Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.
Find yourself lying down in a comfortable position,
Allowing your body to be completely supported by the earth beneath you.
Let your legs release apart,
Your arms rest alongside your body with your palms turned up,
A gesture of openness,
Of receiving,
Of trust.
Take a moment to settle,
Adjust anything that needs adjusting,
Perhaps a blanket over your body,
A pillow beneath your head.
Create space that feels safe,
That feels nurturing.
And as you rest here,
Know that you are held,
You are safe,
And you are exactly where you need to be.
Gently close your eyes and begin to let the outside world fade,
The responsibilities,
The roles.
Let them all rest for now.
Underneath it all is someone who's been waiting for you,
Someone who's been waiting a long time.
We begin with sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention.
Today this might be something about healing,
About reclaiming innocence,
About remembering joy.
Perhaps I am worthy of love,
Or I embrace all parts of myself,
Or I am safe to play.
Let your sankalpa arise naturally.
Don't force it.
And when it comes,
Repeat it three times silently,
Like a promise that you're making to the youngest part of yourself.
Bring your awareness to your natural breath and just notice how it moves,
Effortless,
Automatic,
Just like when you were a child,
How you breathed as a baby,
Full belly breaths,
Completely relaxed,
Your whole body rising and falling like gentle waves.
Let your breath return to that natural rhythm,
Nothing to control,
Nothing to perfect.
With every exhalation,
Imagine you're becoming younger,
Not in body but in spirit,
Softer,
More open,
More curious.
Now we'll journey through the body with gentle awareness,
Remembering what it was like to inhabit this body without judgment,
Without shame,
Without the stories we've layered on.
Bring your awareness to your face,
Your childlike face is still here,
Underneath the lines,
Underneath the tension,
Your forehead smooth,
Like smoothing a child's worried brow,
Your eyes,
Your nose,
Your cheeks,
Relaxed.
This is the face that smiled without reason and laughed from the body.
Your mouth,
Remember how you used to taste everything,
Experience everything with wonder.
Let your lips soften into the hint of a smile.
Your throat,
Your voice lives here,
That voice that once sang without caring who heard,
That asked a thousand questions,
That said exactly what it felt.
Breathe into your throat,
Your shoulders,
Notice if they are carrying burdens that don't belong to a child.
Let them soften,
Drop,
And release.
Your arms,
These arms that once reached up to be held,
Reached out to explore,
Grabbed at joy without hesitation.
Your hands,
They built castles,
Drew pictures,
Reached for connection.
Let them rest,
Palms open.
Your heart center,
This is where your inner child lives.
Place your awareness here and just listen.
What does the space feel like?
Is it open or protected?
Is it warm or guarded?
Just notice.
Your belly,
Your belly,
Children live from their bellies,
Their emotions,
Their instincts,
Their truth.
Soften your belly completely,
Let it be round,
Soft,
And unashamed.
Your hips and pelvis,
This is your root,
Your foundation,
Let it be heavy,
Grounded,
And safe.
Your legs,
The legs that once ran just for joy of running,
That jumped in puddles,
That couldn't sit still,
They still remember.
Your feet that went barefoot,
That felt grass and sand and dirt and didn't think about being dirty,
They remember too.
Feel your whole body resting,
This body that has carried you from childhood until now,
And thank it.
Now,
In your mind's eye,
Imagine you're walking down a hallway.
The walls are lined with photographs,
But you don't stop to look at them yet.
You're following a feeling,
A pull,
A knowing.
At the end of the hallway is a door.
It's painted a color that makes you feel safe,
Maybe blue or yellow or soft green,
And you reach for the handle and open it.
On the other side is a room filled with gentle light.
It might be a bedroom or a playroom,
A garden,
What feels right to you.
And there in this room is a child,
And this child is you.
It is your inner child,
The you that still lives within you.
Notice how old the child is,
Maybe three,
Maybe seven,
Maybe ten,
And notice what they're wearing,
How they're sitting or standing.
Are they playing?
Are they waiting?
Are they hiding?
And take a moment just to observe.
Don't rush in,
See them,
And slowly approach.
Getting down on their level,
Kneeling,
Sitting,
Making yourself less big.
You're not here as an adult with all of the answers,
You're here as a friend,
A protector,
As someone who finally came back.
Look into the child's eyes,
Your eyes.
What do you see there?
Joy?
Sadness?
Loneliness?
Mischief?
Fear?
Wonder?
All of it is welcome.
Asking them gently,
What do you need?
And then listen,
Really listen.
They might speak in words,
They might show you images,
They might just give you a feeling.
However they choose to communicate,
Receive it.
Maybe they need to be held,
And if so,
Open your arms and hold them.
Feel their weight,
Warmth,
Aliveness,
And tell them,
I'm here now,
I'm not going anywhere.
Maybe they need to play,
So play.
Be silly,
Free.
Remember what it's like to laugh without thinking about it.
Maybe they need to cry,
And if so,
Let them.
Hold space for tears.
Tell them,
It's okay,
You can feel everything,
I've got you.
Or maybe they need to show you something,
A memory,
A hurt,
A moment they felt alone or scared or not enough.
And if so,
Witness it.
Don't try to fix it,
Just be there.
Be there with them in it.
Tell them,
That must have been so hard,
But look,
You survived,
You're still here,
And I'm so proud of you.
Now,
Ask them,
Will you come with me,
Not to leave this place,
But to live in my heart.
I need your joy,
Your wonder,
Your honesty,
Your play,
And your ability to believe in magic.
And if they're willing,
Imagine them becoming a light,
And you pick them up and place them gently in your heart space,
Merging with your inner child.
Feeling your inner child settle there,
Safe,
Warm,
And finally home.
Imagine placing your palms over your heart,
And making a promise.
I will listen to you,
I will honor your needs,
I will let you out to play,
I will protect you,
I will never abandon you again.
Take a moment to feel this reunion,
This integration.
You are whole now,
In a way you were not before.
As you rest here,
Notice what's different.
There might be a lightness,
A warmth,
A sense of fullness.
There might also be grief,
For the years this child was forgotten,
Ignored,
Pushed away.
Both are okay,
Feel it all.
You don't have to be so serious all the time anymore,
You don't have to have it all figured out.
You can bring curiosity and playfulness and wonder into your days,
Because now you're carrying your inner child,
And you remember how.
Begin to deepen your breath,
Wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Stretching your arms overhead,
Maybe bending your knees.
And when you're ready,
You can press yourself to sitting.
Placing your hands on your heart and feeling,
Can you sense them there?
Your inner child,
Home at last.
Thank you for your practice.
Thank you for coming back,
And thank you for remembering.
Namaste.
