My name is Brianna Marie,
And I will be guiding us into a space of deep rest on this journey of Yoga Nidra today.
As we settle in for this beautiful,
Nourishing practice,
Yoga Nidra,
Often referred to as yogic sleep,
Can be a state of deep conscious relaxation,
A guided meditative experience where you can rest deeply in your physical,
Mental,
And emotional bodies,
Transcending the layers of self somewhere between the spaces of wakefulness and sleep.
If you happen to drift,
That is absolutely okay.
This practice is meant for you and what you need in this present moment,
Honoring the needs of your being in restfulness or restful awareness.
Settling in,
Allow your body to find comfort from the support beneath you,
Perhaps you're laying on your couch or a bed or even the floor,
Welcoming in a position that will allow for rest throughout the whole body from head to toe.
Allow yourself to be supported and held,
Welcoming a space for deep comfort and relaxation.
Reach for any props,
Covering yourself in a blanket for warmth,
Making sure your fingers and toes are covered and you're wrapped up snug as a bug.
Perhaps reaching for an eye pillow or covering,
Even a t-shirt will do.
And I welcome you to close down through the eyes if that feels comfortable,
Adjusting your supports to provide optimal comfort.
Could you make any shifts,
Any movements to become more comfortable?
Drawing on the space of gravity existing between you and your support,
Welcome in a sense of being held,
A sense of peacefulness and inertia to allow your whole body to rest as it is,
Here and now,
In total relaxation.
Listen to the sound of your breath,
Allow your ears to presence the awareness on the sound of my voice,
Noticing the sounds of the space around you,
Allowing sensations of sound to be present.
Settling into stillness,
Begin to sense your breath,
Feeling it flow in and out of the body,
Becoming consciously aware of the natural inhalation and exhalation,
The rise and fall from belly to chest,
Chest to belly,
Allowing the breath to guide you into rest.
You may begin to notice the breath deepening with more intention,
With more awareness.
Imagine each breath a color,
Painting a blank canvas,
An intentional breath painting the landscape for your journey to connect to the space of your inner being,
To forge kindness with each stroke forward.
Slowly,
Gently,
Inhaling and allowing your breath to guide you into relaxation,
Exhaling,
Allowing tensions to release,
Bringing more intention to the breath.
We will practice a double breath or physiological sigh,
A pranayama practice meant to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
On the next inhalation,
Draw in two sips of breath from the nose,
Exhaling deeply and slowly,
Allowing release of the breath and perhaps even a sigh,
Allowing this body of breath to release stress,
Tensions.
Continuing this breath for two more cycles at your own pace and allow the brush of breath to guide you into stillness.
As your natural breath falls back into place in its natural ebb and flow,
Bring awareness to the heart center,
Anahata chakra,
This energetic space centered in your chest,
In the space of love and beautiful synergy.
Anahata is represented by a lotus flower of 12 petals,
Thought to represent divine qualities of the heart all residing within you.
As each quality is spoken,
Draw awareness to the sensations felt in the body.
How does the word make you feel?
What does it represent for you?
These 12 petals and 12 words,
Forming the lotus,
Understanding,
Clarity,
Purity,
Compassion,
Kindness,
And forgiveness.
Each of these divine qualities residing within you,
Within the heart center,
Allowing sensations and awareness to come back to the space of the heart.
Could you imagine harvesting a seed from this lotus,
Holding it in your hands at the heart,
Nourishing it,
Taking on attributes from all of the petals?
Imagine the seed as your own intention or desire,
As sankalpa,
Allowing the seed to be nurtured and germinated.
Imagine yourself dropping the seed into the warm waters and allowing it to ruminate in the nutrients,
Allowing the lotus to open and begin its journey upward to the surface as it reaches for sunlight,
Allowing the seed to grow in its own time.
As it draws closer to the light,
Its roots become stronger and it prepares for a flower to bloom anew.
Imagine all of the divine qualities of this lotus flower,
The representation of the heart as one of nature's circles,
With the stamen at the center and petals forming all around it.
