Hello and welcome to this yoga nidra practice.
My name is Taylor and I'll be guiding you.
We'll start to get ready for yoga nidra.
Traditionally you lie flat on your back or on a mat with a thin pillow maybe beneath the head and maybe a thin sheet or blanket over the body if you're feeling a little bit chilly.
You're also welcome to take a different position or you might lie in something that looks like shavasana or half shavasana with the knees bent on your bed or couch or any other comfortable surface.
You might even be reclined slightly.
So just choose something that's going to be comfortable for you to fully release,
Relax,
And rest so that you can get the most benefit out of this practice.
You're welcome to pause this recording if you'd like a little extra time getting set up and settled in.
And once you're ready to begin your yoga nidra practice,
Take a long deep breath in and breathe out and let it go.
We'll take another breath just like that.
Long deep breath in,
Breathe out,
Let go.
And start to become aware of distant sounds.
So let your awareness follow the sounds that you hear as far as that awareness,
As far as your hearing takes you.
Sounds outside of the building or the room or the space where you're practicing.
And don't worry too much about the source of the sounds.
We're not trying to intellectualize or determine where the sounds are coming from.
Just notice that they're happening.
And then start to draw your awareness a little closer in.
You might notice some sounds that are happening in the space that you're practicing.
And then bringing your awareness in a little closer and notice any sounds that might be occurring with your breath.
The sound of any sheets rustling as you get settled in or blankets if you're using a sheet or a blanket to get extra comfortable.
And now we'll start to add that layer of intention.
So the intention of our yoga nidra practice is not necessarily to sleep,
Although it's okay if that does happen.
But instead we're looking to find a deep state of rest and relaxation just on the cusp of sleep.
So your intention might be just to practice yoga nidra.
You might say mentally to yourself I will remain awake,
I will remain conscious,
I will not sleep.
And if you have any other intention for your yoga nidra practice,
You can bring that to mind here.
And now we'll begin to rotate our consciousness throughout the body.
So I'll say the name of a body part.
You can visualize that body part as I name it.
You might even imagine what it looks like.
Or just send your awareness there almost like that body part is lighting up as I name it.
I'll be moving fairly quickly.
So we don't want to concentrate on any specific area,
Just moving our awareness throughout the body,
Keeping that awareness moving,
Rotating.
So we'll begin on the right side of the body with the right hand,
Starting with the right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
The right palm,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Right elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right armpit,
The right side waist,
Right hip,
Upper leg,
Right knee,
Lower leg,
Right ankle,
The heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And pinky toe.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole right side of the body.
And now we'll take our awareness to the left side of the body,
Once again starting with the left hand.
We'll bring our attention to the left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
The left palm,
Back of the hand,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Left elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
The left side waist,
Left hip,
Upper leg,
The left knee,
Lower leg,
Left ankle,
The heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And pinky toe.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
And now we'll move our awareness to the back side of the body.
Starting with the top of the skull,
Back of the skull,
Back of the neck,
The upper shoulders and the shoulder blades,
The back of the ribcage,
The low back,
The tailbone,
Buttocks,
Backs of the upper legs,
Behind the knees,
Calf muscles,
The heels,
Backs of the arms,
Backs of the hands,
The whole back of the body,
The entire back of the body.
Now shifting our awareness to the front side of the body.
Starting with the forehead,
The eyebrows,
The space between the eyebrows,
The eyelids,
The bridge of the nose,
The cheekbones,
The cheeks,
Tip of the nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
The lips together,
The chin,
The jaw,
The ears,
The throat,
The clavicle,
Chest,
The ribcage,
The navel,
The area below the navel,
The pubic bone,
The tops of the legs,
The knees,
The shins,
Tops of the feet and the toes,
The whole front of the body,
The whole front of the body and the entire body all together,
The entire body.
Now become aware of your breath without changing it,
Just noticing again the sensations of your breath.
And we'll begin to count down full breaths.
It's okay if you lose count somewhere along the way,
You can start over again.
We'll begin with the number seven.
So for example you'll count inhale seven and take a breath in,
Exhale seven and release that breath and continue down until you get to one.
If you found yourself starting to doze or rest a little too deeply,
Just bring your awareness back to the breath.
Visualize yourself lying on the floor or lying in the space where you are practicing yoga nidra.
Visualize yourself lying there breathing slowly and quietly.
Imagine the sun is shining on you,
A refreshing breeze in the air,
Birds are sweetly chirping from the trees,
The leaves gently sway in the breeze,
The sky is a brilliant blue,
Small wispy clouds float by,
There's a lovely fragrance of flowers,
All colors of flowers blooming around you.
You feel heavy and light at the same time,
There's a sense that everything is just right.
You feel completely in harmony with your surroundings and you become aware that you feel peaceful and fulfilled.
Now bring your awareness gently back to the space in the center of your forehead,
Just above your eyebrows.
Keeping your eyes closed,
You can shift your gaze slightly upward.
Notice the darkness of this space,
Let your mind rest on this warm and friendly darkness.
If any thoughts or emotions arise during this practice,
Simply take note and continue with a detached awareness,
Awareness of that inner space.
As our practice begins to draw toward a close,
Remember your intention that you said at the very beginning of this practice,
And become aware of your breath.
Just noticing the sensations of your breath,
You might let your mind start to wander around the room,
Letting your breath grow,
And keeping your eyes closed,
Become aware of the walls,
The floor,
The ceiling,
And the space around you.
You can bring your attention back to any noises inside or outside the space where you're practicing,
Slowly shifting your awareness from that deep internal focus back to the outside world.
Now,
As we begin to bring our attention back to the space in the center of your forehead,
Slowly shifting your awareness from that deep internal focus back to the outside world.
As it makes sense,
You can start to bring some gentle movement back into the body,
Starting with small movements like wiggling the fingers or letting the head rock from side to side,
Wiggling the toes,
And then maybe working up toward a big reaching stretch,
Waking back up from your practice.
Take your time.
As you continue to wake yourself back up and transition back into your day or your evening,
Or whatever time you're practicing,
I hope that you can bring some of this restfulness forward.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
