Yoga Nidra For Simply Being

This 34-minute practice is themed around the concept of simply being and allowing the parts of you that want to be busy to just rest for a while. Backed by soothing music and nature sounds, the practice guides practitioners through different layers of the self to access a state of wakeful sleep for deep rest and healing. It also includes an invitation to invoke an intention, or sankalpa. Background music is "The Bird's World" by Niclas Gustavsson, and there is an extra 2 minutes of only music at the end for extended relaxation/integration.

Transcript

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice and thank you for joining me on this journey through rest and relaxation to help you reset and to bring a sense of calm and peace to your body, Mind and spirit. Practice of Yoga Nidra can be like a gentle massage for your nervous system and you can think of it as if in your everyday life you're like a computer with many programs running and files open as you plan and prepare and keep track of and do many things at once and Yoga Nidra can help you shut down the programs and close all those tabs and files so you can operate in a smoother more intentional and balanced way. It might feel a little uncomfortable and even a little scary to think about shutting down and letting go of all the things you're juggling even temporarily and if that's the case I encourage you just honor the parts of yourself that are so responsible and that like to feel in control and for you to simply give those parts permission to rest for the next little while while you allow yourself to simply be knowing that when you're finished with this practice you can come back to thinking and planning to each item on your to-do list if you choose to and knowing also that this experience of rest is an investment in being able to have more energy to do the things that are important to you this is an effortless practice and you don't need to do anything other than simply relax into the experience follow my guidance if it feels right for you rusting that you will get exactly what you need to get from this practice today and take the next few moments to settle down completely into your nest which can be on the floor in your bed on a couch or any other surface that feels comforting and supportive to you gather any pillows and blankets or other props that will help you feel as cozy and comfortable as possible maybe an eye covering to block out the light a support for your legs and if possible you might want to recline on your back with your head supported arms at your side legs extended or any other position that feels comfortable and will allow you to be still and rest deeply take your time to fidget and adjust until you feel completely at ease and ready to settle in to relaxation notice what you might be able to do to get even 1% more comfortable allow your body and mind to continue settling down as you prepare for this experience of deep relaxation and rest into the knowing that there's no right or wrong way to do this practice there's only the way that's most true for you today and let's begin by taking a few breaths to begin settling down the nervous system on your next inhale breathing deeply through the nose and then exhale through the mouth long and slow again in through the nose and then exhale through the mouth with a sigh in through the nose long exhale with a sigh one more time in through the nose long slow exhale through the mouth and as you exhale feel yourself sink and soften into the surface beneath you and allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm just noticing your breath entering and leaving the body and feel your mind settle as these currents of breath wash in and out of your body and notice anywhere in your body that may be holding on to any tension and just give these parts permission to soften and release, Relax the jaw feeling it unhinge, Relax the tongue, Move out the muscles in your forehead, Release any expression on your face, Soften your eyes down and back feeling all the little muscles behind them relax and soften and feel your mind relax just imagining the two hemispheres of your brain like muscles expanding open and outward as you rest here and sink more deeply into this experience of deep deep rest now take your attention to your ears going deep within your ears to notice any sounds and allowing the sounds to wash through you like gentle waves notice sounds in the distance any sounds in the room around you now sense the sounds within your body maybe you notice the breath entering and leaving your body your heart beating and now you might send your breath into the center of your chest connecting with your heart discover a sankalpa or an intention for this practice today notice any words images or sensations that might be calling to you as a desire or intention and if nothing is arising you might consider the intention I allow myself to simply be I allow myself to simply be and now with whatever intention feels right for you repeat it three times mentally whispering it to yourself and feeling it resonate throughout your entire being and now you might invite your awareness to glide through the different parts of your body as you follow the guidance of my voice allowing yourself to sense each part as it's being named while your body remains completely still resting in deep relaxation and ease begin by noticing your mouth feeling any sensations within your mouth notice your tongue inside the right