Begin by finding a comfortable position lying down.
Take a moment and make any adjustments to your posture,
Making sure that you're as comfortable as you can be.
You might place a soft support below your head and gently cover yourself with a blanket.
Once you're perfectly comfortable,
Then gently close your eyes.
Take a slow and easy breath in through your nose and then gently exhale through your mouth,
Releasing all the air from the lungs.
Let's do that again.
Taking in breath through the nose,
And then gently releasing fully through the mouth.
One last time.
Inhale through the nose,
And then fully releasing from the mouth.
And then fully releasing from the mouth.
Sensing it to the support that you have from the ground beneath you and becoming aware of the actual sensations of contact and points of contact between your body and the earth below.
Sensing into your body,
Feeling your feet,
Legs,
Hips,
Lower and upper body,
Arms,
Shoulders,
Neck,
And head.
Gently bringing awareness to the breath,
Becoming aware of the physical sensations of the breath moving in and out of the nose.
Allowing the breath to be just as it is,
Flowing easily and naturally with its own rhythm and pace.
Knowing that you're breathing perfectly well right now.
Knowing that at this moment,
There's nothing else for you to do,
Nowhere else you need to be.
Allowing the body to be in this stillness,
Experiencing a sense of being complete and whole in this very moment.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out those distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out those distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out those distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Finally,
Bring your attention to closer sounds,
To sounds inside the building,
To sounds inside the body.
Breathing in,
To the sound of the body breathing.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the walls of the room,
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the floor,
Fully supported,
Feeling fully supported and at ease with the body and the breath.
At this moment,
We will make a sankalpa or resolve.
Sankalpa is a short positive statement in simple language.
For example,
You might state,
I am strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
Repeating this three times to yourself.
I'm strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
I'm strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
We'll now begin the rotation of consciousness.
Allow your attention to follow the guidance of my voice,
Briefly resting at each point in the body.
Seeing,
Sensing,
And becoming aware of the point between the eyebrows.
Becoming aware of the point between the eyebrows.
Throat center.
Right shoulder.
Inside of right elbow.
Inside of right wrist.
Inside of right wrist.
Right thumb tip.
Right first fingertip.
Right middle fingertip.
Right ring fingertip.
Right pinky tip.
Inside right wrist.
Inside right elbow.
Right shoulder.
Throat center.
Left shoulder.
Inside left elbow.
Inside left wrist.
Left thumb tip.
Left first fingertip.
Left middle fingertip.
Left ring fingertip.
Left pinky tip.
Inside left wrist.
Inside left elbow.
Left shoulder.
Left shoulder.
Throat center.
Heart center.
Middle of right breast.
Heart center.
Middle of left breast.
Heart center.
Heart center.
Navel center.
Pelvic center.
Right hip.
Inside right knee.
Right ankle.
Right big toe.
Right second toe.
Right third toe.
Right fourth toe.
Right fifth toe.
Right ankle.
Inside right knee.
Right hip.
Pelvic center.
Left hip.
Inside left knee.
Left ankle.
Left big toe.
Left second toe.
Left third toe.
Left fourth toe.
Left fifth toe.
Left ankle.
Left knee.
Left hip.
Pelvic center.
Navel center.
Heart center.
Throat center.
The point between the eyebrows.
Becoming aware of the point between the eyebrows.
Allowing the body to be in this stillness.
Experiencing a sense of being complete and whole in this very moment.
Bringing your attention now to your breath.
Visualizing a bright light coming up through the earth with each inhale connecting to the base of the spine.
With each inhale,
The light travels up through the base of the spine and pauses,
Swirling in the upper abdomen in the space between the navel and the bottom of the ribcage.
Light swirls here for a moment,
Then on the exhale continues to travel up the spine and out through the crown of the head.
Continuing to breathe in this way,
Breathing in light up through the base of the spine and out through the crown of the head.
Exhaling light up the spine,
Out the crown of the head.
Notice that as the light pulls in the solar plexus,
It begins to radiate out the crown of the head.
Notice that as the light pulls in the solar plexus,
It begins to radiate with a vibrant yellow color.
Focusing and radiating a vibrant yellow light,
Pulsing and radiating with each inhale and each exhale.
As you continue to breathe,
This light grows brighter and expands outward throughout your body,
Filling each cell in your body with vibrant radiating yellow light.
37 trillion cells filled with vibrant radiant yellow light.
Seeing the light circulating through the entire body,
Radiating outwards from the solar plexus all the way through the fingertips,
Through the toes,
Through the crown of the head.
You notice your spine feels a little longer.
Your shoulders are soft and open.
Your mouth is turned slightly upwards in a soft,
Almost playful smile.
You feel vibrant,
Radiant,
Confident,
Clear.
37 trillion cells in your body filled with vibrant radiant light.
You feel vibrant,
Radiant,
Confident,
Clear.
Seeing the expansiveness of the growing confidence within you and knowing that it is here for you,
Always within you,
And that you can access this feeling at any time.
It lives within each cell of your body.
It lives within each moment of your breath.
You repeat your sankalpa three times now.
I am strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
I am strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
I am strong and confident in my choices.
I move through my day with confidence,
Clarity,
And ease.
Now bringing awareness to your whole body.
Your whole body together,
Breathing in a breath of gratitude here as you sense into your whole body.
Sensing your body lying totally relaxed on the floor as you bring awareness to the sounds around you.
Bringing them around you as you become aware of your surroundings.
Bringing with you this energy,
The energy that you raised and rested within the solar plexus.
Bringing with you the realization that this energy of power and confidence and clarity is ever ready to come to you when you need.
Beginning to invite movement of the fingers and toes.
Circling the ankles and wrists.
Gently moving the head side to side.
Reaching the arms overhead and stretching long,
Feeling length in the spine.
When you are sure that you're fully awake,
Gently open your eyes and roll over to your right side and stay here for a few more moments.
And when you feel ready,
Gently using your hands to press you up from the floor and returning to a seated position.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
