Good evening.
I am here to lead you through a relaxing yoga nidra practice so that you can fall asleep and get a restful night's sleep.
So if you have not already,
Get yourself cozy in your bed.
Adjust yourself to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Maybe start checking in with your breath.
Just coming into the current moment.
If you haven't already,
Close your eyes.
Feel into your bed,
Your pillow,
All the points of your body resting.
Feeling safe and secure at home in your bed.
Allowing yourself to let go of any concerns or worries from the day.
Knowing that you can pick these concerns and worries up in the morning.
But for now this is your time for rest and rejuvenation.
And your time for your own wellness.
Maybe thinking of a point of gratitude or just being grateful for putting yourself first for starting this meditation tonight in order to help facilitate a restful night's sleep.
So just continue breathing.
Maybe inviting a deeper breath into your belly.
Completely expanding your lungs so that you feel the back of your body expanding and contracting against your bed.
Just noticing and now bringing your attention to your sense of smell and any fragrances or odors that are present in the room where you are lying.
Not adding a judgment or a story.
Just being a curious observer.
And then changing to your sense of hearing.
What do you hear?
You hear my voice,
The music,
What other noises.
And lastly just tuning into your sense of touch.
Your skin.
Feeling the air on your skin.
Your blankets on your skin.
Your pajamas.
Maybe softening into your bed just a little bit more.
Adjusting yourself if you can make yourself just a little bit more comfortable.
And now I would like for you to bring into mind a situation causing worry,
Stress or fear in your life.
Now put this situation into the following intention.
I release the urge to control.
You fill in the blank.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
I release the urge to control.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
And I will bring up the intention a couple more times throughout the practice.
So just continue filling in your own personal stress,
Worry or fear.
Now as you continue breathing I'm going to read a little poem for you.
This is called The Guest House by Rumi.
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival,
A joy,
A depression,
A meanness.
Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all.
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture.
Still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought,
The shame,
The malice.
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them all in.
Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Now we will consciously embrace and release our current tension and holdings.
Lying on your back bring into your mind any current challenges or worries.
Invite them all to join you here in this moment.
Any tiredness,
Stress or difficulty,
Tension.
Bring all of it into your awareness.
With a big breath in,
Inhaling,
Begin to tense all the muscles in your body.
Making fists with your hands.
Holding tension for just a breath and then exhaling.
Letting the body completely soften.
Releasing all the tension you were holding.
Maybe noticing that you were holding tension that's now been released.
And let's do that once more.
Inhaling,
Squeezing the entire body.
Squeeze,
Squeeze and exhale.
Softening,
Letting the body feel just a little bit more heavy.
A little softer with each outgoing breath.
Let the body drop completely.
Letting go even more.
All tension and holding,
Dissolving away as you rest in total stillness.
Feel the release.
And now place your hands on your belly.
Bring your attention to the breath.
Allow the stomach muscles to soften and feel the breath moving down deep into your belly.
Notice your belly rising and falling with each breath.
Inhaling,
Belly rising.
Exhale,
Belly relaxing.
Inhale,
Belly rising.
Exhale,
Belly softening.
Breathe deeply.
We will take 10 more breaths here.
Counting them like so.
One belly rising.
One belly falling.
Two belly rising.
Two belly falling.
Three belly rising.
Three belly falling.
Continuing counting silently.
If you lose count,
Just begin at one again.
Let each breath be a little deeper than the last.
Feel the belly moving as you breathe.
Stay with your count or begin again.
Each breath a little slower than the last.
Attentive to the sensation of breath rising and falling in the belly.
Breath slowing down.
Face relaxing.
Body heavy.
When you finish your 10 breaths,
Slowly release the hands down to the side,
Palms facing up or in any position that's more comfortable for you.
Feel your whole body breathing.
Feel the body relaxed and at ease.
Completely surrendered.
Take the time now to make any adjustments to make yourself just a little bit more comfortable.
As you receive these words,
Take your time.
Wait until every cell of your body begins to respond to my words.
This style of yoga nidra works with prana,
Life energy,
Which allows you to feel sense sensation as a medium to connect with being.
Whenever you feel the pull inward,
Allow yourself to let go.
When your mind comes back in,
Anchor your attention on my guidance.
Be as still as possible throughout the remainder of this session.
This is so as not to disturb your sense of relaxation as it deepens.
Affirm that you will participate wholeheartedly throughout the practice.
Resolve to remain awake and aware.
Stay connected to the sound of my voice and trust in my careful guidance as I guide you into deeper and more subtle layers of ease.
If thoughts or sounds disturb you from time to time,
Do not worry.
Simply come back to the sound of my voice and resolve to let nothing disturb you from outside or within.
Now shift from the busyness of thinking and doing to a deeper state of feeling and being.
Allow a sense of complete relief to wash over you.
Know that you have arrived.
Begin to notice the natural rhythm of your breath without changing anything.
