Namaste.
This is Melissa.
Welcome to your yoga nidra for healing.
Take a moment to gather any props,
Eye coverings,
Or blankets that you might like to use during the practice.
Then allow yourself to find a comfortable position.
Typically we practice nidra lying on our back,
But if you're more comfortable sitting up,
Please know this is an option also.
Bringing in some extra pillows or cushions to help support you so that you may rest if you're seated.
If you are settling in on your back,
You may like to place a cushion,
Bolster,
Or rolled up blanket under the knees to help support the low back.
Or perhaps a small pillow or folded blanket under the head for support.
You may wish to have an eye covering to help lock out the light and a cozy blanket to place over you.
Making any final adjustments,
Allowing your body to be completely cozy and at ease so that you may remain still during yoga nidra practice.
If at any time you become uncomfortable during the practice,
Please know that you may adjust and move as necessary.
Then settle back into stillness when you're ready.
Allow your body to become as comfortable as possible,
Adjusting the head,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Hips,
And legs so that you can completely relax into the support beneath you.
Closing down through the eyes if that's comfortable for you,
Or softening the gaze.
If you could get even 1% more comfortable,
What would you do?
Yoga nidra is a practice of non-doing.
There's nothing that you need to do during the practice aside from listening to the guidance of my voice.
There's no wrong way to practice yoga nidra and your experience may be different every time.
Trust that your body and mind will take and get what they need from each practice.
Begin to visualize the room you're in.
The walls of the room.
The ceiling.
The floor.
And your body relaxed on the surface in the room.
Imagine you could see your own body relaxed in the room as if you were looking in from the outside.
See yourself.
See the body still and relaxed,
Only the breath moving the belly.
Begin to become aware of sounds now,
Both near and far.
Not needing to name the sounds,
Just become aware of any sounds and follow them for a moment.
Listen to sounds that are close to you and some that are far away.
Move your awareness to the most distant sound you can hear.
And now move to closer sounds.
Move closer.
Becoming aware of sounds just outside this room.
And now sounds inside this room.
Perhaps sounds on this recording.
Now becoming aware of the sounds your body is making.
Listening to the sound of your breath.
The sound of your inhale and exhale breath.
Begin to notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
The gentle ebb and flow as you inhale and exhale.
Notice the pace of the breath.
Perhaps it's a bit quick or maybe it's slow.
Notice the depth of your breath.
Shallow or deep.
Notice the quality of your breath.
You may continue with your natural breath here or perhaps now you move into a calming breath.
Taking two sips of breath in through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth like this.
Continue with this calming breath for a few more cycles.
Notice how it feels.
Breaths taking in almost all of your inhale on that first sip of breath and just topping it off with the second.
Then releasing the breath slowly and fully through the mouth.
Taking another cycle or two like this.
And when you're ready,
Allow your breath to return to a natural rhythm for you.
No longer controlling or changing.
Just observing.
In Yoga Nadra we practice Sankalpa.
This is your resolve or your intention.
Your deepest heartfelt desire.
If you do not have your own for today's practice,
I will provide one.
But please feel free to use your own Sankalpa instead.
Please repeat your own Sankalpa or repeat after me three times silently.
State it firmly as though you believe it to be true.
I am peaceful and at ease in my body.
And allow your attention now to float through your body following the guidance of my voice.
Imagine your attention fluidly moving from one point to the next creating a rivulet or stream of awareness flowing through your body.
As attention moves,
The body remains in stillness,
Welcoming sensations just as they are without needing to change them or make anything different.
Begin by sensing the right hand thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Underarm.
Right side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Shoulder.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes together.
The whole right leg.
Right leg.
The whole right arm.
Right arm.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole right side.
Right side of the body.
Give some time now for your attention to move into the left thumb.
Sensing the left hand thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Underarm.
Left side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes together.
The whole left leg.
Left leg.
The whole left arm.
Left arm.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side.
Left side of the body.
Now the whole left side of the body and the whole right side of the body simultaneously.
