Welcome to this relaxation practice,
Called Yoga Nidra,
That will allow you to explore feelings of rest.
My name is Emma,
And I'll be guiding you in this meditation.
Just like listening to a story,
Your mind will be alert and listening,
But your body will be relaxed.
There's no right or wrong,
All you have to do is get yourself really comfortable and follow the sound of my voice.
Before we begin,
Get anything that you'd like to help you feel warm,
Comfortable and safe.
Maybe you have a favourite snuggly blanket,
Or a soft toy,
Or something else that you'd like to have with you now.
Make any wriggles and movement now,
Getting ready for your body to settle down and rest.
Before you close your eyes,
Have a look around your space,
And see something that you like very much,
Something that makes you smile.
That will be there whenever you want to open your eyes,
But for now,
Start to close your eyes,
And let your body begin to relax and be soft.
Sometimes it can feel hard to relax,
It can help sometimes to tighten your whole body,
Curling your toes,
Making fists with your hands,
Scrunching your face,
Or you can just imagine doing that,
Feeling your whole body tight,
And then,
Uncurling your fingers and toes,
And imagine your whole body feeling relaxed and sleepy,
Inviting your body to feel soft and warm,
Maybe it makes you want to yawn.
I wonder if you can imagine a person,
Or a place,
Or an animal that makes you feel really safe,
It can be real,
Or in your imagination.
Someone or something that makes you feel safe and loved and happy,
As you imagine this special place or person of yours,
Maybe you can notice how this makes you feel in your body,
Maybe you like a smile on the inside,
You can make a wish now of how you'd like to feel,
It might be feeling loved,
Or calm,
Or safe,
Or another word,
Choose a word that describes how you would like to feel.
Say this word to yourself,
Quietly,
Three times now.
Can you imagine the colour of moonlight?
A soft,
White,
Gentle light.
In a moment,
I'm going to name different parts of the body,
And maybe you can imagine this soft,
White light,
Lighting each part of the body as I name it,
Helping your body to feel so safe,
And so relaxed.
If you miss one out,
That's ok,
Just join back in when you can.
Imagine this soft,
White moonlight,
Now resting on the fingers of your right hand,
The palm of your right hand,
Your wrist,
Resting on your arm,
Up to the elbow,
Continuing up to your shoulder,
Lighting up the right side of your body,
Your waist and your hip,
Lighting up your right leg,
And moves down to tickle your toes,
1,
2,
3,
4 and 5 toes,
All of the right side of your body,
Glowing with this soft,
White light,
And now this light shines on the left side,
The left fingers,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Shining on the left arm,
Up to the elbow,
Up to your shoulder,
Resting on the left side of your body,
To your waist and hip,
Lighting up the left leg,
All the way down to your toes,
1,
2,
3,
4 and 5 toes,
The whole of the left side of your body,
Glowing with this white light,
The light shines down your back,
Noticing how your back is a little bit warmer than the front of your body,
The light shines on the back of your head,
All down your back,
Your hips and your legs,
Shining along the front of your body,
Your tummy,
Your legs,
Down to your feet,
And this soft white light relaxes your face and your whole head,
Your whole body is glowing with this soft and gentle white light,
Making your whole body feel really relaxed,
We can also use our breath to help relax our body,
Can you follow the air as it moves into your body,
When you breathe in,
Your body fills with air,
And when you breathe out,
Your body relaxes and the air moves out,
Follow the breath as you breathe in and breathe out,
Maybe you can even imagine that every time you breathe in,
You breathe in that bright white light,
Stays in your body even when you breathe out,
Making your body feel safe and warm and relaxed,
Feel your whole body,
From your toes to the top of your head,
Feel safe and relaxed,
Your whole body filled with safety,
You are safe,
Feel the softness where you're lying,
It's up to you now,
What you choose to do next,
You might like to drift off into a healing and restful sleep,
If it's not time to sleep now,
You can start to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Take a stretch as you start to wake your body up,
Taking a big deep breath in,
And sighing the exhale out,
When you're ready you can open the eyes,
We are now finishing our yoga nidra meditation.
