Welcome,
My name is Tess Jewell-Arsene,
A yoga therapist,
Somatic healer,
And mindfulness coach.
This is a yoga nidra,
A guided rest designed to help you soften into stillness and connect with the quiet wisdom beneath the surface noise of daily life.
Whether that noise is external,
From the world around you,
Or internal,
The busy thoughts,
Emotions,
And stories that move through your mind,
This practice is aimed to guide you gently inward,
Layer by layer,
Until you arrive in a place of deep inner calm and connection.
All you need to do is find a comfortable position,
Perhaps lying down somewhere,
Where you can fully let go.
You can either close your eyes or just soften your gaze,
And allow your body to feel supported.
There is nothing to do,
Nowhere to go.
You are already here.
Let's begin.
Take a slow,
Steady breath in through the nose,
If available,
And exhale softly through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale,
And release.
Little by little,
Begin to bring the awareness to the body.
You're home in this moment.
Let's start with the feet.
Feel their weight,
Their contact with the surface below.
Gently tense the muscles of your feet,
Holding for just a moment,
And then let go.
Feel warmth and release spread through your feet.
Now move up to the legs,
Calves,
Thighs,
And gently squeeze them and release.
Notice the difference between effort and ease.
Now bring awareness to your hips and pelvis.
Soften your abdomen,
Release the lower back.
Allow your breath to move freely through the abdomen.
Now notice your hands,
Making soft fists,
Hold,
And release.
Forearms and upper arms,
Draw in tension,
Then let it dissolve.
Shoulders,
Gently lift them towards the ears.
And with your exhale,
Let them release down.
Finally,
Bring awareness to your face.
Scrunch your features slightly,
And then soften.
Let your forehead smooth,
Your eyes rest heavy,
Your jaw unclench.
Feel your entire body sinking deeper,
Held,
Supported,
Safe.
Now bring your awareness to the whole body,
Its weight,
Its stillness,
Its quiet aliveness.
Sense the breath moving through the body,
A wave that rises and falls with each inhalation and each exhalation.
Feel the subtle pulse beneath the skin,
That quiet rhythm of being alive.
Your awareness moves through the body like light,
From the soles of the feet,
Up through the legs,
The hips,
The spine,
To the arms,
The neck,
And the crown of the head.
You don't need to do anything,
Just feel,
Sense,
Notice.
You are resting in your body,
Not as an object,
But as a living,
Breathing field of awareness.
Now bring your attention to the breath,
Gentle,
Effortless,
Natural.
Each inhale draws you inward,
Each exhale releases you into softness.
Notice how breath becomes energy,
A subtle current moving through your whole being.
Perhaps you feel warmth,
Tingling,
Or expansion,
Perhaps only stillness.
Whatever you sense,
Allow it.
Let breath smooth out edges within you,
Creating spaciousness,
Harmony.
Now imagine your mind as a vast,
Open sky.
Thoughts,
Emotions,
And sensations drift across it like clouds.
There may be noise,
Sound,
Or silence,
Movement or stillness.
Whatever arises,
You are the sky,
Wide,
Steady,
Unchanged by the weather passing through.
You can listen to the noise without being pulled by it.
You can observe it and rest beneath it.
Let each thought become softer,
Each emotion lighter,
Until they fade into the background hum of peace.
Now bring your awareness to the center of your chest,
To a soft,
Glowing light at the heart center.
This is the quiet voice of your own inner knowing,
The part of you that never rushes,
Never shouts.
With every breath,
This light grows brighter,
Spreading throughout your body,
Through your breath,
Through your mind.
You are surrounded by clarity,
Compassion,
And calm.
Here,
There are no answers to chase,
Only knowing that you are already held within.
Let yourself rest in that gentle truth.
Now sink into stillness,
Beyond breath,
Beyond thought,
Beyond even awareness of time.
Feel yourself floating in an endless quiet,
Like the still lake beneath a rippling surface.
The world continues to move above,
But here you rest untouched,
Steady,
Whole,
Complete.
You are not separate from stillness.
You are the stillness.
Now gently,
Ever so gently,
Begin to feel the breath again,
Softly rising,
Softly falling.
Notice the support beneath you,
The gentle pull of gravity,
That quiet hum of the space around you.
The stillness remains within you,
Woven through every cell,
Every breath.
You can return to it at any time,
Even in the midst of life's noise.
Take a deep breath in,
And a long,
Soft exhale out.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Gently stretch the body,
Moving the body however feels good in this moment.
And when you are ready,
If you are on your back,
I invite you to roll to one side,
And pause for a moment.
Pausing for a moment of gratitude,
For the quiet,
The rest,
And the wisdom you've connected with.
And in your own time,
When you are ready,
Make your way back to sitting.
Take a moment there to notice how you feel,
Perhaps observing a softness within,
The calm beneath the surface.
Thank you so much for taking this time to rest and reconnect.
May the stillness you've touched here continue to ripple throughout your day,
Reminding you that peace isn't found in silence,
But in learning to listen beneath the noise.
Thank you for practicing with me.
