Hi and welcome.
For moments like now when you're feeling overstimulated and everything is feeling overwhelming for you,
This is the exact time when Yoga Nidra with Pratyahara can help to reset your body-mind so that you come back into balance.
From my personal experience of a nervous system disorder,
Developing this skill of Pratyahara,
Withdrawing the sense experiences has been so healing when managing my own moments of overstimulation.
And today's yoga nidra practice works by enhancing your interoception,
Or your connection to your body,
So that you can process and release this overstimulation and even reach the alpha brainwave state of tranquility and intuition.
So,
Let's begin the practice now.
By getting the body completely comfortable.
And whilst you're doing this,
I'd like to affirm that there is nothing for you to do now.
Simply rest back.
Exactly as you are.
And follow the guidance.
When you've landed in a place of comfort,
Rest back into stillness.
Closing down the windows of your eyes or taking a soft gaze.
Take a deep inhale now through your nose.
As you're inhaling,
See if you can pick up any aromas or the texture of the air being drawn up through your nostrils.
And exhale deeply with a sigh out through the mouth.
Inhale through the nose two more times,
Picking up any aromas.
With a deep exhale through the mouth.
With your next exhale,
Feel your body landing on the support beneath you.
And allow yourself to be in this moment of non-doing,
Simply listening and receiving the guidance.
Notice your body resting,
Softening into the support beneath you.
Noticing your awareness drawing inwards.
Let's set a sankalpa now.
This is a present moment intention to redirect energy to what you want in your life.
So bring to mind what brought you to this practice today.
It may be how you want to feel or what you want to see in your life.
It might be a word,
A phrase,
Or even a feeling.
If you're using words,
Phrase them as if they are true now.
And if you like,
You can use this intention as an inspiration.
Peace is always available to me from within.
Take another moment to receive your sankalpa,
Your intention here.
It's okay if your intention doesn't feel fully true at this moment It's simply being planted in your mind as a new possibility for your life.
So to seal this possibility now whisper your sankalpa your intention in your mind's eye as a repeating mantra Peace is always available to me from within.
Continue repeating at your own pace.
Let this all dissolve now and begin to notice your body resting here.
As I name parts of the body.
And place your awareness on each part,
Allowing your awareness to rotate around the body without effort.
Simply awareness lighting up each part and moving on to the next when it's named.
Awareness to the upper lip.
The lower lip.
The space between the lips.
Inside the mouth.
Roof of the mouth.
Floor of the mouth.
Tip of the tongue.
The gums and teeth together.
The tip of your nose.
Inside the right nostril.
Inside the left nostril.
The right cheek.
Left cheek.
Softening any expression on your cheeks and mouth.
The right eye.
Eyelid.
The temple.
Eyebrow.
The centre of the eyebrows.
The left eye.
Eyelid.
Temple.
Eyebrow.
Both eyes resting,
Softening any expression in the eyes and the eyebrows.
The right ear.
Earlobe.
The inner ear.
The left ear.
Yellow.
Inner ear.
The scalp.
The hair follicles.
The centre of your head.
The back of the head.
The whole face.
Center of the throat.
Awareness to the pit of the throat.
Right collarbone.
The upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Rest.
The centre of the palm.
Imagine the center of the right palm is porous and that you could inhale and exhale through the center of the right palm.
Inhaling.
Exhaling.
Awareness to the thumb.
Second finger.
Bad.
The space between the fingers.
Awareness to the center of the chest.
The front of the chest.
The ribs.
Both sides of the ribs.
The space above the navel.
Navel center.
Lower belly.
The pelvic centre becoming porous,
Inhaling in and out through the pelvic centre.
Inhale through the left of the pelvic center.
Exhale to the right of the pelvic centre.
With your natural inhale.
Inhale through the right of the pelvic center.
Exhale,
Left pelvic center.
Awareness to the entire pelvic bowl.
And now the whole torso.
The right hip.
Bye.
KNEE Lower leg.
The base of the foot.
The top of the foot.
The big toe.
Second.
Bad.
5th toe.
The space between all five toes.
Awareness to the left hip.
Bye.
KNEE lower leg.
The base of the foot.
The top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second.
Third and 5th toe.
The space between all five toes.
The right leg.
The left leg.
Both legs together.
Right.
Left arm.
Both arms together.
The right torso.
The left torso.
The whole torso.
Awareness to the whole front of the body resting.
The whole back of the body.
Awareness to the whole field of sensation within your body.
The whole field of sensation within your body.
Awareness through the whole body.
Zoom your awareness in to the microscopic level of the body.
The millions of cells within the body.
Imagining the cells all working together.
On your restoration.
And repair.
As you are resting here.
Sense the subtle hum of the cells within your body.
This may feel like.
Buzzing sensations.
Vibrating on a deep level.
Just noticing.
The feeling of all your cells working towards restoring your energy here.
Let this dissolve now.
And bring your awareness to your breath and from your mind's eye,
Count down the breath from 7 to 1.
Inhaling 7,
Exhaling 7… effortless breath.
At your own pace,
Continue counting down to one.
Sensing the breath deep inside the body now.
Dissolve the counting and just notice the breath.
No need to change anything just noticing breath flowing through the terrain of your body exactly as it is.
Effortlessly explore your breath's natural rhythm here.
And the depth of the breath as you rest.
On the next effortless inhale,
Sense the expansion of your entire body.
Imagine that you could experience your entire being expanding outwards 360 degree expansion.
And on the exhale,
Feel yourself grounding back into your body.
Grounding with ease.
Inhale expansion.
Exhale grounding and settling.
Breathing naturally,
Inhale expansion.
Exhaling grounding.
Continue breathing this way in your own time.
Inhaling expansion and spaciousness and exhaling grounding and ease.
Release your awareness on your breath.
And bring your awareness to the space behind your eyes,
The third eye centre.
And let your awareness disperse and dissolve into this spacious field of awareness.
Resting back now into this space where opposite energy meets and dissolves into stillness and balance.
Rest back deeply into this stillness of equilibrium.
Allow yourself to float into this field of your true self.
The true self.
Being experienced through your third eye centre.
Noticing any awareness of balance and equilibrium here.
Bring back your sankalpa into your field of awareness here.
Repeating it in your mind's eye as a mantra.
Peace is always available to me from within.
Continue repeating your sankalpa as a mantra here.
Allow your sankalpa to dissolve in your awareness now.
And place your awareness beyond the body into the environment around you Intentionally placing your awareness to the environment and where you're lying in relation to the things around you.
Keeping your eyes closed.
Just noticing from behind closed eyes.
Your environment.
And now take a deep breath in through the nose.
Picking up any fragrance in the environment or the temperature of the air.
And exhale out through the mouth.
And notice any sounds in the environment beyond my voice.
And place your awareness back to your body resting on the support beneath you.
And now whenever you're ready,
Begin to make some small movements with your body.
Stretching your fingers and toes or stretching out the face muscles.
Begin to make some bigger movements and stretches.
And whenever you're ready,
Not a moment before,
Open your eyes.
Adjusting back.
And when your eyes have adjusted,
Allow your vision to soften.
Just noticing softly.
What is in your periphery vision.
As your mind adjusts back to being awake.
And now your eyes are open,
Intentionally bring your awareness to anything that has changed for you during your practice here today.
Notice whether the practice of Pratyahara,
Turning your awareness inwards,
Has changed the way you're feeling now at all,
Even just by 1%.
And if you feel drawn to sharing this experience with me,
Then please comment below.
I enjoy reading each unique experience and answering any questions that you may have.
Thank you for choosing to share this space with me today,
And until you're ready to practice next,
Take care.
