Namaste.
My name is Kristen Rose.
Welcome to your Yoga Nidra practice today.
This practice is an invitation to soften into trust.
Trust in your own heart,
In the unfolding of life and in the greater intelligence that holds us all.
Through the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra,
We gently quiet the mind and journey inward to reconnect with this innate trust.
Here in stillness,
Trust is not something we force,
It's something we remember.
So,
Let us take a deep and generous breath in through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth,
Letting go of the momentum of your day.
As you begin to settle down and into your little Yoga Nidra nest,
Coming down and onto the earth,
The couch or even into your bed,
Allowing the body to settle into its most comfortable position on the back,
On your side or even in a prone position on the belly.
Take your time to reach for any pillows,
Blankets.
There is no rush at all.
Trust that the body knows what it needs.
Making any final little micro-adjustments to the physical position of the body so that you could become 1% more comfortable here.
Settling into stillness,
Shifting gears from doing any one particular thing and relaxing back and down and into just being.
As the eyelids become heavy,
Relax the lower jaw and the cheekbones down towards the earth.
Allow the whole body to become heavy with every breath,
With every exhale.
Release any lingering tension in the muscles,
Letting go of gripping to allow a softening,
A soothing,
A surrender as if you could trust fall backwards into deep rest with a gentle knowing that you are held here by the earth,
By the guidance of my voice.
Soften into the knowing that there is nothing for you to do now.
This is a practice of resting deeply and listening intimately.
Trust in the ancient wisdom of Yoga Nidra.
Begin to mentally trace three golden rings of light around the whole body from right to left to right side in golden orb,
A protective cocoon of warmth,
Light,
Energy.
No distractions coming in to allow the mind to rest at ease in this cocoon of deep rest,
Presence.
Inviting awareness now down to the navel center,
Quietly observing the breath in the belly,
The gentle rise and fall of the navel with each breath.
On the next inhale,
Breathe in gently for one,
Two,
Four,
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
A simple technique of lengthening the out breath,
Activating the rest and digest division of the nervous system to release tension from the body by slowing down the breath,
Releasing the counts and yet continue to follow the wave of each exhale as if you were being magnetically drawn down into deeper stillness,
Noticing the contact points where your body meets the earth,
The whole back side of the body touching earth,
The whole front side of the body touching blankets from the inside out,
The eyes resting behind the eyelids,
The quiet,
Dark inner space that is so inviting behind closed eyes.
Notice any tastes inside of the mouth or moisture.
Relax the muscle of the tongue.
Notice the gentle touch of air inside of the nostrils.
Any fragrance or aromas in the room.
Notice sounds that are furthest away and the sounds that are closest to you now.
Anchor your awareness in the sound of my voice.
As all of your senses come to rest,
Wide open,
Bring awareness to rest in the space of the heart.
As you bring forth a sankalpa,
A heartfelt resolve.
Like an intention.
You may wish to borrow the phrase,
I trust in my heart's wisdom.
I release control and rest peacefully in the unknown.
Mentally,
Repeat your sankalpa now three times,
And might you even believe it to be true.
Here and now.
As the body remains still.
Bring all of your awareness to the center of the forehead.
Soften into the experience of sensations that are already present at the center of the forehead.
Relax the region of the forehead.
As you bring your awareness to it.
Down to the throat center.
Relax the region of the throat.
Descending awareness down to the center of the chest.
The heart center.
Relax the region around the heart,
The right side of the upper chest,
Collarbone,
Shoulder,
First finger.
Soften into the spaces in between the fingers.
From fingertips back to the wrist.
Right side of the chest.
Shoulder blade.
Right side of the waist.
Shoulder blade.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Second toe.
Awareness resting in the toes.
Right side of the torso.
The whole right side of the body.
Alive with sensations.
The present experience of the physical body.
Just as it is.
The whole right side of the body.
And the left hemisphere of the brain.
At the same time,
Witnessing,
Sensing,
And feeling this experience of life unfolding just as it is.
