Hi,
Thank you so much for joining me for Yoga Nidra tonight.
My name is Hillary Jackendorf and I hope you'll enjoy this short bedtime meditation.
So let's begin by taking a few moments to just make sure that you're completely comfortable and settled in for the night.
And allow yourself to fully arrive in this moment.
Recognize that the day is done.
There's nothing more you need to do.
And with this recognition,
Consciously give yourself permission to let go.
Give yourself permission to let go of the day.
To let go of all of your responsibilities.
To let go of all the roles that you play in your life and in the world.
And as you make this mental shift,
Take a full deep breath in through your nose.
And exhale slowly out of your mouth in a long gentle sigh.
Do this twice more.
Inhaling and welcoming in a deep sense of effortless ease.
Exhaling,
Letting go.
Begin to notice the feeling of your body being supported,
Held by your bed.
Feel the sensation of your sheets,
Your blankets covering you.
Notice the way your head rests easily against your pillow.
And allow your body to become soft.
There's no need for tightness.
There's no need for tension.
As your body continues to soften,
Gently turn towards your sense of hearing.
Begin to listen carefully to all of the sounds in the room.
The sounds in the house.
Perhaps even the sounds outside the house.
See if you can notice the sounds that seem to be entering into the awareness through the right ear.
The sounds that seem to be entering into the awareness through the left ear.
Fully attuned to the sounds around you.
Perhaps then seeing how the sounds vibrate in the body.
How the sounds can be felt.
Release this attention on sound.
And simply notice your natural breath.
Feel the gentle rhythm of your breath.
Feel your breath moving in and out of your nose.
Effortless,
Spontaneous.
Moving in and out of your body with ease.
And now shift attention fully into the body.
Different body parts will be named.
And as they are,
Feel into them.
Allow each part to soften completely.
As though from the inside and mentally repeat the name of the part.
Beginning on the right side of the body.
All of the attention to the right hand thumb.
Feeling it.
Allowing it to soften as though from within.
Mentally repeat.
Right hand thumb.
Continue just like this.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Arm path.
Right side of chest.
Right side of waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Soul.
Top of foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And the fifth toe.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole right side.
Held in awareness.
The whole right side.
Letting go.
Direct attention to the left side.
Left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Arm path.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Soul.
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And the fifth toe.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side.
Held in awareness.
The whole left side.
Letting go.
Direct attention to the back of the body and simply feel each part as it is named.
Feeling into the right heel.
Left heel.
Back of right thigh.
Back of left thigh.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Crown of the head.
Forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Bridge of the nose.
Tip of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
The line where lips meet.
Right side of jaw.
Left side of jaw.
Chin.
Front of the neck.
Right side of chest.
Left side of chest.
The heart center.
Upper abdomen.
Lower abdomen.
Navel center.
Right side of the pelvis.
Left side of the pelvis.
The pelvic floor.
Awareness of the whole right leg and foot.
The whole left leg and foot.
Both legs,
Both feet,
Together.
Awareness of the whole right arm and hand.
The whole left arm and hand.
Both arms,
Both hands,
Together.
Awareness of the torso.
Awareness of the neck and head.
Head,
Neck,
And torso,
All together.
Feeling into the whole body.
The whole body.
Awareness of the back of the body.
The front of the body.
The front and the back,
Together.
The whole body.
Gently drift attention to the movement,
The rhythm of the natural breath.
Observe the natural breath and follow it as it moves in and out of the nostrils.
As the breath passes,
Begin to introduce a count,
Counting each breath backwards from the number 54,
Like this.
Breathing in,
54.
Breathing out,
54.
Breathing in,
53.
Breathing out,
53.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
If the count is lost,
Begin again at 54.
