Namaste.
This is Allie and in this short guided yoga nidra we'll begin with a progressive relaxation technique.
If for any reason it doesn't feel safe or comfortable for you to hold the breath or you shouldn't hold the breath for any medical reasons then please continue to breathe normally throughout this exercise.
Finding a comfortable position laying on the earth.
Like you're settling in for yoga nidra practice.
Make sure that you have everything that you need and then taking a deep breath in all the way to the top of your inhalation and then holding there momentarily.
Holding the breath in,
Holding the breath in and then releasing the breath slowly.
We'll do that one more time.
Inhaling deeply,
Filling the lungs all the way up,
Holding the breath in,
Holding the breath in and then slowly releasing.
Letting the body start to relax with the exhalation.
Breathing normally.
And now bringing attention down into the feet and the legs.
This time as you take a deep breath in curl up your feet and toes squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze through the feet.
Begin to squeeze the leg muscles,
The glutes,
Everything creating lots of tension and then as you exhale release and relax the legs and the feet.
Continue to breathe normally.
Notice what you notice and then we'll do that again.
Taking a deep breath in squeezing the leg muscles,
The thighs,
The glutes,
The calves,
Rounding through the feet,
Squeezing through the toes and exhaling to release.
Relaxing down into the earth.
Feel your body melting here.
Breathing normally and then attention into your arms and hands.
Take your deep breath in and squeeze the hands into fist,
Squeezing,
Squeezing,
Squeezing,
Holding the breath,
Squeezing through the arms,
The upper back,
The shoulder,
Bringing lots of tension into the body and then exhaling to relax the hands,
The arms,
The whole torso melting.
Breathing normally.
And then we'll do that one again.
Taking a deep,
Deep breath in squeezing the hands,
Squeezing the arms,
Lifting the arms off of the earth,
Lots of tension,
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze and then exhaling to release.
Melting into the earth.
Breathing normally.
And attention now into the muscles of the face and the jaw.
Begin to squeeze all of the facial muscles,
Squinting the eyes,
Squinting and squeezing through the eyes,
Squinting through the nose.
You might pucker up the lips,
Squeezing everything in towards the center of the face and exhaling to release the face.
Relax all of the facial muscles as you breathe normally.
And then let's bring the whole body in,
Whole body together,
Taking a deep breath in,
Squeezing the fist,
The feet,
The legs,
The arms,
The face,
Everything all tight and lots of tension and then release and relax.
Exhale.
Releasing into the ground.
Breathing normally.
Notice if there's any little adjustments you could take here to get your body completely comfortable now.
Settling into the ground.
And begin to shift from doing,
Analyzing,
Thinking,
Into feeling,
Listening.
There's nothing left for you to do here.
Dropping down into the body as sensation.
Notice your breath as a natural rhythm.
This subtle movement of breath,
Inhalation,
Exhalation.
On the exhale,
Breathing out any residual tension or holding that might be lingering in the tissues.
Unwelcoming an intention for your practice today.
You might welcome the intention,
I am giving my body and mind the gift of relaxation or I am resting deeply now.
Whatever your intention today,
Mentally repeat it three times now with feeling.
And now,
Following my guidance as we move attention to different parts of the body.
As I guide you,
Remaining in this space of complete rest.
Staying alert and aware.
Now bringing all of your attention to the center of the brow.
The point between your eyebrows.
Bring your attention now to the pit of the throat.
The right shoulder.
The elbow.
Right wrist.
Tip of the right thumb.
Tip of the first finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Back to the wrist.
Elbow.
Shoulder.
Pit of the throat.
Left shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
Tip of the thumb.
Tip of the first finger.
The second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
The wrist.
Elbow.
Shoulder.
Pit of the throat.
The sternum.
Right side of the chest.
Back to the sternum.
Left side of the chest.
Back to the sternum.
The navel.
The pubic bone.
Right hip joint.
Right knee.
Ankle.
The tip of the big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Back to the right ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
Pubic bone.
Left hip joint.
Left knee.
Ankle.
Tip of the big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Back to the ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
Pubic bone.
Navel.
Sternum.
Pit of the throat.
Center of the brows.
All of your awareness and attention condensing now at the center of the brows.
Resting here in the space of vastness.
Feeling the undercurrent of the breath without changing the rhythm of the breath in any way.
Just sensing the natural expansion and the release.
Quiet breath.
Like gentle waves upon a shore.
Feeling the already happening rhythm of the breath.
That soothing rhythm in and out.
Your constant companion.
And as you feel the breath,
Could you welcome the whole right hemisphere of the body?
As if you could draw an imaginary line down the center of your physical body.
The left side falling away into nothingness.
The whole right hemisphere igniting with sensation,
Energy,
And aliveness.
Feeling the breath through the whole right hemisphere of the body.
Each inhalation more and more sensation,
Aliveness,
Radiance,
Awakening in the right hemisphere of the body.
And then giving time for attention to saturate the entire left hemisphere of the body.
As if the entire right side could drop away into nothingness.
And the whole left hemisphere with each inhale becoming flooded with sensation,
Radiance,
Shimmering sensations of energy,
And aliveness.
Awakening in the left hemisphere,
The whole left hemisphere of the body.
Feeling the breath pulsing in and out through the whole left hemisphere.
And now could you equally divide attention between both hemispheres of the body?
Awakening sensations of aliveness,
Warmth,
Tingling,
Radiance.
Awakening in both hemispheres of the body simultaneously.
Equally sensing the whole right hemisphere and the whole left hemisphere.
Giving time to allow this symmetry of sensation to occur in the body.
The whole body.
The whole body simultaneously.
Trillions of cells alive and radiant.
Bringing awareness back to the center of the brow.
Spacious,
Wakeful awareness.
Noticing any thoughts or emotions that might be present here and welcoming them as clouds moving through a vast blue open sky.
As your awareness rests in the center of the eyebrows,
Allowing everything to be just as it is.
Resting back into the presence that's already here.
Vast as an open sky.
Thoughts like clouds moving through a vast silence.
As you rest back into the medicine of presence itself,
Could you welcome your attention?
Either feeling it wholeheartedly with your whole body or once again repeating it mentally three times.
Know that your intention has been heard and received.
And there's nothing else that you need to do.
Sensing the rhythm of your breath here.
The gentle flow in and out.
Begin to sense the room around you and any sounds that are present.
Ears listening and receptive.
Sensing the earth beneath your body and feeling the support.
Begin to sense your physical body and bring awareness all the way down into your toes.
Feeling the toes and then when you're ready making small little movements with the toes.
Doing the same thing,
Bringing your awareness,
Your attention right into the hands and the fingers.
Sensing and then very small one by one making little movements of the fingers.
Feel the weight of your head,
Your skull here on the earth and then nodding the head from side to side.
And then when the time feels right you might take a full body stretch or hug the knees to your chest.
You might rock the knees from side to side or roll into a side laying position,
Knees curled into the chest.
And taking three deep breaths here to reawaken.
Inhaling through the nose.
Exhaling through the mouth.
And again deep breath in.
Exhaling,
Feel the support beneath your body here.
One more time.
I'm slowly fluttering the eyes open when you're ready.
I'm taking as much time as you need to transition back to your waking life.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I'd love to hear from you.
Let me know how you feel,
Where you're from.
And I'll see you in another yoga nidra practice here on the app.
