Hello,
This is Amanda,
And I'll 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 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.
Anywhere that you'll be comfortable for this period of rest and relaxation.
You can place a pillow under your knees to support the legs,
As well as a pillow under your head to support the neck.
You can cover yourself with a blanket.
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 just like that.
Deep inhale breath in through your nose.
And then exhale and sigh it out through your mouth as you're ready.
Once more,
Deep inhale breath.
Exhale,
Side out.
Now you can release any control over the breath.
Continue to breathe nice,
Deep inhales and exhales as you settle in for 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 in your mouth.
Allow your body to get heavy.
Fully surrendering into the support beneath you.
Continuing to breathe nice,
Deep breaths in and out.
As you relax deeply into the ground beneath you.
We'll continue by setting a sankalpa or an intention for your practice.
The sankalpa 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 throughout 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 your awareness to your right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest.
Back of the hand.
Palm of the hand.
The right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Waste.
Bye!
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heal.
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 heartbeats.
Feel yourself deeply rooted to the earth from the center of your chest.
Now bring awareness to your left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest.
Back of the hand.
Palm of the hand.
Into the left thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Waste.
Bye.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle Heal Sew all of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
4th toe.
5th 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 right and left side of the body?
Now sensing the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Right,
Cav?
Left calf.
Right hamstring.
Left hamstring.
Right glute.
Left glute.
Sacrum pull 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.
Bright nostril.
Left nostril.
Write.
Cheat.
Left cheek.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Ciao.
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 feeling of heaviness in your body.
As though each limb is weighted.
Sinking down into the earth.
Stay with that sensation.
And then shift to sense lightness as if your body could lift and float effortlessly.
Next,
Sense warmth in your chest.
Your belly or your hands.
Let it spread gently throughout your body.
The feeling of warmth.
Vincent's coolness Like the touch of fresh air on your skin.
Allowing the sensation to spread through the body.
Now sense the quality of tightness.
Muscles engaged or held.
Feel tightness through the body.
And then it's opposite softness.
Muscles melting,
Open and at ease.
Shift to sensing stillness.
The quiet presence of your body.
Then sense movement,
The subtle rhythm of your breath.
The pulse of life flowing through you.
The hum of being alive.
Come back to your breath.
Feel the inhales and exhales moving in and out of your body.
And as you breathe deeply.
Imagine you see mountains.
Trees.
A lake.
A river.
Flowers.
Sunlight,
A meadow.
Breathe.
Earth.
You are 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's nothing to do here.
There is nothing to change and nothing to control.
Simply allow yourself to rest.
I'll invite you to return to your intention.
The intention that we set at the beginning of our practice together.
I welcome deep rest.
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
I welcome deep breaths.
I trust my body to release tension and return to balance.
Perhaps this is something that you'll carry with you for the rest of your day.
Or leave right here in your practice.
Bring your intention 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,
Then an exhale and sigh through the mouth.
Let's start with two sips in through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through the mouth.
Again,
Two sips of air in through the nose.
Exhale,
Sigh out through the mouth.
Once more just like that,
Inhale two sips of air.
Exhale,
Sigh out through the mouth.
Now release that and return to your regular inhale and exhale.
Begin to bring awareness to your physical body.
Heal your body and the earth Begin to sense the space around you.
Begin to wiggle fingers and toes.
Stretch your arms above your head if that feels good.
And slowly and at your own pace,
Roll into one side.
Take a few moments here.
And only as you're ready,
You can begin to make your way back to a seated position.
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,
In this practice,
Where you went inwards.
I would invite you to reflect and journal on your yoga nidra experience and anything that came up for you.
Your yoga nidra practice is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me and I'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
