My name is Sandra Menzies and this is a Yoga Nidra on I am complete in a state of non-doing.
Yoga Nidra is a practice that allows you to discover your timeless peace and essence.
As you practice resting.
Learn to allow your thoughts to float.
As if you are on a calm,
Warm water.
To prepare for Yoga Nidra.
Apply down.
Or to adopt a comfortable posture that supports you.
If you're lying down,
You can use a yoga mat covered with a blanket for padding.
A thin pillow under your head.
A blanket to keep you warm as your body temperature drops.
Feel free to use any other props that help you feel comfortable.
It's helpful to keep your body still during this practice.
Stillness deepens the experience of relaxation and helps your brainwaves slow down to sleep-like frequencies.
Start by quieting the mind with a few rounds of slow,
Deep inhales and exhales.
Now we're going to experience tensing and releasing from the feet to the whole body.
This practice allows you to become aware of what relaxation feels like.
With each cycle,
We will add a new body part to the tension and relaxation.
Feel the muscles squeeze and tense with an inhale and release and relax with each exhale.
On an inhale,
Scrunch your toes and squeeze your feet.
Exhale,
Relaxing the feet.
Inhale,
Scrunch the feet and the calves or the lower legs.
And exhale release them.
Inhale,
Squeeze the feet,
The calves,
The thighs.
Exhale,
Let them go.
Inhale,
Squeeze the legs,
The buttocks.
Exhale,
Let them go.
Inhale,
Squeeze the legs,
The buttocks,
The chest.
Exhale,
Relax.
Inhale,
Squeeze the legs,
The torso,
And your hands.
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale,
Squeeze the legs,
Torso,
And hands.
Exhale to let go.
Inhale,
Squeeze the legs,
The torso,
The hands,
And the arms.
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale.
Engage your legs,
Your torso,
Your arms,
And your shoulders.
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale,
Squeeze your legs,
Your torso,
Your arms,
Your shoulder,
Your head,
And your face.
Exhale,
Release.
Notice how your body feels.
So frequently we tense and do not know it.
Using this technique allows you to gain awareness for where you are carrying tension.
Setting your intention for this practice.
Tell yourself three times,
Here begins the practice of Yoga Nidra.
I will receive whatever I need today.
Now tell yourself three times,
I am complete in a state of non-doing.
We're going to rotate our awareness throughout the body.
Bring your awareness to the center of your eyebrow.
Feel the non-doing.
Shift your awareness to your throat and notice it being.
Move your awareness to your right shoulder.
The tip of your right index finger.
Your right middle finger.
Your right ring finger tip.
Your right little fingertip.
Your right wrist.
Your right elbow.
Your right shoulder.
Move your awareness back to your throat.
And notice it being.
Now move over to your left shoulder.
The tip of your left thumb.
The tip of your left index finger.
Your middle fingertip.
Your ring fingertips.
The left ring,
Little fingertip.
Your left wrist.
Your left elbow.
Your left shoulder.
Your throat.
Notice it being.
Move to the middle of your chest.
To the right side of your chest.
Move to the middle of your chest.
The left side of your chest.
To the middle of your chest.
Move down.
To the belly.
Move your awareness to your pelvis.
To your right hip Become aware of the right sole of your foot.
Feel the base of the toes on your right foot.
Notice your whole right foot.
Move up to the right lower leg.
Right thigh.
Right hip.
Your pelvis.
Move over to the left hip.
Down to the left sole of your foot.
Become aware of the base of the toes on the left foot.
Notice your whole left foot.
Move up to your left thigh.
Left hip left pelvis.
The middle of your chest.
Your throat.
Bringing your awareness.
To your eyebrow center.
As you breathe in,
Feel the breath move in from the top of the head to your eyebrow center.
As you exhale,
Feel the movement of the breath from the eyebrow center to the top of the head.
With your next inhale,
Feel the breath move from the top of the head to the center of the throat.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath move from the throat to the top of the head.
With the next inhale,
Feel the breath move from the top of the head to the center of the chest.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath move from the center of the chest to the top of the head.
With the next inhale,
Feel the breath move from the top of the head.