The whole right side of the body.
Left hemisphere of the brain.
The whole right side of the body.
Awareness slowly returns back to the heart.
Relax the space of the heart.
The whole left side of the chest.
First finger.
Second.
From the base of the fingers to the fingertips,
A natural softening into the spaces between the fingers.
From fingertips back to the wrist.
Shoulder.
Left side of the chest.
Shoulder blade.
Left side of the waist.
Second toe.
Awareness comes to rest in all five toes.
Melting into the spaces between the toes.
Vibrant with sensations.
Left side of the torso.
The whole left side of the body.
Deeply resting.
And the whole right side of the body.
The whole right hemisphere of the brain.
At the same time,
This organic experience unfolding just as it is.
The aliveness in the left side body.
Right hemisphere of the brain.
Simultaneously.
And now sensing and feeling both sides of the body.
Both hemispheres of the brain.
Resting and vibrant from the inside out.
Turning awareness now to the natural rhythm of the breath.
Quietly observing the waves of the breath.
As awareness comes down to rest at the base of the spine.
Imagine as if you could breathe in through the base of the spine.
Ascending awareness and breath up to the crown of the head.
And exhale from the crown all the way back down to the base of the spine.
Just imagine breath and awareness flows from the base of the spine to the crown.
Ascending.
On the exhale all the way back down.
Descending.
Descending.
Breath by breath.
Flowing up and down the central spinal channel.
Restoring balance.
Effortlessly.
As you follow the breath,
Trust in the inherent wisdom of the breath to rest and to be aware.
Restoring.
And now bring awareness to rest on the surface of the skin.
The whole boundary of the body.
Becoming porous.
Imagine as if you could breathe in through the skin surface.
To the central spinal channel.
And back out through the skin surface.
Whole body breathing in.
To your center.
Effortlessly.
Whole body breathing out.
Creating space for the next in-breath.
Body breathing.
Consciously invite in a felt sense of warmth throughout the whole body.
You were laying on a warm beach.
The warmth of the sun gently touching your skin.
And now,
Consciously invite in a felt sense of coolness.
The whole body becoming so cool.
Flowing through the whole body.
And now,
Welcome in both warmth and coolness at the same time.
Consciously experiencing both opposing sensations of warmth and coolness.
At the same time.
One cannot exist without the other.
Resting back.
To witness the experience of both warmth and coolness in the body.
At the same time.
Allow this experience unfolding,
Naturally,
To instill a sense of contentment.
Resting so deeply now.
As awareness itself.
Abiding awareness that is everywhere,
All around you,
To the farthest reaches of the universe.
To the innermost core of your being.
Resting as that's already here.
The sky-like nature of awareness itself.
And you are the sky.
Like clouds passing through.
And now,
Begin to recall your sankalpa.
I trust in my heart's wisdom.
I release control and rest peacefully in the unknown.
Mentally repeat your sankalpa now.
Three times.
Three times.
Trusting in the unfolding of life itself.
Knowing that you are held.
Divinely guided.
Start to bring your awareness back down and into the body.
Feel the earth beneath the body.
Notice the breath.
Start to gently deepen the breath.
Taking a deeper and generous breath in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
And out through the mouth.
Slowly start to gather in a sense of the room around you.
And the sounds in the room.
Notice how you feel.
Notice if you would like to rest a little while longer.
To savor this time.
Trust that inner knowing.
The body always knows what you need.
If you feel complete,
You might start to wiggle the fingers and the toes.
Find a nice long stretch through the body.
And roll over onto one side.
I invite you to rest here for some time now.
To integrate this practice.
To remember the true nature of your being.
Of your heart.
Your Sankalpa.
I'd like to thank you so much for practicing with me today.
And to extend immense gratitude to all of our teachers.
Past,
Present and future.
To the ancient traditions we have borrowed these practices from.
Thank you.
Again,
My name is Kristen Rose.
I wish you a beautiful and blessed rest of your day.
