Hello and welcome.
My name is Nina and I will be guiding you through a 30-minute practice of yoga nidra.
Now let's take the next few moments to get ourselves ready for your yoga nidra practice.
Getting pillows and blankets,
A comfortable yoga mat.
Maybe you wish to lie down on the sofa.
Take the next few moments so you're really comfortable.
And once you're ready,
You've tucked yourself in.
Close your eyes and maybe even use an eye pillow for even more comfort.
Now begin to feel your body on the floor,
On the surface underneath you.
Feel your body being supported by the surface underneath you.
Slowly tune into your breath.
Taking a few deeper in and exhalations.
Coming aware of how your breath feels right now.
And maybe it's possible for you to slowly breathe in and out through your nose throughout our yoga nidra practice.
Let's use those next few breaths to let go of the tension in your body.
So on your next exhale,
You try to soften your tongue,
Your jaw,
The facial muscles.
On your next exhale,
Softening your fingers,
Your arms,
Your chest.
On your next exhale,
Grounding your hips,
Your spine,
Softening your legs,
Your feet,
Your toes.
With each in and exhalation,
Feeling your whole body.
Feeling your whole body softening and letting go.
Now we come to a phase of rotating the awareness around the body.
Whenever I name a part of the body,
You're invited to either feel it or to visualize a golden light.
As if there was a ray of sunlight shining on that body part.
Begin to shift your awareness towards your right hand.
Becoming aware of your right thumb.
The tip of your right thumb.
Moving on to the second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger of your right hand.
Fingers and thumb together.
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm.
Becoming aware of your right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Side of the waist,
Front right thigh,
Back of thigh,
Knee,
Back of knee.
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle and heel.
Resting your awareness on your right big toe.
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
All toes together.
Keeping your awareness on the whole right side of your body.
The whole right side.
Shifting your awareness towards your left hand.
Becoming aware of your left hand thumb.
The tip of your left thumb.
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger.
Fingers and thumb of the left hand together.
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Resting your awareness for a moment on your left shoulder.
Armpit,
Side of waist,
Left hip,
Front left thigh,
Back of thigh,
Knee,
Back of knee.
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel.
Holding your awareness for a moment at the tip of your left big toe.
Big toe.
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe off your left foot.
All toes together.
Awareness on the whole left side of your body.
Whole left side of your body.
Shifting your awareness,
That golden light,
That warm,
Twinkling light.
Towards the whole right arm.
Awareness towards the whole right arm.
Whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Both legs together.
Now your whole body.
Expand that awareness into your whole body,
That golden light,
That warmth.
On your whole body.
Feeling your whole body resting.
Now we come to a phase of awareness of the breath.
Slowly let go of that awareness of your body.
Shifting your awareness towards your breath.
Shifting your awareness towards your breath.
Watching the natural rhythm of your breath and how the body gently moves with each in and exhale.
Slowly begin to count down your breath.
Don't worry if you lose count or you drift off.
Whenever you lose your count or drift off,
Just start again at the beginning.
Now let's start to count down the breath.
Let's start at 21.
On your next exhale,
21.
Next time you exhale,
20.
Next time you exhale,
90.
Carry on counting down with every exhale.
And whenever you lose count or you reach zero,
Just start again at 21.
Carry on counting down with each exhale.
With each exhale.
Whenever you exhale,
Count down.
And if you lose count or reach zero,
Start again at 21.
Now slowly letting go of the awareness of your breath and the counting.
Again becoming aware of your natural rhythm of your breath.
The gentle lift of your belly while you inhale.
The softening of your belly when you exhale.
Now direct your attention towards the nostrils.
Become aware of the air as it slowly enters your nostrils when you inhale.
And how it feels when you exhale.
Maybe you can feel that the air is slightly cooler when you inhale.
And has warmed up a bit when you exhale.
Notice the shape of the breath in the nose.
Maybe you recognize the form of a triangle.
