This is a yoga nidra practice,
A space where the body can rest deeply while the mind remains softly aware.
You don't need to do anything,
There's nowhere to go,
There's nothing to figure out.
Simply lie down and allow yourself to be guided into deep rest.
Get as comfortable as you can,
Lying on your back,
Letting your legs fall open,
Your arms slightly away from your body,
And your palms facing upward.
Adjust your body so you can remain still and supported for the duration of the practice.
Gently close your eyes,
Allow the outer world to fade,
And begin turning your awareness inward.
Bring your attention to the natural rhythm of your breath,
Sense the whole body resting,
Supported by the earth beneath you,
Like soil holding a seed.
And in this moment of stillness,
You can plant your sankalpa.
This is a short,
Positive intention.
And if you need one for today,
You may choose one of these,
Or allow it to choose you.
I trust the natural unfolding of my life,
Or I am becoming what I'm meant to be.
And you'll repeat it silently three times,
With clarity and feeling,
Allowing it to settle into you like a seed placed into fertile ground under the new moon.
And now we rotate awareness throughout the entire body,
Moving quickly and lightly without thinking,
Just sensing.
Bring your awareness to the points where your body meets the ground,
As if the earth is not just holding you,
But receiving you.
Bring awareness to the back of the body,
The back of your head,
Your shoulders,
Broad,
Softening,
Melting downward,
Your arms,
Beginning with the upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
The wrists,
The palms of the hands,
And all ten fingers,
Each one releasing and emptying into the ground.
And feel your back body,
The shoulder blades resting,
The spine gently settling,
The lower back softening and widening,
The back of your ribs expanding and releasing with each breath.
And bring awareness to your pelvis,
The hips heavy and grounded,
The buttocks fully supported.
This is your center of gravity,
Your place of deep rooting.
And imagine here the first quiet connection to the earth.
Shifting awareness now to the legs,
The right thigh heavy,
The left thigh heavy,
The knees soft and releasing,
The calves melting downward,
The ankles loose.
Feel the heels of the feet sinking deeply into the ground.
And now bring awareness to your feet,
Starting with the soles of the feet,
And all ten toes,
Soft.
And now imagine from the soles of your feet that there are gentle roots that are beginning to grow.
And these roots are extending downward through the surface beneath you,
Into the soil beneath you,
Going down deep.
And as they go down deep,
Feel those roots spreading,
Branching,
And reaching,
Drawing in nourishment,
Stability,
And quiet strength.
And now sense your front body.
Notice the belly soft.
Notice the belly rising and falling with each breath.
And moving awareness to the chest.
Noticing the chest open and easy.
Shifting awareness to the heart space,
The heart center.
Noticing the heart center gently held between earth below and sky above.
Moving awareness to your throat,
Softening,
The jaw unclenched,
The tongue resting,
The eyes soft in their sockets,
The forehead smooth,
And the crown of your head light and spacious.
And now feel the whole body together as one,
Heavy,
Grounded,
Rooted below.
And at the same time,
Light,
Open and spacious above.
Like a seed held in perfect balance,
The earth holding you,
Space inviting you.
And rest here for a few moments,
The whole body rooted,
The whole body supported,
The whole body quietly ready.
And now bring awareness to your breath again.
This is the natural breath in the body.
Just noticing the breath moving in the abdomen without trying to change or fix it or shape it in any way.
And now begin gently counting the breath backward from 11 to 1.
11 on the inhale.
11 on the exhale.
Inhale 10.
Exhale 10.
Continuing silently now at your own pace,
Counting the breath backward from 11 to 1.
And if you lose count,
Gently return to 11.
Allowing the breath to be effortless,
Like the tides moving in and out.
And now let go of counting the breath.
And now allow images to arise effortlessly as you hear them.
A dark,
Open sky.
Day and night equal.
A field at the edge of spring.
Soft soil,
Rich and ready.
A small seed placed gently into the ground.
Rain falling lightly.
Sunlight returning.
The seed beginning to open.
Roots reaching downward.
A green shoot rising upward.
A sense of quiet becoming a natural unfolding.
Sense yourself as that seed,
Trusting the timing of your becoming.
Sit here for a few moments in that space.
And let's return now to your sankalpa.
This is your intention for today's practice.
And you can stay with the same intention if you'd like,
Or notice if the other feels more alive for you.
I trust the natural unfolding of my life,
Or I am becoming what I'm meant to be.
And you'll repeat it silently three times with clarity and feeling.
And now begin to deepen the breath,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling out of the mouth.
Begin to feel the physical body again lying on the floor.
And begin to bring some gentle movement back by wiggling the fingers and wiggling the toes.
And if it feels right,
You can stretch your arms over your head,
Giving yourself a full body stretch.
And when you're ready,
You can slowly roll onto your right side,
Resting there for just a moment,
Keeping your eyes soft or closed.
Just take a moment to notice how you feel.
Perhaps noticing any shifts in your energy.
And hear these words.
You have all you need to create what you're destined to create.
Trust.
Trust yourself.
Trust the process.
Trust the seed.
And take the next step.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes slowly,
Carrying this sense of trust from your practice into the rest of your day and your week.
Thank you so much for your practice.
Your practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
