Welcome to this Yoga Nidra session.
This is a space for you to enjoy a special connection with yourself.
So take a few moments to honour your choice to be here and to give yourself this gift.
Whenever you feel ready,
Find a comfortable posture.
In Yoga Nidra,
We recommend lying down on the floor on a soft surface like a yoga mat or a blanket.
If you prefer,
It can also be lying in bed or whatever other posture if you need it to be different.
You may like to use a pillow or a folded blanket to place under your head and perhaps a thin blanket to cover your body.
During this relaxation experience,
Your body temperature may go down a little and in this way you can be comfortable and cosy.
Yoga Nidra is intended to help you relax in a deep way and this may bring you close to the sleeping state.
The purpose of the session is not to sleep but to be established in a state of awareness of deep relaxation.
You can set a gentle intention to stay awake like for example,
I am choosing to remain awake during this session.
If however you fall asleep,
Know that this is perfectly alright as well.
Make any final adjustments to your posture and when you're ready,
Allow yourself to perceive your surroundings.
Observe the room or space that you're in,
Where the elements are,
How they're holding space for you at this time,
Plants,
Objects,
Furniture,
Notice the light,
The colours.
Allow yourself to feel deeply comfortable and cosy in this space and whenever it feels okay to you,
You may gently allow your eyes to close.
Notice any sounds in the room or perhaps in other rooms or other parts of the building.
Any sounds outside of nature or traffic or people.
Or anything else.
Or perhaps there may be a lack of sounds and that is alright.
You may also gently tune into sounds within you.
The sound of your breathing,
Of any movements within your body,
Gently following their pace.
If it feels good,
You can tune into your body,
Feeling its presence as it is resting now.
Noticing the feeling of your clothes,
The support under you,
The caring cover over you if you have a blanket,
As you gently breathe in and breathe out.
Notice your breathing,
Coming in through your nose and out through your nose as well.
Simply noticing how it is now without needing to change it,
Simply being with it.
And as you breathe,
Gently become aware of the centre of your chest,
Of your heart space,
And of the energy in your heart space.
This beautiful space of infinite possibilities.
And allow yourself to connect with this space of light and bring in an intention for your life and for this session.
This is what we call a sankalpa.
It could be something like,
I am happy and supported.
Or,
I am healthy and strong.
Allow yourself to find your own expression for this session that you feel resonates with you at this time.
If nothing comes to mind,
You can always go with a simple intention,
Like,
I am deeply relaxed and at peace.
Once you have your sankalpa,
I invite you to repeat it three times,
Allowing yourself to feel its resonance within you.
How it feels in your body and in your being.
Whenever you feel ready,
Bring your awareness to your crown,
Simply noticing it.
And now to your right eye,
Your left eye,
Your right eyebrow,
Your left eyebrow,
Your right cheek,
Your left cheek,
Your nose,
Your right nostril,
Your left nostril,
Your upper lip,
Your lower lip,
Your upper teeth,
Your lower teeth,
Your tongue,
Your chin,
Your right ear,
Your left ear,
Your right temple,
Your left temple,
The right side of your head,
The left side of your head,
Your right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Right elbow,
Your right elbow,
Your right forearm,
Your right wrist,
The palm of your right hand,
The back of your right hand,
Your right thumb,
Your right thumb,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
And the fifth and smallest finger,
Your whole right arm and hand,
Left upper arm,
Left elbow,
Left forearm,
Left wrist,
The palm of your left hand,
The back of your left hand,
Your left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
The fifth and smallest finger,
Your whole left arm and hand,
The right side of your hip,
Your right thigh,
Right knee,
Right shin,
Right ankle,
Your right knee,
Your right foot,
Its big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe,
The left side of your hip,
Your left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin,
Left ankle,
Your left foot,
Its big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe,
Both feet together,
Both knees together,
The front of your right leg,
The back of your right leg,
All the right leg,
The front of your left leg,
The back of your left leg,
