Welcome.
Thank you for joining me today in this yoga nidra meditation.
This will be a short practice embracing a state of non-sleep deep rest with some specific techniques to calm the nervous system.
One of the most common questions I get for someone who is new to meditation is how to calm the racing mind.
Sometimes the act of breathing alone can bring peace to your nervous system.
For others however,
That may not be enough.
So we incorporate a few other techniques to help you find that peace you're looking for.
Bring your attention to your breath and as you do so,
Notice the drumbeat that alternates from right to left and left to right.
This is specifically designed to help your nervous system match the energy of a calm coherent heartbeat.
And then imagine the breath is coming in and out of your heart,
Breathing effortlessly with nothing to do but tuning your ears to the subtle sound of the drum and the harmonious sound of the water flowing.
As you activate your ears to pay attention to all the noises and frequencies,
The vagus nerve is calming you and shifting into neutral.
And now breathe at a 4-4 rhythm.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Now letting go of the rhythm,
Be sure you feel comfortable.
Check in with your head and neck to be sure it's supported.
If you need to reach for a pillow,
Do so now.
You may also choose to support your knees with a pillow as you lie down on your back,
Resting in your bed,
Yoga mat,
Or the earth itself.
And know that you're settling into the earth's gravity,
Relaxing,
Allowing gravity to support you.
So there's nothing for you to do to hold yourself upright.
Now bring your awareness to your jaw.
You may soften your jaw,
Allow it to open with lips parted,
Tongue resting softly at the bottom of your mouth.
And inhale through your nose,
Pause for a moment,
And then release all your breath through your mouth.
And now we will introduce one more technique to bring some calming energy to your nervous system.
As we practice a buzzing bee breath,
It can bring you feelings of tranquility with the gentle vibrations of the humming that stimulate the vagus nerve.
It may feel a little different,
But go ahead and give it a try.
I will first demonstrate it for you.
Take both hands and rest the index finger on the part of your ears that touch your cheeks,
Resting the other fingers softly over your eyes.
And then you inhale through your nose,
Filling the lungs completely,
Closing your lips,
And exhaling with a buzzing bee sound like this.
So now do it for yourself.
Place your index fingers along the flap of your ear that touches your cheeks,
Resting the other fingers as they close your eyes,
Softly cupping your face,
Taking a deep inhale,
Filling your lungs,
And then exhale through your mouth with your lips closed.
And now let it go.
Allow your breath to settle back into a natural rhythm.
And now bring your awareness back to the gravitational pull as you sink deeper and deeper into rest.
Know that your senses are attuned to peaceful rest.
You may notice the beat of your heart.
Perhaps you connect with the sankalpa,
Your heart's wish for this practice.
You may use your own or borrow mine.
Something simple.
It is more than enough simply to be here as I am.
It is more than enough simply to be here as I am.
And now bring your awareness to the top of your head,
Your left eye,
Right eye,
The space between your eyes,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Tip of the nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip.
Bring your awareness to your collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Counting fingers on the left hand,
Down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Return to the collarbone,
Right collarbone,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Counting fingers on the right hand,
Down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Bring awareness to your collarbone,
Ribs,
Pelvic bowl.
Witness the breath moving around your pelvic bowl and then notice your right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Counting toes on your right foot,
Down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Now bring awareness to your left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Counting toes on the left foot,
Down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And now could you sense the whole right side of the body and trace all the points of awareness throughout the right side of your body and bring your awareness back to your heart center.
Then notice the entire left side of the body and then return to the energy of your heart center.
It will hold space for silence for you to witness the energy of the bilateral rhythm of your heart center.
The drumbeat.
And now bring your awareness back to the moment,
Sensing the rhythm of your breath as you breathe in and out through your heart center.
Notice how you feel and witness the effects of this practice on your body and mind.
As you begin to wake up,
Moving fingers and toes,
You might slowly turn your head side to side.
As you might roll the ankles or wrists or stretch the arms and legs away from each other,
Or perhaps you hug yourself,
Bringing your knees towards your chest.
You may rock them side to side.
You might notice the effects of this practice on your body and mind and take a few more deep breaths as you sit upright,
Taking as much time as you need.
Give yourself space before you enter the outside world again.
You may choose to go out into nature,
Simply gaze at a tree.
Know that you supported yourself in this practice and thank that part of you that showed up for this meditation today.
And know that the light within me sees the light within you.
Namaste.
