Yoga Nidra For Calming Hormones
This is a short, Yoga Nidra practice to help calm any hormonal fluctuations you may be experiencing. This practice will give you the time and space you need to cool down, to find some inner space that's just for you, and to soothe and quiet the nervous system as we delve into deeper brainwave states. Soundscape by Charlie Gates
Transcript
Welcome,
My name is Leah and this is a short yoga nidra practice to help calm any hormonal fluctuations you may be experiencing.
This practice will give you the time and space you need to cool down,
To find some inner space that's just for you,
And to soothe and quiet the nervous system as we delve into deeper brainwave states.
You are so welcome here.
Please find a comfortable lying down position on your back,
Arms slightly away from your sides,
Palms facing up,
Legs resting naturally apart.
You could lie on your yoga mat in a supported shavasana with cushions or bolsters under the knees,
Head and spine,
Or rest on the couch or in a reclining chair,
Or even cozied up in your bed.
An eye pillow or a piece of cloth or clothing can be wonderful if you are in a bright space,
And also to help the eyes settle for deeper relaxation.
Make sure that you are cozy.
Landing into your yoga nidra nest in a reclined position,
Could you find a way to become even more comfortable?
Feel the supports beneath you,
Holding you.
Could you soften even a little bit more?
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
Expanding the lungs,
And exhale slowly through an O-shaped mouth,
Releasing anything that will not serve you for your practice today.
And now take a moment here to set an intention for your practice,
Something that would nourish your heart's desire.
Choosing one word or a short phrase,
Something that feels meaningful to you at this time in your life as you are navigating these hormonal waters,
And mentally whispering it to yourself three times now.
And now,
Rotating awareness throughout the whole body,
Bring all of your attention to the tip of the tongue,
The root of the tongue,
The roof of the mouth,
The teeth,
And the gums,
Inside of the right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek,
The upper lip,
The lower lip,
The flow of air through the nostrils,
The nasal flares,
Bridge of the nose to the center of the forehead,
The right eye,
Around and behind the eye,
The left eye,
Around and behind the eye,
Softening,
Letting go,
The temple,
Eyebrow,
The right ear,
Listening,
Earlobe,
Inner ear,
The left ear,
Listening,
Earlobe,
Inner ear,
Inside of the throat,
The heart center,
Right side of the chest,
Shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
The left hand,
The right hand,
The left hand,
The right hand,
Back of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
A sense of the whole right arm,
Whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm,
Back of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
A sense of the whole left arm,
Whole left arm.
Left side of the chest,
Heart center,
Solar plexus,
Navel center,
Base of the spine,
A sense of the whole pelvic bowl,
The right hip,
Thigh,
Calf and shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Big toe,
All the way down to the tailbone.
All the way to the baby toe,
Sensing all five toes of the right foot.
The sense of the whole right leg,
The whole right leg,
The pelvic bowl,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Calf and shin,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
The big toe,
All the way to the baby toe,
Sensing all five toes of the left foot.
The sense of the whole left leg,
The whole left leg,
Both legs at the same time,
Both arms,
The whole torso,
Neck,
Head,
Tailbone.
And the whole face,
The whole body,
Front and back.
Begin to feel into the whole left side of the body from the top of the head all the way down to your toes.
Whole left side of the body filled with sensations.
Feel into the whole right side of the body from the top of the head all the way down to your toes.
Whole right side of the body,
Land of sensation.
Feel into the whole back side of the body from the back of the head all the way down to your heels.
Whole back side of the body supported by the earth.
Feel into the whole front side of the body from the forehead all the way down to the tops of your feet.
Whole front side of the body moving with the breath.
And now welcome the feeling of softness in your body,
Sensing all of the places where a natural softness is occurring.
Feel all the places in your body where softness resides.
How does softness feel in your body?
Where do you feel it?
And now welcome the feeling of rigidity in your body,
Sensing all of the places where a natural density and rigidity is occurring.
Feel all the places where hard rigid tissues reside within your body.
How does rigidity feel in your body?
Where do you feel it?
Coming back to the feeling of softness,
Now feeling all of the areas that are soft.
Then welcoming density and rigidity again.
Can you sense both opposing sensations simultaneously?
Now feel your body is contracted,
Tight,
Tense,
Stiff.
Feel the contraction in your body.
Where do you feel tension and contraction?
Now feel expansion.
Feel openness,
Spaciousness.
Feel your body expanding and spacious.
Feel tension.
And now feel contraction again,
Tight and tense.
Coming back to the feeling wide open and expanded,
Spacious.
How does it feel to feel spacious?
Go back and forth between feeling contracted and this spacious expansiveness.
Back and forth between the two at your own pace.
Feel them both together,
Welcoming the feeling of being contracted and of expanding at the same time.
Imagine yourself now near a body of water.
It could be the ocean,
Or a lake,
Or an outdoor swimming pool.
An imaginary place or somewhere you've been before.
And you immerse yourself into the cool water and float on your back.
The water is soft on your skin,
And it holds you as you float effortlessly.
You close your eyes and allow the sun to shine down upon you,
Warming your cheeks.
You feel the gentle breeze of the ocean,
The gentle breeze of the exposed parts of your body.
And the water around you begins to feel warm for a moment,
And then cool,
And then warm again.
These currents of temperature changing beneath you,
Around you,
As you remain unchanged.
Just floating,
Just slowly moving with the tide.
There's nothing to do here,
But just be weightless in the water,
And present in your life as it is happening in this moment.
The clouds roll over the sun,
And you feel the coolness on your skin.
You float for a while longer,
Then slowly dip under the water to feel its freshness before you come back to the shore.
You find a soft robe on your lounging chair,
And wrap it around yourself,
And rest in the chair.
Your body feels so light,
So refreshed,
Like a healing has happened.
You rest here for a while as the sun comes back out and warms you.
Resting in this blissful,
Peaceful moment,
As if you were sleeping in the center of a cloud.
Recalling your intention in this restful space of being,
And mentally whispering it to yourself three times here.
As you begin to return,
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
And a slow,
Long exhale through the mouth.
Feel yourself returning to the room that you are in,
Tuning into any sounds around you.
Feel the supports beneath you,
The position of your body.
Begin to gently wiggle fingers and toes.
Rotate wrists and ankles one way,
And the other.
Turning your head gently side to side,
Releasing your neck,
And taking a long stretch,
And any movements that feel good to you in this moment.
And if you feel like you're ready to return to your day,
You can roll to one side,
And just take a few breaths,
Noticing how you're feeling,
Noticing how your body feels,
Your mind,
Your heart,
And then gently sitting up as we close our practice together.
Om shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
May you have peace in your mind,
Peace in your heart,
And peace in your life.
And may this practice serve to bring peace to all beings,
And may we be free.
Namaste.
