Hello and welcome.
Today I'll be guiding you through a yoga nidra practice.
So to begin,
Lay down in a comfortable position,
Letting your arms and legs come out long.
And as you arrive here,
Shuffle around a few times until you get comfortable and then settle the weight of your body into the floor or the bed that you're resting upon.
Take an inhale here.
And on your next exhale,
Allow your eyes to soften and just close down.
Over the next few minutes,
Your awareness will be guided through your body.
The invitation is to allow your attention to follow the sound of my voice,
Perhaps dipping in and out without a need to concentrate too much.
And if your mind becomes overactive with thoughts,
Just come back to the sound of my voice.
Before we begin,
There's an invitation to set an intention or sankalpa for your practice.
This could be a few words stated in the present tense that reflect your heart's true desire.
For example,
I feel calm and spacious.
Or I am enough just as I am.
Take a moment here to choose your intention.
And then repeat it to yourself three times.
Now our practice will begin.
Draw your attention to the right hand thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Right forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right rib cage.
Sideways.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Cuff and shin.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And fifth toe.
Now draw your attention to the left hand thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Left forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left rib cage.
Sideways.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Cuff and shin.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And fifth toe.
Now draw your attention to the centre of your body.
Your pelvis.
Batox.
Low back.
Low belly.
Mid back.
And mid belly.
Upper back.
Chest.
Collarbones.
Shoulder blades.
Shoulders.
Neck.
Jaw.
Chin.
Lips.
Your right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Middle of the eyebrows.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Forehead.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Feeling the whole head.
Feeling the whole torso.
Whole of the right arm.
Whole of the left arm.
Whole of the right leg.
Whole of the left leg.
Feel the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Begin to bring your mind back to your intention.
Your sankalpa.
And repeat it mentally to yourself.
Three times once more.
Feel that it is true in your body.
Come back to the feeling of your breath.
Flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Belly,
Ribs and chest filling with breath.
And you sense the subtle texture and rhythm of your breath here.
As you maintain this awareness of your breath.
Begin to notice where your body is.
And the time and space.
Your body is settled lying on the floor.
Can you feel the texture of the clothes on your body?
Can you feel the pillows or blankets that might be resting against your body?
Can you sense the heaviness of your body as it rests here?
Perhaps you can feel the cool air on your skin.
Keeping your eyes closed.
Begin to visualize the surrounding room.
Imagine where you are in that room.
And the objects that are around you.
Allow any sounds to filter in through your awareness.
Slowly building this sensory image in your mind of the present moment.
Seeing yourself within this present moment.
You're welcome to stay here in your Shavasana as the practice comes to a close.
But if your intention is to move out,
Then you might just take small movements through your fingers,
Your toes.
Really taking your time here.
There's no hurry.
Stretching out through ankles,
Wrists.
Maybe there's a big stretch overhead.
And then rolling to one side.
Staying there for a few moments on your side.
Slowly using your hands to press yourself up into a seat.
As you arrive in your seat,
Placing your palms onto your body in whichever way helps you close this practice.
Hands could be resting in the lap.
Maybe one hand comes onto your belly,
One hand onto your heart.
Or you could bring your hands together at heart center in Anjali Mudra.
Thank you for joining me in this practice.
Our practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
