This meditation practice is best done,
Lie down on your bed,
On a mat,
In a place that you will be undisturbed and gently close your eyes and notice if there are any adjustments or distractions that you could eliminate before you start your practice.
And begin to welcome yourself to this practice,
Your internal world.
Like pressing the pause button.
I'm here,
I'm present,
I've arrived.
Notice how you need to orientate yourself to your body and orientate yourself to the mind.
Notice your external world and your internal world.
Welcome this short refuge from your day,
A moment that you can have just to yourself,
A place that you can be wholly you,
Nothing to do.
Now let yourself rest deeply.
Now is the time to let go and be.
And know that there is no wrong or right way of doing this practice.
Simply being here is enough.
We're not trying to accomplish anything,
No goal of becoming a good meditator or not.
Just simply getting to know yourself.
And do not worry if you drift off or miss any of my invitation or my voice begins to fade.
All of this is welcome.
As you settle in here,
Notice your breathing and with each breath,
Allow yourself to sink deeper into the surface you're resting upon.
And the time used for this practice is for you.
Begin to welcome your intention.
You have chosen to be here in this moment.
Letting go of activity,
Thinking,
Choosing to do this practice.
This practice is about being,
Being present,
Nothing to do.
How do you want to use this time?
Feel into your response.
I'll give you a few moments to set your intention now.
And begin to open your senses towards sound and notice all the sounds that are present.
Your body open and listening as well as your ears.
The sounds inside the space you're in.
The sounds outside the space you're in.
Notice how you evaluate sounds.
A particular sound might be pleasant or unpleasant.
Welcome them both as well as any judgements you have about the sound.
And now step back from all the sounds that are happening.
Listen to a specific sound.
And now tune into all the sounds.
This global listening.
Not a particular sound.
Just the sense of hearing the soundscape.
Your body listening.
Draw your attention to your mouth and taste.
Notice what tastes are present.
Taste buds alive when I draw your attention to them.
And when you moved your attention to the tastes in your mouth,
Maybe the sounds faded as you focused your attention on taste.
Yoga Nidra gives us the ability to notice how the body and mind functions.
Notice what happens when you shift your attention now to the rest of your senses.
And how the other senses drop back as you focus on one sense.
Notice your nose and smell.
Notice any lingering fragrances in the air and how you might label them good or bad.
And now draw your attention to your eyes.
Even with the eyes closed we can see darkness,
Images.
What do you perceive with your eyes closed?
Can you see or are you perceiving?
Are you visualizing,
Imagining?
Just notice.
And now there's the ground.
Supporting you.
Holding you.
And on the opposite side of the body.
Feel the touch of air in your skin.
And scan your entire body.
And notice all the sensations that are arising.
Where is attention drawn to?
Notice how the body draws your attention.
And now how you can focus your attention intentionally at a certain spot.
Welcome the space around you.
The space in front of you.
Behind you.
To the left.
To the right.
And allow everything that you hear,
Think,
See or feel be just as it is.
And notice what's present here.
The simple feeling of being open.
Mind.
Body.
Now as I guide you in experiencing different parts of the body,
Don't try to make something happen or change a feeling or sensation.
Just experience the body.
Your attention to the sensations in your mouth.
The tongue.
And now draw your attention to the left ear.
Right ear.
And feel into both ears at the same time.
Sense the space around the ears.
And the space around the nose.
Sense into the nose.
Left nostril.
Right nostril.
Feel the air flowing in and out of both nostrils.
Soften the eyes.
Left eye.
And sense the eyelids covering the eyes in soothing darkness.
And allow the eyes to drop back.
Feel into the left cheek.
Right cheek.
Soften the forehead.
Skull.
Feel into the back of the neck.
Left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Left wrist.
Left palm.
Each of the left fingers.
Now feel into the right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Right wrist.
Right palm.
And each of the right fingers one by one.
And now feel into both arms at the same time.
Now draw your attention to the chest.
Ribs.
Spine.
Feel your abdomen and chest as you breathe.
Allowing everything to rise and fall just as it is.
Now draw your attention to your left hip.
Left thigh.
Left knee.
Left heel.
Left top of the foot.
Sole of the foot.
And each of the left toes one by one.
And now the right hip.
