This is Casey.
Welcome to your Yoga Nidra inspired slow relaxation track supporting you to soften either right before meditation as part of your evening wind-down ritual or whenever you need a quick energy recharge.
To begin find a comfortable position,
Ideally in Shavasana,
Laying on your back with your legs extended,
Arms resting by your side,
Palms facing up.
Gently close down your eyes and take three deep nourishing breaths.
Inhaling fully through the nose,
Pausing for a moment,
Then exhale gently through the mouth.
Two more of these breaths at your own pace.
With every exhale feel your body growing heavier and heavier,
Sinking into the surface beneath you,
Allowing yourself permission to rest and to fully receive the medicine of rest,
Stillness and presence.
If you wish,
You can start this with a simple sankalpa,
Intention setting.
Just bringing to mind a simple positive intention for the next few moments,
Either a word or a short phrase that resonates with you.
For example,
I am calm,
I am safe or I allow ease.
Silently repeat to yourself your intention three times,
Softly and with conviction.
Letting your intention,
Your sankalpa,
Settle into your awareness and then letting it go.
For the next few moments,
As I name each body part,
Simply notice any sensation there and then inviting those parts to soften and release.
No effort needed,
Just simply being present and aware.
Slowing down on your breath now as you start to pay attention to your right hand thumb and then your index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and little finger.
Palm of your right hand,
Back of your right hand,
Right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Center of your chest and then left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Center of your chest,
The entire chest.
Relaxing,
Softening,
Melting any stress away and then sensing into both shoulders,
Your upper chest,
Mid chest,
Belly,
Lower belly,
Hips,
Pelvis,
Feel into your right thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of your foot,
Sole of your foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
The entire right foot,
The entire right leg,
Center of the lower body,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of your left foot,
Sole of your left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
The entire left foot,
The entire left leg,
Center of the lower body,
The whole of the lower body,
Whole back of your torso,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades,
Sensing into your neck,
Throat,
Jaw,
Left cheek,
Right cheek,
Both cheeks,
Slowly melting away the tension around your eyes,
Eyeballs resting into your sockets,
Brows relaxing,
Forehead,
Left temple,
Right temple,
Both temples,
Top of your head,
The entire scalp,
The entire face,
Whole of your head relaxing,
Heavy in the back of your head,
Your entire head,
Your entire upper body,
Torso,
Sensing into the left side body,
The right side body,
Then like Christmas tree lights,
Feel into the lower body lighting up and then the upper body.
Can you sense into the back body,
Entirety of the back body and then the entirety of the front body,
Allowing the weight from the front body to melt down into the back body and then the whole body relaxed,
Heavy,
Falling heavier and heavier into the earth,
Into the surface beneath you and allowing awareness to encompass your entire body now,
From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.
Imagine your entire body as one soft,
Relaxed field.
Nothing more to do.
Now that your body is relaxed,
Turn your attention inward.
Imagine a quiet,
Still lake at dawn,
The surface smooth like mirror,
Reflecting back a soft pink light of sunrise.
Can you see how the water remains undisturbed,
No ripples,
No waves and through the reflection of this image,
Imagine it's almost reflecting back to you your own inner world,
A sense of inner peace.
No ripples,
No waves,
The water is undisturbed.
Now just allowing your body to naturally rest and with every inhalation,
Your body naturally knows how to draw in calmness.
With every exhalation,
Letting go of any remaining tension,
Thoughts,
Heavy like a weight that is just falling back,
Surrendering to gravity,
Surrendering to the magnetic pull of the earth.
And if the mind wanders,
Simply return to the still lake at sunrise,
Resting in that deep,
Safe and peaceful space.
Just allowing yourself to melt and merge as one with this image of a quiet,
Still lake at dawn,
A perfect reflection of your inner world.
Nothing more to do.
And if you wish,
You can start to come back to your sankopa,
Your gentle intention for this practice of slow relaxation.
If this is the end of your practice for this moment,
Allow yourself to just drift off.
If not,
Begin to bring awareness back to your physical body.
Feel the support beneath you.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your breath in your belly and chest.
And just like how we began this practice,
As you recall your sankopa,
Silently repeating it once more before you just let it go.
Slowly invite small movements back into the body,
Moving fingers and toes,
Wrists and ankles.
When you feel ready,
Roll onto your right side in a fetal position and resting there for one more moment.
Keeping the imagery of a still,
Quiet lake at dawn right there with you.
Take your time here as you just rest in this bija pose,
This seat pose,
As a quiet,
Final integration.
Whenever you're ready,
Compress gently into the surface beneath you and lift yourself back up to a seat position to close.
And just sensing into your whole body,
Slowed,
Relaxed and perhaps ready to meet the remaining portion of your practice wherever you want to take it today in this moment.
Whenever you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
Welcome back.
