Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.
My name is Penny and I am pleased to be your guide today.
Yoga nidra is a guided rest practice,
Not something you need to concentrate,
Visualize clearly,
Or even relax on purpose.
Your only job is to listen and notice.
Please find yourself in a comfortable position.
This can be done lying or sitting,
Eyes opened or closed.
Please know this cannot be done wrong.
And at any point in time,
Please feel free to choose to move or adjust or change position.
This practice works best through gentle attention,
Not effort.
Take a moment to make yourself comfortable.
Small adjustments are encouraged.
If at any point you need to move,
Remember you can.
And if you fall asleep,
That's okay too.
There is nothing you need to achieve here.
This cannot be done wrong.
Take your time to adjust now.
Any places that might bring you more comfort.
Can you be even one or two percent more comfortable?
I'd like you to begin by noticing the room.
The sounds around you.
The surface beneath your body.
And all the places you feel your body being held.
Let yourself register that you're here.
Right now.
Now I'd like you to bring to mind a place or a feeling or a sense of support.
This could be somewhere familiar.
Somewhere in nature.
Or simply a feeling of steadiness.
There's no need to picture it clearly.
Just sense what it's like to feel supported.
This is something you can return to at any point during this practice.
Especially if you drift off or wake up feeling unclear.
Let this feeling be your home base.
If you work with a personal intention or a sankalpa,
I'd like you to bring it to mind now.
This is something you choose entirely for yourself.
It is generally stated in the present tense.
For example,
I am peaceful.
For example,
Once you have your intention or sankalpa,
I'd like you to repeat it to yourself silently three times.
Do that now.
And then let it rest in the background of your awareness.
Now I'd like you to begin to move your awareness gently through the body.
Notice your face.
The jaw.
The neck and the shoulders.
Notice your arms and hands.
The torso.
The hips and legs.
You don't need to feel anything specific.
If an area feels quiet,
Tense or distant,
Simply notice and move on.
Awareness is enough.
Notice the natural movement of your breath.
No need to change it.
If the breath slows on its own,
Allow that.
If it doesn't,
That's fine too.
Notice sensations of weight in the body.
The feeling of being supported.
Now notice any sensations of lightness or space.
You can move gently between the sensation of weight in the body and lightness in the body.
Gently move between these sensations.
Simply allow them both to exist at the same time.
There's no right way to experience this.
Imagine resting on calm water,
Breathing without effort.
Like a body supported by water.
You're being held without needing to do anything.
Notice the ease of that.
If you had a sankalpa,
Let it rise again briefly.
Notice how it feels now.
Or simply repeat it one time.
And then let it go.
Begin to notice the room that you're in again.
The breathing.
The body as a whole.
Breathing.
Wholeness.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Your whole body.
Bring your awareness to the tips of your fingers.
Notice.
Perhaps run your thumb tip across the tips of all of your fingers.
Sensation.
Invite small movements.
Take your time.
When you're ready,
Roll gently onto one of your sides.
And pause here.
Notice your breath.
When it feels right,
Slowly return to sitting or standing.
There's no rush here.
Notice how you feel now compared to when we began.
The smallest of shifts matter.
This practice is now complete.
I thank you for allowing me to be your guide.
Namaste.
