Hey,
It's Krista,
And welcome to this 20-minute yoga nidra meditative sleep practice.
This practice will include rotation of consciousness,
Breath awareness,
Opposite sensations,
And a visualization.
So gather what you need,
A space to lie down comfortably,
Any props that feel supportive for your body today,
And that might be a pillow,
A bolster for underneath the knees,
A pillow for behind your head,
And maybe even a blanket.
So once you have those items,
Allow yourself to arrive and settle and lie down in a comfortable position.
You can even lay on your side if that's more accessible for you.
Allowing your legs to extend long,
Knees slightly bent,
Arms slightly away from the body,
Palms facing up for openness,
Or down for grounding,
And make any adjustments you need so the body can eventually move into stillness.
If it feels safe for you for the eyes to gently close,
That's one option,
Or you can allow a soft gaze.
Now,
Take a slow inhale through the nose,
And a long,
Soft exhale through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale,
And exhale.
Feel for the weight of your body meeting the floor,
Heels heavy,
Calves soft,
Thighs supported,
Hips sinking,
Ribs widening.
Feel for the shoulder blades relaxed and settled,
Back of the arms resting,
Back of the head supported.
Really let gravity hold you here.
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to solve,
Just awareness resting in the body.
Now,
In this receptive state,
Plant a simple intention,
A sankalpa.
This is a short,
Positive phrase in present tense.
It might be,
I am steady.
I move with clarity.
I trust myself.
Or perhaps,
I am safe in my body.
Choose an intention that feels aligned for today,
And then please repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Let it drop into the deep layers of the mind.
We will now rotate awareness through the body.
Move your awareness from point to point as it's named,
Starting on the right side.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right ribs,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now,
Move your awareness to the left side.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left ribs,
Left waist,
Left hip,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole,
Top of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth.
Now,
To the back body.
Back of the head,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Upper back,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Back of the right thigh,
Back of the left thigh,
Back of the right knee,
Back of the left knee,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right heel,
Left heel.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the front body.
Front body,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Space between the brows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Nose,
Tip of the nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Center of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis.
Now,
Sense the entire body at once.
Sense the whole body at once.
Whole body resting,
Whole body breathing.
Now,
Bring awareness to the natural breath.
Do not change it.
Feel for the breath in your belly.
Inhale,
Belly rises.
Exhale,
Belly falls.
Now,
Begin counting backward from 21 to 1 with each exhale.
21,
Exhale.
20,
19,
Exhale.
Continue at your own pace,
And if you lose track,
Gently begin again at 21.
Allow the breath to become smooth and quiet,
As though the body is breathing itself.
Pause your counting.
Allow your breath to move naturally.
And you might say to yourself,
I am awake and aware.
I am practicing yoga and nidra.
We will now explore opposite sensations.
You are recalling the feeling,
Not forcing the body to change.
So simply allow yourself to sense and feel,
Not think.
Feel for your body becoming heavy,
Dense and weighted,
As if gravity has increased.
Feel as if your whole body is sinking into the floor,
Head heavy,
Torso heavy,
Limbs heavy.
Now feel the body becoming light,
Almost weightless,
As if floating on water or up towards the ceiling.
The head spacious and light,
The torso spacious and light,
The limbs spacious and light.
Now imagine cool air on the skin,
A gentle chill,
Coolness spreading throughout the body.
Now warmth.
Imagine golden sunlight soaking into your muscles,
A comforting heat,
The whole body warm.
Allow your whole body to rest in the balance between opposites here.
The whole body resting and sensing.
Now imagine you are standing comfortably in a vast open space.
In front of you is a magnificent gold door,
Tall,
Radiant,
Luminous.
It appears solid,
Yet alive with light.
This door represents infinite possibility,
Clarity,
And inner wisdom.
Notice its details.
Is it carved,
Smooth?
Glowing softly?
As you approach,
You sense that this door does not block you.
It protects what is sacred.
It opens only in alignment with your truth.
Place your hand gently on the door.
Feel for its warmth.
Notice how your body responds.
Steady,
Curious,
Perhaps calm.
When you are ready,
The door opens effortlessly,
Not forced.
Beyond,
It is an expansive golden light.
Infinite space.
Take in the space as far and wide as the eyes can see.
The space feels safe.
It feels clear.
It feels like coming home to yourself.
Step through and notice what it feels like in your body.
What do you notice?
Perhaps spaciousness in the chest,
Ground beneath your feet.
There is nothing dramatic here,
Just clarity.
Just steadiness.
Just possibility.
Rest here.
In infinite gold light.
In quiet awareness.
When it feels complete,
Allow the golden light to gently fold inward,
As if the doorway now exists within your heart center.
You carry access to this space with you.
It is not outside of you.
It is you.
Now bring back your original intention,
Your Sankalpa,
And repeat it silently three times to yourself.
Now supported by the steadiness of your practice.
Return your awareness to your breath.
Slow inhale,
Even slower exhale.
Notice the sounds in the room.
Feel the surface beneath you.
And begin very small movements of the fingers and toes,
Stretching gently if that feels good.
Rocking the back of the head side to side.
Awakening the neck and eventually rolling onto one side.
Pause here.
You're welcome to stay here or slowly rise to a comfortable seated position.
You can take one final breath in here and exhale completely.
Your Yoga Nidra practice is complete.
Thank you.
