Hello and welcome to your yoga nidra practice.
My name is Megan Kemp and it is my honor to help guide you into a state of deeper rest and relaxation.
True rest has nothing to do with doing.
Rest is an experience of pure being.
The practice of yoga nidra helps to create mental relaxation and reduces rumination of the mind.
In this way it helps increase cognitive capacity and boosts all levels of executive functioning.
The systematic approach follows sleep cycles into brain waves that are encountered during dream states and deep sleep.
Ideally this practice allows for awake embodied rest and relaxation but you might also fall asleep if the body is particularly tired right now.
It's all good.
Ultimately this is designed to help us remember how to relax and how to quickly downshift our nervous system.
So to make the most of this time ensure that you're in an undisturbed space of stillness and solitude ideally.
You can let anyone who's around you know that you're going to practice so you're less likely to be interrupted.
Similarly ensure that your phone is on do not disturb or out of the room if possible.
Allow this time to be time just for you just for a moment.
The body position in yoga nidra practices is traditionally done laying in shavasana in a supine pose either on the bed or on the ground.
The feet will be about hips width apart,
Hands alongside the body turning up or down and head can be supported with a gentle pillow underneath.
If this is not accessible for any reason in this moment you can find any other position that suits your body best and know that throughout this practice if you need to make a change in the body shape you are always welcome to do so.
I just invite you to discern between a desire to move or the need to move.
Once you settle in begin to become aware of the natural rhythm of your breath almost as though you're noticing it for the first time today.
No need to change anything simply attune to its natural rhythm and depth.
Notice where you're experiencing the breath in the body.
Perhaps the abdomen,
The chest,
The upper chest and shoulders or the nostrils.
Stay with this experience witnessing the body as it breathes for a few moments.
In comfort as the body settles into stillness.
Invite in five conscious breaths now elongating the duration of the exhale.
Spontaneous natural breath in,
Elongated exhale out.
This style of breath is the key to downshifting the nervous system response.
Just for right now invite in the possibility of emotional neutrality just for a moment.
Letting go of the conscious breaths to shift into three natural breaths not trying to do anything at all.
I will take nine more natural breaths.
The first three designed to release physical tension in the body.
Witnessing where physical tension may be held and with each exhale allow it to dissipate.
Bringing that intention in.
And take three breaths releasing emotional tension.
And three more breaths releasing any mental tension.
Witnessing,
Welcoming and letting it go.
Now at this stage of the practice we invite in sankalpa,
A short positive intention said in the affirmative that is designed to help plant the seeds of possibility within our subconscious.
This is an invitation to drop into silence and listen to your own intuition.
The whispers of your heart's deepest longing for this season or your life.
If you already have sankalpa invite it in at the level of thought three times silently.
If you do not know of their sankalpa in this moment I offer you the sankalpa of I am peace.
I am peace.
I am peace.
And let that go.
The awareness will now move through a scan of the body.
A journey of consciousness.
As the following body parts are named,
Witness the feeling internally of that body part and repeat the name of that body part.
Starting with the right hand thumb,
Feel into the right hand thumb and silently repeat right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Right knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of right foot.
Sole.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Whole right side of the body.
Left side.
Left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Waist.
Thigh.
Left knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the foot.
Sole.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Whole left side of the body.
Once more,
Each side letting go of the mental repetition.
Feel into the right hand thumb.
Pointer finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Side of right chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the foot.
Sole.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Whole right side of the body.
Whole right side of the body.
Left hand thumb.
Pointer finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the foot.
Sole.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Whole left side of the body.
Whole left side of the body.
Become aware of the breath.
Aware of the body as it breathes.
Locate the breath with a subtle rise and fall of the abdomen.
As the body breathes in,
Abdomen rises.
As the body breathes out,
Abdomen falls.
Begin to add a count to the breath,
Counting down from 27 at the abdomen.
Inhaling 27.
Exhaling 27.
Inhaling 26.
Exhaling 26.
Continue.
If the count is lost,
Simply begin again at 27.
Releasing the count,
Shift awareness to the breath as it's experienced at the nose.
The subtle,
Cool air on the inhale and warm air on the exhale.
Adding a count once again from 27 down.
Inhale at the nostril,
27.
Exhale at the nostril,
27.
Inhaling 26.
Exhaling 26.
Continue on.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 27.
Or if the count reaches zero,
Simply start again.
Release the count.
Release awareness of the breath.
And shift attention to the mind's eye.
As if a screen was laid out in front of the mind's eye,
Call into awareness the following images or experiences.
Witnessing,
Welcoming,
And letting go whatever arises.
Laying out under a starry night,
Gazing at the sky.
Laying out under a starry night,
Gazing at the sky.
Watching sands fall through the hourglass.
Watching sands fall through the hourglass.
River meeting the ocean.
River meeting the ocean.
Snow melting from the mountaintops.
Snow melting from the mountaintops.
Flowers blossoming open with the sun rays.
Flowers blossoming open with the sun rays.
Fruit ripening on the tree,
Perfect for eating.
Fruit ripening on the tree,
Perfect for eating.
Wide canyon with a river flowing through,
Carving out its path.
Wide canyon with a river flowing through,
Carving out its path.
Releasing these visualizations.
Maintain awareness towards the mind's eye.
Invite in once again sankalpa.
Written across the screen of the mind's eye.
Repeat it once more,
The level of thought.
I am peace.
As you're ready,
Start to return back into the awareness of your body through deepening your breath.
Begin to feel into the experience of the body breathing as the abdomen rises and falls once again,
But becoming aware of the contact in which the body is making to the coverings or clothing.
Feeling into the awareness of where you are in the room that you're in,
Remembering the time of day,
The day of the week,
And that you have been practicing yoga nidra and the practice is now complete.
Slowly reawaken the body with organic movements in your fingers and toes,
Shifting a little from side to side or finding any organic movements that serve your body best to come back into awareness of the space and time you're in.
Deepen the breath perhaps as you stretch your arms up overhead like a first morning stretch of the day.
Slowly turn towards one side,
Honoring yourself for carving out this time in your busy day and life to prioritize rest so you can move forward in the most effective way possible for not only yourself,
But those closest to you.
It's been an honor to be a guide in this journey towards reclaiming your right to rest.
Wishing you a beautiful remaining portion of your day or night ahead.
