42 Minute Yoga Nidra To Rest And Repair The Nervous System

Thank you for joining me for this yoga nidra to rest and repair the nervous system.

My name is Lauren and I appreciate you being here with me today.

Come into your nidra nest,

Lying on your back in shavasana or possibly in a side-lying position or sitting with your back against a wall.

Make your body as comfortable as possible by using props or pillows to support the body best.

Once you are in a comfortable position,

You can close the eyes or take a soft gaze and begin to imagine drawing a circle of blue healing light around the body.

And once you've completed the blue circle,

Make another circle around the body in a yellow light,

Creating a circle of healing and protection.

Now see yourself within the circle of the two lights,

Blue and then yellow.

Let your consciousness move to your breath,

Shifting to feeling the breath being received versus taken.

And because your mind mirrors your breath,

Let's begin with slowing the breath down so we can slow the mind down.

First,

With a cleansing breath,

Take a big inhale through the nose and then exhale,

Sigh it out the mouth.

Now,

As you return to breathing in and out the nose,

Begin to extend the length of your exhale so it's twice as long as your inhale.

This may look like inhaling for three and exhaling out the nose for six or possibly inhaling for four and exhaling for eight.

Find what feels good for you and breathe here for just a few moments and return to your unshaped,

Natural breath.

Natural breath.

Begin to move your awareness towards sound.

Maybe try to receive the sounds around you.

Be curious but not judgmental about all of the sounds around you that you experience.

Notice all the sounds outside of your circle of light.

Let them be there as you rest deeply inside your circle.

Feel the body begin to pull into the nectar of relaxation,

Softening at the edges,

Feeling those hard lines that you keep so rigid during the day with your erect posture and the tightness of tension.

Let that begin to soften and blur.

Softening so that there is an expansion to make more room,

Room for more breath,

More healing,

More repairing back to wholeness.

Imagining as if everything is just a little bit more natural.

Just spreading out.

There's more room for the lungs to expand,

The vital organs to do their job.

And with this expansion and dissolving and softening,

There's room for the nervous system to settle.

Welcome your sankalpa to the practice now.

Mentally whispering your sankalpa that you work with,

Or might you borrow this one.

I receive the vibration of serenity.

I infuse every cell of my being with tranquility.

As I begin to name body parts,

Trace the body from one area to the next,

Surrendering to the sensations felt in each area.

Maybe inviting a sense of curiosity or imagination,

As if you can feel the frequency of tranquility nourishing each part of the body I name,

However that may feel for you.

Beginning with the sensations that you notice in the center of your chest,

Moving and shifting all of your awareness there.

To the center of your chest.

Become aware of the entire heart center.

Any sensations present in this area.

Feel the heart.

Sensing where the heart is in the body.

Just a little off center towards the left.

Feeling the beat of the heart.

Or imagining the beat of the heart.

Moving your awareness to the right side of the chest.

The right shoulder.

Going deeper to the joint of the shoulder.

The armpit.

Upper arm.

Moving down to the elbow.

And sensing the pit of the elbow.

The lower arm.

Tuning into all of the sensations of the muscles in the lower arm.

The wrist.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

The right thumb.

Scanning from the base of the thumb to the tip.

First finger.

Scanning from base to tip.

Second.

Third.

Little finger.

Feel the right side of your torso.

From under the arm to the hip bone.

And the right hip.

The quadricep or front of the thigh.

Sensing the hamstring or back of the thigh.

The knee.

And the space behind the knee.

The shin.

Calf.

Ankle.

The heel of the right foot.

Bottom of the foot.

The right big toe.

Sensing from the base of the toe to the tip of the toe.

The right big toe.

Sensing from the base of the toe to the tip of the toe.

The second.

Third.

Fourth.

Little toe.

The top of the foot.

And return your awareness back to the center of your chest.

The heart space.

See if you can sense the heartbeat a little clearer now.

Moving over to the left side of the chest.

And the left shoulder.

The joint of the shoulder.

The armpit.

The upper arm.

Elbow.

And the pit of the elbow.

Moving to the lower arm.

Sensing all of the muscles in the lower arm.

And the pit of the elbow.

And the lower arm.

Wrists.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

The left thumb scanning the thumb from base to tip.

First finger.

Second.

Third.

Little finger.

Feel the left side of your torso from under the arm to the hip bone.

The left hip.

The quadricep.

Hamstring.

The right hip.

The knee.

Space behind the knee.

The shin.

Calf.

Ankle.

The heel of the left foot.

Bottom of the foot.

Left big toe sensing from the base of the toe.

To the tip of the toe.

Second.

Third.

Fourth.

Little toe.

The top of the foot.

Pelvis.

The pelvic bowl.

The base of the spine.

Arch of the back.

Middle of the back.

The shoulder blades,

Right and left side.

Sensing the upper back.

The lower back.

Moving up to the neck.

Feeling the back of the head.

Sensing the weight of the head.

The third eye center.

Right eyebrow.

Eyelids.

The lashes of the right eye.

The eye itself.

All the muscles behind the right eye.

The right temple.

Ear.

Inner ear.

Moving through and across the body.

To the left inner ear.

And the whole left ear.

The left temple.

Left eyebrow.

Eyelids.

The lashes.

The eye itself.

And all the muscles behind the eye.

Moving your awareness down the bridge of the nose.

Feeling sensations at the tip of the nose.

The air moving in and out the nose.

The right cheek.

Left cheek.

Lips,

Upper and lower.

The teeth.

Tip of the tongue.

Base of the tongue.

Inside the right cheek.

Inside the left cheek.

Center of the throat.

Hollow pit of the throat.

Resting now at the heart center.

