Welcome here or welcome back.
I'm Carly,
And I'm so grateful you've chosen to spend these next few moments with me.
If you've been here before,
Welcome back.
And if this is your first Yoga Nidra practice with me,
You're warmly welcome here.
Today's practice is centered around something many of us quietly carry.
The feeling that we must constantly achieve.
And pray.
Keep up.
Or somehow prove our worth.
Over time,
Our nervous system can begin to believe that rest must be earned.
That we can only pause once everything is finished.
Once we've done that enough.
Been enough.
Today I'd like to offer something different.
Not another invitation to become someone new.
But a gentle reminder that your value has never depended upon how much you accomplish.
For these next few minutes,
There is nowhere to arrive.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing to perfect.
Only an opportunity to rest.
Exactly as you are.
If it feels comfortable for you,
Gently allowing your eyes to close.
Or simply softening your gaze.
Allowing your body to settle into a position that feels well supported.
Making any small adjustments now.
Knowing that comfort is part of the practice.
Taking a slow,
Full breath in through your nose.
Allowing the breath to fill your lungs,
Expand your ribs,
Perhaps even your belly.
And then releasing it.
In whatever way feels most natural.
Perhaps through the mouth with an audible sigh.
As though you were breathing out the weight or expectation.
Breathing out.
The pressure to keep getting everything right.
Breathing out.
Any feeling that you must somehow earn the rest you're giving yourself today.
Again,
A slow comfortable breath in.
And an easy breath out allowing the shoulders to become a little heavier.
The jaw a little softer.
A body a little more supported.
As this practice begins you may like to plant a quiet intention.
Not something to force,
Not something to make happen.
Simply a gentle direction for the heart.
Silently repeating.
I cultivate my value in allowing myself simply to be.
Once more.
I cultivate my value in allowing myself simply to be.
Allowing those words to settle.
Without needing to believe them completely simply allowing them to rest gently within you.
Bringing awareness now.
To the crown of your head.
The full end.
Perhaps noticing any lines of concentration or effort softening.
Not by four.
Accepted by allowing.
The space between the eyebrows.
A place that so often gathers thaw.
Planning.
Trying.
Allowing this space to widen.
Even by the smallest amount.
The temples.
Perhaps places that have quietly held today's thinking today's responsibilities.
Today's decisions.
Allowing the temples to soften.
Nothing to sow.
Nothing to remember.
Nothing to carry for these few moments the eyes.
Allowing the tiny muscles around the eyes to rest.
As though the eyes themselves were gently settling back into their sockets.
No longer needing to stay so watchful the Chi.
The bridge of the nose.
The tip of the nose.
Bleh.
The tongue.
Soft within the mouth the jaw.
Allowing the teeth to part slightly that you're becoming heavy nothing to hold.
Nothing to brace against.
The fight.
Stand.
Quiet.
The base of the throat.
Both shoulders.
Elbows.
Rest.
Thumbs your fingertips.
Signaling all of the capacity they hold there.
Palms of both hands.
With.
Elbows armpits.
Collarbones.
To the heart space simply noticing not asking it to feel peaceful or grateful or open simply recognizing that it is here quietly working for you.
Every moment of every day.
Without needing recognition Awareness moving now to the upper belly.
The diaphragm.
Perhaps noticing the gentle movement of the breath.
The stomach.
The God.
A place that often senses long before words arrive.
Long before the thinking mind understands.
There is nothing you need to work out here.
Nothing to analyze.
Perhaps simply listening.
Not for answer.
Just listening.
Allowing awareness to move gently through the pelvis and down into both legs.
Both thighs knees.
Shins.
Ankles.
Big toes.
The tips of all your toes together.
Noticing the quiet work they do often without asking for your attention.
The whole body resting together.
Nothing separate.
One complete experience of simply being here.
Connecting with your breath now the natural rhythm of your breathing.
That rise and fall at your chest.
The movement of air through your lungs and belly.
Perhaps noticing that your body has never asked you to become someone else only to become more fully present.
Sometimes the thinking mind compares measures.
Questions whether we've done enough.
Achieved enough.
Become Ana.
The body or something much simpler.
Can I suffer?
Can I breathe?
Can I rest?
For these few moments there is nothing to prove Nothing to perfect.
Nothing to earn.
Only this breath.
Only this moment.
Exactly as it is.
And perhaps once again quietly repeating your attention.
I cultivate my values in allowing myself simply to be.
I cultivate my value in allowing myself simply to be.
Allowing those words to settle like a seed planted in welcoming ground.
Without needing to force growth Trusting that in its own time.
It already knows how to unfold.
Bringing your awareness back into the space you're resting in now Begin sensing the temperature in the room.
And the air that surrounds you.
Taking a full breath into your lungs,
Your belly and releasing it.
Letting it go.
One or two more times if that feels needed.
Allow your body to begin to shift now.
Responding with whatever gentle stretching or movement it needs.
And when you're ready gently opening your eyes Thank you for practicing with me today.
It is a great honor and I truly hope this practice has helped you reconnect.
With a deeper sense of self-trust.
Even if only by a fraction.
Each time you return,
You're offering your nervous system another gentle opportunity to rest,
Reconnect and strengthen that sense of self-trust.
You'll always be warmly welcome here.
We're the greatest warmth.
Calling.
