Take a breath in.
Let it go with a big sigh.
Again,
Big breath in.
Sigh,
Let it go.
Let your body relax more deeply into gravity.
Feeling the force of gravity pulling your body towards the earth.
Let yourself now know it's time to practice Shobha Nidra.
Letting go of any thoughts,
Worries,
Concerns about your day.
Nothing to be doing now except practicing Yoga Nidra.
Take a moment and bring an intention to your mind for your practice.
Something that you want to grow more of in your life.
Take a moment to listen inside for that deep desire of what you want more of in your life.
And once you have that,
Put it in a statement in the present moment as if it's happening right now.
And repeat that to yourself three times.
Feeling it resonate through your whole body.
Then imagine it like a seed that you're planting into the rich,
Deep,
Fertile soil.
Bring your attention back to your body.
Notice if you need to make any movements to create a little bit more comfort.
And we begin with a body scan.
As I name a body parts,
Feel the connection of that body part to the earth.
Feel the force of gravity pulling on that body part.
Starting with your jaw,
Right side of the jaw.
Left side of the jaw.
Top lip.
Bottom lip.
Inside the mouth,
Feel the gums.
Mouth.
Roof of the mouth.
Bottom of the mouth.
Tongue.
Left nostril.
Right nostril.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Space behind the eyes.
Right brow.
Left eyebrow.
Left temple.
Right temple.
Middle of the forehead.
Space between the eyebrows.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Top of the head.
Back of the head.
The whole head.
Neck.
Right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Right wrist.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Space between the fingers.
Whole hands.
Whole right arm.
Feeling the heaviness of the bones.
Right shoulder.
Heart center.
Left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Left wrist.
Left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Small finger.
Palm of the hand.
Feel the whole left hand.
Whole left arm.
Heaviness of the bones of the arm.
Left shoulder settling into the earth.
Heart center.
Whole chest.
Abdominal center.
Center of the pelvic bone.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Right knee.
Right foreleg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Small toe.
Whole right foot.
Melting into the earth.
Whole right leg.
Surrendering to gravity.
Right hip.
Center of the pelvic bone.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Left foreleg.
Ankle.
Left heel.
Sole of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Small toe.
Whole left foot.
Sinking into the earth.
Whole left leg.
Left hip.
Feeling the whole torso melting into gravity.
Both arms resting into the earth.
Whole body.
Whole body.
Whole body surrendering to gravity.
Rest here.
Bring your attention now to your breath.
As you inhale,
Feel the earth rising up to hold you.
And as you exhale,
Exhale into the embrace of the earth.
Release.
Inhale,
Earth is rising up.
Earth is rising up to embrace you.
Exhale,
You release into that embrace.
As you exhale,
Releasing anything that no longer serves you.
Any exhaustion.
Any outmoded habits,
Beliefs.
Any obligations that are not yours.
Then as you inhale,
Feel the energy of the earth entering your body.
Feeling the energy of earth.
Deep,
Moist,
Soil energy entering your feet.
Entering your legs.
Legs filling up with earth energy.
Hips and pelvis.
Earth energy filling your whole torso.
Earth energy coming into your shoulders.
Upper arms.
Forearms.
Hands.
Earth energy now coming up into your neck and your head.
Whole body filled with this earth energy.
And as you exhale,
Feel your roots growing deeper into the earth.
As you inhale,
Earth energy rises into your body.
Exhale,
Sinking down into those roots.
Down,
Down,
Down.
Inhale,
Receiving the nourishing energy of the earth.
Exhale into those roots.
On your next inhale,
Feel the energy of the earth come through you.
Reaching through your body up to the sky.
Growing through you to the sky.
Exhale,
Feeling the sky,
Sun energy coming through you.
Into the earth.
Signing into the earth.
Inhale,
Earth comes through you to sky.
Reaching towards the heavens.
Exhale,
Sky comes through you to earth.
Kissing the earth.
Inhale,
Earth to sky.
Exhale,
Heavens to earth.
Continue like this,
Letting yourself be a vessel through which the earth and the sky meet.
Now letting this go.
And imagine that you're in the most peaceful garden imaginable,
Your garden of rest.
Look around you here.
Bring all your senses.
Notice what you see.
Here in this garden of rest.
Notice what you hear.
Any smells.
Any textures.
Let yourself rest here in this garden.
And as you rest,
Imagine the boundaries between your body and the garden dissolving.
So that you are this garden.
You are this garden of rest.
You are the earth with the plants growing through you.
As you rest here,
Notice what is growing in you in this garden.
See yourself resting.
See yourself as this garden of rest.
Growing,
Fertile,
Rested.
Rest here in silence in this most peaceful place.
Deepening your breath.
In this place of silence,
Bring your intention back into your awareness.
And as you repeat the statement to yourself of your intention,
See yourself planting that seed.
Watering that plant.
Watching it grow.
Tending to it.
Taking a moment to feel into your body.
Feeling any part of your body that's calling your attention.
And then resting here and asking yourself the question,
What is growing in me today?
What is growing in me today?
And take a moment to listen in.
Be curious.
Notice any words,
Images,
Sensations.
Even if it doesn't make sense.
As you come back into your body,
Feeling your earthly body separates.
Noticing what you would like to leave here with the earth.
Knowing that she is the master composter and can take anything.
Letting it slide off you.
Unneeded weights.
Unnecessary baggage.
Feeling into yourself and notice the nourishment of the earth that you still carry with you.
Notice what you feel.
And as we begin to shift back into our waking consciousness,
Listen to these words by Mary Oliver.
White flowers.
Last night,
In the fields,
I lay down in the darkness to think about death.
But instead I fell asleep.
As if in a vast and sloping room filled with those white flowers that open all summer.
Sticky and untidy in the warm fields.
When I woke,
The morning light was just slipping in front of the stars.
And I was covered with blossoms.
I don't know how it happened.
I don't know if my body went diving down under the sugary vines and some sleep sharpened affinity with the depths.
Or whether that green energy rose like a wave and curled over me.
Claiming me in its husky arms.
I pushed them away,
But I didn't rise.
Never in my life had I felt so plush,
Or so slippery,
Or so resplendently empty.
Never in my life had I felt myself so near that forest line where my own body was done with and the roots and the stems and the flowers began.
Taking a deep breath in.
Exhale.
Thanking yourself for practicing Yoga Nidra today.
Knowing that this is an act of self-love.
Yoga Nidra is complete.