To the upper belly.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath move from the upper belly to the top of the head.
With the next inhale,
Feel the breath move from the top of the head to your lower belly.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath move from the lower belly to the top of the head.
With the next inhale,
Feel the breath move from the top of the head to the pelvic floor.
As you exhale,
Feel the breath move from the pelvic floor to the top of the head.
We will now go through a series of opposing feelings and sensations.
As I say a term,
Do not get hung up on a story that that term may evoke within you.
Allow yourself to fully feel each feeling or sensation that arises.
Feel your body happy.
Feel your body sad.
Experience being wet.
Experience being dry.
Feel yourself exhausted.
Feel yourself well-rested.
Experience pleasure.
Experience pain.
Notice what ungrateful feels like in your body.
Notice what grateful feels like in your body.
Feel this gratitude seep through every pore in your body.
Now in your mind's eye,
A dark screen comes down behind the eyelids.
On this screen are a series of images that flash one after the other.
The images begin with a single tree with full green leaves in an open field.
This image is replaced by a journal open on a table with a cup of steaming tea.
The images continue to flash.
A person sitting on a dock looking out over the water.
A gray kitten curled up napping.
A glass still lake reflecting pastel sky.
No ripples except a single drifting leaf.
Big fluffy clouds floating across a deep blue sky.
A mountain with a snow at its peak.
A horse standing motionless,
Eyes closed,
Tail gently flicking.
A dirt path through a wooded area.
Two hands cradling a mug,
Steam rising slowly.
A river that curves gently reflecting the lavender dusk sky.
A traveler sitting in an airport terminal quietly,
Not scrolling,
Simply breathing.
A night sky with a lone shooting star.
Children laughing and splashing in a summer rain.
A field of wildflowers being spot lit by a ray of sun.
A fox scampering across a trail with two cubs following.
A man stands barefoot at a window,
Simply watching the dust moats drift in a sunbeam.
A bright green leaf with a blue tree frog perched on it.
A glass still lake reflecting pastel skies.
No ripples except for a single drifting leaf.
A waterfall with a double rainbow in front of it.
A person at a pottery wheel with a slight smile on their face.
Person at a pottery wheel with a slight smile on their face.
A wrinkled-faced man blowing the seeds off of a dandelion.
The sun rising over a lake.
A black bear walking through woods.
Warm dunes glowing amber.
Candle twinkling in a dark space.
Crayons with a coloring book page open.
A night sky filled with twinkling lights.
Two friends laughing together.
Dust swirling across a field.
A child swinging and laughing.
A man sitting on a meditation cushion with his eyes closed.
An eye in a mirror.
A tractor plowing a field.
You can see the dust behind.
A dog curled in a soft circle,
Chest rising gently.
A person laying with their body fully supported,
Eyes closed.
A hand picking a ripe peach from a tree.
An empty cup on a table.
Dirt-smudged hands resting on knees.
A swan moves across still water,
Disturbing the surface.
Two people sitting on a bench.
Overlooking a park.
A woman floating on her back in a lake.
A rocky coastline at low tide.
A turtle sitting on a rock,
Unmoving.
Fingers pressed into soil.
A child pressing their face against a window.
Watching the rain.
A butterfly with wings closed.
A bird feeder with multiple birds.
Person sitting on a doorstep.
Watching down the street.
Two hands cradling a mug as steam rises.
As this last image fades,
You focus on the darkness behind your eyes.
Now you tell yourself three times,
I am complete in a state of non-doing.
Continue to sleep or begin to deepen your breath.
Feel the edges of your body.
Noticing as your skin connects to your supports.
Begin to move your fingers,
Your toes,
Your knees,
Your elbows.
Embracing any gentle movements to reawaken yourself.
Bend your knees,
Rolling to one side.
And then slowly pressing yourself up into a comfortable seat.
If your eyes are closed,
Slowly open them when you feel ready.
Embrace the full awareness of your surroundings,
Looking at the corners around you.
Noticing what you notice as you will reawaken to this moment.
Acknowledge your practice of being as we bring this practice to a close.
Thank you for meditating with me.
My name is Sandra Menzies,
Telling your story,
Your way.
