Welcome.
I'm glad you're here.
Before we begin,
I invite you to take a few moments just to make yourself as comfortable as you can get.
If it feels comfortable,
You may gently allow your eyes to close.
Or you may choose to just soften the gaze.
Whatever helps you feel safe and at ease.
Today's practice is called Finding Ease Within.
Sometimes we think ease is something that we have to create.
We might think that we have to make our thoughts stop.
Or make our body completely relax before we can feel at ease.
But in my own practice,
I've discovered something a little different.
Sometimes ease is already there.
Even if it's very subtle.
It might be one part of the body that feels supported.
One easy breath.
Or just one moment where nothing needs your attention.
Sometimes ease doesn't feel available at all and that's okay too.
There's nothing that you need to force during this practice.
Nothing that you need to accomplish,
Nothing that you need to get right.
As we move through Yoga Nidra together.
I simply invite you to notice your own experience.
Just as it is right now.
You don't have to change it.
You don't have to judge it.
You don't even have to understand it.
Just notice.
If your mind wanders,
That's completely natural.
When you notice that it's wandering,
Just return to the sound of my voice.
And if you happen to drift into sleep,
That's okay too.
Just rejoin the practice whenever you become aware again.
For the next little while,
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing else that you need to do.
This time has been set aside by you,
Simply for rest.
Awareness.
And maybe for discovering that even in the middle of an ordinary day,
There may already be small moments of ease waiting to be noticed.
As your body continues to settle.
I invite you to bring to mind your sankalpa for your practice.
Your sankalpa is a simple,
Heartfelt intention.
It isn't something that you need to force.
It isn't a goal you have to achieve.
Instead,
It's a quiet reminder of what matters most to you.
If your Sankalpa calms easily today.
You may silently repeat it to yourself three times with a gentle pause in between.
Allow your attention to return once again to the feeling of your body resting here.
Supported by the surface beneath you.
Ready to continue our practice together.
Now I invite you to gently shift your awareness through different parts of the body.
There's nothing that you need to feel.
Just notice each area as it is named.
Allowing your awareness to move with ease.
And if your mind wanders,
Just return to the next place that you hear.
Bring your awareness to the right hand.
Great,
Thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Risks.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Right side of the waist.
Bye.
Me.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
The whole right side of the body.
Now the left hand.
Left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of the waist.
Bye.
Me.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
The whole left side of the body.
Bring your awareness to the back of the body.
Back of the head.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The length of the spine.
Lower back.
Right buttocks.
Left buttock.
Back of the right leg.
Back of the left leg.
Both heels.
Now the front of the body.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose.
Tip of the nose.
Upper leg.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Throughout.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Center of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
The whole front of the body.
Now become aware of the whole body together.
The whole body resting.
The whole body breathing.
The whole body supported.
Resting here.
Just as you are.
Now allow your awareness to settle on the natural rhythm of the breath.
There's nothing that you need to change.
No need to breathe more deeply or more slowly.
Just notice the breath.
Just as it is.
Now bring your awareness to the gentle movement of the breath at the navel.
Notice the abdomen softly rising as you inhale.
And settling as you exhale.
And begin counting silently.
To your soul.
Backwards from 27.
One count for every full breath.
Now pause the count.
And gently allow your awareness to move to the heart center.
Notice a gentle movement with each breath.
Or simply rest your awareness right there.
Again.
Begin counting backward from 27 at your own natural pace.
Pause the count here.
Allow your awareness to move to the throat.
Notice the breath here.
Counting backward once more from 27.
No effort,
Just awareness.
Pause the count here.
Bring your awareness to the nostrils.
Notice the natural sensation of the breath entering.
And leaving.
Cooler as you breathe in.
Slightly warmer as you breathe out.
Follow the gentle rhythm of your own breathing.
Allow your awareness to remain open and relaxed.
There's nothing you need to imagine perfectly.
Just notice what each experience is like for you.
Bring your attention to the feeling of heaviness.
