Hello,
Welcome to this yoga nidra session,
A time to reset and a time for deep supportive rest.
So this practice is traditionally performed lying down,
Remaining still with eyes closed.
So get settled in a comfortable position on your back,
Making any necessary adjustments to support your body's needs.
Reclining gently with your legs slightly apart,
Feet falling apart to the sides,
And your arms by your sides with palms facing up if this is comfortable for you.
Allow your body to relax to the best that it can,
Surrendering to the support of the earth beneath you.
Take a nice breath in,
And as you exhale,
Invite any tension that you recognize in your body to just loosen its hold.
Beginning now to withdraw your senses from your external world to your internal world,
Gently turning inward.
Bring your attention to your breath,
Take a moment to observe the natural rhythm of your breath without trying to change it in any way.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen with each inhale and exhale,
Letting your breath be your anchor,
Keeping you grounded and present throughout this practice.
Now see if you can set an intention for this session.
Choose a guiding principle or a quality that you wish to cultivate within yourself.
It could be peace,
Healing,
Self-compassion,
Or clarity,
But hold this intention in your heart and allow it to guide you throughout this session.
Breathing in and exhaling fully,
Let your intention settle within you.
Trust in the power to manifest such an intention as we embark further on this journey.
As we proceed further with this practice of yoga nidra,
Rotate our awareness through different parts of our body in a systematic fashion.
As I mention each body part,
Simply bring your attention or your awareness there without any physical movement.
Bringing awareness to different parts of the body during yoga nidra is like shining a gentle and curious spotlight on each area one at a time.
So let's begin with the right hand.
Bring your attention to your right hand.
Bring your attention to the top of your right hand,
To the palm of your right hand.
Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb,
To your second finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
And pinky.
Move this awareness now to your right wrist,
Your forearm,
Your right elbow,
Upper arm.
Move your awareness to your right shoulder.
Now to the right side of the chest,
To the right side of your waist,
Your right hip,
Your right thigh,
Right knee,
Your right calf.
Now moving your awareness to the right ankle,
To the top of the right foot,
Bottom of the right foot.
Shining awareness on the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And to your pinky toe.
Breathing calmly and gently,
Shifting your awareness now to your left side and to the left hand,
The top of your left hand,
And the palm of your left hand.
Shifting your awareness to the left hand thumb,
The second finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
And pinky finger.
Moving your awareness now to your left wrist,
Now to your forearm,
Your elbow,
Upper arm,
And to your left shoulder.
Shining that awareness now to the left side of your chest,
To the left side of your waist,
Your left hip,
And down to your left thigh,
Your left knee.
Bringing attention to your left calf,
Bringing awareness to your left ankle,
Sole of the left foot,
And to the top of the left foot.
And shining the awareness now on your left big toe,
The second toe,
The third toe,
The fourth toe,
And the left pinky toe.
Breathing calmly and gently,
Now rotating your awareness to the back side of your body,
To the soles of both feet,
The right and left heel,
The right and left calves.
Moving the awareness back up to both knees,
The back of both thighs,
And to your buttocks.
Moving your awareness now to your lower back,
Your upper back.
Bringing awareness to your entire spine,
Now your right shoulder blade,
And your left shoulder blade.
Awareness moving to the back of the neck,
Back of the head,
And to the top of your head.
Shining awareness now on your forehead,
The right temple,
The left temple,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The right eyebrow,
The left eyebrow,
The space between your eyebrows,
Your right eye,
Your left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Your upper lip,
Your lower lip,
Your entire mouth.
Bringing awareness to your chin,
Your jaw,
Your throat.
Bringing awareness to the right collarbone,
And to the left collarbone.
Shifting your awareness now to your chest,
To your heart space,
Your upper abdomen,
Your navel,
Your lower abdomen,
Your stomach.
Bringing awareness to the whole torso.
Now shifting that awareness to your pelvis,
To the front of both thighs,
The front of both shins,
Both ankles,
And both feet.
Now shifting your awareness of your body as a unified whole,
All sides,
And all dimensions,
From head,
To toe,
Front,
To back,
And both sides.
Feel the whole body at once,
As if you are bathing in a pool of relaxation,
Effortlessly and peacefully.
Feel the weight of your body sinking into the floor,
Completely supported and at ease,
Completely relaxed and at peace.
Now I invite you to bring your awareness to your breath once again.
Notice the coolness of the air as you inhale,
And the warmth of the air as you exhale.
With each breath,
Imagine that you are breathing in a sense of deep relaxation,
And exhaling any remaining tension or stress,
Attending kindly to any inner sensations,
With support and compassion.
Now as we slowly begin to transition out of the practice,
I will count backwards from 5 to 1.
With each count,
Feel yourself becoming more awake and alert,
Bringing your awareness back to the present moment.
5.
Gradually becoming aware of the room you are in,
The sounds around you,
And the sensations of your body lying down.
4.
In your mind's eye,
Imagine where you are in the space you are practicing,
And all the objects around you.
3.
Start to deepen your breath in a comfortable way,
Taking fuller,
Anxious breaths,
Filling your body with rejuvenating oxygen.
2.
Slowly wiggle your fingers and toes,
Allowing just a bit of gentle movement to return to your limbs.
Take a nice long stretch if that feels right,
Reaching your arms overhead and pointing your toes,
Slowly and gently awakening your body.
When you're ready,
Slowly and mindfully roll over to your left side.
There's no hurry,
But take a moment to rest and absorb the benefits of your practice.
3.
Now using your left hand,
Gently press into the floor,
Bringing yourself up to a seated position if that feels right for you.
See if you can sit tall with a sense of calm and centeredness.
Seated in stillness with eyes closed for a few more moments,
Take another deep inhalation and a deep exhalation.
Bring your palms to your heart center,
And rub your palms together.
Now transfer the warmth of your palms to your eyes gently,
And place your palms on any area that desires support,
Comfort,
Or care.
4.
Now take a moment to see if you can connect with your initial intention you set for this practice.
Breathe in and breathe out.
5.
Now bring your palms back to your eyes once more,
Slowly open your eyes,
Palms to rest in your lap or in front of you,
And take a moment to just look into your palms,
Taking a few breaths and connecting to feeling fully back into the present moment.
Taking your time to move back into any activities,
But as we conclude this yoga nidra practice,
May you carry this peace and relaxation as you move forward now.
Thank you for joining me in this yoga nidra session and for your practice.
May we all be well,
Be happy,
And be free.
