Hello,
Everybody,
And welcome to Yoga Nidra with Adam Armstrong.
Today's practice will be short and sweet,
Hopefully helping you to relax deeply and perhaps have a very good night's rest.
We'll begin,
As always,
By finding the most comfortable position you can,
Preferably lying on your back in a comfortable place like your bed or a couch or on your yoga mat.
Make sure you have all of the pillows,
Perhaps a blanket,
Something to put over your eyes,
Whatever makes you feel the most safe,
Comfortable,
And secure.
Feel free to put blankets over your body,
A pillow under your knees,
And a pillow under your head,
Making sure that your neck feels very long,
Your lower back is comfortable,
Your feet can fall apart,
And your thighs feel very nice and heavy.
Begin by taking a nice deep breath in through your nose and out through the nose,
And settle in for some non-sleep,
Deep relaxation.
Understand that you are in a safe environment,
A protected space,
And there is nothing you need to worry about for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
We'll begin our practice today by going on a systematic journey of awareness throughout the body.
As I name each body part,
I'd like you to bring your full attention to that one part of your body.
You don't need to do anything with that body part.
Just be aware that it's there.
We'll begin on the right side.
Bring your full attention to your right hand thumb.
Move your attention to your right index finger,
Your middle finger,
The ring finger,
And your pinky finger,
The palm of your right hand,
The back of your hand,
Your wrist,
Your forearm,
Your right elbow,
The upper arm,
Shoulder,
And the right side of your chest,
Your waist,
The top of your right hip,
Your thigh,
Your kneecap,
Your shin,
The top of your right foot,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And your fifth toe.
Moving to the left side of your body,
Bring your attention now to your left hand thumb,
Your index finger,
Your middle finger,
Your ring finger,
And your pinky finger,
The palm of your left hand,
The back of your hand,
Your wrist,
The forearm,
Your left elbow,
The upper arm,
The left side of your chest,
Your waist,
The top of your right hip,
Your thigh,
The kneecap,
Your left shin,
The top of your foot,
Your big toe,
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And your fifth toe.
Moving to the back of your body,
Bring your attention to the soles of both of your feet,
Your right and left heels,
Your calf muscles,
The backs of your knees,
Your hamstrings,
Your glutes,
The soft curve of your lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
And the backs of your shoulders,
The back of your neck,
The back of your head,
The top of your head,
Your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
And your eyes,
The tip of your nose,
Your lip,
Your chin,
The front of your throat,
Your collarbones,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your whole abdomen,
And your whole body relaxing deeply.
Your whole body relaxing deeply.
Bring your attention now back to your breath.
Allow your breath to be natural and spontaneous,
Without any conscious control.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly,
The expansion and contraction of your ribcage.
Notice how your breath feels as it comes in through the nose,
The back of your throat,
And your lungs,
And then as it exits the same way.
Observe your breath without controlling your breath,
And on your next inhale say to yourself the number 9,
And as you exhale repeat to yourself the number 9.
Say to yourself the number 8 on your next inhale,
And repeat the number 8 as you exhale.
Continue counting down this way from 9 to 1,
And if you get lost along the way,
Simply begin again at 9.
As clearly as you can in your mind's eye,
Visualize the room that you're in.
See the four walls of the room,
See the ceiling,
And see the floor.
See very clearly any objects around you,
And then notice your own position within the room.
See yourself relaxing there,
With a calm,
Serene expression on your face.
Notice the skin of your forehead,
Very smooth and soft.
Feel your eyes sink deeply into their sockets.
The skin of your cheeks can slide down the side of your face.
Your tongue can slide into the back of your mouth,
And the chin can relax down towards your throat.
Take a moment to appreciate how good it feels to relax deeply.
Appreciate the time you've taken for yourself today to restore yourself,
To recuperate,
Regenerate,
And prepare for whatever comes next.
Bring some life back into your fingers and your toes.
Enjoy the way these muscle contractions and relaxations feel.
Feel free to move your head side to side,
And if you're ready,
You can make your way slowly into a seated position.
Stay still for another moment.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
