Namaste.
My name is Phyllis and this Yoga Nidra practice is an invitation to step back from the busyness of the outside world and tune into your own rhythm.
Allowing yourself to enter into a deeply healing state of rest.
In this state the nervous system can reset and enter the parasympathetic state which is the true rest,
Digest and repair.
For many people this can be deeply relaxing and it's ok if you do fall into actual sleep.
Try to remain awake.
The body can begin to fully relax and the mind stays gently aware.
Begin by lying down or reclining back into a fully supported and comfortable position so your whole body can let go,
Supporting your body with blankets or pillows as needed,
Maybe an eye covering to block out the light.
Take your time to get as comfortable as you can to settle into stillness.
You might take a deep breath in through the nose and a longer exhale out through the mouth.
There is nowhere you need to be now,
Nothing to achieve.
This is a space to rest.
You might say to your nervous system,
It is safe to let go,
You are safe right now.
Allow the body to receive that message.
Become aware of any sounds you hear from the farthest away,
Your ears being receptive to sound,
Aware of any sounds closer to you,
In your environment or in the recording,
And aware of the sound of your own breath,
Perhaps your own heartbeat.
Invite the body to begin to soften,
The eyelids becoming heavy,
The eyes begin to soften back,
All the facial muscles softening,
The jaw unclenching,
The neck softening,
The shoulders and the arms and even the hands softening,
The belly and the chest softening,
The whole body on the support below,
Noticing the points of contact that the body has,
The back of the head,
Both shoulder blades,
The arms and heels.
Allow your body to sink into the support,
Sinking into stillness.
Aware of the breath moving in and out of the body,
The gentle ebb and flow of the breath.
Aware of any pauses after the inhale and pauses after the exhale.
And now you might take an inhale through the nose and then pursing your lips as though breathing out through a straw.
Allow the exhale to be longer and easy through the pursed lips.
Continue with that for the next few moments,
A gentle inhale and then a longer exhale out through pursed lips.
And now letting that go,
Notice the effects that this has on your nervous system.
And now you might bring in a sankalpa,
A seed of intention,
A stirring of something deep down that you desire.
It might even be a feeling or just a word like love,
Joy,
Rest.
Notice how you would feel if that desire was already expressed.
If you don't have one you might use I rest in my own inner stability.
Repeat mentally three times.
And now we will rotate awareness throughout the body.
Nothing to do except allow your attention to rest on that area.
Allowing your awareness to settle on the right hand,
Right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Right waist,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
And now sense the entire right side of the body.
Let your awareness gently move to the left hand,
Left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left side of the chest,
Left waist,
Hip,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And now sensing the entire left side of the body.
Let your awareness float to the back of the body,
The back of the head,
Back of the neck,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right upper back,
Mid back,
Lower back,
Tailbone,
The whole spine,
The whole back of the pelvis,
The back of the legs,
And the heels.
Sense the whole back body resting.
Now bring awareness to the front of the body,
The tops of the feet,
The front of the thighs,
Front of the pelvis,
The pubic bone,
Lower abdomen,
Upper abdomen,
Solar plexus,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Shoulder,
Front of the neck,
Chin,
Jaw,
Back of the throat,
Mouth,
Teeth and gums,
Lower lip,
Upper lip,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Inside of the right nostril,
Inside of the left nostril,
Bridge of the nose,
Right eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
Right eye,
Left eyebrow,
Temple,
Cheekbone,
Left eye,
The third eye center,
The space between the eyebrows.
Sense the whole front body resting.
And now sensing the whole body as one field of awareness.
Notice the natural flow of your breath,
The ebb and flow,
Without changing the breath,
Imagine inhaling up the front of the body,
From the tips of the toes to the crown of the head,
And exhaling down the back of the body,
From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.
Continue with this inhaling up the front,
Exhaling down the back,
Easy effortless flow of the breath,
Feel with each exhale the body relaxing more and more.
And now we will explore opposite sensations.
Imagine your whole body becoming so heavy,
And heavier.
The head is heavy,
The arms are so heavy,
And the torso and the legs,
The whole body is so heavy.
Imagine the front body sinking down into the back body.
Feel heaviness.
And now imagine the body is so light,
The head is light,
And the limbs and the torso so light.
Imagine the back body floating up into the front body,
As if you could float up off the floor.
Feel lightness.
And now go between heaviness and lightness,
Feeling each one.
And now feeling them both together,
The body heavy and light at the same time.
And now letting that go.
Let your awareness settle at the center of your forehead.
From this point,
See the images in front of you as you hear them mentioned.
Waves on the ocean.
Waves on the ocean.
Waves on the ocean.
A vibrant orange sunset.
A vibrant orange sunset.
A white lotus flower.
A white lotus flower.
A full moon rising.
A full moon rising.
A full moon rising.
A sunlit forest.
A sunlit forest.
A yellow field of blooming canola.
A yellow field of blooming canola.
A hammock hung between two palm trees.
A hammock hung between two palm trees.
Fog settling at the base of a mountain.
Fog settling at the base of a mountain.
A rose garden.
A rose garden.
A rose garden.
An owl sitting in the night forest.
An owl sitting in the night forest.
A temple on a mountain.
A temple on a mountain.
A path through a wide open meadow.
A path through a wide open meadow.
Let the images drift away now.
And be the witness of whatever arises for the next few moments.
Feel your breath moving your body gently.
As you rest here.
In this space of rest,
Can you return to your sankalpa,
Your seed of intention.
I rest in my own inner stability.
Repeat it silently three times.
Feel it as it is already true.
Start to feel the outer edges of your body.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Sense the room around you.
Notice how you feel after this practice of rest.
You might choose to stay here longer,
Letting yourself rest in stillness.
Or gently begin to wiggle the fingers.
Maybe clenching and unclenching the hands.
Wiggling the toes.
Maybe flexing and pointing the feet.
Rolling your head gently side to side.
You might take a full inhale through the nose.
And a gentle sigh out through the mouth.
And I invite you here to place one hand on your chest and the other hand on top of that.
Remembering and acknowledging yourself.
You might even choose to say to yourself,
I am doing the very best that I can.
And I thank you for being here.
Namaste.
