Yoga Nidra - Tuning In To Your Senses

Hello and welcome to this Yoga Nidra session,

Tuning into your senses.

My name is Wendy and I'll be your guide for the session today.

Before we begin,

Please go ahead and take a moment to gather any props that you would like to use for your session.

Perhaps a pillow or two,

Maybe a blanket to cover up with,

And maybe even a high pillow to place over your eyes.

And while you're gathering your props,

Also make sure that you do whatever you can to minimize any distractions.

That means maybe making sure that your kids are safe and secure,

And the same for your pets,

Making sure that everyone is safe and secure so that you're able to derive the optimum benefit from your practice today.

So go ahead and take a moment if you want to pause this audio and then come right back.

So as you come back,

Please go ahead and settle in,

Whether that be laying down on a bed or perhaps on the floor on your yoga mat or some blankets,

Find a very comfortable spot for you that you can just rest and relax.

Yoga Nidra is guided sleep meditation and so we want you to be as comfortable as you can.

So go ahead,

Lay down,

Maybe place a pillow under your head,

Maybe even under your knees to prop your knees up,

And then cover yourself up with a blanket.

And even if you don't cover yourself up with a blanket,

If you decide not to do so,

Please have a blanket within reach.

Have one ready because it's very common for our body temperature to drop during the yoga nidra session.

So I want to make sure that you're as prepared as possible.

So go ahead and settle in.

And as you're settling in,

Starting to focus on your breath with whatever method of breathing you would like to start with.

If you're lying down,

Make sure that your feet are about a foot or so apart,

Just letting them,

Your feet,

Flop open just gently.

Your arms can be next to your body with your palms either facing up in the gesture of openness and receiving,

Or you can have your palms facing down if you would like to be more grounded.

You might want to bring your shoulders,

Shrug your shoulders and your shoulder blades down a bit.

You might want to tuck your chin in to elongate that back up your neck.

And then go ahead and soften your jaw.

And if you would like,

Close your eyes if they're not already closed or softened.

And then just become aware of the steady flow of your breath as you're inhaling and exhaling.

Just settling into the mat and I would encourage you to shift just a little bit,

Maybe wiggle just a little bit so perhaps you can find yourself 5 to 10% more comfortable.

You want to be as supported as possible so that you can find deep rest.

Now,

A little note about your back,

If your back should begin to talk to you if it's uncomfortable in any way,

Either now or during the session,

What I would suggest to you is that you touch your knees and bring the soles of your feet to the mat or to the bed and then just rest your knees together gently.

That should help to alleviate any pressure that you might be feeling in your lower back.

And of course at any time you may also choose to just roll over onto your side.

So whatever the reason you came to this yoga nidra practice today,

Whether it be fatigue,

Insomnia,

Fear,

Pain,

Distress,

Or even curiosity,

Whatever the reason might have been,

Feel yourself grounded and feel yourself safe and secure,

Held by this space and held by me.

Don't worry if you don't hear everything I say today because it's natural to flow in and out of conscious awareness during the yoga nidra practice.

And also don't worry if you happen to fall asleep.

If you do fall asleep,

It just means that you're tired and that you need to sleep.

You need your rest.

You'll still derive the benefits of the practice.

The deepest part of you,

Your higher self,

Your true inner self is always listening.

So remember all you need to do here is to simply listen to my voice.

During the first part of today's session,

I'll be guiding you through the body and naming specific body parts.

And all you have to do is follow along.

You don't have to move that part of the body that I named or even try to relax it.

Just let your awareness gently rest at each place that I name.

And then I'll also be guiding you through some settings and various images.

Once again,

All you have to do is follow my voice.

And now the practice of yoga nidra.

Become aware of the steady flow of your breath.

With every inhale,

Creating fullness in your lungs.

And with every exhale,

Imagining your body sinking and settling deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Letting go.

And sinking and settling deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Letting go of any tension,

Any tension that you might be feeling in the body.

Letting go and settling in.

Deep inhale and easy exhale.

Quieting your mind.

Letting go of all thoughts,

All worry and any tension.

Relaxing,

Trusting,

Letting go.

And feeling a deep sense of peace and contentment in your heart.

And now let's open your senses to your heart's deepest longing.

Each of us holds a deep longing deep inside of us.

It may be a mission,

A dream,

Or perhaps a wish.

Really it's anything that gives life purpose and meaning to us.

This could be a simple desire,

Such as taking a trip with a loved one or a friend.

Or it may go straight to the heart of how you want to live your life.

Perhaps it's a feeling about your mission or your life's purpose.

It could be a commitment,

A passion,

Or a dream.

The heart's deepest longing may make itself known loud and clear.

Or it may whisper just a soft hint.

Or it may be deeply submerged.

Whatever and wherever it is,

However you feel or sense,

It's okay.

Create some space now for that deepest longing to reveal itself without deep diving for it and without judgment.

It may be helpful to set an intention to support your heart's deepest longing.

So perhaps you could set this intention from the present positive,

Beginning with,

I am now blank,

And then you fill in the blank.

For example,

You could say,

I am now happy and healthy.

Or,

I am now living my life with joy.

Take a moment now and state your intention,

Your heart's desire to yourself silently,

Three times.

Three times to anchor it.

And now we'll begin tuning into your senses.

First,

Begin by tuning in to the sense of touch.

Notice where your body is resting.

Notice the connection of the back and the legs.

Notice the connection of your spine,

Your hips,

And the backs of your legs.

And feel that connection.

And feel Mother Earth supporting you.

