Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.
My name is Agatha,
And I'll be guiding you through this practice of rest and restoration.
To begin,
Make sure that you have everything you need to settle the body.
Pillows under the knees,
Perhaps blanket over the body or something to cover the eyes.
Resting in an undisturbed space.
Once you have everything that you need,
Moving slowly to lay the body down.
And here in this space,
Begin by noticing the breath.
As you inhale through the nose,
And exhale sighing out the mouth.
Inhale through the nose.
Full exhale out the mouth.
Take four more breaths like that.
And then begin to notice the body laying on the supports underneath you.
The way the earth can hold the body in this reciprocal manner.
Notice all the points of the body that are touching the earth below you.
The backs of the heels all the way to the back of the head.
Allow yourself to scan the body from the toes to the head.
One minute here.
You may notice the way the body meets the earth and the way the earth meets the body.
And in this moment,
There's a moment to release any tension you might be holding.
Softening the jaw,
And gripping the fingertips,
Letting the brow soften,
The shoulders relaxed,
The hips ground down,
And the toes relaxed.
From here,
You can imagine a lotus flower sitting at the center of the chest,
The energetic heart.
This lotus flower,
A symbol of self-devotion,
Of love,
And kindness.
Also a symbol of perseverance,
Growing through the mud and blooming into a magnificent flower.
Once you picture your lotus flower at the center of your chest,
You might notice the petals,
The colors,
The aroma.
We're going to take that lotus flower and place it in different points of the body.
So whenever I mention a point in the body,
You can place your lotus flower there.
Beginning at the tips of the toes,
Placing your lotus flower,
The ankle joint,
The middle of the calf,
The root of the knee,
Center of the knee,
The middle of the thigh,
The base of the spine,
The lower abdomen,
The upper abdomen,
Center of the chest,
Center of the throat,
The root of the tongue,
The root of the nose,
Center of the eyes,
Middle of the brow,
Center of the forehead,
Top of the head.
We'll move down the body,
Placing the same lotus flower in the points I mentioned.
The top of the head,
The center of the forehead,
Middle of the brows,
Center of the eyes,
The root of the nose,
The root of the tongue,
Center of the throat,
The upper abdomen,
The lower abdomen,
The base of the spine,
The middle of the thighs,
Center of the knees,
Root of the knee,
Middle of the calves,
The ankle joint,
The toes,
Then bringing that lotus to rest at the heart.
Resting here for a few minutes.
And in this place of self-devotion,
Notice what your inner wisdom wants you to know.
Taking a fuller breath into the body,
Remembering the space that you are laying in,
And remembering the lotus at the heart.
And you might like to take some gentle movement with the fingers and the toes,
Knowing you can continue to rest here if the body is calling for it.
Or if you'd like to close your practice,
You might come to find your journal and write down any of that inner wisdom that came through.
The practice is now complete.
