Hello,
This is Amanda and I will be guiding you through your Yoga Nidra practice today.
Yoga Nidra is a deeply relaxing practice that helps to settle the nervous system with the intention of leaving you feeling deeply rested and rejuvenated.
It is often referred to as yogic sleep or non-sleep deep rest because it takes you into a state between waking and sleeping.
This practice is perfect if you're feeling stressed,
Anxious,
Tired,
Or overwhelmed.
Let's get started.
Begin to settle in for your Yoga Nidra practice.
You can lie on your back,
On the floor,
On a couch,
Or on a bed.
You can place a pillow under your knees to support your legs,
As well as a pillow under your head to support the neck.
You can cover yourself with a blanket and place a covering over your eyes.
As you settle in,
Allow yourself to feel supported by the earth beneath you.
Allow yourself to settle into the ground beneath you,
Feeling as comfy and cozy as possible.
As you settle in,
Begin to notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
Feel your belly rise as you inhale,
And fall as you exhale.
Take a deep inhale in through your nose,
And as you're ready,
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Twice more.
Take a deep inhale in through your nose,
And exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Once more.
Deep inhale breath,
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Continue to breathe nice,
Deep inhales and exhales as you settle into your practice.
What can you do to get 5% more comfortable here?
Can you allow your head to sink into the pillow beneath you?
Can you relax your eyes,
Your jaw,
Your tongue and your mouth?
Allow your body to get heavy,
Fully surrendering into the support beneath you.
Continue to breathe nice,
Deep inhales and exhales.
We will begin by setting a sankalpa,
Or an intention for our practice today.
If you're not already working with a sankalpa,
The one that I will offer for today's practice is,
I welcome deep rest,
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
I welcome deep rest,
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
Repeat this quietly to yourself three times,
As though planting a seed within.
And now,
Rotating attention through the body,
Letting your attention move from place to place as you listen to my voice.
The only thing there is for you to do is listen,
Sense and feel.
Moving your attention to different parts of your body as you hear them named,
Following the sound of my voice,
Bring awareness to the center of your chest.
Feel the rise and fall of your inhale and exhale.
Feel the rhythm of your heart beating in your chest.
Now bring awareness to your right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
The right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole right leg,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole right side of the body.
Give some time for your attention to move back into your chest.
Feel your breath.
Notice your heartbeat.
Feel yourself deeply rooted to the earth from the center of your chest.
Now bring awareness to your left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Into the left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes,
The whole left leg,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
And the whole right side of the body simultaneously.
Can you equally divide attention between the left and right side of the body?
Now sensing the back of the body,
The right heel,
The left heel,
The right calf,
The left calf,
The right hamstring,
The left hamstring,
The right glute,
The left glute,
Sacrum,
Whole back of the pelvis,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Moving toward the top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Center of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole body,
Front and back,
Left and right,
The whole body,
Sensing the whole body.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Begin to notice your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
In and out,
Up and down.
Begin to deepen your inhales and exhales,
Feeling the expansion in your belly and up into your chest.
Now sense the heaviness in your body as though each limb is weighted,
Sinking down into the earth.
Stay with that sensation and then shift to sensing lightness as if your body could lift and float effortlessly.
Stay with that sensation.
Next,
Sense warmth in your chest,
Your belly and your hands.
Let it spread gently through your body.
Stay with that sensation.
Then sense coolness like the touch of fresh air on your skin.
Stay with that sensation.
Now sense the quality of tightness,
Muscles engaged or held.
Stay with that sensation.
And then it's opposite,
Softness,
Muscles melting,
Open and at ease.
Stay with that sensation.
Shift to sensing stillness,
The quiet presence of your body.
Stay with that sensation.
Then sense movement,
The subtle rhythm of your breath,
The pulse of life flowing through you,
The hum of being alive.
Stay with that sensation.
Come back to your breath.
Feel the inhales and exhales moving in and out of your body.
And as you breathe deeply,
Imagine you can see mountains,
Trees,
A lake,
A river,
Flowers,
Sunlight,
A meadow,
The earth.
You feel a breeze around you.
You're in a forest surrounded by mountains and trees.
The sunlight is peeking through the trees,
Bathing your face.
There is a warm gentle breeze blowing through the trees.
You feel the soft earth below your feet.
You hear the sounds of a river gurgling nearby.
You are grounded and at peace.
It is completely safe for you to rest here.
You are resting deeply,
Releasing all tension.
I'll give you a few moments to bathe in the beauty of the forest around you.
There is nothing to do here.
There is nothing to change and nothing to control.
Simply allow yourself to rest.
We will come back to our intention.
I welcome deep rest.
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
I welcome deep rest.
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Begin to notice your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
In and out.
Up and down.
Begin to deepen your inhales and exhales.
Feeling the expansion in your belly and up into your chest.
We'll continue by taking three deep breaths.
We'll take two inhales in through the nose and then an exhale and sigh through your mouth.
Let's start with two sips in through your nose.
Exhale,
Sigh through your mouth.
Twice more just like that.
Two sips of air in through your nose.
Exhale,
Sigh through the mouth.
One more just like that.
Inhale,
Two sips of air.
Exhale,
Sigh through your mouth.
Now release that and return to your regular inhale and exhale.
Feel your breath coming in and out of your body.
Begin to bring awareness to your physical body.
Feel your body on the earth.
Begin to sense the space around you.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Stretch your arms above your head if that feels good.
Bring small movements back to your body.
Slowly waking up.
Slowly,
At your own pace,
Begin to roll onto one side.
And spend a few moments here.
And then slowly,
And as you're ready,
Make your way to a seated position just as we began our practice.
And as you come out of your yoga nidra,
Begin to tune into how you feel.
I'd like to invite you to consider what has come to fruition in this time together.
In this time where you went inwards.
I would invite you to reflect and journal on your yoga nidra experience today and anything that came up for you.
Your yoga nidra practice is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me here today.
Namaste.
