Come into a comfortable position,
Lying down comfortably on your back,
Listen to the body and choose the position that best suits you right now.
Support yourself with any props.
You may like to place a small pillow underneath your head,
Pillow under the back of the knees.
Cover yourself with a soft blanket or cover your eyes with an eye pillow or scarf to block out any light.
Create a nest where you feel nurtured,
Cozy,
Warm,
Held,
Supported.
Honor this time to practice and receive the restful benefits of yoga nidra.
During this practice,
You can move or adjust your body at any time.
Allow yourself to settle into stillness,
Remaining motionless unless you need to adjust.
Take a moment to make any last adjustments now to find the position that feels right for you.
Free to settle into the comfort you've created for yourself.
Free to do nothing.
Relax those parts even deeper into the earth beneath.
Feel and sense how solid it is.
Allow it to hold you as you completely surrender to gravity.
Body settling in.
Attention is moving inward.
Take a few deep breaths.
Inhale,
Feeling present in this moment.
Exhale,
Letting go of anything you may still be holding on to.
Feel the rise and fall of your chest and belly.
Allow your sense of hearing to extend out,
Receiving sounds.
Simply receiving.
Notice and bring awareness to the furthest sounds outside of your space.
Awareness to near sounds.
Perhaps even the sound of your own breath as you inhale and as you exhale.
Invite your body to be still as it lies quietly as you rest.
Focus your attention inward to nurture all parts of yourself.
Invite in deep rest and relaxation.
During this practice,
We withdraw the senses except for hearing.
Bring your full attention to listening and being present.
It is okay if you feel your physical body falling asleep and your mind letting go.
Simply let go now.
You might imagine that you are lying on a peaceful shore of a calm still freshwater lake.
Deep shade of blue from the sky reflected in the water.
Notice and hear the calm lake waves as they ripple towards you,
Lapping smoothly onto the shoreline.
Visualize deep blue waves rolling in.
Deep blue waves rolling out.
Ripples of complete calm.
Take a long breath in through your nose.
As you exhale,
Open your mouth and release,
Making the calming sound of ah.
Deeply inhale.
Visualize waves rolling in.
Exhale,
Waves rolling out.
Inhale,
Deep blue waves rolling in.
Exhale,
Waves rolling out.
Deeply inhale.
Visualize waves rolling in.
Exhale,
Waves rolling out.
Inhale,
Deep blue waves rolling in.
Exhale,
Waves rolling out.
Easy and gentle as the ebb and flow of the waves on the blue freshwater lake.
Feel sensations from your breath and notice how your body naturally rises and falls.
Breathing in,
Calm.
Breathing out,
Ease.
Place no requirements and no effort on yourself.
Allow the body to rest in the spaciousness of this sacred moment.
If any thoughts come into the mind during your practice,
Just allow.
Acknowledge.
Let them pass.
Bring awareness back to the rise and fall of your breath to ground you into the present moment.
Bring your awareness to your heart center.
Awareness at the center of the chest.
Feel the rhythm of your heart as it beats.
Gratitude for this sacred moment.
Allow this awareness to bring forth your sankalpa or intention for this practice.
Positive word or phrase spoken in the present as if it is already happening.
If you're working with a primary sankalpa,
Bring that forth now.
Or perhaps you may inquire and repeat silently three times to yourself.
I am serene and calm.
Now we will journey through the body,
Infusing it with calm and ease using awareness.
When a part is named,
Bring your attention to that place in the body and feel a sense of calm filling that place.
Like the calm of deep blue waves gently lapping on the shoreline of a serene freshwater lake.
As each part is named,
Go there in the mind without delay or hesitation and invite in that same sense of complete calm to ripple through from point A to point B.
Beginning on the right side of the body,
Feel sensations of calm rippling through the right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Pinky,
Wave of calm washing over the palm of the right hand,
Back of the hand,
Middle of the wrist,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Wave of gentle calm washing over the heart space.
Traveling down the right side of the waist,
Right hip,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot.
Wave of calm washing over the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe.
Sensation of calm washing over the entire right side of the body,
Whole right side of the body.
Take your time to float your awareness,
Sensations of calm over to the left side of the body.
Feel sensation of calm energy in the left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger.
Sensation of calm rippling through the palm of the left hand,
Back of the hand,
Lower arm,
Shoulder.
