Welcome to your morning Yoga Nidra practice,
A time to set the tone for your day with self-love,
Healing energy,
And the joyful awareness that this day is a gift.
My name is Brenda Carey and I will be your guide for this meditative journey.
I am so grateful you are here.
Yoga Nidra is traditionally practiced lying down,
So you are welcome to either recline or you could sit comfortably,
As today we will be gently awakening both your body and mind.
This sacred time is for you to lift the morning fog and reconnect with your inner light.
You are invited to receive,
Not to fix but to feel,
Not to effort but to allow.
Your eyes could be soft or closed.
Let the ground beneath you hold you completely.
You are grounded and safe.
Now call to mind a place that feels deeply nurturing to you.
This is your inner resource,
A refuge that is always available to you,
And this will also serve as your intention,
What the yogis call your sankalpa,
A vow to your heart's deepest desire.
Once you have this inner resource in mind,
Feel the textures,
See the colors,
Perhaps the sounds of this sacred memory.
Let yourself dwell in this felt sense of steadiness and belonging.
Allow your body to soften into this memory of being deeply held.
Know that you can return to this sacred memory,
Your heart's deepest desire,
At any time.
Begin to gently draw your awareness through your physical body,
Noticing,
Not changing,
Feeling what's there as it is.
Bring attention to the crown of your head,
Then to your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your cheeks,
The jaw,
Chin.
Move your awareness slowly down through your neck,
Shoulders,
Upper arms,
Elbows,
Down the forearms,
To the wrists,
Palm of the hand,
Top of the hands,
Then to the pinky fingers,
Forefingers,
Index fingers,
Pointer fingers,
And finally the thumbs.
Bring your awareness back to the center of your chest.
Feel the openness of your heart space,
And move your awareness from the chest down the ribcage,
Softening the belly,
The pelvis,
Your hips,
Thighs,
Knees,
Lower legs,
Ankles,
Top of both feet,
The soles of both feet,
Kinky toes,
Fourth toe,
Third toe,
Second toe,
And big toes.
Now feel the body as a whole.
Feel the body as a whole.
Feel the left side of the body,
And the right side of the whole body.
Feel the front of the body,
And the back side of the body,
Fully supported.
You are held.
You are loved.
And you are alive.
Allow your whole body to breathe you.
Notice your natural breath.
Soft and slow.
Every inhale and exhale.
No need to change it.
Being aware of the breath like a wave,
Gently rising,
And falling.
Let your breath be a thread that connects you to this present moment.
Allow your breath to be a clear and gentle path through any morning fog.
Now allow the following healing images to arise in your awareness.
Let them come and go like clouds across a blue sky.
A warm mug held gently in the palms of your hands.
The glow of morning sunlight.
Soft earth beneath your bare feet.
A gentle stream of water flowing over smooth river stones.
Flower petals resting on the surface of a still pond.
The soothing scent of lavender and sandalwood carried on a breeze.
Rain falling gently on your skin,
Washing away any fatigue.
A warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders like a soft embrace.
A flickering candle glowing steadily in a quiet room.
Feathers drifting downward through a sunlit sky.
The rhythm of your own heart beating.
A gentle hum like a lullaby sung by Mother Earth herself.
A silvery moon reflected in water.
A majestic sunrise breaking through,
Illuminating your path ahead.
Receive these images as they move through you,
Energetically healing you on every level of body,
Mind,
And soul.
Touching places in need of kindness.
No need to hold on,
Just relax and receive.
Notice in your body this felt sense of comfort and ease.
What does ease feel like in your body right now?
Now notice the opposite of ease.
Perhaps discomfort,
Or tension,
Or resistance.
Let it be here too,
Without needing to fix it.
Again,
Notice the felt sense of comfort and ease in your body.
And then notice the opposite of discomfort and ease.
In your body.
Allowing both sensations to be with you here.
Being present in your awareness.
Witnessed in wholeness.
You are held with love.
Now in this present moment,
Let all effort dissolve.
Let all effort dissolve.
Dissolve.
Rest in awareness itself.
Spacious.
Timeless.
And whole.
Let yourself be breathed.
Let yourself be loved.
And let yourself be free.
Begin to draw awareness to your body once again.
Touching the surface beneath you.
Sensing your fingers and toes.
Breathing a little bit deeper.
Bring to mind your inner resource and intention you set earlier.
This intention is alive within you.
Let it walk beside you today.
You are awake.
And you receive this day as a gift.
Gently open your eyes.
Final deep breath in.
And a livening breath out.
And so it is.
