Welcome to your Yoga Nidra for welcoming emotions.
Start by getting comfortable.
You might choose to practice in a seated position,
Lying down on your back,
Or even standing.
Choose a position that's comfortable for your body.
And take a moment to set yourself up and make any adjustments that you need so that you can be 5-10% more comfortable.
You might silence your phone or your device.
Ensure that you're in a place where you won't be disturbed.
And I like to keep a journal beside me to note down any insights after the practice is finished.
Once you're all set up,
Allow your senses to open widely.
Noticing what you feel,
Hear,
Smell,
Taste,
Touch,
See.
If it feels right,
You might flutter your eyes closed if they're not already.
Welcoming everything,
Just as it is.
Tuning into your breath,
Its natural flow in and out of the body.
Noticing all of the places the breath goes as you breathe in,
And all of the places the breath goes as you breathe out.
Perhaps noticing what it feels like to allow your body to be breathed.
Breath happening all by itself.
Recalling your inner resource,
This safe space of peace and well-being.
You might first remember the place in your mind where you feel safe and at peace,
Filled with well-being.
Letting your senses open widely to it,
And then dropping the visualization and staying just with the felt sense in your body.
Resting here,
Breathing into these feelings,
Anchoring it in,
And knowing that you can return to this at any time.
If at any point during the practice it feels overwhelming or too much,
Or if what you need today is just to really soak up these sensations of safety and well-being and peace,
You can always spend more time here.
If it feels right,
Noticing your breath once more.
Starting a quick body scan,
Sensing your mouth,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Sensing your face,
Lips,
Nose,
Eyes,
Forehead,
Top of the head,
Back of the head,
And the whole head.
Not visualizing,
Simply feeling your way.
Sensing the neck,
Left shoulder,
Left arm,
Hand,
Right shoulder,
Right arm,
Hand,
Upper back,
Sensing into your heart space,
Noticing how it feels,
Pure sensation,
Hips,
Left leg,
Right leg,
Sensing your whole body all at once,
Pure,
Radiant sensation,
Tuning into the breath as it flows through your body,
Your natural inhalation and exhalation.
If you chose an emotion to work with before beginning the practice,
Bring that to mind now.
And if you didn't,
Begin to sense in to what emotions are present in this moment,
Just noticing what's here.
Whatever you find beginning to meet the sensation of it,
Notice where you feel the sensation of this emotion in your body.
Notice if it's strong,
If it's soft,
If it's dense or light,
Perhaps feeling in,
Finding its center,
Noticing if you can sense the edges,
Remembering that you can return to your inner resource at any time if you need.
Not just welcoming this emotion in as much as feels right to you,
As you continue to feel into it,
If it walked into the space where you are right now,
What would it look like?
How does it feel about you?
How do you feel about it?
Can you meet it,
Just as it is?
Notice any desire to fix or change it,
Welcome that in as well.
That can be here too.
If it feels right,
You might ask this emotion if there's anything it wants to communicate to you,
Just listening,
Perhaps asking what it wants,
What it needs.
If there's an action it's been calling you to take,
Knowing that you can use your discernment here.
As you continue to listen and to be and welcome,
Notice what you sense now.
Notice what's shifted or changed,
Notice what stayed the same,
Taking as much time as you need to deeply meet your emotional experience here and welcome it in.
You can even go back and forth between this emotion and your inner resource if you would like,
Sensing one and then the other,
Each in turn.
When it feels complete,
You might let that emotion know if you're available to come back and spend more time with it in the future if it needs that.
You might notice if any other emotions arose during this practice,
Sometimes they come with their friends,
Taking a moment to acknowledge everything here.
When you're ready to start transitioning back to the space that you're in,
Begin walking back through the practice,
Noticing the emotion you welcomed in,
The body scan,
Your inner resource,
The breath,
Beginning to wiggle your fingers and toes or adjust your body as it feels right,
Perhaps blinking your eyes open and closed,
Starting to orient back to the space that you're in,
Taking all of the time that you need and noting any insights in your journal,
Knowing that you can come back to this meditation anytime.
Thank you so much for practicing today.