Left side of the chest,
Sensations of calm washing over the heart space.
Rippling down the left side of the waist,
Left hip,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot.
Calm energy in the left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe.
Sensation of calm waves lapping up against the entire left side of the body,
Whole left side of the body.
Feel the whole right side,
Left side of the body simultaneously.
Feel the right foot,
Left foot,
Left leg,
Left hip.
Upper back,
Left arm,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Forehead,
Right eye.
Left eye,
Mind's eye center,
Right temple,
Left ear,
Right nostril,
Left nostril.
Upper lip,
Tip of the tongue,
Base of the tongue,
Right side of the jaw,
Left side of the jaw.
Center of the throat,
Altar of the heart space,
Base of the spine,
Left side.
Become aware of your breath,
Notice how it flows in and out of the body,
Naturally ebbing and flowing.
Notice and sense the breath moving like a gentle wave.
Inhale first to the belly,
Then into the ribcage,
Last into the chest.
Exhale in reverse,
First from the chest,
Then the ribcage,
Last the belly.
Inhale,
Belly,
Ribcage,
Chest,
Breath flowing in.
Exhale,
Chest,
Ribcage,
Ribcage,
Chest,
Breath flowing in.
Exhale,
Chest,
Ribcage,
Ribcage,
Chest,
Breath flowing in.
Exhale,
Chest,
Ribcage,
Belly,
Breath ebbing.
Feel the ebb and flow of the breath as you breathe from bottom to top and top to bottom.
Breathe like this for some moments more,
Inhaling belly,
Ribcage,
Chest,
Exhaling chest,
Ribcage,
Belly.
Place your attention in the blank space behind the closed eyes,
This place of intuition.
Begin to visualize gentle waves rolling in onto the shoreline of the heart space.
Begin to visualize a narrow set of wooden stairs that lead down to a calm freshwater lake.
Make a deep shade of blue,
Gentle blue waves rippling towards the shoreline.
Begin to walk towards the tranquil lake,
Bare feet,
Sensing and feeling the rough weathered steps of the stairs.
Each step,
Notice the tension melting away from your body.
At the end of the stairway,
Step down and sink into the warmth of the gentle rocks below your feet.
Soothing sensation melts your body and eases all areas of tension.
Begin to walk slowly towards the edge of the water and feel the warmth of the radiant sun on your face,
Top of your nose,
Shoulders,
And arms.
Take a deep breath in,
Noticing the fresh,
Earthy scent.
Your body is breathing slowly and your mind is at peace.
As you reach the water's edge,
You invite the little surges of waves rippling from the lake to wash over your toes,
Embracing a cool sensation as your eyes gaze out to the horizon.
You notice birds in flight overhead,
Their sounds growing softer as they fly out over the water,
Away from the water's edge.
After a few moments,
Continue to walk down the shoreline and notice a colorful wooden chair resting in a peaceful place where grainy sand and pebbles meet.
As you approach the chair,
Sit down,
Settle in,
And take a long,
Deep breath.
Feeling supported by the backrest,
Breathe out,
Relaxing and resting in the comfort and safety of this space.
Sense of calm in the mind,
Deep calm in the heart space,
Mind connected and at peace.
Move your attention from the space behind the closed eyes to an even deeper place within of stillness and calm.
Settling deep within the vast space of your heart,
Completely still,
Completely at peace,
Free to rest.
Visualize the golden sun glowing over the serene freshwater lake.
Warm glow draws your sankalpa to rise to your grateful heart.
Repeat your sankalpa or intention,
I am serene and calm.
I am serene.
I am serene.
Trust yourself,
Your sankalpa,
And know that it is already yours.
Bring your awareness back to being aware.
Healing frequencies of this practice.
Notice the sensation of your body resting on the floor.
Awareness of the space around you.
Begin to listen for sounds within your space.
Notice the temperature of air on your skin.
Begin to draw awareness back to the physical body.
Notice a deep sense of relaxation in all parts of your being.
Slowly invite in some gentle movements.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Invite in any movement into your body that feels good.
Roll onto your favorite side in a loose ball.
Rest for a few moments more.
When you are ready,
You can gently and comfortably make your way back into a seat.
Gently open the eyes.
Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Take a long,
Audible exhale through the mouth.
Thank you for joining me in this restful practice.
To honor yourself in this beautiful opportunity for deep rest.
