Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.
Lie down comfortably on your back,
Side or front and use cushions,
Blankets,
Pillows or bolsters to support the body.
My intention for this Yoga Nidra is to support you to find ease and comfort whilst creating a haven of safety for your nervous system.
Take time to find comfort and let the body settle.
Adjust any clothing or supports so that you feel completely at ease and once you're settled begin to invite stillness.
If at any point throughout this practice you feel as though you need to move or change positions,
Please honor that.
Allow yourself to be completely supported here.
There is nothing you need to do.
Gravity is holding you and supporting you.
Become aware of the natural rhythm of your breath,
Moving in and out like a wave.
Take a breath in and a breath out.
A breath in and a breath out.
One more all the way in and all the way out.
You are about to enter a state of deep rest.
A state between waking and dreaming.
This is the practice of Yoga Nidra.
Try to awake and aware following the sound of my voice.
Sense the weight of the body resting heavily on the earth.
Let the earth take the weight of your day,
The weight of your thoughts,
The weight of your body.
You are safe to let go here.
Notice the feeling of all the supports around you.
The blankets,
The pillows,
The cushions,
The bed perhaps,
The floor.
Feel your body cocooned in this place of warmth and safety.
Begin now to visualize your body made up of trillions of little cells,
All working in harmony with one another.
On your inhale every cell receives your healing breath.
On your exhale every cell softens.
On your inhale every cell receives your healing breath.
On your exhale every cell softens.
You can feel your nervous system beginning to shift,
Beginning to drop into a state of rest and digest.
A deep settling,
A gentle unwinding,
As though your whole body is exhaling all at once.
Now bring to mind your sankalpa for this practice,
A short heartfelt intention stated in the present tense.
It might be something like I allow myself to let go and rest deeply,
Or I welcome stillness and restoration into my body and mind.
Repeat your sankalpa three times silently with feeling and belief.
Let your sankalpa settle into the fertile soil of your awareness.
Notice your natural breath as you breathe in and out.
Begin now to take longer,
Slower inhales and even slower exhales.
Longer,
Slower inhales and even longer exhales.
Intentionally lengthen the breath just a little more,
And feel the magic of your breath feeding every cell of the body.
And as every cell is fed by the breath you relax even more.
Every cell relaxes with each exhale you take.
It's like the cells of your body breathe as you breathe.
Let your awareness now drift up to the third eye,
The space between your eyebrows.
And notice a white light at the third eye.
As you remain focused on this white light,
This white healing light,
Count nine slow breaths in and out.
With the awareness on the white light at the third eye,
Nine breaths.
Wherever you are in your counting,
Let go of it.
Let go of the counting,
Let go of control over the breath as we embark on a journey of awareness through the body.
The rotation of consciousness.
Move your awareness effortlessly without analyzing,
Simply notice the body part and move on.
We begin at the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
The right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
The right side of the waist,
The hip,
Thigh,
Ankle,
And heel,
The sole of the right foot,
Top of the foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
The left side of the waist,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
The lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
And both shoulder blades,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
The forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
The nose,
The very tip of the nose,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The top lip,
The bottom lip,
Both lips together,
Chin and throat,
The right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
The right side of the chest,
The left side of the chest,
The whole upper abdomen,
The navel,
The lower abdomen,
The pelvis,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The entire right side of the body,
The entire left side of the body,
The front of the body,
The back of the body,
The whole body resting on the earth.
The whole body as one,
Supported and safe.
Now return to your sankalpa,
Your intention,
And repeat it once again silently three times with full awareness.
Feel your sankalpa as true,
Already living within you.
Trust that the seed of your intention has been planted deep within your consciousness.
Begin now to draw awareness slowly back to the feeling of your body,
Supported,
Safe,
Comfortably resting on the earth.
Tune into the feeling of your natural breath as your chest and belly rise and fall with the inhale and the exhale.
Notice the sounds around you.
Take your time.
Perhaps now begin to wiggle the fingers and the toes.
Gently circle the wrists and the ankles.
Stretch the arms up above the head,
Take a full deep breath in and exhale slowly.
Another one like that,
Full deep breath in,
Exhale slowly.
And when you're ready to,
You'll roll onto your right side and take a few breaths here.
And as you rest on your right side,
Internally bow to yourself,
Offering thanks to yourself for taking time out of your day to rest and replenish your energy and balance your nervous system.
This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
