Welcome to this mindful yoga nidra practice.
This is a practice to allow you to melt deeply into yourself and your body,
Grounding,
Softening,
And gently bringing yourself into the present moment.
This is an opportunity to rest the mind,
Body,
And spirit.
Allow the sound of the ocean to gently lull you into a relaxed state.
You may choose to drift off to sleep following this meditation,
Or you might use it simply to rest and reset.
I invite you now to lie down in a relaxed position and cocoon yourself in whatever way feels most comfortable.
Take a few moments to get cozy,
Adjusting your body so you can fully enjoy the stillness of the next several minutes.
Now make any last minute adjustments to allow yourself to become 5 or even 10% more comfortable in the position you've chosen.
If it feels good for you,
You can gently close the eyes or simply bring your gaze inward.
Let's begin by softly focusing our attention on the breath.
Just begin to notice that you are breathing at all,
Tracking the inhale through the nose,
Allowing the belly and heart space to expand fully.
Noticing as the lungs fill,
There might be a tiny pause at the top,
Then allowing the breath to cascade slowly and mindfully back out of the body,
Through the mouth or nose.
Follow your next three inhales and exhales,
Noticing how the body softens and releases with each breath.
Now,
Begin to focus on the physical body,
Noticing the heaviness of the body as it rests.
Release any tension in the forehead,
Around the eyes,
The mouth or the jaw.
Allow the tongue to rest loosely inside the mouth.
Soften the shoulders,
Allowing them to release and relax.
Notice once again the heaviness of the torso,
The arms and the legs as they sink softly into gravity.
Now let's set an intention for our yoga nidra practice.
This sankalpa or intention is set in a positive frame and phrased in the present tense,
As if it were already true in this moment.
You might choose something like,
I am rested and rejuvenated,
Or I face whatever comes my way with calmness and clarity.
Take a moment to choose something that truly resonates for you,
Something your heart deeply desires.
Frame it in a positive,
Present tense and repeat it silently to yourself over the next three breaths.
Now,
You can gently release the intention and bring all of your awareness back to your physical body,
Sensing the whole body lying comfortably in its resting position.
Notice the placement of the arms,
Legs,
Fingers and toes and allow them to release.
Perhaps gently wiggling the fingers and toes,
Allow the palms to be open to receive,
Softening and relaxing the face,
The jaw,
The shoulders,
Hips,
Arms.
We will now begin a body scan.
All you need to do is follow along,
Bringing awareness to each body part as it is named.
There's no need to worry if the mind wanders or if you lose your place.
Whenever you notice this happening,
Simply bring your attention back to the sound of my voice and the awareness of the body.
We'll begin on the right hand side,
Focusing all your attention and awareness into the right hand thumb,
Coming aware of the right hand thumb,
Moving that intention now into the first finger,
Second finger,
The third finger and the pinky finger,
Palm of the right hand,
The back of the right hand,
The wrist,
The forearm,
The right elbow,
The upper arm,
The shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side of the waist,
The hip,
The right upper leg,
The knee,
The ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole of the right foot,
The heel,
All of the toes on the right foot,
The big toe,
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the pinky toe.
All awareness on the entire right side of the body,
Allowing the whole right side of the body to release and relax.
And now we'll move all of our awareness and attention to the left side of the body,
Beginning with the left thumb,
All attention and awareness on the left thumb,
Moving into the first finger,
The second finger,
The third finger and the pinky finger,
The palm of the left hand,
The back of the left hand,
The wrist,
The forearm,
Left elbow,
The upper arm,
The shoulder,
Underarm,
Forearm,
Side of the left waist,
The hip,
The upper leg,
The sole of the foot,
The heel,
The big toe,
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the pinky toe.
Now all awareness and intention on the whole left side of the body,
Allowing the whole left side of the body to release and relax.
Bringing all awareness now to the back side of the body,
Focusing awareness in the back of the head,
The neck,
The shoulders,
The middle of the back,
The low back,
The backs of the hips,
The space behind the knees,
The backs of the arms,
The elbows,
Relaxing through the whole back side of the body,
Allowing the whole back of the body to release and relax.
