Lying down on your back in Shavasana,
Either on a yoga mat,
On your bed or any other comfortable surface where you are safe to enter a deep state of rest.
Soften the whole body,
Allow yourself to sink back into the earth.
Release any expression from your face.
Let your eyes become heavy.
Feel the eyes resting back into your skull.
Relax the jaw,
The tongue and the throat and with each exhalation feel yourself sinking in a little deeper,
Letting go a little bit more.
Feel your whole body become completely relaxed.
Feel the points of contact of the body on the surface beneath you and imagine deep roots growing into the earth from those points of contact.
Invite in your intention,
Your sankalpa,
A positive change that you would like to see in your life or you might work with the sankalpa I offer you.
I remain awake and aware of my actions,
My thoughts and my words.
I remain awake and aware of my actions,
My thoughts and my words.
And now that you have made your resolution,
Repeat it slowly and clearly 3 times to yourself.
Begin to listen to sounds around you,
First beginning to notice far away sounds.
Do not try to figure out what is causing the sound,
Simply listen.
Do not label it,
Focus intently to begin to hear very far away sounds.
Now put your awareness on sounds that are very near,
Perhaps within the room or just outside of it.
Again without interpretation,
Just listening.
Now as I name each part of your body,
Allow your awareness to jump lightly and quickly from one part of the body to the other.
As you hear me name each part of your body,
Put all of your attention there and follow my voice intently.
The palm of your right hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The whole right arm,
Right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Ankle,
Shin,
Hip,
The whole right leg,
The palm of your left hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
The whole left arm,
Left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Ankle,
Shin,
Hip,
The whole left leg,
Pelvis,
Waist,
Lower belly,
Upper abdomen,
Chest,
Neck,
Throat,
Chin,
Mouth,
Lower lip,
Nose,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Forehead,
The point between the eyebrows,
The top of the head,
The whole torso and head together,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Upper back,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
The whole torso and head together,
Whole back body together,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body together.
Begin to notice the belly as it rises and falls with the breath.
Notice the circular pattern of the breath with your full awareness.
As you inhale begin to notice the subtle sensation in the nostrils as you breathe.
Notice which nostril is more dominant right now.
Let your body breathe itself.
The natural ebb and flow of the breath.
The waves of the breath.
Like the rhythm of the waves returning again and again to shore.
After your inhalation notice the space before you exhale and dive into that space after every inhalation.
Without forcing or changing the breath.
The body breathing itself.
After your exhalation notice the space before you inhale and dive into that space after each exhalation.
Without forcing or changing the breath.
The body breathing itself.
Watch all four parts of the breath with equal attention and interest.
Paying full attention to the breath.
And now allow the attention to the four parts of the breath to fall away.
The body at rest and at ease.
Imagine your body is growing heavy.
With each exhalation grow heavier.
Feel yourself sinking more and more deeply into the earth.
Imagine your body is made of stone.
Feel the density and weight as you keep growing heavier and heavier.
Imagine you are becoming more and more light and weightless.
Feel yourself becoming empty,
Full of air and light.
Experience the sensation of lifting away from the earth.
Feel yourself floating a few inches off the earth.
Imagine that you are growing very warm from the inside.
More and more internal heat.
Feel your temperature rising higher and higher.
Sweat beginning to slide off the body.
Now visualize that you are growing cool.
Beginning to feel coolness rising within.
Starting to shiver as you grow colder and colder.
Everything to be just as it is.
Without trying to understand or change anything.
Become aware of yourself lying down on the surface supporting you.
As if you were looking down on yourself from the ceiling.
Notice what you are wearing and what you are lying on.
Notice the peaceful and relaxed expression of your body and your face.
Look around in your mind's eye at the room.
Visualizing the space with your full attention.
Now consciously slip back into your physical body.
Begin to become aware of your gentle breath as the belly rises and falls.
Repeating your sankalpa three times with feeling and intention.
Become aware of the boundaries of your body.
Bring your awareness back to the physical.
Begin to move your fingers and toes.
Perhaps reaching out behind you to take a full body stretch.
Roll over to your side,
Pausing for a moment.
Then gradually sitting up.
Taking a moment to be intentional about transitioning from this part of your day and into the rest of your day.
Perhaps quietly saying to yourself,
This is the close of my yoga nidra practice and this end is the beginning of the rest of my day.