All the left leg,
And both legs together,
The front of your body,
The back of your body,
The upper part of your body,
The lower part of your body,
Your whole body,
Allow yourself to rest with your whole body for a moment,
Now allow yourself to bring your awareness to your breathing,
Noticing how it is now,
Gently coming in,
And going out,
Allow it to be as it is now,
Without any need to guide it or to change it in any way,
Just being with it,
Noticing how it comes in through your nose,
Refreshing you,
Bringing light and life into you,
And how it feels to breathe out,
Returning your breath to the earth,
Become aware of this beautiful flow,
In and out,
And how your chest rises and rises and falls as the air comes in and goes out,
Breathe a few times being aware of this movement,
And when you feel ready,
You may bring your awareness gently to how your abdomen rises as well as you breathe in,
And then relaxes in this peaceful state,
Enjoying your breathing,
And relaxing into it,
Allowing each breath to bring you into a deeper state of relaxation and peace,
Allow your awareness of your breath to relax and become gentler and subtler,
It's perfect as it is,
Invite your body to be perfectly relaxed,
You can enjoy this deeply restful state while your mind remains aware,
And from this state of quiet awareness,
You can now start experiencing sensations within,
Simply allow yourself to feel them in a gentle and easy way,
First allow yourself to feel your body's weight,
As if it were heavy,
Being drawn to the ground and allow this sensation to dissolve,
Now you may evoke a feeling of lightness in your body,
As if it were light and it was even easy for it to float,
Enjoy this sensation,
And when you feel ready,
Allow it to dissolve as well,
Whenever you feel ready,
You can allow a feeling of freshness to come to your body and system,
A coolness sweeping through you,
It doesn't have to be extreme,
It can be gentle and enjoyable coolness,
Refreshing you,
And when you feel it's right,
You may allow it to gently dissolve,
Now inviting a feeling of warmth to come in,
Smoothly increasing to a point that you're okay with,
And noticing how it feels,
And whenever you decide,
Allowing it to dissolve as well,
Feel yourself coming into a balance of sensations once more,
Without heaviness,
Nor lightness,
Neither coolness or warmth,
With your body calm and relaxed,
And your mind quietly awake,
And from this state of calm and quiet,
Allow the following images to appear in your mind,
In a way that feels natural,
First allow the image of a feather to appear,
Quiet,
Unmoving,
A tree,
Grounded,
Firmly established in the ground,
A lit candle,
With a stable quiet flame,
A calm lake,
Whose waters are completely still,
A starry night sky,
Deep,
Quiet and peaceful,
Allow all these images to gently dissolve,
There's nothing to do,
Nothing to imagine,
Just enjoy being in this state of calm and peace,
Let your mind rest in this peace,
As your body enjoys this deeply restful state,
You can be aware of your breathing,
Of your sensations,
Of the space that you're in,
Enjoying this moment,
Allow yourself to remain in this calm and aware state for a few moments,
Now,
Very gently,
Bring your awareness back to your breathing for a few moments,
And,
When you feel ready,
Allow yourself to reconnect with the intention that you set at the beginning of this practice,
Your sankalpa,
This beautiful intention that speaks of your well-being,
Your truth,
Repeat your sankalpa gently,
Three times,
Allowing it to permeate your being with each repetition,
Glowing in your awareness,
Feel how your sankalpa integrates into your body,
Into your breathing,
Into your current calm state,
And enjoy this peaceful state for a few moments,
When you feel ready,
Bring your attention softly to your body,
Noticing its presence,
Its contact with the surface it's resting on,
With your clothes,
Or the blanket,
If you're using one,
Noticing your breathing,
Coming gently in and going out,
And,
If it feels good to you,
You can start bringing in a light intention of movement,
You may slowly and progressively open your eyes,
And notice the space that you're in,
The peaceful and quiet state of your surroundings for a few moments,
You can start moving your fingers,
Shoulders,
Or your legs and your feet,
Your head,
You may feel like stretching,
Or yawning,
Gently returning your presence to your body,
And to the space you're in,
And,
As you do,
Allow yourself to bring with you the calm,
And relaxation you have experienced in this session,
Thank you for giving yourself the opportunity to be here,
And to experience this session,
May you be blessed and in peace.
