Yoga Nidra: 30 Minutes To Stretch, Rest, Renew

Hello,

I'm Tioka,

A yoga and meditation teacher in Paris,

Trained in India and New York,

Holding retreats in Portugal.

Thank you for letting me guide you today.

Yoga Nidra is a moment of complete rest for your body while your mind voyages.

In this easeful state,

What you truly want at this moment often becomes as clear as stars in an electric blue night sky.

To prepare,

Ensure that your surroundings are quiet and gather anything that will make you comfortable.

A small pillow for your head,

A pillow to place under your lower legs,

Especially if you have discomfort in your back,

A blanket to cover all the way to your toes,

An eye pillow or something soft to block out external light for this internal journey.

Before lying down,

Let's begin with a few gentle movements to help the body ease into stillness.

If you find any instructions confusing or uncomfortable,

Move and stretch in ways that feel good to you.

For these five minutes of movement,

You can sit or stand.

The first sequence is to relieve tension in your neck and shoulders.

The second,

With side stretches,

Is designed for the back.

Let's begin with movement.

With a long spine and the crown of your head reaching towards the sky,

Fingertips reaching down to the earth,

Bring your right ear to the right shoulder.

Keep both of your shoulders heavy.

You may rest your right hand to the crown of your head to add gentle weight and deepen the stretch in your neck.

Place your hand toward the earth and roll your chin to the chest.

Visualize your shoulders wide,

Touching both sides of the room.

Now roll your left ear to your left shoulder.

Keep both shoulders heavy.

You can rest your left hand on the crown of your head to add some gentle weight.

Release your hand to the earth,

Roll your chin to your chest.

Bring both hands to rest on the back of your head.

As you inhale,

Raise your chin to the sky,

Let your elbows open wide like a butterfly.

As you exhale,

Drop your chin to your chest and the elbows close like wings.

Keep your hands at the back of your head,

Letting their weight open the back of your neck.

Release both hands to the earth.

The crown of your head reaches up to the sky.

And let's repeat this one more time.

Arms to earth,

Crown of your head to the sky,

Breathe into your belly.

Bring your right ear to your right shoulder.

The right hand can help.

Breathe into the ribs on the left side of your body.

Drop your fingers towards the earth,

Chin to your chest.

Breathe into the back of your neck,

The space between your shoulder blades.

Bring your left ear to your left shoulder and the left hand can help.

Breathe into the right side of your ribs.

Drop your fingers towards the earth,

The chin to your chest and breathe along the back of your body.

Both hands rest on the back of your head.

Inhale,

Lifting your chin to the sky,

Elbows opening wide.

Your chest,

Your heart rises.

Breathe here into your heart,

Slowly and deeply.

As you exhale,

Chin to your chest,

The elbows close,

Almost touching.

Breathe here into your heart space with tender love and kindness.

Release your fingers to the earth,

Crown of your head to the sky.

Breathe here,

Slowly and deeply.

Feel how you feel.

Observe.

Witness without judgment.

For this next sequence,

You'll need space on your right and left for our side stretches.

As you inhale,

Raise both arms over your head or to a height that is comfortable for you.

Allow your shoulders to feel heavy.

On your exhale,

Lean to the right,

Releasing your right arm and fingers as far down and away from you as possible.

Keep your left arm by your ear.

If it's more comfortable,

You can rest your left hand on the back of your head with the elbow pointing to the sky.

On your next inhale,

Bring both hands back to the sky,

Keeping your shoulders heavy.

As you exhale,

Lean to the left,

Releasing your left arm and fingers as far down and away as possible.

Keep your right arm by your ear or the hand on the back of your head.

On an inhale,

Return both hands to the sky.

On your next exhale,

Move the arms like a cactus bending at the elbows,

Hands even with your head but easing towards the wall behind you.

On your next inhale,

Bring together your elbows,

Wrists,

And palms touching in front of you like a line from your heart to your head.

Now touch your fingertips to your heart center and as you exhale,

Interlace the fingers,

The palms push away from you as you bring your chin to your chest and round your upper back,

Middle back,

And lower back.

On your next inhale,

Stack your vertebra one on top of the other as the crown of your head reaches to the sky and rest your hands against your legs.

Let's repeat this one more time.

Inhale raise both arms over your head.

Shoulders are heavy.

On an exhale,

Lean to the right,

Releasing your right arm with the fingers reaching down to the earth.

Keep your left arm by your ear or rest your hand on the back of your head.

On an inhale,

Both hands reach back to the sky and the shoulders are heavy.

On an exhale,

Lean to the left,

Releasing your left arm and fingers,

Letting them reach for the earth.

Keep your right arm by your ear or rest your hand on the back of your head.

As you inhale,

Return both hands to the sky.

Exhale and make a cactus with your arms bending at the elbows,

Bringing the hands even with your head but easing towards the wall behind you.

On an inhale,

Bring together your elbows,

Wrists,

And palms in front of you.

Align from your heart to your head.

Touch your fingertips to your heart's center and as you exhale,

Interlace the fingers and push your palms away from you,

Dropping your chin to your chest,

Rounding your upper back,

Middle back,

And lower back.

On your next inhale,

The vertebra align,

One on top of the other,

As the crown of your head reaches to the sky and you rest your hands gently at your side.

Breathe,

Breathe,

Breathe.

And now let's make ourselves completely comfortable.

Prepare to lie down on your back or side if you're pregnant and that is best for you.

You want to support your head and perhaps your legs with pillows.

Ensure that the back of your neck feels long and that your back and hips are comfortably placed.

You want to cover yourself with a blanket so you feel warm and perhaps block the light with something soft over your eyes.

