Hello and welcome or welcome back.
I thought that I would bring you an evening practice and while I do love a good yoga nidra,
I prefer a nidra in the afternoon and I have a routine or a practice in the evening that I do that I thought I would share with you.
So,
After I've done my evening routine and bedtime routine when I climb into bed,
I like to sit up nice and tall and just kind of check in with my body before I lie down for the evening.
So,
If you want to join me,
If that sounds like something you'd like to do,
I'll invite you to find yourself sitting up.
This could be in any space before you find your way into that evening routine or even right before getting into bed.
So,
You can sit with the legs crossed.
You can have some support behind the back if that's what you need.
You can bring a pillow under the seat,
Right under the sits bones,
Giving a nice little tilt,
An anterior tilt in the pelvis,
Bringing that natural sway to that lower back,
Opening the heart if the hands are on the lap or the knees,
Bringing them with the palms facing up towards the sky.
You can go ahead and soften the eyes,
Soften the gaze or even bring the eyelids down all together and gently bringing your awareness to the chin,
Tucking the chin just slightly to grow the back of the neck nice and long as you press the shoulders back and down.
Let that next inhale fill the whole body.
Exhale empties the body,
Just as if it were a container,
Reaching every corner,
Every cell,
Inhales,
Fill in the container,
Exhale,
Letting everything go,
Emptying that container.
And as you follow this breath,
Filling the body,
Passing through,
Emptying the body,
Noticing the breath as it passes through the body,
Passes through and over sensations in the body without labeling the sensations,
Just noticing them,
Noticing the inhale pass over and the exhale pass over.
Notice one sensation and then maybe another.
Using that breath,
Give yourself time to just be the witness here,
Just noticing.
You're just breathing and noticing.
There's nothing good or bad,
Right or wrong,
Maybe even giving those sensations a image or a color and maybe notice how that image or color changes with the breath.
Allow for any audible sighs,
Letting everything go with those exhales.
You might even start to move intuitively,
Rocking side to side,
Might feel good to lean forward,
Keeping the heart open,
Chin slightly tucked,
Shoulders are back and down,
Protecting that lower back,
Maybe moving one way and then the opposite way.
It's important to invite that stillness into the body so we can listen.
But it's okay if you need to move.
Sometimes that's what we hear.
So if you chose to move,
Eventually when you're ready,
Start to make your way back to that nice tall spine,
Bringing that stillness back in.
Imagine the breath,
Maybe traveling up and down that spine.
Next,
Inhale,
Pause at the top and exhale.
Good.
Inhaling,
We'll pause at the top,
Holding,
Gently letting it go.
Exhaling,
Nice and slow.
Your choice of the nose or the mouth.
Inhale through the nose.
Pause at the top.
Nice open heart.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Good.
You can keep your eyes closed or you can gently flutter them open.
So we just lean forward,
Coming on to all fours,
Bringing the big toes together and the knees out wide,
Finding a wide-legged child's pose.
Taking those arms out in front,
Let the heart melt down first and the head come down last.
This forehead finding its way to the mattress or the mat.
This pose of surrender.
Letting go of the day.
And again,
There's no need to label it good or bad.
Just letting it go.
And then letting go of what is to come.
And letting both of those go so that you can find that rest tonight that you deserve,
That you need.
And again,
Maybe gently walk the right hand over,
The left hand over to meet it.
Drawing that left hip back,
Hips stay nice and square.
Opening up that left side.
And with your breath,
Move to center and then over to that left side.
Inhales,
Opening up that right side.
Exhales,
Letting everything be soft and heavy.
We'll gently come back to center.
And then coming up so we can swing the legs in front of us,
Maybe right under those covers.
Having room to have the knees up.
Lying back,
Lying on your back.
You can have your pillow there or it can be flat.
Feet are flat on the bed or the surface that you're on.
And then gently take those knees side to side.
Giving those hips permission to go ahead and start to relax.
Let the knees fall to the right.
Maybe one hand is on the heart,
One hand on the belly.
We'll spend a few breaths here.
And then knowing that if this is a practice you enjoy,
You can always make it your own.
Taking all the time that you need.
Gently draw those knees over to the left.
Knees come to center.
Start to grow those legs nice and long.
Pushing into the back of the head,
Lifting the shoulders,
Finding length in the spine.
Lengthen the legs.
Getting nice and long.
Bringing the arms down to the sides with the palms facing up.
Go ahead and give those toes a point.
And a flex,
Really flexing those feet.
A little micro bend in those knees.
Good.
Go ahead and point the toes one more time.
Give them a little flex.
See if you can spread the toes.
Sometimes it's just a visual.
Good,
Nice deep inhale.
Exhale,
Let everything relax.
The feet can flop down,
Maybe even out to the sides.
Finding an outer rotation in those hips.
Let the shoulders be soft and away from the earlobes.
Arms can be however is comfortable.
Maybe under the covers.
Palms up towards the sky.
Or one hand on the heart,
One on the belly.
Elbows out wide.
And I'll invite you back to that breath.
That visual of filling the container.
Gently filling the whole body.
Maybe starting at the feet.
And as you exhale,
Emptying the body.
Moving at your own pace.
Your own breath.
And just breathe here together for a few moments.
Allowing the body to be heavy.
And the bones have permission to be heavy.
All the muscles.
Heavy.
And even giving the skin permission to be heavy.
And giving yourself gratitude.
Or taking time to check in with yourself.
And we take time to notice.
We can recognize our needs.
And making it easier to meet them.
Sometimes it just takes that slowing down.
So I'll invite you to maybe bring it into your daily practice.
Try it for a few days.
And make it your own.
And always giving yourself permission to change it.
As those needs change.
Thank you for joining me.
I hope you enjoyed this.
Namaste.
