Starting to breathe,
Lying back in a comfortable position,
Close your eyes,
Feel the weight of your body settling into the surface beneath you.
Let go of the need to fix your thoughts for the next few moments.
There is nowhere to go and nothing to do.
You are simply practicing being.
Create your sankalpa or your resolve for your practice today.
Repeat this silently to yourself three times.
Example,
I am the steady ground beneath my thoughts.
Bring your awareness to the following points.
Do not think about them,
Simply feel them.
The tip of the right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky,
The palm of the hand,
The wrist,
The elbow,
The shoulder.
Feel the right hip,
The knee,
The ankle,
The sole of the right foot,
The tip of the left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky,
The palm of the hand,
The wrist,
The elbow,
The shoulder.
Feel the left hip,
The knee,
The ankle,
The sole of the left foot.
Now,
Feel the back of the head,
The shoulder blades,
The entire spine,
The glutes.
Feel the whole back body resting,
Heavy and supported.
Shift your focus to the breath at the base of the nose.
Feel the cold air enter and the warm air leave.
Imagine that with every exhale,
You are sinking one inch deeper into the floor.
You are becoming as heavy as a stone,
Anchored and unshakable.
If a thought arises,
Imagine it as a bird flying high above the mountain.
You are the mountain.
The bird can fly by.
It can circle.
It can scream.
But the mountain remains still.
You are the mountain.
Solid,
Permanent,
Quiet.
Finding the space as the mountain.
From here,
Identifying the stress in your mind.
Don't fight it.
Just see it as a gray mist.
Now,
Imagine a gentle,
Warm wind blowing through your awareness.
With every exhale,
Watch the mist thin out.
You aren't doing the breathing.
The breath is happening to you.
You are simply the observer of the clearing sky.
From here,
Bring your awareness to your jaw.
If it's clenched,
Let it hang slightly loose.
Soften the space between your eyebrows.
Let your shoulders fall away from your ears.
Again,
Moving to if a thought arises,
Imagine it as a bird flying high above the mountain.
You are the mountain.
The bird can fly by.
It can circle.
It can scream.
But the mountain remains still.
You are the mountain.
Solid,
Permanent,
And quiet.
Slowly begin to state your sankalpa three more times.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Start to feel the texture of the fabric against your skin.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Carrying the sense of the mountain back into your day.
Yoga Nidra is now complete.
