Hello,
And welcome to today's meditation.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position.
If you are close to a couch,
A bed,
Or a mat,
Feel free to lay down and get cozy with the blanket.
Or if you'd prefer to be seated,
Take a few moments to settle in and find grounding in the present moment.
Today we're going to embark on a yoga nidra journey,
A type of meditation from the yogic tradition that allows our mind and body to settle into a deep state of rest.
Yoga nidra is a reset for the nervous system that helps you in a few short minutes feel recharged and refreshed.
So let's begin.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes and let's start for a moment by tightening the whole body,
Squeezing the feet,
The legs,
Making fists,
Tightening your face,
Your stomach.
Squeeze everything so tightly for a moment,
Taking a deep inhale,
And with your exhale,
Letting it all go.
Allow your body to begin to melt into whatever is supporting you.
Now,
With each breath,
Release a little more,
And a little more,
Until your whole body feels at ease,
Just dissolving into listening and into a state of calm.
In this relaxed state,
Set a one-word intention for this session today,
And repeat it in your mind three times,
With awareness and emphasis,
Letting each breath be an exclamation point on this intention.
If you can't think of an intention,
You can share mine.
With each breath,
I allow my body to restore,
Rejuvenate,
And settle into a state of peace.
Go ahead and set and repeat your intention now.
We'll now begin to bring awareness to each body part.
Let all of your attention gravitate to the tip of the tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
The teeth and the gums,
Inside the right cheek,
The left cheek,
The bottom lip,
The upper lip,
The flow of air at the tip of the nostrils,
The tip of the nose,
The bridge of the nose,
The space between the brows,
Sensing both eyes together,
Softening and releasing,
The whole forehead,
The temples,
And the whole scalp,
Alive with sensation,
The whole right hemisphere of the brain,
The whole left hemisphere of the brain,
Both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously,
The whole spinal cord,
The center of the throat,
The pit of the throat,
The center of the chest,
The breastbone,
The navel center,
The base of the spine,
The sacrum,
The low back,
Mid back,
The space between the shoulder blades,
Both shoulders,
Elbows,
Wrists,
Palms of the hands,
Thumbs,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky,
All ten fingers together,
The space between the fingers,
Both arms,
The heart center,
The breastbone,
The navel center,
The base of the spine,
Both hip joints,
Both knees,
Ankles,
Heels,
Soles of the feet,
Big toes,
All ten toes together,
The space in between the toes,
Both legs together,
Both legs and both arms,
The whole torso,
Front and back,
Neck,
Face,
And whole head,
The whole body,
Effortless and deeply resting.
Feel your belly rise on the inhale and fall on the exhale.
With each and every breath,
The belly expands and contracts,
The cooling air on the tip of the nose at inhalation,
The warm flow on the exhalation,
The breath felt through the whole body,
The sensations through the whole body,
Expanding and softening,
Deeply resting your whole body.
Now we're going to count down our breaths to deepen this practice from 10 to 1.
On the inhale,
10.
Exhale,
10.
Inhale,
9.
Exhale,
9.
Continuing all the way to 1.
Reminding yourself in this deep state of rest of the intention you set at the beginning of this meditation.
Envisioning the intention cresting over gentle waves as you allow yourself to float in this relaxation for a few moments,
This deep and tranquil state of calm.
As we prepare to close,
Begin to feel the edges of your body,
Feel the air gently around you,
Waking up the fingers and the toes.
And whenever you're ready,
There's no rush,
You can gently open your eyes and return to your day.
Namaste.