Right ankle.
Right heel.
Right top of the foot.
Sole of the foot.
And each of the right toes one by one.
And now allow your attention to wander throughout your entire body.
Front of the body.
The body.
Inside.
And outside.
Now feel into the spaciousness of the entire body.
The entire body spacious.
Feeling into the innermost centre.
The body light.
Expansive.
Feeling into the boundary.
The space of the body.
And into the space around the body.
And feel the spaciousness of the body permeating the space all around.
To the left.
The right.
The head.
The body and space dissolving into one another.
And notice how your body is being breathed.
You're being breathed.
No need to think or do anything.
A gentle inhalation and exhalation as you breathe.
Like the ebb and flow of the waves.
The breath rises.
The breath falls.
Witness the body being breathed.
And notice what's present now.
Now bring to mind something in the future.
Something you need to do.
A task or a conversation.
What does it feel like?
This thought of needing to do something in the future.
Do not try to change your experience.
And notice where you feel sensations in the body.
What does this thought feel like?
Of needing to do something in the future.
And when you have this thought,
Do you notice how you're taken away from the present?
This feeling of being.
This presence.
And can you move backwards and forwards from this thought of the future and its sensations?
And this feeling of being here now.
This presence.
This felt sense of spaciousness.
Moving backwards.
And notice how your body responds to each.
This thought.
This story.
And this present spacious awareness.
And now feel into both at the same time.
And notice what happens to the body.
Now think about something that has happened in the past.
Maybe something earlier today.
Or over the last few days.
Or even many years ago.
What does it feel like in the body?
This thought in the past.
Do not try to change your experience.
And notice where you feel these sensations in the body.
What does this thought feel like?
And when you have this thought,
Do you notice how you're taken away from the present?
This feeling of being.
This presence.
And can you move backwards and forwards from this past experience and its sensations?
And this feeling of being here now.
This presence.
This felt sense of spaciousness.
Notice how your body responds to each.
This story.
This present spacious awareness.
And now feel into both at the same time.
And notice what happens to the body.
Now let that go.
And simply notice this presence.
This unfolding of time in the present.
Where our lives are lived.
Notice the body feeling.
This spaciousness.
And let's explore this idea of clock.
The measure of time.
When the second hand moves into minutes.
Days.
And into years as the earth circles the sun.
And all these moments of your life passing by no matter what you're doing.
Time moves ineffably forwards.
And where does time exist?
Inside of you.
In your head.
Notice how the mind tries to grasp and explore this as I ask the question.
And what about the body?
And notice how this sits within the body.
Where does this concept of time exist?
Take a moment to inquire into this.
Remember there's no wrong or right answer.
Just experience the body feeling.
And can you notice each moment is fresh like dawn.
And how you can use your breath to tune into the present moment.
The breath arising now.
When we meet everything is new.
Fresh in each moment.
Like a new day.
Can you see how your conditioning drops away?
Our conditioning which is in the past.
And how we can meet each person with new eyes.
Our family.
Each interaction with them new.
No past conditioning of who they were in our mind.
Each day.
Each new moment with them.
We can see what arises spontaneously.
What wants to emerge from this presence.
And now notice all of your expectations.
Expectations that reside in the future.
The way things should be before they've happened.
Notice how you expect different things.
From people.
Your loved ones.
Friends.
Colleagues.
And how you expect different things from your work.
Now let these go.
The way things should be in the future.
Can you feel into the sense of ease.
Spontaneity.
When you meet each moment just as it is.
Notice what's present in the body.
As you let go of the words should and expectations.
Now set the intention to notice the present moment.
Feeling into all the senses.
Noticing the body.
As you bring yourself back from the wandering mind.
Now take a moment.
As you slowly come back to your body and mind.
And review the journey you have just taken.
Begin to sense the room around you.
And the feeling of beginning to move back into the world.
Take several deeper breaths.
And begin to wriggle your fingers and toes.
Give yourself a full body stretch.
Bend your knees.
And gently roll onto your right side.
Taking a moment.
And when you're ready,
Push yourself up into a seated position.
And notice what's present now.
This presence.
And visualize bringing this with you to each interaction and activity today.
Begin to reorientate yourself to the room around you.
Gently blinking your eyes open.
