My name is Natalie and this is a shorter,
Basic yoga nidra practice.
Begin by finding a comfortable place for your body.
Support your head with a pillow.
Take any last movements that your body needs here to settle in.
The practice of yoga nidra has been proven to help with sleep,
It's also been shown to reduce stress,
Aid with anxiety and depression,
Enhance creativity,
And a great support for the nervous system and the immune system.
So with that in mind,
I invite you to choose a sankalpa for your practice today.
Sankalpa can also mean a heart's vow or a heart's intention.
Generally,
A simple phrase,
It might sound something like,
I am resting or I am soothing my nervous system.
Look a little deeper within yourself now and choose some words that resonate with you.
Say them again one more time to yourself,
Feeling them,
Embodying them.
Bring your attention now to the top of your head,
Crown center.
You might notice any sensation present or simply rest your awareness at the top of your head.
Let your awareness move down to the space between your eyebrows,
Third eye center.
Coming down to your throat center,
Allowing your attention to move to your chest,
Your heart center.
Sense both shoulders,
Wrists,
Tips of fingers,
Slowly move your attention back up through your arms,
Coming back to your heart center.
Shift your attention to the space between your ribs,
Solar plexus,
Down to your pelvic center,
Down to your tailbone,
Your root.
Sense both hips,
Knees,
Tips of toes.
From the tips of your toes,
Allow your awareness to spread up through your body,
Touching every part with your awareness,
Moving through every part,
Eventually settling back up at the top of your head.
Sense the top of your head and the natural rhythm of your breath.
Notice as you take each breath,
The inhale a little cooler and the exhale a little warmer.
Each inhale a cooling energy moving through you.
Warmth with each breath out.
Allow your attention to come back up to the top of your head,
Crown center.
Visualize the color violet,
Third eye center.
Imagine the color indigo,
Throat center.
Imagine the color blue,
Heart center.
Imagine the color green,
Solar plexus center.
Imagine the color yellow,
Pelvic center.
Imagine the color orange,
Root center.
Imagine the color red,
And now visualizing all the colors of the rainbow moving up through each energy center,
Red.
Allow the colors to soften and eventually fade.
Allow your awareness to sink deeper,
Creating stillness and silence as a friend.
