In this short and sweet practice inspired by yoga nidra,
Also known as yogic sleep,
You will release the details of the day,
Relax body and mind,
And get ready for a lovely restorative sleep.
Get extra comfy for this meditation.
You can find a seated pose you like or lie down,
I recommend lying down.
Wrapping yourself in a blanket maybe,
Putting on an eye pillow or mask,
Just gets super,
Super cozy.
If your eyes aren't already closed,
Gently close your eyes,
Bringing your awareness within.
Whatever is going on in your mind,
Allow it to gently fade into the background,
Guiding all your awareness to your breath.
Inhale and exhale.
Go ahead and release your next deep breath with a nice,
Juicy sigh,
Feeling your body sink a little deeper into the surface beneath you.
You can do that a few more times,
Allowing each inhale to become a little deeper,
And each exhale to provide a little release of tension.
We'll release the energy and events of today with a quick recapitulation.
Basically,
Watching in our mind's eye our entire day unfold on fast forward,
Without judgment and without getting too caught in any specific details or feelings.
Continue to breathe deeply,
And begin with the first moment this morning when you first opened your eyes.
See yourself doing your morning routine,
Eating breakfast,
Maybe getting ready for work.
For the next minute or two,
Carry on with this.
Replay in your mind's eye the entire day in high speed,
Letting everything that happened pass through your awareness,
Then simply letting it go.
Once your recapitulation is ended and you've arrived at this present moment,
Allow your awareness to become concentrated here.
Let everything else fall away,
Until it's just you and your breath,
Focusing once again on the sensation of each deep inhale and each relaxing exhale.
We'll begin our journey of awareness now,
In which you will guide your awareness to and soften each body part completely as I name them.
Breathing with the right palm,
Relax and soften your right palm.
Relaxing your right fingers,
Breathing into the space in between each finger,
Softening completely.
Relax the back of your hand,
Your wrist,
Your forearm,
Your elbow,
The muscles of the upper right arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of your waist,
Right hip,
Breathe into your right hip.
Relax your right thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Toes,
Soften the toes of your right foot,
Soften the sole of your foot.
Bring your awareness to your left palm now,
Relax and soften your left palm.
Relax your left fingers,
Breathe into the space between each finger,
Softening completely.
Relax the back of your left hand,
Your wrist,
Your forearm,
Elbow,
All the muscles of your left upper arm,
Your shoulder,
Waist,
Left hip,
Breathe deeply into your left hip.
Relax your thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Top of your foot.
Relax your toes,
Soften each one completely.
Relax the right hand,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Top of your foot,
Softening completely.
Relax your right hand,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Top of your foot,
Softening completely.
Soften your calf muscles,
The backs of both your thighs,
Your buttocks,
Your low back,
Your middle back,
Your upper back and shoulder blades,
Soften completely.
Relax the back of your neck and the back of your head,
Breathe into the very top of your forehead,
Relax your scalp,
Your forehead,
The area between your eyebrows,
The muscles around both eyes,
Relax your temples,
Your cheeks,
Lips,
Jaw,
Soften your jaw completely.
Soften the muscles in your throat,
Collarbones,
Chest,
Feel your chest soften completely.
Relax your diaphragm,
Belly,
Pelvis,
Soften your whole right leg now and your left leg.
Relax your arms,
Allow them to get heavy,
Soften your whole face,
Your entire head and neck,
Your whole torso,
Relaxing completely.
Soften the entire body now,
Relaxing completely.
In this place of complete softness and openness,
You may set a little intention,
A seed to grow over the restful evening and night sleep to come.
It could be something as simple as,
May I invite more love,
Happiness,
Peace,
Or ease into my daily life.
Whatever intention feels right for you in this moment,
Go ahead and repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Know that this seed of intention will be held in the soil of your subconscious to be watered and nourished with each deep breath you take from now,
While you sleep,
And tomorrow and every subsequent day.
Take as much time as you need before gently bringing your awareness back to the room you're in.
Thank you for listening.
I hope you have a beautiful night.
