Hello,
My name is Jen Edwards and today I will be guiding you through a yoga nidra,
A practice where you can relax your whole body,
Where you can be filled with safety,
And where you can feel settled in your body.
Sometimes when we try and drift off to sleep it can feel challenging and sometimes it can feel hard in our bodies to completely allow rest and our bodies to relax.
So for this practice,
Allow yourself to get completely comfortable.
So if you need extra blankets or pillows or perhaps even a teddy bear,
Allow yourself to get really cozy,
Lying however you feel comfortable.
And when you have settled yourself,
When you feel warm and cozy,
If it feels safe,
Let your eyes gently close and then begin to feel your whole entire body become restful.
Can you take these first few moments as you settle into the comfort where you lay and let yourself completely relax.
And if it's feeling a little bit challenging or a little bit hard for you to relax your body,
Maybe you can tighten your body up,
Make your whole body tight and your whole body tense,
Scrunching your fists,
Tightening your leg muscles,
Your arm muscles,
And relax.
And then again tighten your whole body,
Making your whole body really really tight and relax.
Let go,
Let all your muscles become soft,
Let your fingers relax,
Let your legs relax.
We want to be able to let our bodies feel safe and warm and we want to make it so our bodies feel really safe.
So can you,
With your eyes closed and your body relaxed,
Feel your whole body feeling safe and your whole body feeling cozy and warm.
With your eyes closed and your body relaxed,
Letting yourself rest here.
So even though you may not feel sleepy yet,
We want to just relax our bodies We want to relax our bodies,
Almost like our whole body is sleeping,
Relaxing in our bodies.
We want to feel the bed or the couch or wherever you're laying.
You want to feel whatever is underneath us,
Holding our bodies.
So with your eyes closed and your body safe,
Can you imagine yourself being held,
Being carried and supported by whatever you are laying on,
Wherever your body is resting.
Can you feel the support beneath you?
And then we want to gently bring in breathing.
We want to use our breathing to help relax our bodies.
Every time we have a full breath into our bodies and a full breath out of our bodies,
It tells our brains to release signals through our whole body to relax.
So can you begin to breathe big through your body?
So when you breathe in big through your nose,
Filling your body all the way down to your belly,
And then you breathe out.
You can breathe out of your mouth,
You can breathe out of your nose,
Trying to empty all the air out of your body.
Breathing in full,
Filling your belly,
Filling your chest,
All the way full with air and breathing out.
Now let your breath be natural.
Let your breath come in and leave your body,
However it feels relaxing to you.
Now I want you to set an affirmation.
So this is a saying that can help support your body.
Maybe it is,
I am calm,
I am peaceful,
I am safe,
I am loved.
Picking an affirmation or a word that feels really good in your whole body,
So that every time you say this word,
It helps relax you and remind you of how you want to feel in your body.
And we will now move into a body scan.
So use my voice as a guide,
Following my voice.
I will be naming parts of your body,
And as I name them,
Can you pretend or imagine that a white light turns on in these parts of your body?
And if you find that you have forgotten to follow along,
That's okay.
Just catch yourself and follow along with my voice when you realize maybe your mind has wandered off.
So we will begin with the body scan.
Can you bring focus and turn on a bright white light to the center of your forehead,
Throat,
Right shoulder,
Right elbow,
Right wrist,
Right thumb,
Right first finger,
Right second finger,
Right third finger,
Right fourth finger,
Right side of the body,
Right hip,
Right knee,
Right ankle,
Right big toe,
Right second toe,
Right third toe,
Right fourth toe,
Right fifth toe.
Your whole right side body filled with bright white light.
Your whole right side body.
Now moving over to your left big toe,
Left second toe,
Left third toe,
Left fourth toe,
Left fifth toe,
Left ankle,
Left knee,
Left hip,
Left side of the body,
Left thumb,
Left first finger,
Left second finger,
Left third finger,
Left fourth finger,
Left wrist,
Left elbow,
Left shoulder,
Your throat,
Your forehead,
Your whole left side body filled with bright white light.
Your whole left side body.
The center of your chest.
Your whole body relaxed.
Your whole body at ease.
Your whole body filled with bright white light.
Begin to follow the air as it travels through your body.
When you breathe in,
Your body becomes full with air.
And when you breathe out,
Your body empties as the air leaves your body.
Using your imagination,
Follow your breath as it moves in and as it leaves your body.
Paying attention to how your breath moves through your body.
Now every time you breathe in,
Picturing your breath filling all the way in through your nose or your mouth,
Filling again with bright white light.
But every time you inhale and your body gets filled with bright white light,
It stays in your body,
Creating safety,
Creating ease and creating comfort.
So every time you breathe in,
Feeling your body fill full with safety,
With bright white light.
And perhaps you can even feel this bright white light coming in through your body and spreading out,
Creating a bubble outside of your body.
And this bubble keeps you safe,
Protecting your whole body.
Following your breath,
Breathing in big and full into your body and breathing out.
Now let your breath become natural and feel your whole body relax,
At ease,
Warm and safe.
Keep yourself feeling safe with this bright white light filling your body,
Keeping your bubble around your body.
Remind yourself that you can use your breath to feel safe in your body.
You can use your breath to relax your body.
And we will work with pairs of opposites.
Feeling through your whole body,
The sensation as I named them.
So imagine your whole body being cold,
Your whole body cold,
Feeling your whole entire body cold.
How does it feel in your body to feel cold?
Now let that feeling go.
Bring yourself back to feel relaxed and at ease.
Now imagine your body feeling so hot,
Your whole body feeling hot,
Feeling your whole body filled with heat.
How does your body feel?
Now let that feeling go.
Bring yourself back to feel relaxed and at ease.
Can you allow your body to feel cold and hot at the same time?
Your whole body cold and hot.
What does it feel like to feel cold and hot at the same time?
Now let that feeling go.
Bring yourself back to feeling relaxed,
At ease,
Warm and safe in your body.
Perhaps finding the feeling of your breath moving through your body again.
Feeling your whole entire body,
From your toes all the way to the top of your head,
Relax,
At ease,
Warm and safe.
Now let your imagination create a picture in your mind as I list off these images.
Let the pictures in your mind allow you to feel fully the feelings they bring up in your body.
A nice warm campfire when the moon is out.
A bird flying high in the sunny sky.
A bright flower on the side of a path you were walking on.
A beach with warm soft sand on your feet.
A big swing.
Someone that makes you feel loved.
A smiley face.
A heart.
A nice warm campfire when the moon is out.
Now let yourself have a big full breath into your body,
Full as you can,
And let that breath out.
Feeling your whole body relaxed,
At ease,
Warm and safe.
Feel your whole body filled with safety.
You are safe here and now.
Feel your whole body wrapped in the warmth from the inside out.
You are warm here and now.
Feel your whole body at ease and relaxed.
You are at ease.
You are relaxed here and now.
Your whole body ready for rest,
Ready for stillness.
Your whole body relaxed.
Now gently let your breathing become easy.
Feel yourself safe.
Feel the softness where you lay.
Allow yourself to drift off now into a safe,
Restful sleep.