And finally,

Allow your shoulders,

Arms,

And hands to soften.

When you're ready,

We will begin.

Begin to be aware of your breath,

Your inhale,

And your exhale.

There's no need to change anything,

No need to force or control.

Simply be aware.

The freshness of your inhale,

The warmth of your exhale,

The length of your inhale,

The length of your exhale,

The softening of your breath.

Visualize a night sky of the purest,

Most electric blue,

The brightest,

Most electric blue you've ever seen.

And the sky is filled with stars,

Brilliant,

Glowing stars,

Thousands,

Millions,

Gold and silver points of light.

Feel the warmth and gentle touch of the starlight on your body.

Feel the starlight on your toes,

Reaching the space between your toes,

Tracing the tops of your feet,

The arches of your feet.

Feel the starlight on your heels and ankles,

Traveling up your lower legs,

Circling your knees and thighs.

Let the starlight soak into your hips.

Pull up the sides of your body,

Dip into the spaces between your ribs,

Reaching the hollows of your armpits.

Feel the warmth of the starlight resting on your shoulders,

Traveling down your arms.

Let the light make circles around your elbows,

Your lower arms and your wrists.

Feel the lightness of the light in the palms of your hands,

The lines of light traveling to each of your fingers,

Your thumbs,

Your second fingers,

Your third fingers,

Your fourth fingers and your fifth fingers.

Feel the radiance of the light at the base of your spine,

Traveling up each vertebra along the nerve endings,

Along the muscles to your middle back,

To the space between your shoulder blades and your upper back.

Feel the starlight touching the back of your neck and rest your head on a pillow of starlight.

Let the light radiate from the crown of your head.

It touches the space between your brows and even with your eyes closed,

You can see the soothing light of the stars through your lids.

Feel it on your cheeks,

Touching the tip of your nose,

In your nostrils.

Let the starlight touch your ears and the depths of your ears.

Feel the starlight touching your lips and your tongue.

The soothing light of the stars eases down your throat and fills your heart space with its glowing warmth.

The light fills your belly,

Organs and shines from your navel.

Feel the warm electric current of light flowing through your pelvis.

Your entire body is bathed in the light of the stars.

Your entire body is bathed in the light of the stars.

You are one among the many stars in the sky as you ease your awareness back to your breath.

As you breathe in,

The inky liquid of the stars pours over the crown of your head and down the column of your spine to the base of your spine.

As you breathe out,

That universal light flows through every cell,

Nerve,

Muscle,

Joint,

Organ of your body,

Leaving you feeling spacious,

Connected to something beyond the limits of your skin.

Breathe in the light from the crown of your head to the base of your spine.

Breathe out and feel your body filled with radiance.

Breathe in,

Crown of your head to the base of your spine.

Breathe out to the cells,

Organs,

Skin and beyond.

With each inhale and exhale,

Each gentle cycle of breath count from 21 down to 1.

Starting now with an inhale and exhale.

21 Inhaling and exhaling.

20 Continue counting like this,

If you get lost,

Beingcrachy.

You may release the count and return to stillness.

Return to your body and feel the heaviness.

The weight of your bones,

Muscles,

And skin.

The weight of the blanket covering you.

The weight of the air as heavy as concrete.

So heavy you don't want to move.

Heavy like a stone on your chest slowing your breath.

So heavy.

But as you look up at the electric blue sky you feel light.

Your toes light.

Your legs,

Your thighs light.

So light that your legs start to float.

Your fingers light.

Your arms and your shoulders light.

Light as they float towards the sky.

Your hips light.

Your back so light.

Lifting you up higher and higher.

Your head lights.

Your hair,

Your clothes floating.

Your entire body is so light it floats towards the electric blue sky.

As you float,

As you witness the bright pure blue night.

Write one word across the sky.

One word in big white letters.

The word is the emotion or sensation that you want most for yourself.

Your greatest hope for your life.

Your deepest dream.

What do you want for you at this moment?

In stillness feel what you want.

The vibrations of your heart's deepest desire flow freely through you.

This word that resonates in you.

Write this across your electric blue sky.

As you silently say the word three times.

Let your word transform into a tiny white seed.

A seed that you place on your tongue,

Tasting your deepest hope.

A seed that you swallow,

Drinking fully your wildest dream.

A seed that takes root in your heart's space,

Nurtured with love and compassion.

A seed that enters your belly,

Transforming your deepest desire into choices.

A seed that blooms below your navel in your pelvis where you and only you can create what you truly desire from this life.

The next few moments float in the electric blue sky.

In this rest that comes from being without doing.

In this stillness that comes from releasing.

As your sankalpa,

Your greatest desire pulses with life in your heart,

Your mind,

And your body.

You can begin to deepen your breath,

Inhaling deeply,

And exhaling completely.

Slowly move your fingers and toes.

Gently let your head roll to one side,

Then the other side,

And then back to center.

Reach your arms over your head and stretch your toes wide.

There's no need to rush,

Take all the time that you need.

Stretch one side of your body and then the other.

Bring your knees towards your chest,

And when you're ready roll to one side and rest for a moment.

Notice how you feel as you slowly come to a comfortable seated position with your eyes gently closed and your hands joined in Namaste at your heart center.

Visualize a warm light between your palms,

A tiny star held in that space.

If you were to open your hands you would see your reflection in that star and the one word,

Your deepest dream,

Your greatest hope,

Your sankalpa written in bright white letters across your skin,

On your heart,

Pulsing from the center of your mind.

Take a moment to thank yourself for dedicating time to your practice,

Your health,

And your well-being.

And I thank you for sharing your time with me.

Namaste.