Hello and well done for being here.
Since overcoming the resistance to pause in the middle of the urgent busyness of the day can be a monumental task,
So let the legs stretch out long,
Perhaps something under your knees to support your lower back,
Your arms by your side to allow for your blood and energy to flow freely,
Maybe even a cushion under your head.
But if any of that doesn't feel suitable for today,
Please feel free to lie in any way that feels right for you.
And as you settle into this pause,
Know you are not actually doing nothing,
But rather prioritizing the kind of productive rest that strengthens your ability to recover after inevitable stressors,
Accelerates learning,
Catches you up on lost sleep,
Improves cognitive functioning,
As well as opens you to spaces of your mind that need rest to reveal creative insights to challenges,
Perhaps insights that go unnoticed by other parts of the mind that think so hard they cannot see.
And as you close your eyes,
Trust you are opening yourself to the kind of optimal vision and cognitive functioning that can only be found in the magic of sleep and subconscious awareness.
Your practice of yoga nidra begins now.
So to begin,
I invite you to travel back through time to a moment similar to this one,
Lying in bed this morning.
Can you remember waking up?
How you woke up?
Did you feel rested and energetic or tired and a bit slow?
Can you walk yourself back through your morning routines,
Reliving each one in order?
And as you make your way through your morning,
Can you remember if it felt rushed and busy or was it more relaxed today?
Remembering and reliving each detail as best you can.
Now make your way to your first destination of the day.
Did you go straight to work?
Maybe run a few errands before or drop kids off at school?
Can you remember the activities that started your day,
Each one in order?
Can you trace the moments of your day all the way up to this one?
And as you return to your body,
Lying in the space in this moment,
I invite you to bring your attention to the center of your chest.
And from here,
Setting your intention,
Also known as your sankalpa,
To awaken from your practice re-inspired,
Rested,
And recharged with the energy and clarity you need to move through the rest of your day.
This can sound like,
I am re-inspired,
Or I am rested,
Or I am recharged.
Or if you have another sankalpa,
Or a way of wording it that resonates better with you today,
Please feel free to use that instead.
So now I'll guide you through what is known as a rotation of consciousness through the physical body,
Otherwise known as your annamaya kosha.
So first bring your awareness to the crown of your head,
To the space between your eyebrows,
The hollow of your throat,
The space between your collarbones,
Your right shoulder joint,
Elbow joint,
Middle of your right wrist,
Right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder.
Back to the space between your collarbones.
Moving now to the left shoulder joint,
Left elbow,
Wrist,
Thumb,
Pointer finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Space between your collarbones,
Center of your chest,
Right side of your chest,
Center of your chest,
Left side of your chest,
Center of your chest,
Down to your solar plexus,
The space below the bottom of your breastbone,
To the navel,
The space just below your navel.
Move now to your right hip joint,
Knee,
Ankle,
Heel,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
Heel,
Ankle,
Knee,
Hip,
The space below your navel.
And over to your left hip joint,
Knee,
Ankle,
Heel,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
Heel,
Ankle,
Knee,
Left hip joint,
The space below your navel,
Navel,
Solar plexus,
Heart center,
The space between the collarbones,
The hollow of your throat,
The space between your eyebrows,
And finally back up at the crown of your head.
From the perspective of the crown of your head,
Can you gaze down at the rest of your body?
Letting the rest of your body in the light of your awareness.
From the head to the chest,
Both arms and hands,
Your whole torso,
Your whole pelvis,
Hips,
Legs and feet.
All connected,
All together.
And into this connected,
Safe container of the physical body that you've created through your awareness,
I invite you a little deeper now to a more subtle layer of your being,
Also known as your pranamaya kosha or energy body.
So in a minute I'll invite you to breathe to this count.
Breathing in for a count of four,
Pausing at the top,
Exhaling for a count of six,
And pausing at the bottom.
I'll guide you through the first few rounds,
And then leave you to your own timing.
But if at any point you feel the count doesn't serve you,
If it feels too rushed or too extended,
Please feel free to adjust in whatever way feels right for you.
Just ensuring the exhale is a couple of counts longer than the inhale.
So on your next inhale,
Breathe in 2,
3,
4,
Pause.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
Pause.
In 2,
3,
4,
Pause.
Exhale 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
Pause.
And continue breathing like this.
Finishing your final round,
And returning back to your natural breath whenever you've finished.
And as you connect back into your natural rhythm of breath,
I'll guide you one layer deeper,
To the layer of you that is your thoughts and emotions,
Or your Manomayakosha.
And in this subtle layer,
We explore the practice of comparing opposites.
So on your next breath in,
Notice how it feels to receive,
Release,
And receive again.
Now notice your exhale.
And through the exhale,
Can you notice how it feels to give back to the space around you?
Give back with each breath out.
Breathing in to receive,
Breathing out to give back.
Breathing in to receive,
Breathing out to give back.
Feel into this flow,
This dance of life.
The dance of life you're innately part of,
Simply by being a human being.
Breathe both of these experiences in,
And exhale,
Let them both go.
And connect back to the whole body.
The whole body connected.
And from here,
I'll guide you one layer deeper,
The layer that is your intuitive wisdom body,
Or Vishnandamaya Kosha.
And here,
I invite you to imagine yourself waking up from this Yoga Nidra meditation.
And making your way into the rest of your day.
Really living each moment exactly as you wish it to be.
Are you feeling productive,
Attending to tasks or projects,
Feeling re-inspired and recharged?
Or are you spending it connecting with people you care about?
Maybe doing something you enjoy.
Maybe simply resting.
Moving through each moment all the way up to the end of the day,
The end of the day,
When you go to sleep.
I invite you now to remember your Sankalpa,
Your intention you set in the beginning of this practice.
And repeating that to yourself now three times.
I am.
I am.
I am.
Breathing it in,
And exhale,
Let it go.
And I'll leave you here to rest a few more moments with yourself and the energy of your intention.
When it's time to resurface,
I'll let you know with the sound of my voice.
And return your focus to the center of your chest.
And in these final moments together,
I invite you to settle into your final layer of being.
Your Anandamaya Kosha,
Or the layer of you that is in connection to all things.
And as you rest in this space,
Just recall anything that you felt particularly connected to.
A physical sensation in the body,
Or energetic experience.
Maybe an emotion,
A memory that's resurfaced.
Or a piece of insight from these deeper layers of you.
Might be a blend of all of these things.
You may also just feel a sense of open space,
Or deep rest.
Whatever you feel,
Just simply observe whatever connection that exists for you right now.
And you may choose to return to your day with what you have learned on your journey today,
So that it might help guide and serve you.
Your practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
So gently moving the body,
Maybe wiggling your fingers,
Your toes,
Rocking your head from side to side,
And stretching out in any way that feels good.
And making your way up into a comfortable seated position.
And back into the rest of your day.
Thank you for listening.
Namaste.
