Welcome to this Yoga Nidra sleep meditation.
Take a moment just to make yourself comfortable,
Making sure that you feel supported and warm for this time.
So either laying on the floor,
Covered by a blanket,
Or maybe even getting into bed already.
With your legs out straight,
Make sure that your feet are a little bit wider than your hips.
Bring your arms out to the side,
With the palms of your hands facing up towards the ceiling.
Or resting your hands gently on your belly.
Tuck your chin in slightly,
Just to bring a bit of length to the back of your neck.
And if you feel comfortable too,
Then close your eyes.
Sense your body here,
And see if you can give your body into your support,
Maybe 1% more,
Just allowing the floor or the bed to take the weight of your day.
You're fully supported here.
So your muscles can really relax.
Begin to notice the natural ebb and flow of the breath as it moves through your body.
Maybe sensing the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe.
As you inhale,
Your belly rises.
And as you exhale,
It relaxes.
That release of the exhale then has a ripple effect from the rest of the body,
And the rest of the body can soften with each breath.
We'll begin our practice just by noticing our breath here,
And counting backwards with the breath.
So we'll start with your next exhale,
Counting number 10.
As you exhale again,
Count 9.
Exhale 8.
And so on,
In your own time,
Now counting backwards from 8 until 0.
If your mind starts to wander,
Don't worry too much.
Just come back to 10 and begin again,
Counting backwards from 10 until 0.
So again,
If your mind has wandered,
Don't worry.
Now just start back from 3 down until 0.
Counting 3,
Down to 0,
With each breath in your own time.
And once you arrive back at 0,
Return to a natural rhythm of breathing.
So drop your count,
Meet yourself here,
Just noticing how you're feeling,
Sense your body here.
And we'll begin our yoga nidra from here,
Where I'll guide you to bring your attention to certain parts of the body,
One part at a time.
If you struggle with the mind-body connection of it,
Don't worry.
Just repeat the name of the body part in your mind instead.
It will do the same thing.
For example,
If I say right thumb,
Just repeat right thumb in your mind.
So we will begin from our right thumb.
Bring your awareness to your right thumb.
Bring your attention to your index finger on your right hand,
Middle finger on your right hand,
Fourth finger and your pinky finger on the right hand.
Notice the back of your right hand,
The palm of your right hand,
Right wrist,
Right forearm.
Sense your right elbow,
Right upper arm,
Right shoulder,
The right side of your chest,
The right rib cage,
The right side of your abdomen and waist,
Your right hip,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
Right calf muscle.
Bring your attention to your right ankle,
The top of your right foot,
The sole of your right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe on the right side.
Sense your whole right side of your body together.
The whole right side of your body together.
Bring your attention to your left thumb,
Index finger on your left hand,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and pinky finger on your left hand.
Notice the back of your left hand,
Palm of your left hand,
Left wrist,
Left forearm,
Left elbow,
Left upper arm,
Left shoulder,
The left side of your chest,
The left rib cage,
The left side of your abdomen and waist.
Notice your left hip,
Your left thigh,
Left knee,
Left calf muscle,
Left ankle,
The top of your left foot,
Sole of your left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe on the left side.
See if you can sense your whole left side of your body together.
The whole left side together.
Bring your attention to both feet together,
Both ankles together,
Both lower legs together,
Shins and calf muscles together,
Both knees together,
Both thighs together.
Bring your attention to your hips,
Your abdomen,
Navel center.
Bring your attention to your rib cage,
Your heart space,
Your chest and shoulders.
Become aware of both hands together,
Both wrists,
Both forearms,
Both elbows,
Both upper arms,
Shoulders.
Bring your awareness to your neck and throat.
Notice your jaw,
Your chin,
Your bottom lip,
The bottom row of teeth.
Bring your awareness to your tongue,
To the roof of your mouth.
Notice the top row of teeth and your top lip.
Become aware of your cheeks,
Your ears,
Both nostrils and the bridge of your nose.
Notice your eyelids and the space behind your eyes.
Notice your eyebrows,
The space between your eyebrows,
Your forehead and the crown of your head.
Now sense your whole body together,
From the crown of your head to the tip of your toes.
Sense your whole body as one,
Your whole body together.
Sense your whole body together.
Begin to sense the feeling of support and touch between your body and that which is beneath you or that which is supporting you.
Notice the connection between the back of your head and your bed or the floor,
Back of your rib cage,
Back of the hips,
The legs and the back of the heels,
Connecting back to your surroundings.
Before beginning to notice once again the rise and fall of your breath as it moves through your body.
Maybe even deepening your breath consciously here,
Just to begin to slowly wake up your body.
Keep your eyes closed for as long as you can.
Begin to wake up your body just by making some small movements of your fingers and your toes.
Start to move your hands and feet.
Maybe rock your head from side to side.
If you feel cool too,
Stretch your arms up overhead,
Stretching your body from head to toe,
Feeling this new energy cultivated through this practice.
If you'd like to,
Then bend your knees and roll onto one side,
Just taking a breath or two on your side,
Before gently pushing yourself up to a seat.
Once you're up,
Just lengthen through your spine.
Bow your head and open your eyes towards the ground,
Just to avoid any bright light to begin with.
Once again,
Take a few conscious breaths and enjoy the rest of your day.