Begin to sense the right hand and the right foot at the same time.

Noticing the sensations and the aliveness of the right hand and right foot.

And see if you can begin to sense the distance between the right hand and the right foot.

Where are they located in space?

And can you sense that space?

Between the right hand and the right foot.

Now switch to the left hand and the left foot.

Feeling the sensations and the aliveness of the left hand and foot.

Noticing without judgment what you experience on the side.

And then seeing if you can tune into the position of the left hand to the left foot.

Noticing the position of the parts relative to each other.

Let that go now.

Releasing the sensations of the body.

And find your breath.

Begin to immerse yourself in your natural,

Unshaped breath.

Experiencing each inhale and exhale like you're breathing.

It's a brand new experience each breath you take.

Could I invite you to open to the experience of feeling like you're breathing from all directions.

Like the entire body is breathing simultaneously.

Feel the whole body participate in global breathing.

It's as if each time you inhale,

Every part of the body,

From the skin all the way down deep to the cells and the space between the cells inhales.

And as you exhale,

The entire body globally exhales.

Before we begin to count down the breath,

Know this can be done at your own pace.

There's no need to rush to the end.

And if you lose count,

Just return back to the start.

The number we start at.

We will be counting down our breath from 25 to 1 like this.

Inhale 25.

Exhale 25.

Inhale 24.

Exhale 24.

Mentally repeating with each inhale and exhale.

Continue on your own.

If you lose count,

Just start over.

Letting go,

Watching and counting your breath.

Can you begin to find or sense in your body where it feels really heavy?

Where can you sense grounding and heaviness in the body?

Begin to notice what that experience is for you.

Maybe magnifying the sense of heaviness by remembering something like a heavy boulder.

Imagining this body part is as heavy as a boulder.

And letting go of heaviness and finding your balance.

Finding where in your body you are experiencing a sensation of lightness.

Or where can you create the experience of feeling as light as a feather?

Visualizing the body becoming so light.

So light it could just float up off the ground.

And return back to the sense of heaviness,

The grounding.

The qualities of heavy and grounding.

And then returning back to the lightness.

The feeling of flying because the body is so light.

And then begin to hold both at the same time.

Sensing heaviness and lightness at the same time.

Holding each experience equally.

Heavy,

Grounded,

Supported by the heaviness and the weight.

At the same time of feeling light like a feather.

Floating.

Notice how you can hold both sensations at the same time.

Let that go and return your awareness to your third eye center.

Spending a minute here.

Noticing the third eye center.

And I'd like to invite you to begin to experience visualizing a tree.

And trust that how you experience this visualization is just right.

You may sense the tree,

Or just trust the tree is there in your mind.

Or maybe you see a perfectly clear picture.

And as you stand there next to your tree,

Imagine closing your eyes and reaching down and touching the earth.

And experiencing and visualizing the root system of your tree.

Feeling as though when you touch your hand to the earth,

You're connecting with the intricate web of roots.

These roots that anchor the tree.

And you're connecting with the intricate web of roots.

Nourishing the tree.

Can you get a sense of yielding your body to the pull of the earth?

Just as the roots do for the tree.

Can you visualize or sense the darkness and coolness of the underground where these roots live?

Experiencing the tapestry of the intricately woven system.

Imagining where you might have this intricately woven system within your body.

And then moving up the tree.

Moving your visualization up,

Beginning to emerge above the ground to the trunk of the tree.

Spend some time noticing the trunk of your tree.

Imagine touching the bark.

Noticing if it's smooth or rough.

What colors can you trust are there or see?

Or completely make up?

Do you notice any smells coming from the tree?

Any earth scents filling your nose?

Calming your nervous system?

And as you stand next to your tree,

Begin to gaze upwards to the branches of the tree.

Beginning to take note of how many branches you see.

And the shapes of the leaves.

The colors of the leaves.

Then notice how the branches and leaves sway in the breeze.

And that there's a blue sky and a warm sun set as the backdrop.

And that there's a blue sky and a warm sun set as the backdrop of your tree.

Notice the tranquility that takes over your body as you meditate on the trees swaying in the breeze.

Anchoring your attention on visualizing the tree swaying in the wind.

Allow all the images of your tranquil tree to drop away now.

Let your awareness rest at your heart.

Allow the magic to unfold in your absence of doing.

Silently becoming a witness to your experience here.

Expanding beyond the boundaries of the mind.

Expanding beyond the boundaries of the mind.

Noticing the space of vast,

Empty stillness.

Welcome back your Sankalpa.

Mentally whispering three times.

I receive the vibration of serenity.

I infuse every cell of my being with tranquility.

Feel the Sankalpa planting deeply.

Taking root just like the tree.

Imagine it intricately weaving itself into the tapestry of your being.

Spend a moment here feeling tranquility in your body.

Revel in the state of rest and repair.

Noticing any changes in your mind or body.

Even in the subtlest layers of your being from your practice today.

Mentally noting what feels really good.

And trusting that you know how to find yourself back to the state of tranquility anytime you need.

Begin to slowly awaken the body by first noticing your mind.

And the thoughts in your mind.

Noticing any undercurrent of emotions that are present.

And then taking a big inhale through the nose and sighing it out the mouth.

Doing it one more time.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale,

Let it all out the mouth.

Slowly begin to notice the sounds in your room.

Hearing again the world around you.

And can you now notice the light beyond your eyelids?

Start to take small movements that feel right for you.

And then moving into any larger movements like stretching.

The arms overhead,

The legs extending.

And only when you feel ready and it's right for you,

Open your eyes.

I'm so honored to guide you through this new journey.

I'm so honored to guide you through this Nidra today.

Thank you for being here with me.