As you're setting up for your yoga nidra practice,
Make yourself as comfortable as possible.
If you're taking this lying down,
Making sure you have a soft surface or blanket and cushions underneath the body,
Support underneath the head,
Keeping your neck in line with your spine.
And if you have a tight lower back,
Know that you can place a pillow,
Rolled up blanket or towel beneath the knees or take your knees bent soles of your feet to the floor.
Since your body temperature will drop in the practice,
Make sure that you are in warm,
Cozy clothing or place a blanket over the body.
And when you feel ready,
Make any last adjustments of the clothing,
Blankets,
Props to be just 5% more comfortable.
And close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Bring awareness into your breath and into your body.
And bring to mind an inner resource.
This can be a place,
A person or an object that makes you feel grounded,
Supported or maybe even makes you feel safe.
And imagine this inner resource,
All of the details.
Allow yourself to feel it in your body.
And know at any time during the practice that you can return to your inner resource and stay with it for as long as you'd like,
Returning to the support,
To the safety.
Now bring your awareness to the furthest sounds you can hear.
It might be out on the streets,
In town,
On the trails or mountains,
Just noticing and moving awareness from sound to sound.
Now move awareness to the sounds inside of the room without labeling or focusing on anyone's sound.
Just rotating attention from sound to sound.
And awareness moves to the sounds around your body and the sounds inside of your body.
Knowing all of these sounds will exist and allowing any external or internal disturbances to take you deeper into the practice.
Now bring awareness to the sound of your breath and the feeling of your breath in your body,
Noticing the natural rise and fall with every inhale and every exhale.
And begin to lengthen your exhale without strain,
Breathing in through the nose and slowly breathing out through the nose.
Finding a little more length as you breathe out,
Allowing your exhales to be longer than your inhale.
And feel the natural softening,
The natural release that occurs as you breathe out.
This effortless letting go with every exhale.
Now allow this relaxation of your exhales to also fill your body on your inhales.
Becoming just as relaxed as you breathe in,
As you feel when you breathe out.
Every breath releases expectations,
Anticipations.
With every breath,
You let go of your roles,
Responsibilities.
Stories dissipate.
Just soften.
Now release the control of your breath and just know that you are breathing.
Let go of all effort from here on.
Relax and just be.
There is nothing for you to do.
Now bring awareness to your eyebrow center,
Your third eye,
And allow this intention to soak in.
I release resistance and live in harmony with all that arises.
As we move through a body scan,
Just bring your awareness to the body part.
No need to move it or do anything.
Just become aware.
Bring your awareness to both feet.
Any sensations in both feet.
Calves,
Shins,
Knees.
Awareness of your upper legs,
Hips,
Buttocks.
Exhale and move to your lower back,
Abdomen,
Ribs,
The length of your spine,
Chest,
Shoulder blades.
Move awareness to both arms.
Both hands and palms.
Awareness of your throat and neck.
Your entire face and your whole head.
Now bring into your awareness the sensation of heaviness,
Heavy like lead blocks.
Now imagine this feeling of heaviness in both feet.
Sinking.
Calves and shins and knees.
Dense,
Heavy.
Upper legs,
Hips,
Buttocks,
Like stones sinking through water.
Lower back,
Abdomen,
Ribs and spine,
All heavy.
Shoulders blades and chest,
Lead blocks,
Cement.
Both arms,
Hands and palms,
Sinking into quicksand,
The feeling of heaviness.
Neck,
Throat,
Face and your whole head,
Heavy,
Dense,
Sinking.
Your whole body feels heavy,
Full of weight.
Now let the sensation of heaviness begin to drain out of your body one part at a time.
Imagine sand pouring out of your feet and the sensation of feeling light fills them.
Heaviness in both feet.
Calves,
Shins,
Knees,
Floating,
Buoyant.
Heaviness continues to pour out,
Feeling light and airy.
Upper legs,
Buttocks,
Hips,
Fluffy like a cloud.
Lower back,
Spine,
Abdomen,
Ribs,
Floating like a feather,
Lightness.
Upper blades and chest,
Completely empty,
Light.
Both arms,
Hands and palms,
And the sensation of lightness,
Airy.
Neck,
Face and head,
Spacious,
Empty,
Open.
Now imagine your whole body feeling light and airy.
Nothing weighing it down,
Feeling the freedom of this openness,
Spaciousness.
Your whole body feeling light,
Floating.
Now bring awareness back to your third eye,
The center of your forehead.
And just notice what arises.
Any images,
Patterns,
Thoughts,
Colors.
Just noticing what comes up.
Doing nothing to change.
No stopping or labeling.
Just watching.
Now imagine you're watching it as if it's on a movie screen.
And behind this movie screen,
You see dark,
Endless space.
You see the backdrop of all of these images,
Forms,
Thoughts.
And as these forms come and go and change,
The dark,
Spacious backdrop remains unchanged.
And you notice this backdrop,
This empty space beginning to fill in between the images,
Colors,
Forms and thoughts.
The backdrop becomes louder,
More prominent.
And even as things come and go,
As stories,
Thoughts,
Emotions arise and fall,
This backdrop,
This space continues to exist behind it.
This peace,
This ease always exists beneath the mind.
And allowing your intention to set into your soul,
Into your depths.
I release resistance and live in harmony with all that arises.
I release resistance and live in harmony with all that arises.
I release resistance and live in harmony with all that arises.
Finding this in every cell of your body.
Let the feeling of the spacious backdrop fill your entire body.
Settle into your mind,
Knowing you can always come back here.
Now bring awareness back to your breath and begin to deepen your breathing.
And bring awareness to the sounds inside of your body,
Around your body and in this room.
Keeping your awareness inward as you find some movement through your fingers and toes.
Take your time.
And exploring bigger movement through the arms and legs,
Stretching as if you're waking up from a deep sleep.
Breathing as long as you need,
Knees in towards the chest and gently rolling to whichever side is most comfortable for you.
And take a moment here.
Feel the stillness.
Notice how it feels to just be.
Rest with the backdrop.
And allowing your intention to soak in one last time.
I release resistance and live in harmony with all that arises.
And supporting yourself up to a comfortable seated position,
Eyes closed.
Palms to heart center.
Chin gently draws towards your chest.
And taking a moment of gratitude for yourself,
Forgiving yourself this time.
Then palms can rub together to build some heat.
And placing palms over the eyes to awaken the senses,
Connecting with the external world.
Slowly fluttering your eyes open,
Allowing light to seep through the fingers and gently drawing palms away from the eyes.
May your body be strong.
Your mind open.
And your heart always,
Always full.
Namaste.