cheek inside the left cheek the roof of your mouth the floor of your mouth the tip of your tongue your lips the tip of your nose the air flowing through your nostrils the space between your eyebrows your right temple left temple right eyebrow left eyebrow right cheekbone left cheekbone your right eye left eye both eyes together soft and relaxed your right ear your left ear both ears together the center of your throat the center of your chest your right collarbone right shoulder elbow palm of your right hand and all the sensation that's there the tip of your thumb first finger second your little finger all fingers together the spaces between the fingers now your whole right hand your whole right arm the center of your chest and left collarbone palm of your left hand feeling all the sensations in there your left thumb first finger second third your little finger all your fingers together the spaces between the fingers your whole left hand your whole left arm back to the center of your chest the right side of your chest center of the chest the left side of your chest center of the chest dropping down into the space between the bottom of your ribs into your navel center your low belly the bowl of your pelvis your right hip upper leg front and back your right knee ankle the sole of your foot the top of your foot big toe second toe third fourth little toe your whole right foot your whole right leg back into the bowl of your pelvis your left hip upper leg front and back the sole of your foot the top of your foot big toe second four little toe your whole left foot your whole left leg back into the bowl of your pelvis feeling into your tailbone your low back mid-back upper back your whole spine together now feel your shoulder blades the base of your skull feel the back of your head heavy resting against whatever surface it's on and now bring your awareness to the whole back of your body and now the whole front of your body the whole right side of your body the whole left side of your body your whole body together now your whole body resting supported comfortless and feel your body breathing a beautiful natural rhythm of the breath breathing in and out feel the easy expansion the easy release notice the air coming in through your nostrils notice the breath at the back of your throat notice your lungs expanding and releasing and sense the tender rise and fall of the belly and that easy natural breath just imagine each breath bringing life and energy and vitality into all your cells billions of cells breathing in and breathing out and now begin to breathe into the right side of your body feel the right side of your body come alive with your breath as the left side falls away notice sensations flooding throughout the entire right side of your body and now begin to breathe into the left side of your body feel the left side come alive with your breath as the right side falls away feel sensation flooding throughout the entire left side of your body and now allow your attention to cross back over the middle of your body as you breathe awareness back into the right side allowing the left side to fall away feeling each cell in the right side expand and now allow your attention to cross back over the middle of your body again as you breathe awareness back into the left side allowing the right side to fall away feeling each cell in the left side expand and now sense both sides of your body at the same time feeling the right side and the left side together and just expand into the awareness of both sides together and now notice the part of you that's noticing both sides at the same time and now notice the part of you that's noticing both sides at the same time that witnessing presence as you rest back for a moment into that blank space beyond your eyelids and allow yourself to effortlessly sink into deep deep stillness rest here in silence for the next few moments and now you might bring your awareness back to your heart center breathing into that space and reuniting with the intention or sankalpa that you created earlier spend a few moments connecting with any words images or sensations that represent the intention you're feeling called toward today now take a moment to notice the quality of presence you have right now notice any thoughts that might be present and notice any feelings that are here in your body with you now allow anything that's present to simply be just as it is part of you part of this moment now notice your breath the easy natural rhythm of your breath flowing through you each breath in each breath out now slowly begin to sense the surface beneath your body sense the outline of your body notice any sounds inside your space any sounds coming from outside and when it feels right for you begin to bring small movements to the fingers and toes wiggling perhaps pressing your thumb to each fingertip you might invite bigger movements like a stretch you might want to gently roll to one side or bring your knees to your chest rest here as long as you need to returning slowly and sweetly in your own time and whenever it feels right for you gently flutter your eyes open and let yourself continue to experience the feelings of peace and relaxation you've created within you and you might thank yourself for taking the time to give all the parts of yourself the gift of resting and simply being knowing that this is a tool you can use to give yourself that gift anytime you need it and I thank you for allowing me to guide you through this practice namaste