Now,
Bringing that awareness into the front of the body,
Moving all your intention into the top of the forehead,
Becoming aware of the front of the forehead,
The eyebrows,
The upper lid and the lower lid,
The eye sockets,
The cheekbones,
The ears,
Bridge of the nose,
The nostrils,
The upper lip,
The jaw,
Chin,
Front of the neck,
The clavicles,
The heart space,
The front of the ribcage,
The belly,
The sacrum,
The shoulders,
The tops of the feet,
All of the fingers and toes,
The whole front side of the body,
Relaxing and releasing.
Now the awareness moves to the whole body as one,
Bringing all the awareness into the whole body,
The whole body relaxing and releasing.
Now focusing on the whole body,
You may begin to notice a sensation of heaviness throughout the entire body.
Bring all of your awareness to this heaviness through the legs,
The torso,
The arms and the head.
Notice how the whole body is sinking into gravity's gentle hold.
Imagine as if the bones were made of lead,
The body becoming heavier and heavier,
Sinking deeper and deeper,
Allowing the sensation to arise physically or mentally without judgment or attachment.
Notice the breath.
With your next inhale,
Begin to develop a sense of lightness in the body,
Imagining the entire body becoming as light as a feather,
The arms,
Legs,
Torso and head becoming so light as if they were completely filled with air.
Sensing into the feeling of weightlessness as if the body were floating gently above the surface,
Carried effortlessly by a soft cloud.
With your next exhale,
Allow the body to gently settle back into place,
Softly held by gravity once again.
Begin to notice the temperature of the body.
With your next inhale,
See if you can find any part of the body that feels cool,
Bringing all awareness to sensations of coolness.
Perhaps noticing the touch of the air on the fingers or toes,
The tip of the nose,
Or noticing the coolness of breath as it enters through the nostrils.
Allow your attention to rest fully with the sensation of coolness throughout the body.
Now with your next exhale,
See if you can find warmth in the body,
Bringing awareness to any areas that feel warm,
Perhaps the heart space,
The belly,
Or the sacrum.
Maybe noticing the warmth of breath as it leaves the body and floats across the torso.
Allow yourself to become fully aware of warmth throughout the entire body,
Settling into a warm,
Nurturing cocoon.
Imagine the body is resting at its most perfect temperature.
Now we'll begin to focus on a series of words,
And all you need to do is notice anything that arises around the words,
Without judgment or any expectation,
Releasing any attachment to the meaning.
See if you can simply focus on the sound of each word.
It's perfectly okay if images or thoughts do arise.
Allow them to gently come and go like clouds floating across the sky,
Diaphanous,
Imperceptible,
Ethereal,
Alliterative,
Mellifluous,
Comfortable,
Inclusive,
Resilient,
Incomparable,
Expansive,
Delightful,
Comfortable,
Iridescent,
Nourishing,
Restorative,
Diaphanous,
Imperceptible,
Ethereal,
Alliterative,
Mellifluous,
Comfortable,
Inclusive,
Resilient,
Incomparable,
Comfortable,
Expansive,
Delightful,
Iridescent,
Memorable,
Nourishing,
Restorative.
Diaphanous.
Imperceptible.
Ethereal.
Alliterative.
Mellifluous.
Comfortable.
Comfortable.
Inclusive.
Resilient.
Incomparable.
Expansive.
Delightful.
Iridescent.
Nourishing.
Restorative.
Now,
Releasing all awareness of the words,
Gently bringing your attention back to the physical body.
Noticing the placement of the arms,
The legs,
And the torso.
Bringing the awareness back into the natural rhythm of the breath as it enters and exits the body.
Perhaps allowing the mind to drift off into a deep sleep,
Or perhaps resting here a few moments longer,
Allowing the body and mind to feel completely rejuvenated.
Stay as long as you wish,
Enjoying the gentle sounds of the ocean as it slowly fades away.
