Join Alison for a Yoga Nidra inspired full body scan, breathing practice and relaxation. It is recommended that you enjoy this practice lying down, but you can always rest in any way that works for you.
Meet your Teacher
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Transcript
Take some time to prepare for your relaxation practice. Observe your surroundings. Make any adjustments that you would like to. Be sure that you will be warm enough. It's best if you can to practice lying down. You can lay on a yoga mat. You can be on your bed. But make sure that you can let your shoulders relax back and that your heart can be open. You might like to cushion your head. Perhaps a nice big pillow underneath your knees. Take some time to adjust your clothing and your jewelry. And of course be sure that your phone is switched off. Make your last adjustments now. And then trust the posture that you have chosen. Settle in. Close your eyes. Begin to notice now the sounds around you. Listen for any sounds that come from your right hand side. Any sounds that come from below your feet. Any sounds that come from your left hand side. Any sounds that come from above your head. Feel the temperature of the room. The sensation of your body sinking down into the floor beneath you. Feel your clothing against your skin. Feel the air against the parts of you that are exposed. Welcome the sensation of relief. As your body begins to enter the rest and digest phase. By choosing to take this time for yourself. To welcome the sensations of relaxation. To welcome this time where you consciously take care of yourself. Feel that your breath is a manifestation of the rhythm of life. Feel the inhalation swelling your body. And the exhalation softening you down. See if you can just watch the rhythm of your breath without changing it. Just know that you are inhaling and exhaling. Notice that as you watch your breath it naturally lengthens and deepens. You don't have to do anything other than remember that you breathe. In order to welcome your body's natural predisposition to wellness. Now start to meet this natural lengthening and deepening of your breath. With a little of your own effort. And feel now that your breath draws way deep down into your belly. Allow your belly now to soften and open. And welcome the breath. As you've made the choice to be here. Know that you are setting yourself on the path of positive decision making. Allow yourself now to welcome an intention. For the rest of your day, Maybe for the rest of your week. An energy that you would like to take out of this practice today and into your everyday life. Just be quiet for a moment and allow this intention to arise. Now we're going to go on a journey through the body. I'm going to ask you to take your attention to different parts of your body. You don't need to move these places. All you need to do is bring your awareness there. If you find yourself being distracted by thoughts, Drifting off into sleep. Then don't be concerned by this. Just notice any time that you've moved away from the practice. And gently let yourself come back. We're going to start now at the right hand thumb. Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky finger. The back of the right hand and the palm of the right hand. The right wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Sides of the ribs, Waist, Belly, The low back, The hip, The buttock. Front of the thigh, Back of the thigh, Right knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Top of the foot, Sole of the foot, Little toe, Fourth toe, Third toe, Second toe, And your right big toe. Take your awareness now to your left hand thumb. Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky finger. The back of the left hand and the palm of the left hand. The wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Top of the shoulder, Left armpit, Ribs, Waist, Low belly, Low back, Hip, Buttock. Front of the thigh, Back of the thigh, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Top of the foot, Sole of the foot, Left little toe, Fourth toe, Third toe, Second toe, And your left big toe. Bring your awareness now to the front of your throat and the back of your neck. The point of your chin and where your lips meet together. Feel the right side hinge of your jaw, Your right earlobe, Curl of the ear, Cheekbone, Right nostril, Right side bridge of the nose, Your right eye socket, Eye lids, And eyeball. Your right temple, Right side of the forehead, And the eyebrow center. Feel the back of the head, The crown of the head, And the eyebrow center, The left side of the forehead, Left temple, Left eyeball, Eye lids, Eye socket, Left side bridge of the nose, Left nostril, Cheekbone, Curl of the ear, And earlobe. Feel the left side hinge of the jaw and the tip of the chin, Feel the tip of the nose, The eyebrow center, The crown of the head, The back of the head, The back of the neck, Between the shoulder blades, The middle of the spine, The curve of the low back, The sacrum, And the tailbone. Feel the pelvic floor, The space just below the navel, The solar plexus, The heart center, The throat center, And the eyebrow center. Feel the crown of the head, Feel the head, The face, The shoulders, The lengths of the arms, Down the front of the chest, Down the length of the back, The belly, The hips, The buttocks, And the legs, And the feet. Feel the whole lower half of the body, Feel the whole upper half of the body, Feel the right side of the body, And the left side of the body. Feel your whole body, Feel your whole body, Feel your whole body. Now remember the intention that you said at the beginning of this practice. Remember your breath, Notice the rhythm of your breath. And now feel that your whole body grows cool, Cool like ice. Now feel your whole body growing warm, Warm like ice. Feel your whole body growing cool, Cool like ice. And your whole body growing warm, Warm like ice. Feel your whole body growing cool, Cool like ice. And your whole body growing warm, Warm like ice. Now feel your whole body growing light, Light as a feather. Your whole body growing heavy, Heavy as stone. Your whole body growing light, Light as a feather. And your whole body growing heavy, Heavy as stone. Feel your whole body growing light, Light as a feather. Your whole body growing heavy, Heavy as stone. Feel your whole body small, Small as an atom. Feel your whole body big, Big as a universe. Feel your whole body small, Small as an atom. Feel your whole body big, Big as a universe. Feel your whole body small, Small as an atom. Your whole body big, Big as a universe. Feel your whole body, Feel your whole body, Feel your whole body. Now remember your breath, Feel your inhalations and your exhalations. And begin to notice now if your inhalations are longer, Or perhaps it's your exhalations. See if you can feel your breath settling into an even rhythm. You're going to assign the count of four to your inhalations and your exhalations. You can make the count as fast or as slow as you need to, To match the rhythm of your breath. Very gently and comfortably lengthen your breath out to five counts. If you need to speed the count up a little so that you remain comfortable, That's okay. But see if you can maintain the pace of the count, And just let each inhale and exhale become just that little bit longer. Again, See if you can lengthen your breath. Lengthening out to six counts now. You're going to begin now to shorten your inhalations by one count, And lengthen your exhalations by one count. Your inhalations are now five counts long, And your exhalations are seven counts long. Now again, Shorten your inhalation by one count, And lengthen your exhalation by one count. You'll find now that your inhalations are four counts, And your exhalations are eight counts. Your exhalations are twice as long as your inhalations. Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm. Remember your intention. Stay here a little longer, And simply allow now whatever arises to arise. Don't push anything away. If you notice yourself drifting off into a story, Just acknowledge that that has happened. Let the story be, And return to your watching, Your awareness of the rhythms of your mind. Now it's almost time to move. Begin to feel now into the rhythm of your breath, And observe how your body feels when it is relaxed, And heavy, And settled. Thank yourself for taking this time to come to find the very best version of yourself. When you take this time for yourself, You have so much more to give to the people that you love, And so much more to give to yourself. This is extremely important. What you are doing here is very good work. When you are ready to, Begin to deepen and lengthen your breath. Feel your body stretching from the inside out. Start to move just your fingers and your toes, Moving your body very gently and slowly, Rocking your head from side to side, Rolling your wrists and your ankles. And then when you are ready to, You can begin to move and to stretch in the ways your body is asking you to. In your own time, Bend up your knees and roll yourself over to your side, And make your way up to sitting. Bring your hands to your heart in prayer position, And bow your head to your heart. Thank you for taking this time to practice. Namaste.
