Hello,
And welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra for Recovery.
My name is Arielle Ashford,
And I am so happy you found not only this recording,
But this moment in time.
A moment in time to just settle in and focus on your breath,
Where the rest of the world seems to almost disappear for just a moment.
In this practice of Yoga Nidra for Recovery,
You are so welcome to move at any time that you would like.
You are so welcome to pause the recording and come back at a later time.
This ancient practice of Yoga Nidra is so well suited for folks in recovery,
As it offers us an invitation to reconnect with our body and our breath.
Through this practice of Yoga Nidra,
The potential for spontaneous healing is always there.
Before we get started today,
Or this evening,
Or wherever time it is where you are,
Take a moment to perhaps put your phone on airplane mode.
If you share space,
Letting people know that you're going to tuck away for a few moments of stillness.
When you're ready,
Find a most comfortable place to either lay down or seated.
Whatever is the most comfortable and secure for you at this moment.
Wherever you happen to find yourself,
Whatever position you find yourself in,
Take a few moments to ensure you're so comfortable.
This could mean arranging any pillows or blankets.
Perhaps padding the backs of the knees if you're laying down or the ankles if you are seated.
Having the arms come down by the sides,
Perhaps on top of the thighs or maybe just away from the side body if you're laying down.
If it feels right and appropriate for you today,
Maybe shutting the eyes down.
You are so welcome to leave the eyes open if that feels right for you.
Once you've found your position of choice,
Coming right into the breath,
Perhaps you are attuned to the breath.
Perhaps this is the first time you've checked in with the breath today or this week.
And noticing the breath,
The coolness of the inhales,
The warmth of the exhales.
Maybe you'd like to bring your hands to your belly to feel the smooth inhale as the belly rises and the nourished exhale as the belly falls.
Perhaps you'd like to introduce a count to the breath.
Breathing in for three,
Breathing out for three or perhaps four.
And as you feel into the breath on this day,
Perhaps a small moment of gratitude for the breath,
For the ability to feel this magnificent automatic sensation that happens without even having to think about it.
And next we'll move into a rotation around the body.
And this rotation around the body introduces energy into these different places.
Feel free to follow along mentally,
Perhaps even mentally repeating the name of the body part.
We'll begin at the crown of the head.
Let the awareness gently find its way to the crown of the head and then to the forehead and the right eyebrow and the left eyebrow and the center of the eyebrows.
The right temple and the left temple.
The right ear and the left ear.
The right cheek and the left cheek and the tip of the nose.
The top lip and the bottom lip.
The right side of the jaw and the left side of the jaw and the chin.
And letting awareness come now to the center of the throat and out along the collarbones to the tips of the shoulders.
From the tips of the shoulders to the elbows and down to the wrists,
The tip of the thumbs,
Tip of the index fingers,
Tip of the middle fingers,
Tip of the ring fingers,
And the tip of the pinky fingers.
Back to the wrists and elbows and shoulders and collarbones and the center of the throat.
From the center of the throat to the heart center.
Down into the top of the abdomen,
The navel center,
And the lower abdomen.
The center of the pelvis and the pelvic floor.
Out to the hips.
From the hips to the knees and from the knees to the ankles and from the ankles to the tips of the big toes.
Second toes,
Third toes,
Fourth toes,
And the pinky toes.
Back to the ankles and the knees.
The hips,
The pelvic floor and the center of the pelvis.
Back to the navel and the heart center and the center of the throat.
The space between the eyebrows and the crown of the head.
And from the crown of the head,
Could you exhale down to your tippy toes as though you were washing the body with the breath.
And then could you inhale from the tippy toes up to the crown of the head.
Let the breath and the awareness travel together for a few cycles of breath.
And release this breath now.
When you're ready,
Noticing any sounds that are around you.
Remembering the time of day and what day it is.
Feeling into the body.
Seeing all the points of contact between the body and the surface beneath.
Perhaps you'd like to rub your palms together to create some friction and placing them over the eyes to feel the warmth.
And maybe fluttering the eyes open.
Thank you so much for joining me for this yoga nidra for recovery.
I hope I will see you again soon.
