Welcome,
This is Amanda and I'll be guiding your yoga nidra practice today.
This practice is an invitation to rest.
Deeply,
Fully,
And without needing to earn it.
Yoga Nidra,
Often called yogic sleep,
Is a guided meditation practiced in a state between waking and sleeping.
During this practice,
You don't need to do anything other than rest.
There's nowhere to get to,
Nothing to achieve,
And no special way you need to feel.
As the body relaxes and the mind begins to soften,
Yoga Nidra creates space for healing,
Awareness,
And deep restoration.
You may drift in and out of sleep at times and that's completely okay.
Simply allow yourself to listen to the sound of my voice and receive whatever this practice offers you today.
Today we'll gently explore self-compassion,
Meeting ourselves with kindness instead of criticism,
Softness instead of pressure,
And understanding instead of judgment.
This is a space where you are allowed to be exactly as you are.
So allow yourself to settle in.
Lie down on a bed,
The floor,
A yoga mat,
A couch,
Anywhere where you'll be comfortable for the practice.
And allow your body to be fully supported by the earth beneath you.
Get as comfortable as you can here,
Perhaps covering yourself with a blanket,
Placing a pillow or a cushion underneath your knees,
Behind your head.
I'll invite you to cover your eyes with an eye mask.
And close the eyes down.
Getting comfortable and beginning to arrive here in your practice.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing to improve.
Nothing to fix.
Just arriving as you are.
You bringing your awareness to your breath.
Taking a slow inhale in.
And a soft exhale out.
And then begin to imagine each inhale as a gentle receiving.
And each exhale is a soft settling in.
Inhale,
Receiving support.
Exhale,
Resting into it.
Inhale receiving support.
Exhale,
Resting into it.
Let the breath feel nurturing,
Effortless.
Kind.
And as the body begins to soften.
And the mind begins to quiet.
Bring your awareness inward.
And here I'll invite you to set a sankalpa or a heartfelt intention.
This is not a goal to strive for,
But rather a quiet truth you're inviting into your life.
Your sankalpa should be simple.
Positive.
And spoken as though it is already true.
The intention that I'll invite you to set for today's practice is,
I meet myself with kindness.
I meet myself with kindness.
Take a moment now to feel your intention fully,
Not just thinking it,
But sensing it in the body,
In the heart.
And gently repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times with sincerity and quiet awareness.
I meet myself with kindness.
Now bring awareness to the top of your head.
Forehead Right eye.
Left eye.
Both eyes.
Cheeks.
Jaw.
Lips mouth.
Tongue.
Allow your tongue to get heavy in your mouth.
Noticing without judgment what's showing up for you as you tune into the body.
Bring awareness to your neck.
Your throat.
Shoulders.
Right shoulder.
Right bicep Forearm.
Hand.
The thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
All five fingers.
The whole right hand.
The whole right arm.
The whole right arm.
Shifting awareness to your left shoulder.
Bicep.
Forearm.
Hand.
The left thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
All five fingers.
The whole left hand.
The whole left arm.
The whole left arm.
Shifting awareness to your chest.
Heart space.
Spending a moment in the heart space focusing on kindness and compassion for yourself moving in and out of your body.
The belly.
Lower abdomen.
Left hip.
Bye.
Knee,
Shin,
The whole left foot.
All five toes.
The big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes.
The whole left foot.
The whole left leg.
Whole left leg.
Now shifting awareness to your right side.
The right hip.
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin.
The whole right foot.
All five toes.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes.
The whole right foot.
The whole right leg.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
Now bring awareness to the back of the body.
The parts of you resting against the ground.
Supported completely.
Feel the back of the head.
The back of the neck.
The right shoulder.
.
.
Left shoulder.
The right shoulder blade.
The left shoulder blade.
Become aware of the entire upper back.
Softening,
Releasing.
Feel the middle back.
The lower back.
Allowing any tension to melt into the earth beneath you.
Bringing your awareness to the back of the pelvis.
The right hip.
Left hip.
Right glute.
Left glute.
The backs of the thighs.
Right hamstring,
Left hamstring.
Back of the right knee.
Back of the left knee.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Right here.
Left heel.
The soles of the feet.
The entire back of the body resting here.
Held,
Supported,
Safe.
Feel the whole back of the body.
The whole front of the body.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Just as it is.
Nothing to change.
Now bring awareness to your heart space.
Imagine placing a gentle hand over your heart,
Either physically or mentally.
Begin to acknowledge yourself quietly.
This is a moment of being human.
Things can feel hard sometimes.
And now imagine yourself.
Speaking to yourself the way you would to someone you love deeply.
With warmth,
Patience,
Understanding.
Saying I'm here for you.
You don't have to do this perfectly.
You're allowed to feel this.
Let the tone matter more than the words.
Gentle,
Caring,
Steady.
Now imagine this kindness is a soft light spreading through your body.
From the heart outward.
Feeling the chest,
The belly.
The arms.
The legs.
Feeling kindness spreading through your whole body.
Kindness spreading through your whole body.
Let yourself rest in this feeling.
However subtle.
Now bring awareness to your breath.
This quiet companion that has been with you through every moment of your life.
Notice the inhale entering the body with ease.
And then exhale,
Leaving softly.
With each breath in,
Invite kindness.
With each breath out,
Release tension and self-judgment.
Breathing in compassion.
Breathing out,
Pressure.
You Breathing in softness.
Breathing out the need to hold everything together.
Continuing for a few moments just like this.
Breathing in and breathing out.
As you continue to breathe,
Nice gentle inhales and exhales in and out of the body.
We'll once again revisit our Sancalpa.
I meet myself with kindness.
Repeat it silently three times.
Letting it be soft.
Not forced.
I meet myself with kindness.
Carrying this intention with you as you move throughout the rest of your day.
Allowing it to support you.
With whatever life throws at you.
I'll invite you to begin to deepen your breath gently.
Feeling the inhale slowly inviting energy back into the body.
And the exhale grounding you here in the present moment.
As you breathe in and out.
Become aware once again of the space around you.
Feel the surface beneath you.
The room you're resting in.
Notice the body as a whole now.
Calm,
Supported and aware.
Begin inviting small movements back into the fingers.
And toes.
Perhaps gently rolling the wrists and ankles.
If it feels good,
You can stretch the body in any way that feels natural to you.
Slowly waking back up and bringing your awareness back into the room.
Take your time.
There is no rush.
Perhaps before you fully transition out of this practice,
You return once more to your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention.
Just reminding yourself.
Of the kindness and compassion that we've cultivated here in your practice.
Knowing that kindness and self-compassion is not something you have to earn.
It's something you can return to again and again.
One gentle moment at a time.
When you feel ready,
Slowly roll on to one side.
Pausing there for a moment.
Enjoying the slow reawakening and transition back into life.
Back into the present moment.
And slowly gradually and as you're ready With softness and awareness,
Make your way to a comfortable seated position.
Take one final deep breath in.
And as you're ready,
Exhale completely side out.
Your yoga nidra practice is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today,
And I'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
