Take a moment now to prepare for your practice of Yoga Nidra.
Laying on your back or in a position that feels comfortable and supportive for you today.
You might place a pillow behind your head and perhaps your knees.
You might want to tuck yourself in with a blanket to create a cocoon.
Let's begin by taking a long breath in through the nose and as you exhale,
Purse your lips as if you are blowing through a straw.
Lengthen the exhalation ever so slightly.
Let's do that again a few more times.
Breathe in through the nose and with each exhalation,
Allow your body to sink a little deeper into the support beneath you.
One more deep breath in and exhale slowly.
Scanning through your body now,
Release any tension or holding.
Are there any areas you can soften?
Your face,
Jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your hands,
Your hips,
Legs and feet.
Make any small adjustments to your body to get even more comfortable,
To rest in stillness throughout your practice today.
Notice the rise and fall of your breath,
The natural rhythm of breath in and out.
With each inhalation,
Imagine expanding slightly and with each exhalation,
Contract ever so slightly.
Inhale,
Expand.
Exhale,
Contract.
Just imagine.
And now,
Welcome in an intention for this practice or your Sankalpa.
Or perhaps today you can choose to rest in the space of no Sankalpa,
Actively choosing an open space,
Remaining receptive and spacious throughout this practice.
Allow your attention to move through your body,
Following the guidance of my voice.
As I name a body part,
Let your attention settle here in this area of the body.
Bring awareness to the tip of your tongue and all the way down to the root of the tongue,
Inside of the right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek,
The roof of the mouth,
The teeth and the gums,
Lower lip,
Upper lip.
Notice the flow of air in the nose,
The right nostril,
The left nostril,
Centre of the forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Right eye and all of the muscles behind the eye.
The left eyebrow,
Left eye and all of the muscles behind the eye.
The entire head and face,
Back of the neck,
Heart centre,
Right side of the chest,
Right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Right thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The whole of the right hand and arm.
Let your attention return to your heart centre,
Left side of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Left thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The entire left hand and arm,
The heart centre,
The waist,
Navel,
Lower belly,
Pelvic bowl,
Right hip,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
Sole of the foot,
Ankle,
Lower leg,
Knee,
Upper leg,
Hip,
The right leg,
The entire right leg,
Pelvic bowl,
Left hip,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
Sole of the foot,
Ankle,
Lower leg,
Knee,
Upper leg,
Hip,
The entire left leg,
The left leg,
Left side of the torso,
Left arm,
The left side of the body and the right hemisphere of the brain.
Bring attention to the left side of the body and the right hemisphere of the brain.
Take time to allow your attention to move to the right side of the body,
Right leg,
Torso,
Arm,
The right side of the body and the left hemisphere of the brain,
Right side of the body,
Left brain.
And now feel the whole body,
Left and right,
The whole body now,
Radiant with sensation.
Feel sensation throughout the whole body.
Notice your breath,
The natural,
Easy flow of air in and out,
Your body breathing itself.
Just notice the breath without changing the natural rhythm and flow in and out.
Imagine breathing in through the sole of your right foot,
All the way up to the crown of the head.
Exhale from the crown of the head to the sole of the left foot.
Inhale,
Left foot to crown of the head,
Switching sides.
Exhale,
Crown of the head to the right foot.
The easy,
Natural flow in and out.
Sole of the foot,
Crown of the head.
Exhale down to the sole of the foot.
The energy of the breath flowing throughout your body.
Sole of the foot,
Crown of the head.
Switching sides,
Crown of the head to the sole of the foot.
Letting go of that,
Rest back into spacious awareness for the next few moments.
Bring awareness to the place in front of your closed eyes.
Rest your mind in this infinite space.
Silent darkness.
In this dark space,
Become aware of an opening,
An entrance.
Move through as if entering a deep cave.
In this cave,
You find a small burning flame,
A flickering flame,
A living,
Moving fire of light,
Of inner wisdom.
Notice the warmth,
The glow.
This flame is the part of you that knows,
And knows that it knows.
Your true nature,
Authentic,
Eternal.
With each inhalation,
The glow of the flame expands,
Expanding the light and the warmth.
Listen to your inner wisdom.
What message do you hear?
You might wish to form words and mentally whisper your heart's vow to yourself,
Or just rest with the feeling.
Born of this flame of your inner wisdom.
You are home.
Why not rest here a while?
Begin to sense the breath in the body.
On the next inhalation,
Begin to count up from 1 to 5.
Inhaling 1,
Exhaling 1.
Inhale 2,
Exhale 2.
Continue at your own pace to 5.
As you are ready,
Begin to sense any sounds in your environment,
Near or far.
With eyes still closed,
Become aware of the space around you,
Far and near.
Walls,
Windows,
The blanket on your body,
The pillow beneath your head.
Feel the solid earth beneath you,
Your head,
Shoulders,
Legs and feet,
And slowly start to awaken the body,
Making slow,
Gentle movements.
When you are ready,
Flutter the eyes open.
Allow time to come back to the waking state.
Notice any sensations in your body.
Continue to experience the space and peace that you have cultivated within you as you return from the state of deep restorative rest.
Thank you for practicing Yoga Nidra with me today.
Namaste.