Create this beautiful circle in nature,
Imagining it rotating against the wind in the water,
Sending this beauty throughout the whole body as we welcome a rotation of conscious awareness,
Allowing your awareness to drift to each point as it is called.
Allowing your ears to attune to the sound of my voice and to allow awareness to drift from one point to the next.
Sensing the center of the forehead between the brows and the mind's eye,
The right eye,
The left eye,
The left brow,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The brim of the nose,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
The top lip,
The bottom lip,
And the space between the lips,
The tongue,
The top of the head,
The back of the head,
And the base of the skull,
Effortless and relaxed,
The center of the throat,
The heart center,
The back of the heart,
The front of the heart,
And the space all around the heart.
Awareness of both shoulders simultaneously,
Both upper arms,
Elbows,
Lower arms,
Wrists,
And hands.
Sensing both thumbs,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Relaxed.
Belly,
Pelvis,
Sacrum,
Sensing both hips together,
Both thighs,
Knees,
Lower legs,
Ankles,
Both feet.
Sensing the soles of the feet and the tops of the feet and all of the toes,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Sensing the toes all the way up into the hips,
Up into the heart space,
Sensing both arms and both legs,
And sensing the whole back body from the crown of the head to the heel,
And the entire front of the body from forehead to toes.
Imagine your attention moving through the body the way the lotus reaches for the sky,
Strong,
Radiant,
And beautiful,
Allowing this sense of gentle relaxation and awareness to effortlessly drift through the whole being,
Drawing on the light of the seed,
This intention planted within.
Could you imagine this green light from the heart space?
Centered of the petals and the lotus,
Imagining this green light in the space of the heart.
This gentle brightness protects the next generations of seedlings.
Could you imagine inhaling this bliss,
This peace,
And as you exhale,
The light grows out to the torso.
Inhaling love and harmony,
Exhaling the light of the seed.
Expanding into the limbs of the arms and legs.
Inhaling understanding and empathy,
The vibrancy from the green light reaching the hands and the feet.
Inhaling clarity and purity,
Exhaling the light expanding to the space of your mind's eye.
Inhaling unity and compassion,
Exhaling the green surrounding the whole body.
Inhaling kindness and forgiveness,
Allowing the green light to expand out from you into all that you touch physically and energetically.
Expanding out into the centers around you,
This light flowing in you and all around you.
And this place from overflow and abundance,
From cultivation,
And the space that resides and is within you,
Allowing the seed of intention to illuminate your entire being.
To reach for the sunlight,
To become energized,
And to allow the roots to forge strong connections from the energetic body.
Sensing the breath here,
Allowing your sensations to presence the coolness on the inhale,
The way the air touches the inside of the nostrils,
Allowing the guidance of your breath to tune inward.
Sensing the rise and fall,
Allow the guidance of your breath to become aware of the physical space around you,
The earth beneath you.
Welcome in the physical sensations of touch,
Material on the skin,
Perhaps rubbing from the inside.
Touching the ground beneath you or welcoming in gentle movements to the fingers,
The hands,
Toes and ankles,
Allowing the sensations of the physical space to become more noticeable,
The sounds,
The aromas,
And perhaps even slowly allowing the eye covering to fall to the side,
Keeping your gaze soft or eyes closed,
But welcoming in the outside world in through the lids of the eyes.
You might start to welcome broader movements,
Perhaps circling out through the arms and legs,
Reaching your hands overhead and stretching out,
Allowing your toes to stretch with your arms,
Drawing your head from side to side,
Awakening your body slowly and gently,
Bringing your awareness into the presence of the space surrounding you,
Allowing your physical body to recognize the felt sensations,
Allowing the lingering effects of this practice to carry you into the next phase of your life.
Allow this cultivated peacefulness to linger on into the day,
The week,
Knowing you can come back to this practice whenever you need it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to practice with me today.
You are beautiful.
If you like this video,
I welcome you to write me a little note in the comments.
Thank you.
