Hello and welcome to this Yoga Nidra.
My name is Annie and in today's practice we will be giving a thank you and some gentle gratitude to our bodies.
So I invite you to find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Gently closing your eyes,
Perhaps getting some blankets or an eye mask to block out the light.
And if it feels good,
Perhaps you'd like to place a hand over your heart.
Or rest your hands together in your lap.
Will gently place them on your stomach.
Just as a small gesture of connection with your body.
If another position feels more comfortable to you then of course you are very welcome to choose that instead.
Just beginning to notice the breath as you arrive here.
Following the gentle waves of the inhale and the exhale.
And if it feels comfortable,
Perhaps just allowing the exhale to become a little softer and a little longer than the inhale.
And feeling the weight of the body being held by the surface beneath you,
Whether you're resting on a bed,
A sofa or the floor.
Simply noticing that support.
And just tracing the places where your body meets the surface beneath you.
So starting from the back of the head.
And following it all the way down to the feet.
And then gently widening your awareness to the whole of the body.
Noticing how you feel in this moment.
How the body feels and how the mind feels.
Perhaps there's still busyness in the mind.
Maybe some tiredness or tension and heaviness in the body.
Maybe it feels shut down and overwhelmed.
Or perhaps calm and at ease.
Maybe you aren't sure how you feel right now and that's completely okay.
Whatever is here today is welcome.
Just becoming aware and just allowing.
Whatever's coming up to be there.
Often when we allow sensations to be present rather than trying to force them away.
And they can begin to soften in their own time.
For many of us,
Gratitude towards the body can feel complicated.
So this practice isn't about pretending that everything is great and perfect.
It's simply an invitation to spend a few moments acknowledging all the ways that your body works to support you and protect you.
And that's often in ways that we don't always understand.
And it might not always feel like it's working with you.
But we're just going to acknowledge that it's always trying to.
We're going to sense into different parts of the body now.
Bringing awareness to different areas.
And as each part is named,
Just softly feeling into that area.
And simply noticing whatever is present or perhaps not present.
These prompts won't fit everybody so if they don't reflect your experience you are welcome to simply rest with the breath until the next invitation.
We don't have to force appreciation or gratitude.
It's completely enough to just be here right now and giving your body.
This gift and moment of rest.
So beginning now by bringing the awareness to the head and the face.
Noticing the forehead.
The temples.
The eyes.
The backs of the eyes.
The cheeks.
The jewel.
Feeling the whole of the head together.
And perhaps offering a small moment of appreciation.
To the brain and to the mind.
For everything it carries.
All the memories stored.
Or all the problems it solves.
All the lessons that it's learned.
And each moment that it helps you navigate in life.
And not because it gets everything right.
But because it's trying to help.
Moving awareness to the nose.
Feeling the breath moving in and out.
Allowing us to always experience the present moment.
This incredible life force that moves through us.
And something that can so simply ground us and make us feel alive.
Moving awareness to the throat.
Feeling into some appreciation for the voice.
A place that expresses and communicates.
And that might be allowed or it might be kept quietly inside.
But it's there for you to communicate your needs,
Your thoughts and feelings and your love.
And bringing awareness now into both of the shoulders.
Both of the arms.
And feeling into the hands.
Noticing whatever sensations are present.
And just softening them as you rest your awareness here.
And acknowledging everything these parts of the body might carry for you.
Things.
That they may reach for or hold.
The things that they create or support or express.
And all the hugs that they've given me.
Given or received.
Now moving our awareness into the chest,
Feeling into your heart space.
This is our emotional and spiritual centre.
It's a space for love and compassion and connection and community.
And so perhaps extending some appreciation for the heart.
For all the work that it does inside the body.
Beating through every season of your life.
All the joy,
All the love and all the challenges and heartbreaks.
The fact that it doesn't ever ask for recognition,
It's just there.
And now feeling into the lungs and the side of your body.
Place of breath.
Experiencing the rhythms.
Receiving on the inhale.
And releasing on the exhale.
And moving your awareness into the belly and the digestive system.
All of the organs quietly working behind the scenes.
They're processing and filtering and repairing.
Always doing countless jobs that we don't often think about.
And so perhaps offering a little gratitude for all the work happening beyond our conscious awareness.
Now bringing awareness into the hips.
The pelvis.
Down into both of the legs.
The knees.
Calm.
The feet.
And just recognising everything these parts do or carry for the body.
Every day in whatever way they do,
Supporting you and grounding you.
Helping you move through life in your own unique way.
And now expanding awareness to the whole body.
And sensing the nervous system.
This incredible system that is constantly scanning,
Learning,
Adapting and trying to keep you safe.
Even when it might feel overprotective and when it gets things wrong.
Just recognising that underneath it,
It is just trying to help and protect you.
And to keep you safe.
And I invite you to just now rest in the awareness of this whole body together.
No matter how it feels,
Just allowing whatever is there to be.
You don't have to love and be grateful for every sensation or every challenge or symptom.
But this is about just extending some appreciation to the whole body for its efforts.
Everything that it continues to do without us always being aware.
And perhaps if it feels available,
Placing a hand over your heart if it isn't there already.
Feeling into that touch over the heart centre.
Maybe lifting the corners of your mouth into a smile.
And offering a thank you.
Especially for taking this time to extend yourself some love through the practice of Yoga Nidra.
And now just bringing yourself back into the space that you're in.
Taking a few deep breaths.
And wiggling your fingers and toes.
Or having a big stretch.
And as you feel ready.
.
.
Slowly opening the eyes and connecting to the environment around you.
And seeing if you can take some of this appreciation for the body back out into the world with you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to practice with me today.
My name is Annie and you can explore more of my yoga nidras and meditations on Insight Timer.
You're always welcome to return here whenever you need a moment of softness or regulation or rest.
