This is a short yoga nidra practice to help you prepare for deep and restful sleep.
Come into a comfortable position lying on your back,
Allowing the knees to be slightly bent and supported.
Make sure that you are warm enough and that you are comfortable.
You will be asked to move your awareness to various bodily sensations.
Try not to concentrate too intensely.
Absorb what you need in the moment and allow the rest to float away.
If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts or worries,
Just come back to the sound of my voice.
Become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment.
Nothing else but what you can hear without strain.
Allow your sense of hearing to radiate outward,
Searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.
Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.
To sounds outside this building,
To sounds inside this building,
To sounds inside the room.
After opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls of this room.
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the surface that you are on.
Visualize your body lying down,
The position of your body,
Your clothes,
Your hair,
Your face.
Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the surface that you are on.
Become aware of your natural breath.
Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.
The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.
Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.
There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.
Follow this feeling into your nose,
Your sinuses,
The back of your throat,
Into your lungs.
There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.
Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.
The natural breath flows through both nostrils on the inhale and the exhale.
Allow your breath to become longer and slower.
Take a long,
Slow inhalation followed by a longer,
Slower exhalation.
Make your exhale even slower.
Notice the slight pause after the exhale.
Slow inhale.
Even slower exhale and pause.
Slow inhale.
Even slower exhale and pause.
Long,
Slow inhale.
Longer,
Slower exhale and pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.
Please continue breathing in this way.
Now go back to the natural,
Easy breath.
Release any control over the inhale or the exhale.
We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
You will move your awareness to different parts of the body as soon as you hear them named.
Feel each part but do not move it.
The practice begins at the space between the eyebrows,
The throat,
Right shoulder,
Right elbow,
Right wrist,
Right hand thumb,
Right index finger,
Right middle finger,
Right ring finger,
Right little finger,
Right wrist,
Right elbow,
Right shoulder,
The throat,
Left shoulder,
Left elbow,
Left wrist,
Left hand thumb,
Left index finger,
Left middle finger,
Left ring finger,
Left little finger,
Left wrist,
Left elbow,
Left shoulder,
The throat,
Center of the chest,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right hip,
Right knee,
Right ankle,
Right trapping toe,
Right second toe,
Right middle toe,
Right fourth toe,
Right little toe,
Right ankle,
Right knee,
Right hip,
Lower abdomen,
Left hip,
Left knee,
Left ankle,
Left big toe,
Left second toe,
Left middle toe,
Left fourth toe,
Left little toe,
Left ankle,
Left knee,
Left hip,
Lower abdomen,
Navel,
Center of the chest,
The throat,
Space between the eyebrows,
Top of the head,
Right temple,
Right ear,
Right cheek,
Right nostril,
Center of the eyebrows,
Top of the head,
Left temple,
Left ear,
Left cheek,
Left nostril,
Center of the eyebrows,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop an awareness of your physical body lying on the surface that you are on.
Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests and take your awareness to all of the points of your body that are making contact with the surface beneath you,
In the backs of your heels,
Your thighs,
Your glutes,
Your shoulder blades,
Your arms,
Hands and head.
Do not open your eyes yet but visualize the surrounding room.
Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.
When you do feel ready,
Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.
Take your time,
There is no hurry.
In your own time,
Roll onto your right side and stay on your right side for a few more moments.
And as you feel ready,
Use your hands to help press you up,
Allowing your head to come a blast,
Making your way into a seat.
In your own time,
Begin to gently open the eyes,
Bringing your awareness fully back into the room that you are in.