Can you equally divide attention between the left and right sides of the body?
Now sensing the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Right hamstring.
Left hamstring.
Right glute.
Left glute.
Sacrum.
Whole back of the pelvis.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
The entire spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
The top or the crown of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
Throat.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
The whole torso now.
Whole torso together.
The whole right leg.
Right leg.
The whole left leg.
Left leg.
Both legs together now.
Both legs.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Left arm.
Both arms together.
Both arms.
The whole face.
The face.
The whole torso.
The torso.
The face and the torso together.
Face and torso.
The whole body now.
Whole body.
Front and back.
Left and right.
The whole body.
Sensing the whole body.
Moving the attention back to the breath now.
The natural breath in and out without forcing or controlling it.
Just sensing.
Feeling.
Unforced easy breath.
Observe your natural breath.
Natural breath in the body.
Sensing the ebb and flow.
The rise and fall.
Sensing the subtle pause at the top of the inhalation.
The subtle pause at the bottom of the exhalation.
Feel the breath move in through the nose and down to the navel on an inhale.
And out from the navel and up to the nose on an exhale.
Perhaps visualizing a small white light traveling from the tip of the nose down to the navel as you inhale.
And that same white light traveling back from the navel to the tip of the nose as you exhale.
Observe the light flowing down and up with the breath.
The purest white light flowing in and out with each breath.
And now begin to count your exhalations from 27 all the way down to one.
Inhaling 27.
Exhaling 27.
Inhaling 26.
Exhaling 26.
Continue on your own at your own pace.
If you lose track along the way.
Just begin again back at 27.
Gently guiding your attention back to counting down the breath.
There's plenty of time.
Nowhere to go.
Nothing else to do.
Just becoming absorbed in the process of witnessing an easy natural breath.
Counting down at your own pace.
If your mind wanders gently drop back to the process of counting down.
If you lose your spot just simply begin again at 27.
Counting down the breath at your own pace.
Releasing attention from the breath.
Begin to notice the weight of your body.
Feeling heaviness in your body.
Your body becoming so heavy that it feels as though you cannot lift your limbs.
You are so,
So heavy.
Every part of you feels as though it is anchored to the surface you're resting on.
Weighed down as though your body is made from stone.
You are so,
So heavy.
Notice where you feel heaviness in your body.
But now the heaviness begins to subside.
You notice your limbs feeling lighter and lighter.
Almost as though gravity no longer exists.
Feeling your body becoming lighter with each breath.
Your body is now so,
So light.
Almost like a feather that can drift in the air.
Notice how lightly your body is resting on the surface.
Feeling space between your body and the surface.
You are so,
So light.
Notice where you feel lightness in your body.
Then inviting the sensation of heaviness back to the body.
Notice how heaviness feels in your body.
Then allowing the sensation of lightness to return.
Notice how it feels to be light.
Then going back and forth between the two sensations.
Heavy.
Light.
At your own pace.
Feeling heavy.
Then feeling light.
Heavy.
And light.
Now notice if you can feel both of these sensations in your body at the same time.
Feeling both heaviness and lightness together.
Draw your attention to the space behind your eyelids now.
Notice any lightness or darkness beyond the eyelids.
Allow your attention to rest lightly here.
Allow images to come and go.
Visualize these images in as much detail as you are able.
Using memory,
Imagination,
Emotion and feeling.
Imagine a red rose.
Red rose.
A red rose.
A green leaf.
Green leaf.
Green leaf.
A blue feather.
Beautiful blue feather.
Blue feather.
A yellow star.
Bright yellow star.
Yellow star.
Pink sky.
Soft pink sky.
Pink sky.
An orange sun.
Fiery orange sun.
Orange sun.
A black night sky.
A vast black night sky.
Night sky.
A brilliant pure white light.
Pure white light.
Purest white light floating in front of you.
Imagine yourself standing at the entrance to a wooded path.
The pure white light floating ahead of you,
Beckoning you to follow it.
You start slowly down the path.
