Settling in now for Yoga Nidra,
Laying down on your back or in whatever pose is comfortable for you,
Getting as comfortable as possible,
Taking the time to cover yourself with a blanket perhaps using an eye mask to block out the light,
Take a moment to adjust the volume on this recording,
Allowing yourself to become fully comfortable,
Taking a moment to notice both of your feet and see if you can relax them a little bit more,
Releasing any leftover tension in your calves,
Relaxing your thighs,
Your belly,
Releasing your shoulders,
Allowing your jaw to drop slightly,
Relaxing your eyebrows and your forehead,
Notice how your body is relaxing,
Sinking into the support beneath you,
Taking now a few slow deep breaths,
Inhaling for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 6,
Inhaling 2,
3,
4 and exhaling 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
Taking 5 more breaths like this,
Adjusting the counts so they're comfortable for you,
Just making sure the exhale is slightly longer than the inhale,
Take a moment now to set an intention for your practice,
Also called a Sankalpa,
A short positive statement of your heart's desire,
If you're not working with a particular intention,
Perhaps consider,
I am fully relaxed and at ease in mind,
Body and soul,
I am fully relaxed and at ease in mind,
Body and soul,
Repeat your intention 3 times now,
Allow now your attention to follow the sound of my voice while staying perfectly still,
Can you bring all of your attention to your mind's eye,
Base of the heart,
Right shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Thumb,
1st finger,
2nd finger,
3rd finger,
Little finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Base of the throat,
Left shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Thumb,
1st finger,
2nd finger,
3rd finger,
Little finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Pit of the throat,
Center of the chest,
Right side of the chest,
Center of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Navel,
Pubic bone,
Right hip,
Ankle,
Big toe,
2nd toe,
3rd toe,
4th toe,
Little toe,
Ankle,
Knee,
Hip,
Pubic bone,
Left hip,
Knee,
Ankle,
Big toe,
2nd toe,
3rd toe,
4th toe,
Little toe,
Ankle,
Knee,
Hip,
Pubic bone,
Navel,
Heart,
Center,
Base of the throat,
Mind's eye center,
Crown of your head,
Imagine that there is a tight knot on the crown of your head,
Let that knot unfurl and release into a slack,
Flexible string,
Totally free,
Notice now both of your ears,
Imagine that they are connected by a straight line going through your head,
Imagine also a vertical line coming down from the crown of your head towards the base of your skull,
Notice where both lines intersect,
There is also a knot here,
Let this knot fully release as well,
Continue to follow the vertical line to the center of your throat,
Notice that there is a knot here too and allow it to release,
Further down to your energetic heart center,
In the center of your chest,
Floating between your spine and your breast bone,
There is a knot there,
Let it fully release,
A little lower,
Just behind your solar plexus,
There is a knot too,
Again allow it to release completely,
Further down towards the womb space,
Imagine that there is a knot there too,
Which opens and releases as well,
And at the very bottom of your spine,
There is a final energetic knot and this one releases too,
Bask in the quiet bliss of this space of relaxation,
Enjoying in silence for the next few moments,
This stillness,
Bring your attention now to the nasal flares,
Where the air enters your nose when you breathe in,
Focus on your left nostril,
Noticing the flow of air there,
Imagine on your next inhale,
That air is only entering through your left nostril,
At the top of the inhale,
The air switches nostrils and when you exhale,
Imagine air is only exiting through your right nostril,
Inhaling,
Left nostril,
Exhaling,
Right nostril,
Inhaling,
Notice the flow of air in your left nostril,
Exhaling,
Notice the flow of air in your right nostril,
Take a few more rounds of breath like this,
Releasing this exercise for now,
And allowing your breathing to return to normal,
Notice the calm quality of your breath,
Begin to count down your breaths from 18 to 0,
Inhaling,
18,
Exhaling,
18,
Inhaling,
17,
Exhaling,
17,
Continue at your own pace and if you get lost,
Simply begin again from 18,
Releasing the counting and spending a few moments in silence,
Enjoying the state of yoga nidra,
Returning back now slowly to our bodies,
Starting to notice the backside of your body,
All the points that touch the ground,
Notice where your heels touch the ground,
The back of your legs,
The buttocks,
The shoulder blades,
And the back of the head,
Starting to breathe a little more deeply,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth with a sigh,
Perhaps wiggling the fingers and the toes,
And taking all the time you need to come back to the room that you're in,
To start to occupy the space that you're in once again,
And whenever you're ready,
Rolling over to one side,
And sitting up,
Removing your eye covering or your blanket on the way,
Thank you for practicing yoga nidra with me today.
Namaste.
