I'm Kumari Skye,
In case we haven't ever met before,
And Yoga Nidra is an effortless guided meditation practice.
There's nothing you need to do except get yourself comfortable and allow my voice to guide you.
So if you haven't already,
You can close down your eyes.
You might even cover your eyes,
Especially if it's your lunch break or if there's kind of some junk light in your space.
Let's just begin by becoming really present in the space you're in.
So first and foremost,
Feeling your body.
As it rests here.
Feel all the different places that you're feeling support.
If you have coverings on your body,
Notice the feeling of your blanket or your sweatshirt.
And starting to widen your awareness just into the space around you.
Seeing the space you're in in your mind's eye.
All the walls,
If there's windows,
The floor,
The ceiling.
And then a sense of yourself in this space,
Maybe even seeing yourself in the mind's eye.
Are there any sounds?
Can you hear sounds that are quite far away from your space?
Maybe sounds inside the space.
Letting go into this quality of stillness simply through the awareness.
Feel your body heavy.
Maybe yoga nidra is an effortless deep rest practice.
There's absolutely nothing you need to accomplish with this practice.
It is for the sole purpose of having you dwell in this space of parasympathetic nervous system dominance.
Okay,
So rest and digest,
Nervous system regulated.
And it's in this space that the body's innate capacity for healing and regeneration and union with your true nature can occur.
Just by quieting the mind and slowing the brainwaves down,
We'll move through a systematic set of techniques.
And that is the journey of yoga nidra.
We do these techniques and then we get to just rest in this pure space of relaxation.
Just starting to touch your thumb pad to your index finger pad.
Just moving the finger and the thumb together and to the middle finger and the ring finger and the pinky finger,
Opening and closing your hands a few times,
And then go ahead and take a deep breath.
And then bring a little tension,
Like make fists with your hands and then squeeze your muscles all the way up to your shoulders.
Squeeze and take a breath in and lift your arms and then exhale,
Relax your arms.
Open your hands wide.
Might like to move around the arms just a little bit more.
Now,
Tense your hips and buttocks,
Tense.
Take a big breath in and now relax.
Feel your hips melting into the surface.
And then let your awareness move all the way down to your feet,
Reach through your heels,
Feel your legs start to tense.
Might even lift them up off the surface.
Take a big breath in and now let everything go.
Soften the leg muscles,
Make some circles with your ankles,
Point and flex your toes and feet.
And now let's start to focus on the breath.
And the breath is such a powerful ally that can really guide us into this deep,
Deep relaxation state.
So we'll start out just by feeling the breath at the nostrils.
Now start to consciously expand your inhale.
I'm expanding it so much.
You're really feeling your breath fill your chest.
And this next time you inhale,
Hold your breath for a few counts.
And then let it go.
And then let it go.
And then let it go.
Noticing how the body has already responded,
Open and receptive to this guidance into deep relaxation and renewal.
And in this quiet space we've cultivated,
This is where we can welcome our sankalpa.
Many of you are working with a sankalpa from practice to practice,
But it is okay if you make one just for tonight or you can use my suggestion.
So the sankalpa is like an intention.
So an example would be,
I trust in the divine unfolding of my life.
So we're speaking it as if we already do that.
And it's something we'd like to experience,
We'd like to live in our everyday life.
You can also use,
I allow myself to rest deeply.
Just a nice,
Simple intention.
It's also possible to simply use a word like peace or love.
When you feel ready,
Go ahead and repeat your sankalpa three times in your mind.
And this sankalpa is like planting a seed in the subconscious.
How we speak and how we intend is so powerful.
We'll come back to the sankalpa later in the practice.
Now we'll move around the body.
This is a sort of body scan where you're going to place your attention in each area.
And just notice if you feel anything there.
Again,
It's effortless.
We're starting in the inside of the mouth.
Come to sense the surface of the tongue.
Surface of the tongue.
The right side of the tongue.
Left side of the tongue.
The space beneath the tongue.
And now the roof of the mouth.
The gums and the teeth.
And can you sense the whole mouth as tingly?
Now move to become aware of the lips.
The nostrils.
The whole right cheek.
The whole left cheek.
The right eye.
The left eye.
Now sense both eyes together held beneath the eyelids.
Now a sense of the right ear listening and the left ear listening.
Both ears.
And the back of the head.
The top of the head.
The center of the forehead.
The third eye.
Sense inside the skull,
The brain.
Sensing the brain inside the skull.
And then coming down to the heart center,
The center of the chest.
The right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right shoulder.
Left shoulder.
The right elbow.
Right elbow.
Left elbow.
Right wrist.
Left wrist.
And now the palm of the right hand and all five fingers.
The palm and all five fingers.
And now the left hand,
The palm.
All five fingers.
Can you sense both hands together?
All five,
10 fingers.
All the fingers and the palms.
Both hands.
Both wrists.
Both elbows.
Both shoulders.
Both arms and hands as one.
Become aware of the right side of the chest.
The left side of the chest.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The whole upper back.
And the lower back.
Sense the whole chest.
The whole abdomen.
