Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.
Here we allow all the parts of ourselves to completely relax.
Give yourself time to settle into a comfortable resting position.
Again,
You might lie on your back,
Or on your side,
Or seated with something to rest your head on.
Use any props that support your comfort.
Take a moment to make any final adjustments so your body can be completely at ease.
As you become still,
Let the eyes softly close.
Remind yourself that for right now,
You have nowhere else to be,
And nothing else to do.
Take a deep inhale through the nose,
And an exhale out through your mouth.
One more breath that way,
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhale.
Allow the body to begin to let go.
Now we'll move through a breathing practice to help engage the parasympathetic nervous system.
We'll inhale through the nose for 4 counts,
And then the exhale will be through pursed lips,
Like you're blowing out a candle,
For 6 or 8 counts.
Begin by taking a nice easy breath in for 4 counts,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale through pursed lips,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Keep going like this at your own pace.
If you want to extend the exhale to 8,
You can.
And now let that go.
Let your breath flow easeful and natural.
Allow any places of tension to loosen and relax.
Feel the muscles of your feet relax,
All the muscles in the legs and the hips relaxing,
The belly,
Chest,
And back relaxing fully,
The arms,
Hands,
And fingers fully relaxing,
The muscles of the neck and the face completely relaxing,
The whole body relaxing into stillness,
Surrendering to stillness,
Surrendering into calm.
Let the surface beneath you fully support your weight.
Feel the mind melting down into the heart.
As you find yourself situated in the heart space,
This sacred space of yourself,
You might ask yourself,
What is it my heart truly desires?
What is most meaningful?
This becomes your intention or sankalpa.
If you don't have one,
You might choose,
I move through life with steadiness and clarity.
Repeat your intention or sankalpa mentally to yourself three times,
Feeling it deep within you.
Now begin to bring your awareness into the body.
Starting with the right hand,
Right thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Moving your awareness to the left hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Left palm,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now bring awareness to the back of the body,
Back of the head,
Both shoulder blades,
Mid-back,
Lower back,
Both buttocks,
Backs of the thighs,
Backs of the knees,
Calves,
Heels,
Soles of the feet,
And now the front of the body,
Tops of the feet,
Shins,
Kneecaps,
Front of the thighs,
Pubic bone,
Lower abdomen,
Navel,
Upper abdomen,
Chest,
Heart space,
Chin,
Lower lip,
Upper lip,
Right cheekbone,
Left cheekbone,
Tip of the nose,
Bridge of the nose,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Forehead,
And sense the top of the head.
Become aware of the whole body,
The entire body resting here in stillness,
Supported and at ease.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing without changing it.
Focus your attention on how the breath flows up and down through both nostrils,
Separately,
Yet simultaneously.
And now mentally shift your awareness to the breath flowing up and down through the right nostril,
Just sensing the air in the right nostril.
As you breathe through the right nostril,
Feel the brightening of your awareness.
And now mentally shift your awareness to the breath flowing up and down through the left nostril,
Becoming fully aware of the air flow in the left nostril.
As you mentally alternate the breath between the nostrils,
Between this brightened awareness and relaxed awareness,
Between clarity and ease,
Keeping the breath easy,
We'll inhale through the left nostril,
And then exhale out through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril.
Exhale through left nostril.
Inhale left.
Exhale right.
Inhale right.
Exhale left.
Keep going at your own pace,
Switching sides after each inhale.
And now let that go and feel the breath in and out of both nostrils.
And begin to imagine yourself in a peaceful setting of nature.
You are sitting beside a calm,
Quiet lake.
The ground beneath you feels firm yet comfortable,
Grounding you.
You notice the surface of the lake,
Smooth,
Undisturbed,
Like glass.
Reflecting the sky and the trees.
The lake stretches out before you,
Wide and open,
Holding a quiet kind of stillness.
Take a moment to sense yourself here,
Supported by the earth.
The stillness of nature is calling you to rest.
The stillness of the water.
The stillness of the body.
The stillness of the mind.
Thoughts may arise.
Beneath them there is a deeper quiet.
A steady,
Calm presence.
Allow yourself to rest in that stillness.
Let the mind become like the lake.
Clear.
Calm.
Undisturbed.
A steady,
Calm presence that remains unchanged.
This stillness deep within you.
Let your awareness rest deep in the heart space.
Now here in this place of the heart,
Gently bring back your intention or sankalpa.
Repeating it silently to yourself.
Exactly as the beginning.
Three times.
Planting it into this calm,
Clear space within you.
I move through life with steadiness and clarity.
Shifting your awareness back to your breath.
Notice the gentle movement of the body.
Become aware of the room around you.
The surface beneath you.
Notice any sounds.
Slowly begin to invite small movements.
Wiggling your fingers.
Your toes.
When you're ready,
Gently roll onto one side.
Pausing there for a moment.
Slowly making your way up to a comfortable seated position.
You might choose to sit here quietly for a few minutes before entering back into the world.
Thank you for joining me.
