Typically,
A yoga nidra practice invites you to get into a state of relaxation but not fall asleep.
So this one is a little different in that we are inviting you to relax the mind and body so that you can prepare yourself for sleep.
So at the end of this practice,
I will not guide you out of this but encourage you to enter a state of relaxation that will guide you into sleep.
So just hopefully you found yourself into a comfortable position lying down and it can be just with your head on your pillow facing up,
With your hands,
Your palms open to receive your legs comfortably apart.
But if that isn't feeling good for you,
You can certainly lay on your side or whatever position feels good.
And so we begin by just taking some deep breaths and just notice the state of your breath right now.
Just see if your breath is shallow and so count how long your inhale is and how long your exhale is.
So if we're in a heightened state,
We might have a very shallow breath and a shorter exhale than inhale.
So in this case,
Just see if you can take a deep breath and expand your belly.
And then on the exhale,
See if you can make the exhale a little longer,
Maybe one count.
And see if you can try that again.
So deep breath in through the nose and see if you can make your belly rise as you let the diaphragm push your belly out.
And the exhale,
See if you can just squeeze all the air out so it's maybe one or two counts longer.
And just notice here.
Let's try one more deep breath in together,
Seeing if we can make that breath deep and long.
And then softly just kind of sigh it out and see if we can make that a little longer.
So just a few breaths just to invite your body to relax.
And now let's get the body to relax just piece by piece.
And it's a matter of focusing on one body part at a time.
And as I invite you to focus on that body part,
You can maybe wiggle it or maybe just see if you can feel a pulse.
And some of those will feel a little bit more available than others,
Particularly your fingers and toes.
But at all times,
Your body is sending blood and oxygen with each breath to all these body parts.
And you can try to imagine just being nourished as you concentrate on each body part.
So let's start with your left foot.
Concentrate on your left big toe,
All of your awareness on your left big toe.
And then let's move to that second toe.
All awareness on that second toe.
Then we move to the middle toe.
Can you feel the middle toe?
And then that fourth toe,
All awareness on that fourth toe.
Then we move to the little toe of your left foot.
Now let's move the awareness to the underside of your foot,
The sole of your foot.
And now the top of your foot,
Your left foot.
Move your awareness to your ankle.
Now your heel.
Now let's move to your calf.
The muscles of your calf,
Your shin,
All the tissues in your calf.
And then slide your awareness up to your knee,
Your left knee.
All the bones that form this joint,
All the cartilage and tendons of your left knee.
And then become aware of your left thigh.
The muscles in the front of the thigh.
The muscles in the back of the thigh.
The bones of your upper leg.
And then we move to your pelvic region.
All the muscles,
The tendons and organs in your lower pelvis.
Invite them to relax.
Now become aware of your right thigh.
The muscles,
The tendons,
The bones of your right thigh.
Shift your awareness to the right knee.
Then awareness moves down to your right calf.
All sensations in your right calf.
And shift your awareness down to your right heel.
The heel bone,
The tendons of the Achilles.
Shift your awareness to your right ankle.
The top of the right foot.
The sole of your right foot.
Your right little toe.
Your right fourth toe.
The middle toe of your right foot.
And the second toe of your right foot.
And the big toe of your right foot.
Now just notice everything below your waist fully relaxed.
And now shift your awareness to your left hand.
Starting with your left thumb.
Maybe noticing the pulse in your left thumb.
Your left index finger.
Your middle finger.
Your ring finger.
Pinky finger.
Notice your palm.
All awareness in your left palm.
The back of your left hand.
Your wrist.
Your forearm.
Your left elbow.
Your left upper arm.
And then move the awareness to your left shoulder.
All the muscles and bones that form your left shoulder.
Invite awareness in that area.
Now shift your awareness to the left upper chest.
Your right chest.
Your right shoulder.
Your right upper arm.
The right elbow.
The right forearm.
The right wrist.
The back of the right hand.
The right palm.
The right pinky finger.
The right ring finger.
The right middle finger.
The right index finger.
The right thumb.
Now draw attention back to your pelvic area.
And just notice,
Become aware of all of the organs there.
Move to the back of the pelvis.
Toward your spine.
Your buttocks.
Your lower back.
Move your awareness around to your abdomen.
Maybe taking a breath.
To really feel the sensations of the abdomen.
You move to the chest region again.
Notice the lungs and ribs working.
Allow the awareness to penetrate through to the back ribs.
Your upper spine.
Move your awareness to the neck.
Invite it to relax into your pillow.
Let the back of your head rest into your pillow.
Move the awareness to the crown of your head.
Through the center of your forehead.
Between the eyebrows.
Around the nose.
Let awareness go to your jaw as it softens.
Let awareness go down to your throat.
As you feel the breath go through the throat.
Then let the awareness settle into the middle of your chest.
Just notice the rise and fall of your chest.
Take a few more breaths.
Observe your body in this stillness.
Notice it is heavy onto your sleeping space.
The body is completely relaxed.
Completely safe.
Completely being held.
