Hooking yourself in so you're really nice and settled.
And for the next hour I invite you to rest completely.
And while you're doing the last couple of things to get comfortable I'll say a few things about this evening's practice to give it a little bit of context.
Tonight's practice is about being safe in the body and feeling safe in the brain.
Most of us are running on a nervous system that doesn't fully switch off.
Not because anything is wrong but because there's a lot going on all of the time.
And when we're in this state a sort of low hum of too much going on for too long the body can't rest fully and deep healing is a little bit of a way off.
And sometimes we think we need more discipline or better methods or more willpower and sometimes that's helpful but without feeling safe in our bodies first that can often just turn into more control.
So this evening's Nidra is about gently training the brain to feel a little bit more safe but not through thinking because we can't fight the mind with the mind.
Through creating an embodied experience and a felt sense of safety.
Now you don't have to make an effort to listen to everything that I say and it's actually quite good if I'm a little bit boring.
And your mind drifts,
That's sort of the point.
And we all know that when we finally do slow down the mind tends to do the opposite.
It can speed up,
It can start to analyze or try to process,
Work things out.
It's been waiting for this space so I'll give you some gentle things to rest your attention on.
Not to force the mind to stop but to give it something soft to hold on to.
Everything I offer is a suggestion.
Flow with your experience and whatever you experience is exactly as it needs to be.
Allow your body to settle into the surface beneath you.
Feel the weight of your body,
Your head,
Your shoulders,
Your back,
Your legs.
Your body releasing down into the ground by the surface beneath you.
Take a long slow exhalation through the mouth.
Just let it go.
And maybe another.
And maybe one more.
And allow your breath to return to a steady normal rhythm.
And notice any tension that your body might be holding.
In your face,
Eye,
Tongue,
Lips.
Maybe there's something you can soften,
Even just a little.
And maybe some of these tensions have been there for a very long time.
Perhaps so long that they've become part of how you move through the world.
What happens if you begin to let go?
Even just a little bit.
Maybe you want to sigh a couple of times.
As if you are gently washing away all tension.
Tensions from other time.
Making space for who you are today.
Notice the sounds around you.
Allow them to become part of the landscape.
Notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
And you soften the forehead.
And the space between your eyebrows.
And you soften the eyes behind your lids.
Your jaw.
Let it drop slightly.
Your tongue resting.
Your throat,
Your neck,
Your shoulders.
Relinquishing any burden they may be carrying.
Your chest and your belly.
Gently rising and falling.
Your hips,
Your legs,
Your feet.
The whole body.
The whole body held.
There's nothing you need to do or nothing you need to take care of.
You are safe.
You are held.
As you allow your awareness to drift towards your heart.
Ask yourself.
Without demanding an answer but more like a whisper to a deeper part of you.
What do I need right now?
What do I need right now?
If this question doesn't resonate with you.
You can use this time to breathe and relax.
But if something does come to you.
Repeat it quietly to yourself three times.
What do I need?
What do I need right now?
This need is like you're planting a seed.
A seed that can grow.
From deep within you.
While you rest.
As you turn your attention now away from the seed.
And back to the body.
As we guide our awareness on a journey around the body now.
Noting each part.
Sensing how it feels or any sensations there.
As I mentioned.
There's nothing to do just simply notice.
Starting with the tips of the right fingers.
And the right thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The right palm of the hand.
The right back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Right side of the waist.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Car.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The tip of the right toe.
And the whole right foot.
And the whole right leg.
The tips of the left fingers.
Left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Arm of the left hand.
Back of the left hand.
Wrist.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Car.
Heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The tips of the left toe.
The whole left foot.
The whole left leg.
Feet together.
Both legs together.
And together.
Together.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Both ears together.
Eyes together.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Both cheeks together.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Jaw.
Deep inside your chest.
Your heart space.
Your ribcage.
Your tummy.
Your pelvis.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
As you allow your awareness to move away from the body.
As it starts to move a little bit more inside.
Allowing your awareness to rest with your breath.
Simply watching the inhalation arriving.
The slight pause at the top.
And the exhalation releasing.
And the slightly longer pause at the bottom of this breath.
And you're welcome to rest a hand on your belly if you wish.
Feeling the connection between your hands and your belly.
Feeling the gentle rise of the inhalation.
And the softening of the exhalation.
And maybe you move your hands to your ribs.
Feeling how the ribs expand as you inhale.
And how the ribs soften as you exhale.
And now maybe you bring a hand to your chest.
And the movement of your chest is much more subtle.
But still.
In the body.
The chest expands.
And the chest falls.
Maybe you feel or sense the connection between your hands and your heart space.
And allow your hands to rest wherever feels right.
And I invite you to a short breathing exercise to directly soothe the nervous system.
And if this doesn't feel right tonight,
Just breathe however you like.
