As you settle in for this yoga nidra,
Find a comfortable position.
Gather any blankets or pillows that you may need for your body to feel warm and supported.
Take as much time as you need to settle into a good position,
Making any adjustments to your shoulders or hips or neck.
There's nowhere else to go right now,
Nothing else to do.
Take two sips of air in through your nose,
And exhale through your mouth.
Repeat that two more times.
Two sips of air in through your nose,
Exhale through your mouth.
Last two sips of air through your nose,
And exhale.
Allow your breathing to return to normal,
But begin to follow your breath,
Noticing how your body receives the breath through your nostrils.
Follow your breath along your throat and as it expands your chest,
Making space between your ribs before it expands your belly,
Allowing your natural breath.
As you inhale,
Your belly rises.
As you exhale,
Your belly falls,
Washing away any energy from the day,
Letting it dissolve.
Inhale,
Belly rises.
Exhale,
Belly falls.
As you inhale,
Your belly rises,
Washing away any energy from the day,
Letting it dissolve.
Continuous breath like ocean waves.
You may wish to invite a sankalpa or intention,
Like,
My mind is quiet and peaceful,
I welcome sleep.
And allow your intention to form in your mind as you repeat it to yourself internally three times.
Imagine lying down on a sandy beach and draw a circle around yourself in the sand.
And you might wish to decorate the circle around you with stones,
Flowers,
Or candles,
Or any symbol that gives you meaning and beauty.
I will name certain parts of your body.
And as I do,
Bring your attention to each point,
Starting with the middle of your forehead,
Moving down to your right eye,
Eyelid,
Eyebrow,
Temple,
Your left eye,
Eyelid,
Eyebrow,
Temple,
The bridge of your nose,
The tip of your nose,
Your right nostril,
Your left nostril,
Your right outer ear,
Inner ear,
Your left outer ear,
Inner ear,
The point between your two ears,
The place in your brain where dreams are formed,
The inside of your mouth,
Your tongue,
Your teeth,
Bottom lip,
Both lips together,
The space between your nose and your top lip,
Your right cheek,
Left cheek,
Your chin,
Your entire scalp,
Back of your neck,
Right collarbone,
Right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the right hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
All of your fingers,
The space between your fingers,
Your entire right hand,
Your entire right arm,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the left hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
All of your fingers,
The space between your fingers,
Your entire left hand,
Your entire left arm,
The left side of your chest,
The right side of your chest,
Your upper back,
Your ribs,
Navel,
Lower back,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
All five toes,
The space around your toes,
The entire right foot,
The entire right leg,
Your pelvis,
Your left hip,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
All five toes,
The space around your toes,
The entire left foot,
The entire left leg,
The entire left side of your body,
Bringing all your attention to the left side of your body.
Now bring all your attention to the right side of your body,
And back to the left side of your body,
The right side of your body,
And the left side of your brain,
The left side of your body,
And the right side of your brain.
Right side of your body,
Left side of your brain,
Left side of your body,
Right side of your brain,
Your entire body,
Whole body.
Imagine your body so heavy,
Sinking down into the earth,
And now your body so light,
As if floating on a cloud.
Exhale,
Heavy.
Inhale,
Light.
Exhale,
Heavy.
Inhale,
Light.
On your next inhale,
Imagine a wave washing up through your body,
Filling your body,
As if your body is an empty vessel.
As you exhale,
Feel the wave flowing back down to your feet.
Inhale,
Feel the wave washing up towards your head.
Exhale,
The wave flowing back down to your feet.
Inhale,
The wave up towards your head.
Exhale,
Back down to your feet.
With each exhale,
Your body drifts closer and closer towards sleep,
As the continuous waves wash through you,
Welcoming sleep.
As the waves wash through you,
With each breath,
Sleep is welcome.
With each wave washing through you,
Moving deeper and deeper towards sleep.
Counting down,
Starting with the number 18.
Inhale,
18.
Exhale,
18.
Inhale,
17.
Exhale,
17.
Continuing on your own,
If you lose track of the number,
Begin again at 18.
Counting down with each breath,
As the waves wash through you,
And you drift closer and closer to sleep.