The base of the triangle below each nostril.
The tip of the triangle at the point between the eyebrows.
Feel the inhale traveling up to the point between your eyebrows.
And then allow your awareness to travel down to the base of the triangle once you exhale.
And then allow your awareness to travel down to the base of the triangle once you exhale.
Gently directing your breath.
Inhaling through both nostrils.
Feeling the flow of breath.
The coolness of the inhalation.
The warmth of the exhalation.
Feel the inhale traveling up to the point between your eyebrows.
Feel the exhale traveling down your nostrils to the base of the triangle.
Inhaling through both nostrils.
Observing the flow of breath.
Observing the flow of breath.
Observing the depth of breath in each nostril.
A few more breaths.
Inhaling through both nostrils.
Up until the tip of the triangle.
The point between your eyebrows.
And then exhaling through both nostrils down to the base of the triangle.
A few times like this.
Now slowly let go of this in and exhalation with a focus on the triangle.
And let's mentally alternate the awareness between the nostrils while you breathe.
Bring your awareness to your left nostril.
Inhale through your left nostril.
Imagine you're only inhaling through that left nostril.
Up until the point between your eyebrows and then exhale through your right nostril.
Imagine your exhale traveling down the right nostril.
Again,
Inhaling right to the tip in between your eyebrows and then exhaling left.
No movement necessary.
No hand mudra necessary.
Just your imagination.
Your awareness alternating between each nostril.
Inhaling left.
Exhaling right.
Inhaling right.
Exhaling left.
Continue at your own pace.
Imagining inhaling through one nostril.
Exhaling out the other.
Whenever you lose your rhythm,
Just begin with inhaling through your left nostril.
Exhaling through the right nostril.
Inhaling through the right.
Exhaling through the left.
Exhaling through the left.
And then slowly let go of this alternate nostril breathing.
Bringing your awareness back to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Inhaling through both nostrils.
Belly rising softly.
Exhaling through both nostrils.
Belly softening slightly.
Few breaths like this.
And then slowly we come to a phase of feeling opposites in the body.
See if you can connect to a feeling of being grounded on the floor.
Feeling your arms resting on the floor,
Your legs resting on the floor.
Arms and legs soft and relaxed.
Now see if you can find a feeling of lightness.
A feeling of lightness in your body.
As if your body could float completely effortlessly.
Your arms are light.
Your legs light.
Arms,
Your legs,
Your whole body.
Everything super light.
Shifting your awareness back to the feeling of being grounded,
Connected and held by the floor.
The legs resting on the ground.
The arms resting on the ground.
Your whole body resting on the ground.
Coming back to that feeling of lightness.
That feeling of lightness.
Arms floating.
Legs light as if they were floating.
Your whole body light as if it was floating.
Now letting go of this feeling of grounding and lightness.
Reconnecting to your whole body.
Becoming aware of your whole body.
Softening and letting go with each exhale.
Feeling your whole body centered and letting go.
Slowly,
Slowly beginning our gentle return.
Once again becoming aware of your breathing.
A gentle in and a gentle exhale through your nose.
Becoming aware of the sounds around you.
The sounds outside the room you're in.
The sounds inside the room you are in.
Gently begin to move your hands and your feet,
Deepening the inhalation and maybe even inviting movement,
Stretching your arms and legs.
Stretching your arms and your head.
Deepening the inhalation,
Softening the exhalation.
You're welcome to stay a few more moments like this.
Gently placed on the floor.
Awareness throughout your whole body.
Kyogen Nidra is now complete.
Maybe you wish to stretch and yawn and reach a little bit until you can turn towards one side,
Drawing your knees up to your chest.
Granting yourself a few more breaths lying on your side.
If you wish,
You can sit up.
Or you stay lying down for a few more moments.
Thank you so much for practicing Kyogen Nidra with me.
I wish you a wonderful day or a good night's sleep,
Depending wherever you are.
And I say thank you and namaste.