And now begin to tune into the sense of sound.

Like wide angle lenses,

Let your ears take in the sounds outside of the room.

And then begin to take in the sounds inside the room.

There's no need to name them or to identify them.

Just let the sounds and the vibrations come in.

And now we'll begin the scan through the body where you'll use your mind to bring attention and focus to the different body parts that I'll name.

Starting with the right side.

Bring your attention and awareness to your right hand thumb.

And then to the second finger.

The third finger.

Fourth finger.

And fifth pinky finger.

The palm of your right hand.

The back of the hand.

Right wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Right waist.

Right hip.

Thigh.

Right knee.

Lower leg.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the right foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And fifth little toe.

Now bring your awareness to the left side of the body.

The left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

And fifth pinky finger.

The palm of the left hand.

The back of the hand.

Left wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Left waist.

Left hip.

Thigh.

Left knee.

Lower leg.

Left heel.

Sole of the left foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And fifth little toe.

Now come to the back of the body.

The back of the head and shoulders.

The right shoulder.

And then the left shoulder.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Right side of the spine.

Left side of the spine.

Right back side.

Left back side.

Back of the right leg.

Back of the left leg.

And now bring your awareness around to the front of the body.

First the forehead and eyebrow center.

And then the right eyebrow.

And left eyebrow.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Chest.

Belly.

Front of the right leg.

And front of the left leg.

Now bring your awareness to the whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

And then both legs together.

The whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

And then both arms together.

Now bring your awareness to your whole body.

From your head,

Arms,

Torso,

And legs.

Bring your awareness to the whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

And now create a sense of heaviness in your body.

A deep sense of heaviness.

Like you're melting into the surface of the earth.

Like your body creating an imprint on the beach.

Now create a sense of lightness.

Like you're floating on a cloud and just hovering right above the earth.

And now again,

A sense of heaviness.

Deep heaviness.

And now imagine a light coming from your forehead.

A beam of beautiful,

Pure light coming right from your third eye.

And as you breathe in,

Imagine that light expanding into a beautiful green cloud all around you.

And then as you exhale,

Bring that light back into the center of your forehead.

And with this expanding and contracting sense of your breath,

Begin counting your breaths silently.

Beginning with 18 and counting backwards until you get to one.

Let's begin.

Inhale,

18.

Exhale,

18.

Inhale,

17.

Exhale,

17.

Inhale,

16.

Exhale,

16.

And then continue counting backwards until you get to one.

I'll leave you here to count.

I'll leave you here to count.

And repeat.

And releasing the counting wherever you are.

And now I will describe various settings and images.

And as I do so,

Let your mind be free to travel.

And don't become attached to any single setting or image.

In your mind,

You're a traveler and you're jumping from place to place.

Let's begin.

An ocean.

A deep blue ocean.

A beach with white sand.

A seagull flying over the sand.

Pelicans chasing the current over the waves.

The waves crashing on the beach.

The white sand.

The desert.

A cactus in the desert.

Blue sky.

Blue cloudless sky.

Birds singing.

A walled garden.

Lush green grass.

Storm clouds.

A cool breeze.

A crack of thunder.

A dark sky illuminated by lightning.

A long dirt road stretching toward the horizon.

A grove of olive trees.

A farmer.

A woman pulling water from a well.

Children playing in the distance.

A tall tree stretching up to the sky.

Blue sky.

Warm sun.

Mountains in the distance topped with snow.

A farmhouse.

A stable.

Horses enclosed in a corral.

Sunset.

A flock of dark black birds in the sky.

The hoot of an owl.

The sounds of crickets.

An old front porch with a swing.

A glass of cold lemonade.

A worn chair next to the fireplace.

A gray cat curled on a small rug.

An elderly woman sipping tea.

A rose garden in full bloom.

A robin with a worm in its beak.

A hammock.

Cool,

Dry concrete.

A church with tall spires.

White puffy clouds.

A white dove.

Burning candle.

Flickering flame.

Burning candle.

Burning candle.

And now rest until you hear the sound of my voice again.

Triggers And as you become aware of my voice again,

You may start to bring your awareness back to the room.

Begin to tune into your senses.

Maybe you begin to hear the sounds inside the room again or the sounds outside the room.

Take some time now to honor this space that you've created and let your mind and your being be silent.

As you do so,

Let yourself really expand into a new way of being.

It can take a little while before you feel like you're all the way back.

This is called the Hypnogoic state.

Please enjoy this sweet,

Liminal space.

This is the place where transformation can take place.

And then as you're ready,

You may begin to bring some gentle movement back into your body.

Perhaps first by wiggling your fingers and your toes and rotating your wrists and ankles.

Just being ever so gentle with yourself.

And finding what movement is good for you could even be bringing your arms up and over your head and coming into a full body stretch or just even moving your head from shoulder to shoulder,

Side to side.

Just taking a moment here at your own pace.

And then when you're ready,

If you would like,

You may gently roll over onto your side and just rest there for a moment.

You may stay right here if you'd like.

And if you are ready and if you would like to,

You may press yourself up into a seated position using your arms,

Your hands to gently press into your mat or the bed,

The surface that you are on,

Safely bringing yourself to a seated position.

Welcome back from yoga nidra.

Thank you for sharing this practice with me today and for allowing me to be your guide and to end and to send you off.

I'll share this with you.

May love and light fill your heart.

May love and light fill your mind.

And may love and light surround you always.

Namaste.

Thank you once again.

Have a wonderful,

Beautiful,

Lovely day.

And may God continue all the best.