This yoga nidra practice is meant to support you in slowing down.
So grab all of the props that you need,
Snuggle up in your bed,
On the floor or a couch,
And begin to tuck yourself in.
Adjust all of your pillows and blankets so that you can get 2% more cozy here.
And we'll begin with a breathing exercise called Brahmari breath,
Where you'll inhale through the nose,
And as you exhale you'll make a quiet humming sound.
So let's inhale together,
Twice more,
Heaviness to wash through your whole body.
Sense the kind hug of gravity here,
As you sink deeper down,
And you begin to dissolve,
Gripping,
Control.
Feel the pulse of your body as the rolling waves of breath move through you naturally.
Inhale as if your bed or your surface was rising to greet you and hold you.
Exhale as you sink closer and nestle into your support.
Inhale the support rises up to touch you.
Exhale soften into your support.
Inhale feel the gentle loving touch.
Exhale soften in.
Exhale soften.
Soften.
Imagine if you were resting here in a cocoon filled with a healing touch,
A familiar and loving touch fills this entire cocoon that's holding you here.
You're safe here.
And now we'll begin our body scan,
Moving our awareness from point to point,
Like creating our own internal constellation.
Start with your awareness two inches above the crown of your head,
Like a thousand petaled lotus flower at the crown of your head.
And the awareness moves down to the third eye,
Spreading across the forehead and the eyebrows.
The left eye.
Right eye.
Both eyes.
And both eyes relaxing and softening.
Left cheek.
Right cheek.
Left ear.
Right ear.
Both ears simultaneously.
And as you sense your ears listening,
Could your listening skills soften,
Like taking all the sounds that you might hear down in volume.
The tip of the nose.
The cool air moving in the nostrils and the warm air moving out.
The roof of the mouth.
The tip of the tongue.
The inner walls of the cheeks.
The floor of the mouth.
The back of the throat.
The flow of air moving in and out of the throat.
The base of the skull.
Feel the whole head and the brain soften.
Awareness to your heart.
Could you sense your heart softening and nestling in to its heart space?
Left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Wrist.
The palm.
The palm.
Back of the hand.
All five fingers of the left hand and the fingertips.
Could you sense where the edge of your fingers end and the space around the fingers begin?
Where the edge of your fingers end and the space around your fingers begin?
Left hand and left arm.
Resting.
Softening.
Awareness moving back to the heart.
Right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Wrist.
Back of the hand.
Right fingers.
The fingertips.
Could you feel where the edge of the right fingers end and the space around them begin?
The right arm heavy.
The heart.
Both arms.
Both hands.
Soft.
To the beating heart.
Deep within the chest.
Could you feel the lungs expanding,
Contracting?
The sides of the waist.
The front of the belly.
Left knee.
Top of the foot.
Feel the left foot and the left leg falling into the resting space.
The left leg and the left foot.
Soft.
Awareness to the right hip.
Top of the foot.
Sole of the foot.
All five toes.
And the right foot and the right leg falling into the resting space.
Both feet and both legs.
Soft.
The left side body and the right side body.
Sense deep inside the body.
The whole body heavy as awareness spreads evenly through all of you.
The loving embrace of softness.
Like resting on a fluffy,
Pillowy cloud.
Like the edges of the body could completely dissolve.
Dissolving into stardust.
But still aware of the rolling waves of breath.
Inhale,
The earth touches you.
Reminds you that here you are loved.
Exhale,
Soften into her embrace.
Inhale,
The earth expands,
Wrapping her arms around you.
Exhale,
Soften into her embrace.
Expanding.
Softening.
Behind your eyes imagine the white waters moving down the river across the rocks and the sand.
A giant river full of white washed water moving downstream across the rocks,
The sand.
Even hearing the sound of the river,
The moving water as it cleanses and refreshes the soul.
Can you soften by the river?
Trail through a tall redwood forest.
Trail through a tall redwood forest.
The rocks covered with fern.
The base of the trees full of moths.
And the illuminating sun rays peeking through the trees.
Standing on the edge of a mountain.
And taking in the view of rolling hills,
Treetops.
Standing on the mountain and viewing the rolling hills,
The treetops.
All the colors of the sun setting in the distance as the birds pass through the color filled sky.
And the first stars begin to peek through.
A big open meadow.
A big open meadow filled with white daisies,
Giant yellow sunflowers,
And dandelions.
With floating cotton moving by from distant cotton trees.
And tall blades of grass gently moving in the cool breeze.
And the sound of the bees humming and fertilizing the flowers.
Here you can soften as the pulse of nature is all around you and even within you.
Allow nature to guide your way home as you soften into this rest.
Into this rest.
Stay right here.
Right here.
Being held.
Expanding and softening.
Dream like images passing by.
Soft.
Resting.
Begin to count your breaths.
From the count of seven on up to one.
Inhale seven.
Exhale seven.
Inhale six.
Exhale six.
Now it's time to bring our awareness back to the boundaries of your physical body.
Awareness back into the room you're in.
Feel your skin.
Feel your breath.
And you might even deepen the breath now.
Gradually bringing your sense of awareness back.
You can rock the head or wiggle the fingers.
Maybe take a stretch.
As this practice of Nidra is complete.
Thank you for taking the time to soften into your own body.
To soften into this practice.
May you continue to feel soft and easeful in your day.
Thank you.
