Good evening.
This yoga nidra practice is designed to gently guide you into a deep and restful sleep.
For this reason I won't be closing the practice or bringing you back into the body so if you need to come out of the practice,
Perhaps setting a timer for yourself,
Otherwise I invite you to truly rest in your nidra nest.
So when you're ready,
Let's begin by lying down in your bed under the duvet,
Adjusting your pillows,
Getting as comfortable as possible,
Allowing your body to feel deeply held by the ground below.
There's nothing to achieve here,
This is a practice of deep surrender,
Of allowing the body to soften,
Mind to quieten,
And for the breath to guide you inward.
From the outside world,
Within.
We'll begin by taking three rounds of a deep sigh,
Taking two sips in through the nose and a gentle long sigh out through the mouth.
So when you're ready,
With me.
And just observe how simply a sigh feels in the body.
Let your body grow heavy,
The muscles soften and dissolve around the bones,
There's nothing to hold onto,
Allowing for a deep letting go.
Surrender into your bed,
Nothing to do,
But just this moment,
Just this breath,
Let yourself drift into stillness.
As if you were floating on water,
Effortless,
And if you notice any tension arise or holding on,
Notice where you feel it in your body.
Gently breathe into that space and sigh it away.
Let gravity take you,
Let the mind soften,
Like all the muscles in your body,
Dissolving gently into the dark quiet of night.
Bringing to mind perhaps a sankalpa,
A quiet intention from your heart.
As you close your eyes,
You may mentally whisper,
My body is ready to rest,
My mind is ready to let go.
Whisper it silently to yourself three times,
Letting it ripple through your being,
Like a stone dropped into still water,
Trusting the practice will carry it through.
As I mention a part of the body,
Simply bring your awareness there to feel,
Let your attention melt into that space,
Like warm oil seeping into the skin.
Let it soften,
Open,
Dissolve,
Bringing the awareness to the crown of the head,
Like a white light resting here.
Feel the spaciousness resting here,
Moving down to the forehead,
The eyebrows,
Soften the space between them.
The eyes,
Let the eyeballs sink into their sockets,
Let the cheeks,
The jaw,
Feel the throat.
The open space inside the throat,
And how the breath glides up and down.
Let the awareness pour down to your right shoulder,
Down the upper arm,
The elbow,
Forearm,
All the way down to the fingertips.
Feel the hand soften,
Dissolving into the ground beneath you,
Let the whole arm feel light,
As if it were floating.
Coming to the left shoulder,
The upper arm,
The elbow,
Feel a soft stream of awareness washing down the arms,
A clearing,
Releasing.
Bringing awareness to the chest,
Feel the breath here,
The gentle rise of the breath.
Coming to the belly,
Relaxed,
On that same motion of movement as you breathe,
Can you feel it,
Drawing the awareness to the pelvis.
The back of the sacrum,
Melt into the ground beneath you,
A letting go,
Bringing the awareness to the right leg,
The knee,
The ankle.
Down to the sole of the foot.
Coming to the left leg,
The thigh,
The knee,
The calf.
Feel both legs,
Heavy,
Grounded,
Feel into your whole body,
From the crown of the head,
All the way down to the soles of the feet.
Effortless,
Supported by the ground beneath.
Notice how the more you soften,
The more you are supported,
As if resting in the arms of earth herself,
Nothing to do.
What a relief,
In just this breath,
In just being.
Feel into the stillness that resides within your heart,
Quiet,
Undisturbed,
As if you were floating,
Wrapped in the comfort of the land.
If thoughts arise,
Let them pass,
Like clouds in the sky,
You don't need to follow them,
Or give them attention.
Allow them to drift in and drift out,
Knowing that you are the stillness behind the thought.
This quiet place within has never been,
Has always been here,
Steady,
Deep,
To come to you.
It's safe to let go,
It's safe to rest,
Rest in the space that holds you,
To breathe you.
There's nothing to hold,
Nothing to hold on to,
It's safe to release,
It's safe.
