So let's,
Let's get right into it.
And let's get into preparing for this practice.
So finding a comfortable position,
Whether that's lying down or seated.
It could be on any kind of surface on a yoga mat,
A chair,
A bed.
And feel free to use cushions,
Blankets,
Bolsters,
All the things that you may use to support your joints.
And you may choose to keep your eyes open or close them or something in between while we go through this practice.
So giving you a few minutes to get comfy.
You can let the hands rest comfortably.
Find ways that your legs feel supported.
Starting to notice the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
And allow to your body to begin releasing tension,
Feeling grounded and supported.
And if you wish,
You may set an intention or a sankalpa.
This is an option,
You don't have to do this.
And sankalpa is a short intentional phrase that you repeat to yourself three times before starting the practice of yoga nidra.
And you may choose your own phrase or sentence,
Or you may choose one of these.
My body is allowed to soften.
Or I meet my body with patience and care.
So repeating the supportive phrase to yourself three times.
And before we start with the rotation of consciousness,
We'll settle into our breath.
And if settling into your breath is not comfortable,
Please choose another anchor.
It could be a sound that's external.
It could be the sensations that you feel in your body.
So bringing your attention to your natural breath,
Or that other anchor.
If it is the breath noticing the breath in and the breath out without trying to change it.
With each breath out imagining tension melting.
And with each breath in inviting a soft expansive feeling around your joints.
Allowing your breath to anchor you to the present moment.
And we'll begin the rotation of consciousness.
This is a body scan.
We will use the breath to scan the body.
So again,
If the breath is not comfortable for you,
Please use another anchor.
So starting with the head and the neck,
Bringing attention to the forehead,
The eyes,
The jaw,
Softening the scalp,
The temples,
And the jaw muscles.
And breathing into any tightness,
Imagining a gentle release.
Moving to the neck,
Letting it lengthen and soften without strain.
Moving down to the shoulders and the arms.
Sensing the shoulders,
The upper arms,
The elbows,
The forearms,
The wrists and the hands.
And if any kind of stiffness is present in these areas,
Imagine breathing into it.
Letting each breath out invite relaxation.
Finding a way to become 1% more comfortable.
Feeling the small space around the joints.
Onto the chest and the upper back.
Bringing your awareness there.
And with each breath,
Feeling the expansion around the rib cage.
Allowing the muscles to soften,
Inviting warmth and comfort around the spine and the shoulder blades.
Moving down to the lower back and the hips.
Moving the focus to the lower back,
The sacrum and the hips.
Letting gravity support your body fully.
And picturing gentle waves of softness around tight or sore areas.
And to finish the rotation of consciousness,
Moving to the legs,
The knees and the feet.
Bring your attention to the thighs,
The knees,
The calves,
The ankles and the feet.
Imagine warmth and fluidity surrounding each joint.
With every breath out and inviting tension to release,
Even if it's just in small amounts.
And we'll soon move on to the visualization and we'll use some contrasts to soften around pain.
And again,
Using the breath.
So if you don't feel comfortable with this,
Using another anchor.
Beginning by bringing your awareness to one area where you feel discomfort or stiffness.
And there's no need to go directly into the sensation.
Just instead approach it with curiosity.
As if you're standing at the doorway of your experience.
And imagine a gentle warmth resting around the joint,
Like sunlight filtering through fabric.
Notice how the warmth feels soothing,
Comforting,
Supportive.
Then invite the idea of coolness to move in softly,
Like a soft breeze drifting over the same area.
You're not trying to change anything here,
Just sensing the contrast.
Warmth and then coolness.
Soft waves moving back and forth.
And let your body show you which one feels more supportive right now.
Taking a few moments to bask in the glow of that sensation.
Now imagine the joint becoming a little lighter,
As though the weight around it lifts by a few degrees.
It's not floating,
It's just a subtle reduction in its weight.
And notice the feeling of spaciousness that arrives with that lightness.
And then shift gently toward the opposite sensation,
A comfortable grounding,
A sense of being held by gravity.
Lightness and grounding.
And with each breath,
Letting the difference between the two reveal itself.
And imagine now that the breath creates a small sense of expansion around the joint,
Like a ring of soft space widening by just a few milliliters or millimeters.
The breath in opens that space.
The breath out softens that space.
And going through a few rounds,
Opening and softening.
Open,
Soften.
And now sensing the opposite,
The joint resting quietly in place without needing to open or stretch.
Space and stillness.
Allowing both possibilities to coexist without choosing one.
Space and stillness.
Finally,
Sensing any subtle muscular gripping around the area that is generating pain.
Those are tiny protective muscle movements.
And see if you can acknowledge those movements with kindness.
Imagining the breath washing through the region like warm water,
Dissolving the edges of that holding.
You may think of it as gripping and melting.
Gripping and melting.
You may even think of it as holding and softening.
Holding and softening.
And let that softening be only as much as feels comfortable and safe for you for your body today.
And we'll return to a neutral awareness of the whole area sensing whatever has shifted.
Maybe a little.
Maybe not at all.
Maybe a lot.
And welcoming that experience without judgment as well.
And resting in this gentle presence knowing that simply paying attention with kindness supports the body's natural ease.
And letting go of the tension.
And then returning the awareness to the entire body.
Sensing the connectedness from head to toe.
Noticing points of support,
Points of warmth,
Points that feel just 1% more ease.
And acknowledging that your body is resilient.
And that it has a lot of capacity for comfort.
And when you're ready beginning small movements,
Wiggling the fingers,
Wiggling the toes.
Taking gentle stretches if that feels comfortable.
And if you had your eyes closed,
Opening them softly.
Carrying that sense of spaciousness and softening with you throughout the rest of the day.
And if anything at all during this practice felt unsettling to you,
Please take time to ground perhaps the journal or reach out to a trusted person.
And I'd like to thank you for taking time today to take care of yourself.
Namaste
