Yoga Nidra For Rest

Prepare for the practice of yoga nidra.

Gather any warm clothing or props you may need and lengthen yourself into a comfortable resting pose.

A posture that you can sustain comfortably for about 15 minutes without a lot of effort in the body.

If you're choosing shavasana,

Lengthen onto your back.

Perhaps place a cushion underneath your knees to support your lower back,

A blanket on your body for warmth,

And perhaps a covering for your eyes if that feels comfortable today.

And if shavasana doesn't feel like your shape today,

Find any other posture that does.

The intention of this practice is to unravel tension from the body and the mind.

It is a guided practice.

You'll hear my voice the whole time.

And do your best to remain softly present.

If you fall asleep,

It's okay.

If you stay awake,

It's okay.

Do your best also to remain comfortably still,

Only moving the body if absolutely necessary to enhance your comfort.

Make any last adjustments to your posture or your props so that you can settle into stillness for the practice.

Once you've found your place,

Welcome a big cleansing breath in through your nose and let it go from the mouth.

And start to let your day fade.

Everything that happened before this moment,

Let it fade.

Invite yourself here into this practice.

Release your jaw and your tongue.

Let your shoulders drop all that they're carrying.

Imagine your arms and legs becoming longer and heavier,

Your whole body sinking down.

Into the earth,

Into the support.

Welcome softness wherever you can.

And start to be aware of the shape of your body,

Resting here in support.

And feel also the points of contact between you and your body.

From your head to your hips to your heels,

Feel the points of contact between your body and your support below.

And then tune into your sense of touch.

Feel clothing or blankets or blankets that are next to your skin.

Perhaps noticing areas of tightness or certain textures.

Shift your awareness now to the mouth and be aware of any taste or flavor in the mouth.

Become aware of any fragrance,

Any smell in the nose.

Become aware of any fragrance,

Any smell in the nose.

And then shift your awareness to your sense of hearing.

As if your ears are two microphones picking up all of the sounds around you.

As soon as you notice a sound,

Leave it and then welcome the next one.

Sound by sound,

Let everything pass through your field of awareness.

Even the smallest sounds of or close to your body.

And then let all of the sounds go.

Now call upon your sankalpa.

This is an intention that you set for yourself in line with your highest good.

A positive statement in the present tense that is very simple,

Even just a simple sentence.

If you have a sankalpa today,

Repeat it three times mentally with the same language each time.

And if nothing comes for you today,

Welcome space.

In the practice of yoga nidra,

Different parts of the body will be mentioned.

As each part is mentioned,

Allow the awareness to go further.

Repeat it mentally and visualize it.

The practice begins with awareness in the right hand with the right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Middle finger,

And thumb.

The practice begins with awareness in the right hand with the right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the right hand,

Back of the right hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Arm pit,

Right side of the waist,

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Right ankle,

Right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Move the awareness into the left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the left hand,

Back of the left hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Arm pit,

Left side of the waist,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Left ankle,

Left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Move the awareness into the back of the body,

Into the heels,

Back of the legs,

Buttocks,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyebrow center,

Eyes,

Ears,

Cheeks,

Nose,

Lips,

Chin,

Throat,

Chest,

Abdomen,

Pelvis.

Become aware of the whole right side of the body.

Become aware of the whole right side of the body.

Become aware of the whole left side of the body.

The back of the body,

The front of the body.

Become aware of the whole body as one unit.

Become aware of the breath in its natural rhythm.

Notice the inhalation and the exhalation in its natural rhythm.

Stay with the breath.

Follow it as it moves through the body.

Stay with the breath.

And count nine rounds of breath in reverse.

Start at nine,

Count nine rounds of breath down to zero.

If zero is reached or the count is lost,

Begin again at nine,

Count nine rounds of breath down to zero.

And then let go of the count.

Let go of the observation of breath.

Call upon your sankalpa once again,

Your intention,

And repeat it three times mentally with the same language as before.

And tune your awareness now to your sense of hearing.

Welcome the sounds in once again.

Perhaps just the small sounds,

The sound of your breath or your body.

Welcoming sounds in the room and the building and the area that you're in.

Tune into your environment through sound.

And let the sounds go now and come back to your sense of touch,

Clothing or blankets next to your skin.

And then feel your body resting in support.

Come back to the shape of your body,

The weight of your body sinking down to support.

Tune into the back of your body and notice where there is a little bit of space between you and your support.

Maybe the back of the neck,

Maybe under the wrists or the ankles.

Look for space.

And then feel into the contact between you and the support below,

All the points of contact that ground you to the earth.

Remember where your body is in space and remember the room that you're resting in.

And try to remember as much as you can about this space,

The colours,

The furniture,

Windows,

Doors,

Plants.

If there are people or pets around,

Have a sense of where they are.

Remember where you are.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now over.

As you feel ready to release the practice,

Release your resting pose,

Perhaps take a couple of big breaths in through the nose.

Let them just fall out of the mouth.

And then move very slowly,

Wiggling fingers or toes,

Rolling head side to side.

If you feel you need more rest,

You can stay in Shavasana.

And if you're ready to move back into your day,

Slowly wiggle your way to roll over to one side and back up to a tall seat.

I thank you for taking time out of your day for rest,

For relaxation and for unraveling.

May you be well.