Hello and welcome to this short guided meditation of non-sleep deep rest.
This meditation,
Also known as yoga nidra,
Is designed to reset your nervous system and allow your body to rest deeply.
Now as you settle in,
Gently close down the eyes and start drawing your attention inwards.
See if there are any micro adjustments you can make that will allow you to become even more comfortable and at ease.
This is an effortless practice where nothing is expected of you but to follow the guidance of my voice.
Now bring your attention to the muscles on your face,
Your forehead and release any tension.
Loosen the hinges of the jaw,
Allow your tongue to soften.
Let your eyes fall back into their sockets so they rest behind closed eyelids.
As you pull away from the act of seeing,
Let yourself drift into the realm of listening,
Sensing and feeling.
Now notice the body parts touching the earth beneath you,
Your torso,
Your pelvis,
Your legs.
Feel the sensations on your body as your clothes make contact with your skin.
Bring your attention to breath as it travels in and out through the nostrils.
Notice the rise and fall of your belly.
Now land your awareness on sound as it finds its way through your ears.
Notice the farthest sounds,
Those coming from outside of the room you are in.
Allow them to be just as they are,
As they come and go.
Now notice closest sounds,
Your breath,
The beating of your heart.
Now let's begin by taking three breaths together.
Two sips in through the nose and a long exhale from the mouth.
Now inhale.
Exhale.
One last time,
Inhale.
Now come back to the natural rhythm of your breath and feel your body get heavier and heavier.
Imagine yourself sinking deeper into the support beneath you,
As if the volume of gravity is turned up.
Now bring your attention to the centre between the brows,
Your mind's eye,
And whisper mentally three times I am resting so deeply now,
I am resting so deeply now.
Now visualise your body lying down or sitting on the support beneath you,
As if you are hovering above yourself.
See yourself softly breathing,
Relaxed and at ease.
There is nothing you need to do here in this space.
Now we will move awareness throughout the body.
Sense into and visualise each body part as it is named.
Now bring your awareness to the tongue,
The roof of the mouth,
Inside right cheek,
Inside left cheek,
Your jaw as you release any tension here,
The chin,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Bridge of the nose,
Centre between the brows,
Right brow,
All the muscles behind the eye softening,
Back to the centre between the brows,
Left brow,
All the muscles behind the eye softening,
Centre of the forehead,
The entire scalp and hair,
Right ear,
Throat centre,
Base of the throat,
Centre of the chest,
Right side of the chest,
Shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Palm,
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
All five fingers,
The right hand,
Right side of the chest,
Heart centre,
Left side of the chest,
Shoulder,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
All five fingers,
The left hand fingertips,
Back to the left side of the chest,
Centre of the heart,
The navel rising and falling,
Second toe.
Now imagine and sense both legs simultaneously,
The front of the body,
Back of the body,
Both arms,
The entire body and the whole right side of the body.
Now imagine as if you could breathe in through the left hemisphere of the body,
As if the surface of the skin could become open and porous.
Breathe in through the left side of the body and exhale from the right.
Just imagine the two hemispheres of the body inhaling and exhaling,
Like waves rolling in and out.
The whole body effortlessly being breathed in from the left,
Out from the right.
Now both hemispheres of the body breathing simultaneously,
In and out and resting in stillness.
Now dropping this and coming back to the natural rhythm of your breath,
Landing your awareness in the mind's eye centre,
Centre of the forehead and repeating mentally three times,
I am resting so deeply now,
I am resting so deeply now.
Now slowly become aware of the physical boundaries of your body,
The parts making contact with the earth beneath you.
Feeling yourself within the physical boundaries of your skin,
Begin to notice the benefits of this practice on your body,
Your mind and emotional landscape.
Allow yourself to bask in the spaciousness that has arrived.
Now inhaling generously through the nose followed by a long exhale,
Start to bring gentle movement to the toes and the fingers.
Perhaps allowing a full body stretch if that arises and taking your time to come back into the room you are in as this practice is now over.
Feel free to leave a comment below as I would love to hear how this practice felt for you.
Thank you for letting me be your guide today.
