So welcome to this Yoga Nidra for Presence.
Begin to be aware of the place where you're sitting or you're lying.
Noticing all the places of support beneath you or behind you.
And having a sense that right now you have come to settle in your own personal nest.
Move your awareness into the flow of your breathing.
And perhaps just noticing how you're breathing today.
And what is your breath communicating to your nervous system right now?
Is your breath jagged and short or smooth and long?
And then begin to direct your attention into your belly.
And if you find it helpful,
You could rest your hands over your belly so that as you next breathe in,
You might move your breath into your belly and expand your breath all the way into your hands.
And as you breathe out,
It's just as though you could breathe away the day that you've had.
Breathing away all of the conversations that you've made today so far.
Breathing away all of your activities and your doings,
Your comings and your goings.
And perhaps taking three rounds of breath just like that.
And as you arrive more fully into yourself,
It's just as though you have parachuted down and landed into your body.
And if you find it helpful,
You could imagine that there is a circle around you.
A circle of support and comfort.
And inside this circle,
There is only this moment.
And everything that you need to do and everything that you didn't do is all outside the circle.
And anytime you find your thoughts going into the future or into the past,
Just bring yourself back to this awareness of the circle around you that's holding you and supporting you in this moment of presence for yourself.
And this circle can be made of anything that you like.
It could be your favourite trees or your favourite plants,
Perhaps your favourite people or animals.
Just having this felt sense that you are held and supported by the things that will bring you the most amount of comfort and the most amount of support.
And with that awareness,
See how it might feel to turn up the corners of the mouth as if offering yourself a smile for this moment.
A smile for the gift of stopping and pausing and being with yourself.
And see how it might feel to spread that sense of a smile all the way across the chest.
So as you next breathe in,
It's just as though the smile is spreading throughout the chest,
As if the heart is smiling.
Perhaps taking a few rounds of breath just like that,
Just noticing the rise and the fall of the breath and how the smile expands across the chest with every breath that you take.
And from this heartwarming place,
I invite you to take a rotation around the body to really take in each part of yourself with kind eyes and to welcome in yourself as if you are greeting an old friend.
To welcome in all that can be felt,
All sensations,
All emotions and feelings.
To welcome yourself exactly as you are.
Placing awareness into the palms of your hands,
Right hand and left hand and noticing all sensations in the hands.
Welcoming in any tingling,
Vibration or pulsing.
Feeling the aliveness of you and placing your awareness on your arms as if you could feel the arms from the inside out and welcoming in all that can be felt in the arms.
Spending each moment with kind eyes to welcome in all sensations in the arms.
There could be tension,
There could be temperature,
Coolness or warmth.
And whatever is there,
Just offering those sensations a warm welcome.
And spreading this awareness throughout the chest and the belly and the ribcage.
To welcome in all that can be felt in the belly,
All that can be felt in the ribs and the chest.
There may be digestion,
Tummy gurgling.
Welcoming in sensations of the breath moving the ribcage gently in and out.
Sensations of the breath moving the chest.
Perhaps being aware of your heartbeat.
Welcoming in the whole of the belly,
The whole of the ribs and the chest and all that can be felt.
And spreading this awareness throughout your legs and your feet.
To feel the legs as if you could feel them from the inside out and welcoming in all sensations in the legs and the feet.
Tingling,
The vibration,
The pulsing,
The aliveness of you.
Welcoming in the whole of the back,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
The back of the neck,
The back of the head.
All sensations in the crown of the head,
The whole of the scalp.
Welcoming in the shoulders.
Welcoming in your whole self exactly as you are.
Placing awareness on your forehead.
Perhaps raising your eyebrows up towards your hairline as if you're surprised by something.
Then lowering them down and smoothing them out.
Welcoming in the forehead,
The right eye and the left eye,
The right cheek and the left cheek,
The mouth,
The chin,
The jaw.
Welcoming in the whole body.
So welcome.
Feeling the aliveness of you.
And as you rest in this welcome space,
Perhaps offering yourself some gratitude for all that you do and all that you are.
Feeling at home in yourself,
Alive in this day.
And begin to deepen the breath once more.
Breathing in through the nose and taking a sigh out of the mouth.
Welcoming all that's coming next for the rest of your day.
And just know that you can return to this practice any time that you like.
And all that you need is your breath to take you there.
