel yourself in the space between groundedness and lightness.
Rest in this space.
Bring your attention now to your breath.
Breathe in from your toes to the top of your head,
Slowly and steadily.
From your toes to the top of your head,
Slowly and steadily.
Breathe out from your head to the tips of your toes,
Slowly and steadily.
Breathe out from your head to the tips of your toes,
Slowly and steadily.
Continue with this breath,
Breathing in from toes to head,
Breathing out from head to toes,
Slowly and steadily.
From the toes,
Up through the knees,
The hips,
The body,
The neck and head.
Out through the head,
Neck,
Body,
Hips,
Knees and toes.
Breathing slowly and steadily.
Slowly and steadily.
Continue with this breath.
Rest again in this space where you have moved the breath.
Feel the sensations in the body from the refreshing breath moving through the body.
Give yourself a few moments now to reconnect with the ground,
The earth.
Breathe in and up from the ground.
Breathe out and down into the earth.
Out and down into the earth.
Feel the support and the warmth and reconnect with the cool air on your skin.
Breathe deeply now.
Again,
Three long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Notice the touch of your clothes on your skin and body.
Notice the fabric and where it touches your skin.
Notice the familiar smells in your room.
Become aware of the taste in your mouth.
Listen to any sounds in the room.
Listen to any sounds outside.
Listen for sounds that are far away and sounds nearer towards you.
Rub your hands together and place over your closed eyes,
Feeling the energy from your palms over your eyes.
Open your eyes and look into the darkness of your palms.
Close your eyes and rub the palms together again.
Place over your eyes once more and look again into the darkness of your palms.
Gradually move your hands down so that you let light in through your fingers.
Blink a few times and look around the room you're in.
Familiarise yourself with your surroundings.
Now give yourself a well-earned stretch and yawn,
Stretching one side of the body,
The other side of the body,
And stretching both arms and legs away from each other together.
Curl up your knees.
Hug your knees to your chest and roll from side to side.
Then roll onto your right side and rest for a moment.
Slowly sit up,
Supporting your head.
Place your hands to your heart in prayer.
This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Thank you for your practice.