Notice the change of temperature in the air as you enter the wooded area.
You continue along the path,
Taking in your surroundings.
Notice the sounds that are around you.
Perhaps birds chirping,
Leaves rustling.
You take in all the sounds.
Taking in a deep breath,
You notice the scents that are present.
Becoming aware of what you smell in the air.
Taking a moment to notice all the smells of nature all around you.
You continue to follow the pure white light that stays just ahead of you.
Taking in your surroundings as you go.
Further along the path,
You begin to hear gentle flowing water.
As you round a corner in the path,
You notice a creek flowing alongside the trail.
Taking in this scene,
Notice what the creek looks like.
How big it is.
How fast or slow the water is flowing.
The depth of the water.
The clarity of the water.
Up ahead,
Near the creek,
You see a bench.
It's a beautiful ornate bench.
You take a moment just to examine the beauty of this bench.
Admiring the fine craftsmanship.
Then you notice the pure white light is floating above the bench.
It seems to be encouraging you to sit here and rest.
Taking a seat,
You look all around you and just notice your surroundings.
Notice what you see.
Listening to the sounds.
Taking in the scents that surround you.
Feeling the air on your skin.
You feel the pure white light shining down on you.
It feels familiar and comforting.
Almost like a hug.
It has a healing quality to it.
Your body basking in this brilliant pure white light.
Uplifting your spirit and bringing you joy.
Taking a few moments here to rest.
Your body bathes in this wondrous light.
Feel the light flow throughout your body.
Enjoy the stillness.
The quiet.
Take this time just for you.
Abiding in awareness itself.
Resting deeply.
After some time you arise from the bench with grace and ease.
Retracing your steps along the trail.
It seems now as though you carry this pure light within you.
You have it whenever you need it.
It brings energy,
Joy and healing whenever you call upon it.
Bringing your sankalpa or your resolve back to mind.
Feeling your sankalpa deeply.
Feeling it within the body.
Feel your conviction repeat your sankalpa silently to yourself three times again or repeat after me.
I am peaceful and at ease in my body.
Feel your sankalpa in every fiber of your being.
Feel the residual effects of basking in the pure white healing light.
Notice any sensations in your body.
Notice any emotions present.
Slowly you begin to become aware of the sounds around you and in the distance.
Listen for a moment to the sounds.
Then begin to become aware of this room.
The walls.
The ceiling.
The floor.
And your body relaxed on the surface in this space.
Feel your body.
Become aware of its existence.
Become aware of all of the contact points between your body and the surface.
Your head,
Arms,
Hands,
Back.
Become aware of your hips touching down.
Your legs.
And where your feet contact the surface.
Gently draw your attention back to your breath.
Notice the breath.
Unforced easy breath.
Witnessing natural breath in the body.
Then begin to deepen the breath taking a deep breath in through the nose.
And exhaling through the mouth.
And again in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Continuing with those deep breaths.
Slowly waking the body a little more with each inhale breath.
When you're ready start to bring movement back to the body a little at a time.
Fingers and toes.
Gentle movements of the head and neck.
Perhaps on an inhale taking a big stretch however feels right to your body allowing for any wiggles or movements that feel good.
In your own time walking the feet in so the knees are bent.
Maybe rocking them side to side or hugging them into your chest or any other movement that feels right.
And when you're ready finding your way onto your favorite side using the bottom arm as a pillow.
And pause here for a few moments.
Allowing yourself to come fully back into this moment.
When you're ready using your hands to help press you up to a seated posture of your choice.
Taking your time here there's no rush at all.
Once you've returned to seated bringing palms together in front of the chest with the eyes softly closed.
Take a few breaths here just noticing how you feel.
When you're ready fluttering the eyes open and on an inhale sweep your arms all the way up overhead.
And exhale hands to heart again.
Then reverse the movement inhale all the way up exhale sweeping arms out around and back to heart.
Take a couple more nice deep breaths here.
And returning your hands to heart.
Thank you for practicing yoga nidra with me.
Namaste.