The chest and abdomen.
Right hip.
Left hip.
Right glute.
Left glutes.
Sensing the whole pelvis.
The right hip joint.
Left hip joint.
Right knee.
Left knee.
Right ankle.
Left ankle.
The sole of the right foot.
And all five toes.
The sole of the foot and all the toes.
And now left sole of foot.
All the toes.
Sensing both feet together and all the toes.
Both feet together,
All the toes.
Both ankles.
Both knees.
And both hips.
Sense the navel.
Awareness fills the whole lower half of the body.
And the whole upper half of the body.
Now a sense of the whole body as one.
The whole body as one.
Radiant with life force energy.
Sense the body as a shimmering vessel.
Of light.
Shimmering vessel of light.
Feeling the breath.
And sensing that.
Deeper knowing that the breath is energy.
Imagine the breath as energy moving in your body.
And even feel the breath flowing.
And the breath flowing beyond the physical.
Aware of the energy of the breath.
The energy of the breath.
The energy of the breath.
And we'll do a psychic nadi shodhana.
Psychic alternate nostril breathing.
So you'll imagine breathing your breath in through the left nostril.
And then out through the right.
In through the right.
And out through the left.
In through the left.
Out through the right.
Just imagining.
In through the right.
Out through the left.
Keep going.
Breathing as if you are separating the breaths.
Focusing on the energy that is your breath.
Keep breathing in this pattern.
And now can you feel both nostrils?
Sensing both nostrils.
Feeling the energy in your body.
Alive with subtle sensations.
Fundamentally aware of the breath.
Tunnel all of the attention of the mind into the right leg and foot.
The right leg and foot.
And sensing the right leg and foot as heavy.
Feel the right leg and foot weighted down.
Heavier than the left.
Right leg and foot.
Heavy.
And now bring attention to feel the left arm and hand.
The left arm and hand.
Searching,
Sensing for the energy of the left arm and hand.
Sensing the weight as if that arm were filled with sand.
And now bringing together these opposites.
Left hand and arm and right leg and foot together as one.
Left hand and arm and right leg and foot,
Both feel heavy.
Letting that go.
Sense of the body simply resting.
Take time to feel awareness into the left leg and foot.
And left leg and foot now.
A little heavier in the left leg and foot.
And the right arm and hand.
Right arm and hand.
Heavy,
Filled with sand.
Right arm and hand.
And welcoming back the awareness of the left leg and foot.
So the left leg and foot and right arm and hand together now.
Feeling a sense of weight and energy.
Feeling both arms and hands and both legs and feet.
Feet.
Sensing a vibrancy in the arms,
Hands,
Legs,
Feet.
Attention can now rest at the heart center.
Imagine a glowy,
Shimmery,
White light at the heart center.
Seeing or feeling,
Visualizing this white light at the heart center.
And in the mind,
Imagine you have a paintbrush and you're going to paint this white light all around the body,
From head to toe.
And however this happens for you is perfect.
Surrounding the whole body,
Painting with this white light,
Cocooning the body in this white light healing energy.
And see the whole body filled with white light.
Seeing with the inner eye,
The light of all that you are.
May you sense this vessel,
Deeply,
Deeply relaxed.
Aligned with your innate,
True wisdom and clarity.
This divine vessel of light floating.
Floating amongst the stars,
The galaxies,
You are held by the entire universe.
Allowing connection with your true nature,
Receiving guidance.
Sense,
Feel,
Or imagine your higher self,
Your true nature.
Welcoming this connection.
What do you see with the mind's eye?
Do you hear with your divine ears?
Resting here as a vessel of light,
Held in the arms of the whole universe.
Resting back as pure,
Positive energy.
Open and receptive to all that you need and want to know.
Simply resting here,
Resting,
Deep peace.
Completely surrendering,
Basking in medicine of deep rest.
And it's here in this space,
You can call back your sankalpa,
Your intention.
Planting it three more times in the receptive soil of your subconscious mind.
Resting here.
Resting and drifting.
Feeling the fullness of all that you are.
Now we'll begin our journey back to waking consciousness.
You can start to deepen your breath.
Gently encourage your lungs to fill a little bit more.
Taking two sips of breath.
And a long,
Slow exhale.
Again.
And again.
And return to the feeling of the body.
Feel the weight of your legs and your feet.
Your arms and your hands.
Feel the weight of the head.
Begin to invite little movements into the physical body.
Opening and closing the hands.
Gently moving around the toes.
Returning to waking consciousness.
If that's what your next segment is.
Otherwise,
Drifting off into a sleep.
Taking all the time that you'd like.
There's no rush.
Perhaps it feels good to simply savor this feeling of the body,
The mind in such a state of peace and stillness.
Resting in the knowing of the profound benefit this practice offers,
Which you have now received.
This time after the practice is such a potent opportunity to reflect or write.
Do something you love.
If you are in alignment with your true nature,
Everything that you want arises from here.
Let's draw in a deep breath together.
Until next time,
Thanks again for being here and wishing you all the best.
Namaste.
Namaste.