Notice if the breath is fast or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Begin to pay a little more attention to the inhalation.
Invite your breath to be a little deeper,
A little fuller for the next few breaths.
Now breathing together to a count of four.
Inhaling two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe out two,
Three,
Four.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four.
And out two,
Three,
Four.
Continuing at your own pace,
Inhaling to a count of four and then exhaling to a count of four.
Slow and steady.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Stay with the count.
Stay with your breath.
If your mind wanders,
Just bring the attention back to your breath.
In breath and out breath of equal length.
Now we will move deeper into relaxation by lengthening the exhales to a count of six.
Begin again inhaling two,
Three,
Four and exhaling two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling two,
Three,
Four and exhaling two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Continue at your own pace letting the out breath last just a little longer than the in breath.
Calm and relaxed.
Counting each breath in and each breath out.
Out breath slowing down.
Whole body relaxing as you breathe out.
Releasing the count now and breathing naturally.
Continue to breathe slowly,
Softly.
Breath becoming barely perceptible.
Feel yourself breathing.
Now follow my guidance as we move our attention through different parts of your body.
Respond to what I say directly and non-mentally without comment or judgment.
As I guide you from point to point,
Remain in non-doing silent awareness.
Now bring your undivided attention to your brow center.
Pit of the throat,
Right shoulder,
Right elbow,
Right wrist,
Right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And little finger,
Right wrist,
Right elbow,
Right shoulder,
Pit of the throat,
Left shoulder,
Left elbow,
Left wrist,
Left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And little finger,
Left wrist,
Left elbow,
Left shoulder,
Pit of the throat,
Middle of the chest,
Right side of the chest,
Middle of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Middle of the chest,
Navel point,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Right knee,
Right ankle,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Right ankle,
Right knee,
Right hip,
Pelvis,
Left hip,
Left knee,
Left ankle,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left ankle,
Knee,
Hip,
Middle of the pelvis,
Navel point,
Middle of your chest,
Pit of your throat,
Your brow center,
Bring all of your attention to your brow center,
Observe the vast stillness and silence present here,
Allow whatever comes into that stillness to be as it is,
Nothing to do,
Simply resting in total awareness.
Once more receive the intention you created at the beginning with every fiber and cell of your being.
I release the urge to control.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
Let your attention rest on each part of the body as I name it.
Let the words wash over you,
Staying relaxed as you shift your attention from place to place.
Imagine a soft light glowing on the crown of your head,
Feeling warm light washing over the muscles of the face,
Softening your skin,
Shining down over your throat,
Warming the tops of your shoulders,
Radiating down your arms,
Over the palms of your hands,
A soft glow over your chest,
Your belly,
Your pelvis,
Illuminating the thighs,
Knees,
Shins,
Light cascading over your ankles,
The tops of your feet,
To the tips of your toes.
Feel your whole body from the crown of the head to the tips of your toes,
Whole body surrounded by light.
Now let the warmth and glow from the light melt the entire back body into your bed.
Heaviness in the heels,
All tension draining out,
Calves melting,
Surrendering,
Legs and buttocks released,
Empty of any holding,
Shoulder blades,
Arms,
Backs of the hands,
Melting,
Tension leaving the body,
Back of the head,
Resting,
Relaxing,
Tension melting away from the whole back body,
Whole back body softening,
Surrendering.
Let the attention rest above the head so that your body can rest deeply,
Whole body resting,
Nothing to do or achieve,
Completely at ease,
Whole body returning to balance,
Wholeness and vitality while you rest.
Drop all ambition now,
Even the ambition to relax.
It is time for your body to rest deeply,
Completely safe,
Totally at ease,
Nothing to do,
No need for anything to be different than it is.
Be empty like a clear blue sky,
Watching any thoughts,
Sounds or images as if they are clouds floating by,
Coming and going,
Gathering and dissipating.
Drop into the background space of silence,
A soft,
Spacious,
At ease.
Simply rest here.
In this rested state,
Your intention is actualized and fulfilled with effortless ease.
Receive your intention with every fiber and cell of your being.
I release the urge to control.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
I release the urge to control.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
I release the urge to control.
I trust that it is okay for me to let go in this moment.
Trust at this time that your intention is being received into every fiber and cell of your being,
Knowing that whatever is for your best interest is already happening without your needing to do anything about it.
Recognize at this moment that you have made a major shift in perspective and way of being.
Relax and then knowing that the peace that is available to you in deep sleep is also available to you in the waking state.
Feel the weight of your back body resting,
The back of your head,
Your head,
Your glutes,
Heels.
Become aware of the rising and falling of your breath.
Notice your breath rising and falling without any effort or control on your part.
Notice how relaxed your body is.
Notice how calm your mind is.
Notice how soft your breath is.
Know that you can return to this space again and again and each time you return you are deepening the grooves of your peaceful nature and reinforcing the path back to health and wholeness.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be peaceful.
Sweet dream.
You you you you you you
