Chibs Okereke here and welcome to today's yoga nidra practice.
It's a simple but powerful tool to slow your heart and calm your nerves.
You can use it to help you drift off into a peaceful sleep but you can also use it to tap into a deep state of relaxation during the day.
This practice is great for naps,
For relaxation or to ease you into a deep restorative sleep.
If you've got anything to do after this you might want to set an alarm just in case you drift off a little longer than planned.
But if you're using this to get to sleep feel free to simply lay back,
Relax and enjoy the ride.
Find a comfortable position.
Laying on my back with my arms by my sides tends to work well for me.
If your eyes are still open feel free to gently close them.
We're going to start by engaging our relaxation response with some controlled breathing and then we'll move our attention into the body and we're going to scan through each part noticing sensations as we go.
If we find any tension in any of the areas you have the option to soften those areas and let go along the way.
Before we move on to the controlled breathing let's begin by gently bringing our awareness to the breath.
Noticing the inhale,
Noticing the exhale.
And if the mind wanders,
Thinking about the day,
Worrying about tomorrow,
That's okay.
Thinking is what our minds do best.
As soon as you become aware that you're lost in thought gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
Back to that next inhale and that next exhale.
And if the thought stays that's okay too.
Simply come back to the breath.
With each breath we take we get a little more relaxed.
There's nothing to do,
Nowhere to be.
Letting go of any pressure for anything to happen,
Just allowing the to settle.
Okay good.
For the next minute or two we're going to do a controlled breathing technique called 4-7-8 breathing.
This breathing pattern is like a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.
It can help prepare your body for rest,
Making it easier to relax and ease into sleep.
We're going to breathe in for a count of four,
Hold the breath for a count of seven and breathe out for a count of eight.
Now do what you can to stay with my count but make sure you don't force anything.
If it feels difficult just breathe slowly and deeply in and out through your nose.
I'll count you through the first few breaths and then I'll leave you to find your own rhythm.
Okay so we're keeping the body relaxed as we breathe in two three four hold two three four five six seven breathing out two three four five six seven eight breathing in two three four hold two three four five six seven breathing out two three four five six seven eight breathing in two three four hold two three four five six seven breathing out two three four five six seven eight.
Okay do a couple more breaths like this on your own and if this count feels too much you can always let go of the counting and just breathe slowly in and slowly out,
Keeping the breath easy and effortless,
Keeping the body relaxed as we breathe.
Okay good so now you can let that go and allow the breath to return to normal.
Notice how the body's breathing now.
Is it breathing more slowly?
Perhaps a little deeper?
Noticing the inhale,
Noticing the exhale and if the mind wanders,
Thinking about the day,
Worrying about tomorrow,
That's okay.
Thinking is what our minds do best.
As soon as you become aware that you're lost in thought,
Gently bring your awareness back to the breath.
Back to that next inhale and that next exhale.
And if the thought stays,
That's okay too.
Just come back to the breath,
Feeling the body expanding as we breathe in and softening as we breathe out.
With each breath we take,
We get a little more relaxed.
There's nothing to do,
Nowhere to be.
Letting go of any pressure for anything to happen,
Just allowing the body to settle.
Okay good.
Now we're going to move our attention into the body and we're going to scan through it as we welcome a sense of relaxation.
If we find any tension in any of the areas,
Feel free to soften those areas and let go along the way.
Now my instructions are simply suggestions.
Feel free to follow them and you're also welcome to drift off to sleep anytime you like.
We'll start at the feet and slowly move all the way up to the head.
Let's begin by bringing awareness to your left foot,
Letting it fall naturally to the side,
Letting go of tension.
Maybe you can feel where it's making contact with the mattress or with the sheets,
Allowing the toes to relax,
Allowing the sole of the foot to relax.
Noticing any sensations in the left foot.
You might be feeling tingles or pulses.
Maybe there's no sensation.
Moving our awareness over to the right foot.
Focusing in on the toes,
Allowing the sole of the foot to relax.
Noticing sensations in the right foot and allowing it to relax.
And now we're going to scan through the body.
Don't worry if you get distracted,
That's part of the relaxation process.
That's your mind letting go.
Just pick up on my instructions when you notice you've drifted off.
Moving our awareness into the left calf,
The right calf,
The left shin,
The right shin,
The left knee,
The left thigh,
The left hamstring,
The right hamstring,
The left hip,
The right hip,
The left glute,
The left shoulder blade,
The right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder,
The right shoulder,
The left bicep,
The right bicep,
The left tricep,
The right tricep,
The left elbow,
The right elbow,
The left forearm,
The right forearm,
The left thumb,
The left index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
The little finger,
The back of the left hand.
Moving over to the right thumb,
The right index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
The little finger,
The back of the right hand.
Moving our awareness into the solar plexus,
The left part of the chest,
The right part of the chest,
Collarbone,
Back of the neck,
The front of the neck.
Bringing our awareness into the jaw,
Tip of the tongue,
Teeth,
The roof of the mouth,
The nose,
The left ear,
The right ear,
The left eyelid,
The right eyelid,
Back of the head,
The top of the head.
And now let's expand our awareness,
Moving our attention through the entire length of the body,
From the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and tips of the toes.
Resting,
Letting go,
Allowing our body to find balance.
Enjoying this experience of relaxation and letting it sink deep into the body.
And now let's bring our awareness back to the breath.
Noticing that we don't have to make any effort to breathe,
The breath is simply the body breathing.
Feeling the body expanding as we breathe in and softening as we breathe out.
And notice how the body is breathing.
Is the breath a little softer?
A little deeper?
And breathing out.
Letting go of any pressure for anything to happen.
Just allowing the body to breathe.
There's nothing else to do.
There's nowhere else to be.
We're simply here,
Breathing in and breathing out.
In this moment.
And peaceful rest.