You might notice the weight of your body resting against the surface beneath you.
The weight of the legs.
The arms.
The back.
Ahead.
Allow yourself to experience the quality of heaviness.
In whatever way it naturally appears.
Now gently let that feeling fade.
Without effort.
Begin to notice a sense of lightness.
Maybe the body feels a little lighter.
Maybe your awareness feels spacious.
Or maybe you simply notice the possibility of lightness.
There's no need to force the experience.
Just notice.
Now allow both sensations to soften.
Neither heavy nor light.
Just resting in whatever is present.
Now bring your awareness to the experience of warmth.
Maybe you notice warmth where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Warmth in your hands.
Your chest.
Peace.
Or anywhere else that it naturally appears.
Just noticing one.
Now gently allow that experience to fade.
Become aware of a gentle sense of coolness.
Maybe you notice cooler air on the skin.
Coolness of the breath at the nostrils.
Or another subtle sensation of coolness.
Allow yourself to notice it.
Without searching for it.
Now allow warmth and coolness to blend together.
Not holding on to one or the other.
Just resting with the changing experience of the body.
Just as it is in this moment.
Now allow your awareness to rest with the whole body once again.
There's nowhere you need to direct your attention.
Just resting.
Aware.
As you rest here.
You might notice the places where your body is being supported.
The back of the head.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Hips.
Legs.
Allow yourself to notice that in this moment,
The surface beneath you is doing the work of holding you.
You don't have to hold yourself up.
Maybe you notice that one part of the body feels a little softer than the other.
There may be a place where the muscles have release.
Even just a little.
Or maybe one area simply asks for less of your attention.
If you notice a place like that,
Allow your awareness to rest there for a few moments.
If nothing stands out today,
That's perfectly okay.
Just continue resting with the whole body.
Now notice the gentle rhythm of the breath.
Each breath arrives.
And each breath leaves.
Without effort.
You don't have to make it happen.
The breath has been caring for you all along.
Just notice its quiet rhythm.
You may also notice small movements between one breath and the next.
Not holding the breath.
Just noticing the natural pause that sometimes appears.
A moment of stillness.
A moment where nothing needs to happen.
If you notice that pause.
Simply rest there for a moment.
Before the next breath naturally begins.
Maybe this is what ease feels like.
Not something that has to be created.
Not something that has to last.
Just a quiet moment.
Already there And if ease doesn't feel present today,
That's okay.
You don't need to search for it.
Sometimes ease begins simply by allowing things to be just as they are.
Begin to notice your body once again,
Resting here.
The natural rhythm of the breath.
The surface beneath you,
The support.
Without changing anything.
Become aware of the whole body.
Resting.
Breathing.
Now gently bring your sankalpa back into your awareness.
Whatever heartfelt intention you chose for this practice.
Or whatever quiet intention that arose during our time together.
Silently repeat it to yourself three times,
Allowing the words to settle gently without effort or expectation.
Take a few slow,
Natural breaths.
Notice if anything feels different.
Maybe there's a greater sense of ease.
Or maybe not.
Whatever you notice is enough.
Just acknowledge your experience with kindness.
If you'd like,
Place one hand over your heart.
Or another place that feels comforting.
Not to change anything.
Just to acknowledge this time that you've given yourself.
Begin to notice the room around you.
Sounds that may be nearby.
The temperature of the air.
The feeling of the clothing against your skin.
Gently allowing your awareness to expand beyond the body.
If you're practicing before sleep.
Just remain as you are,
Allowing yourself to drift naturally into sleep whenever it comes.
If your day will continue.
Begin inviting small movements into the fingers and toes.
Small movements in the wrists and ankles.
And maybe stretch in any way your body invites.
And when you're ready,
Gently roll onto one side if that's safe for you.
And pause there for just a few breaths.
And when you're ready,
Gently make your way into a comfortable seated position.
Thank you for sharing this time with me.
May you carry whatever sense of ease you've discovered today with you into the rest of your day or into a restful night's sleep.
Namaste