Feel the breath flowing with your experience.
We're going to inhale in three stages.
First into the belly.
Then into the ribs.
And then into the chest.
And then a long,
Slow exhalation.
Let's do it together.
Inhaling into the belly.
And exhaling long,
Slow,
Fully.
And again,
Inhaling belly.
And exhaling long,
Slow,
Fully.
One more together.
Inhaling.
Exhaling long,
Slow.
And now a few more rounds.
In your own time.
And as you breathe,
Maybe each exhalation is an invitation to release old thoughts,
Old patterns.
Relinquishing anything that you just don't need.
Each exhalation creating space for you.
And letting go now of this breathing.
And then allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Perhaps noticing if your brain has opinions about how that went.
Let it chatter in the background.
And imagine now lowering the volume of your thoughts.
Your opinions and judgments.
And increasing the volume of the sensations of your breath in your body.
Lowering the volume of your thoughts.
And increasing the volume of the sensation of your breath in your body.
And now imagine lowering the volume of the breath.
Turning it down so much that you can no longer focus on the breath.
And you move beneath.
Beneath the breath.
To a deep stillness.
A safe stillness.
A complete stillness.
Rest here.
And from this place,
I'll mention some pairs of opposites.
Then there's nothing you need to do,
Just listen and let your mind go wherever it will.
Stay in the stillness.
Light.
Sleepy.
Awake.
Busy.
Doing.
Heavy.
Sleepy.
Busy.
Alone.
And from this place,
Behind your closed eye.
Notice if you see anything.
Colors,
Patterns.
Movement.
Or simply a soft darkness.
And from in this space,
Allow a place to arrive.
In your mind,
In your imagination,
In your heart.
Somewhere,
Sometime.
That you feel safe.
And at ease.
Maybe this place is real.
Maybe it's imagined.
And it's a spring day.
One of those gentle April days where the world feels quietly and unhurriedly alive.
You're outside and maybe you feel the ground beneath your feet.
The warmth of the earth holding you up.
Solid and supportive.
And as you look around,
You notice the quality of the light.
The spring light that is softer than summer.
But warmer than winter.
Bright and hopeful.
And full of possibility.
And somewhere nearby,
You notice blossom.
This extraordinary abundance of spring.
Clouds of pink and white.
Briefly,
Perfectly here.
Perhaps you find somewhere to lie down.
The ground,
Warm,
Soft.
Supporting you.
Feel the sun against your skin.
And rest in this moment.
And notice what happens in the body when everything is simply enough.
When the ground holds you.
When the sun warms you.
When you feel completely at ease.
This is safety in the body.
Not a thought but a felt sense.
As your nervous system receives the signal it's been waiting for.
The way that the earth receives the rain.
Openly.
Without effort.
Allowing it to penetrate all the way down.
And in this state,
The body is doing things that you can't feel.
And you don't need to understand.
There is processing.
There is restoration.
Recalibration.
And deep healing.
And I'll be quiet for the next few minutes.
But I'm still here.
Flow with your experience.
And I'll guide you back very soon.
So you gently bring your attention back to your heart.
To your heart space.
And from this space within you.
Ask yourself again.
Without expecting an answer.
More like a deep whisper.
To the innermost part of you.
What do I need?
Right now.
What do I need?
Right now.
What do I need?
Right now.
What do I need?
Maybe bringing back the seed of intention.
From the beginning of the practice.
Maybe something new.
Maybe nothing at all.
And that's also fine.
If there's something there,
Repeat it to yourself.
Three times.
If there's nothing there,
Use this time to breathe.
And relax.
If you let go of this intention now.
Knowing that the seed will continue to grow.
From deep within.
From this place of safety.
And connection.
It will be nourished.
If you wish.
We will begin our slow and gentle return.
But if you prefer.
You can continue to rest.
You can come back at any point later in the evening.
Whenever you're ready.
If you feel ready now.
Shift your awareness to your feet.
Notice the contact between the heels.
And the surface beneath you.
Notice the weight of the heel.
And any sensations in the soles of your feet.
Maybe wiggle your toes.
Feel your legs.
And your hips.
Feel your belly.
And your chest.
Feel your arms.
Your shoulders.
The neck.
Feel the face.
Feel the whole body waking gently.
As the sounds begin to make their way back in.
The world outside is quieter now.
And it returns in its own time.
And you feel safe in the body.
Maybe a little more spacious.
As you begin to invite in little movements now.
The fingers and toes.
Maybe a little bit of a stretch.
Or rolling around.
Maybe even rolling onto one side.
Pause here.
Pause here.
Breathe here.
And when you're ready.
Coming back up to sit.
In your own time.
In your own way.
Let the hands join together or maybe rest against your chest.
Take a really big breath in.
And a really long breath out.
