Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.
This is a short guided meditation to help you feel a little bit more relaxed and restful.
And you can use it at any point during your day if you feel like you need a little bit of a boost.
So just take a moment to set yourself up for the practice.
Maybe you want to lie down on your bed or on the floor on a yoga mat,
Using a pillow under your head,
Maybe even a pillow under your knees.
If you wish,
You can also practice seated.
Maybe grabbing a blanket or something to keep yourself really warm.
So taking a few moments to get yourself as comfortable as you can be.
And there's an invitation to try and practice as still as you can,
But at any point if you do need to move,
Please feel free to move to adjust what you're doing.
But with that in mind,
If there's something that would make you feel a little bit more comfortable,
Any last adjustments,
Last movements,
Just making those now.
And once you've settled into your shape,
Taking a few moments to feel the contact of your body with the mat or the bed,
Almost a sense of being held.
Take a moment to feel the contact of the fabric of your clothes,
The pillows and the blankets if you're using them against your skin.
Tune into your breath,
Simply feeling your breath coming in and out of your body.
Maybe feeling the movement of your belly and lower ribs.
Maybe feeling the tickling sensation between your nose and your upper lip.
Just as if you're having a gentle internal massage as the breath moves in and out of the body.
If you're comfortable closing the eyes,
Then close the eyes now.
Just allow the eyelids to be a little bit more heavy.
Just the length of your inhale and your exhale.
Maybe even start to lengthen your exhale.
Notice how that feels,
A slightly longer exhale.
Without forcing it,
Just allow the exhale to be a little bit longer.
And we're going to start with our journey through the body.
As I name different parts of the body,
Bring your attention there and notice how that part of your body feels without moving anything.
Notice any sensations that come up.
You might feel a sense of tingling,
Maybe numbness,
Maybe heaviness,
Warmth or cold.
You might also feel nothing at all and that is completely fine.
Starting with the toes of your left foot.
Feel the sole of your left foot.
Your left ankle.
Your left lower leg.
Your left knee.
Left thigh.
Left hip.
The whole left leg.
The whole left leg relaxed.
Now bring your attention to the toes of your right foot.
The sole of your right foot.
Your right lower leg.
Your right knee.
Your right thigh.
Your right hip.
Your whole right leg.
Your whole right leg relaxed.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Feel your chest.
The left side of your waist.
The right side of your waist.
Feel your left and right armpit.
Your left and right shoulder.
Feel your lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
Feel your whole torso.
Your whole torso relaxed.
Now back to your left shoulder.
Now feel your left upper arm.
Left elbow.
Left forearm.
Feel your left wrist.
The palm of your left hand.
The back of your left hand.
Your left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Your whole right hand.
Your whole right arm relaxed.
Now travel across to your right shoulder again.
Feel your right upper arm.
Your right elbow.
Right forearm.
Right wrist.
Feel the palm of your right hand.
The back of your right hand.
Your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Feel your whole right hand.
Your whole right arm.
Now bring your attention back to your belly and feel your belly move with the breath.
And the next time you breathe in,
Imagine or feel the breath travelling from your left fingertips.
So feel your left fingertips now.
Breath travels up to the nose,
Through the left nostril.
And on the exhale,
The breath travels out of the right nostril and down to the right fingertips.
Then on the inhale,
The breath travels from the right fingertips up to the right nostril.
And on the exhale,
Out of the left nostril and down to the left fingertips.
And now let go of that breath.
Allow the body to settle for a few moments.
And come back to the feeling of contact with your bed or the mat.
A feeling of contact with the fabric of your clothes or cushions and blankets.
Maybe a slightly longer inhale.
And maybe the longer inhale brings you back.
Back to the room,
Back to the space that you're in.
If you're ready,
Wriggling fingers,
Toes,
Some other gentle movements.
And taking as much time as you need to come out and come back up to sitting and continuing with your day.
