Welcome to your Yoga Nidra practice.
My name is Lucy and I'll be your guide today on a journey of deep restorative rest.
I'm grateful that you're here dedicating this time to your practice of Yoga Nidra,
Creating space for yourself to rest and heal.
As your guide today we will journey together into the quiet space within.
Space to hear your inner voice more clearly,
To meet yourself with love and compassion and to cultivate inner peace.
Take a moment now to prepare for your practice.
Get any props you may need.
Laying on your back or in a position that feels comfortable for you today.
Place a pillow behind your head and perhaps your knees.
You might wish to tuck yourself in with a blanket to create a cocoon.
Do these things for yourself as you would for someone you love with care and attention.
Observe your body in its entirety and make any small adjustments to be able to rest as comfortably as possible.
As you scan your body are there any areas that you can soften?
Notice how your body is effortlessly held and supported by the ground beneath you.
This practice is partly inspired by Mary Oliver's poem of the One World.
This morning the beautiful white heron was floating along above the water and then into the sky of this the one world we all belong to,
Where everything sooner or later is a part of everything else,
Which thought made me feel for a little while quite beautiful myself.
Let's begin our practice by taking a long breath in through the nose and as you exhale imagine you are fogging a mirror,
Hearing the sound of your exhalation like an ocean wave through open mouth.
Nice long exhalation.
Let's do that again three more times at your own pace.
Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Feel your body sink deeper into the surface beneath you.
Breathing like a continuous sea of waves,
One breath rolling into the next,
Fluidly breathing in and out.
Give yourself permission to rest deeply.
This is exactly where you need to be.
There is nothing to do here,
Nothing to work out.
Bring attention to your heart,
The center of your heart.
You might imagine the field of your heart's energy expanding outward.
Perhaps it's a rose gold or shimmering light.
What do you see or feel?
Sense the glow of the heart's energy above,
Beneath,
All around you,
Enveloping your body.
From your chest,
Around your head,
Shoulders,
Arms and torso,
Hips,
Legs and feet.
Imagine a glowing protective field of light all around you now.
With each inhalation imagine the glowing field around you expand slightly and with each exhalation contract ever so slightly.
Inhale,
Expand,
Exhale,
Contract.
Just imagine.
Within this field you have created,
Invite a sense of well-being and peace,
Whatever that might feel like for you.
Into this space,
Welcome in an intention for this practice or your Sankalpa.
If you're not working with a particular Sankalpa,
Perhaps you can choose,
I am at peace with all that there is.
Mentally whispering your heartfelt intention to yourself three times.
Following my voice,
Allow your attention to move through your body.
As I name a body part,
Let your attention rest here for a moment.
Awareness flowing like the water in a river from one point to the next.
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,
Lower lip,
Upper lip.
Notice the flow of air in the nose,
The right nostril,
Left nostril,
Centre of the forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Right eye and all of the muscles behind the eye.
Left eyebrow,
Left eye and all of the muscles behind the eye.
The left ear through the centre of the head to the right ear.
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,
The entire right hand and arm.
Let your attention return to your heart centre.
The 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,
The entire left hand and arm.
Allow attention to return to the heart centre.
The heart centre,
Waist,
Navel,
Pelvic bowl,
Right hip,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The entire right foot and leg,
Pelvic bowl,
Left hip,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Little toe,
The entire left foot and 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,
Throughout the left side of the body and the right side of the brain.
Take time to allow your attention to move to the right side of the body,
The 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,
The whole body now,
Shimmering with sensation.
Feel sensation throughout the whole body.
Sense your breath,
Air moving in and out of the body,
Waves of respiration,
Rolling in,
Rolling out.
Notice the rise and the fall of the breath moving the body,
At the belly,
The chest.
Easy and rhythmic,
Just sensing the expansion and release of the breath,
The body breathing itself.
And now,
Invite the mantra,
SO AM.
I am that,
I am connected to all that there is.
With each inhalation,
Breathe in SO.
With each exhalation,
HUM.
The natural,
Effortless breath.
Inhale SO,
Exhale HUM.
SO,
HUM.
Gentle,
Easy breath.
Inhaling SO,
Exhaling HUM.
The words become the breath,
The breath become the words.
SO,
HUM.
And now,
Imagine a beautiful white flower at your heart centre,
A water lily.
As you inhale,
The flower opens and blooms.
As you exhale,
The flower gently closes.
Inhale,
Open and bloom.
Exhale,
Softly close.
Breathing in and out,
Just imagining.
And now,
Welcome a feeling of lightness throughout your whole body,
Sensing lightness,
Floating like the lily on the water.
Notice a sense of total weightlessness,
Lightness.
Experience lightness in your body.
And now,
Welcome the feeling of heaviness in your body,
Feeling weighted,
Grounded,
Sinking into the ground,
Heavy.
How does heaviness feel?
And now,
Coming back to the feeling of lightness,
Floating,
Feel light throughout your body.
Returning to the feeling of heaviness,
Grounded,
Feel heavy.
And now,
Welcome the feeling of being light and heavy at the same time.
Resting back into the space of awareness for a few moments.
Bring your attention now to the space in front of your closed eyes.
Notice any darkness,
Light or colour.
And begin to welcome the image of light dancing on water,
The sunlight sparkling on the surface of water.
Shimmering reflections of light and shadow.
Notice how the body of water is gently flowing,
A stream or river.
The subtle movement as the water slowly winds downstream.
A glistening flow,
Calmly guiding you further,
Further down into a place of calm and absolute well-being.
You might imagine you are walking a path next to the river.
Or perhaps you are floating in the fresh,
Soft water.
Notice the quality of the light,
The sounds or aromas in the environment.
Perhaps a beloved companion is with you as you continue this journey further,
Still further downstream.
As you journey,
Feel yourself expand and open.
Notice the river widen,
A full expanse of shimmering water,
As the river meets the sea.
Hear the sound of the waves,
Softly lapping.
The pull of water,
In and out.
Easy,
Rhythmic,
Ebb and flow,
The ocean's breath.
In and out.
Feel yourself sink into the soft sand beneath you,
Holding,
Supporting you.
Notice the colours of the sky above,
The texture of the clouds.
A bird,
Gracefully gliding in the currents of the wind.
Witness its majesty.
Imagine effortlessly floating,
Sailing up on the wind.
Notice the darkened line of the horizon,
Where the sea touches the sky.
Feel the colours soften to warm orange,
Soft pink,
Of the sky on the water.
The sun is slowly setting behind the horizon.
As the light fades,
So do the images,
The sounds.
All is quiet,
All is still,
All is peace.
Why not rest here a while,
In the infinite space of awareness?
Into this place,
Welcome back your Sankalpa.
Allow your heart's vow to rest here with you,
Mentally whispering your own Aura,
I am at peace with all that there is.
Begin to sense the breath in the body,
The natural ebb and flow,
Waves of respiration,
In and out.
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,
From far to near.
The walls,
Windows,
Furniture,
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.
Moving the fingers,
Perhaps touching your thumb and first finger,
And then each finger in turn.
Wiggle the toes,
Nod the head,
Take a deep breath,
And maybe a full body stretch.
And when you're ready,
Flutter the eyes open.
Allow time to come back to the waking state.
Notice any sensations in your body.
Continue to experience the 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.
