Welcome!
Short daytime yoga ninja breaks are a great way to give your mind and nervous system a break from your busy day.
So take your short mind and body break with me today.
You're welcome to take any position.
If you're laying down a bolster or rolled up towels under your knees can be comfy.
You're also welcome to sit on the floor or in a chair,
Any position as long as you're comfy.
So let's take a few moments to get as comfy as you can.
Allow the mind to wander.
And then from here slowly bring your attention to focus on the breath.
Watching the inhales and watching the exhales.
And perhaps you might like to set an intention for today's practice.
What brought you here today?
How do you want to feel at the end of this practice?
Perhaps your intention today could simply be to let go of any stress around you and to allow your mind and body to fall into deep relaxation.
Now noticing if this intention also supports a deeper heartfelt desire,
A value or a quality you'd like to embody more of in this life.
Perhaps it's simply to approach life with a little more joy and ease.
Sensing and feeling into a sense of deep peace and joy and ease in the body,
In this quiet space inside of you.
I like to call this my inner sanctuary.
Is there a place you like to go to,
Whether in real life or in the past?
Or is there a place you like to go to,
Whether in real life or in the past?
A place that brings about these feelings of joy,
Ease and relaxation.
A place in nature or a place indoors.
Really sensing and feeling with all five senses what this place looks like.
What it smells like.
What it feels like in your body.
Opening into this deep sense of ease and wellbeing and being while you're here in this inner sanctuary.
And then perhaps allowing the images to fall into this deep sense of peace and well-being and being while you're here in this inner sanctuary.
And then perhaps allowing the images to fall away and just allowing yourself to sense into the sensations awakening within the body.
Now awakening sensations in the mouth,
Around the lips,
All the way through the insides of your cheeks.
And then traveling sensation all the way up through the temples,
To the forehead and the space between your eyebrows.
Traveling sensation all the way down the tip of the nose.
Down the chin,
All the way down through the throat.
Feeling sensations in the base of the throat.
And then traveling sensation all the way down the right arm,
Into the right hand and all five fingers of the right hand.
Feeling sensations once again in the base of the throat.
Traveling sensations across the top of the left shoulder,
Down the left arm,
All the way into the left hand and all five fingers of the left hand.
Now feeling sensations in both arms,
Hands and all ten fingers lighting up.
Vibrant and alive with sensation.
Feeling sensation from the base of the throat one more time.
And then feeling sensation traveling down through the rib cage in the heart space.
Feeling the in breath and out breath through the rib cage,
All of the sensations within the torso.
Traveling sensation down through the hips and pelvis,
All the way down through the right leg.
Sensations in the right foot and all five toes on the right foot.
Now sensing and feeling sensation traveling down the left leg,
All the way down into the left foot and all five toes in the left foot.
Now feeling both legs at the same time lighting up as vibrant sensation,
All the way into all ten toes.
Now sensing and feeling sensations through the front side of the body,
From your toes all the way up to the forehead,
Lighting up vibrant sensation.
And then feeling sensations in the back of the body,
From the back of your head all the way down to the heels of your feet,
Lighting up as vibrant sensation.
And then one more time,
Feeling into the sensations in the front side of the body,
The back side of the body one more time.
Now sensing and feeling both the front and the back sides of the body lighting up at the same time as vibrant sensation.
A sense of ease and well being,
Perhaps weaving in sensations from your inner sanctuary.
And this vibrant aliveness in the front and the back of the body at the same time.
A sense of joy,
Ease,
Well being and being.
Now bringing attention to the breath.
Lengthening your inhales,
Lengthening the exhales.
On the next breath,
Let's count the inhales for a count of four and count the exhales for a count of eight.
We'll do this together for a few rounds and then I'll leave you to count in your own time.
So inhale together and one exhale.
And let's inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for eight,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continuing in your own time,
Inhaling for a count of four,
Exhaling for a count of eight.
If by the end of the exhales for a count of eight you feel like you're running out of breath,
You might like to change the ratio of your inhales to eight.
And then you can change the ratio of your exhales to eight.
So inhaling for a count of eight,
Exhaling for a count of eight.
And then you can change the ratio of your exhales to your exhales.
So inhaling for a count of eight,
Exhaling for a count of eight.
Or to bring it down a notch,
That's inhaling for a count of three,
Exhaling for a count of six.
To take it up a notch,
That's inhaling for a count of five,
Exhaling for a count of ten.
Doubling the ratio of your exhales to your inhales allows the nervous system to relax.
So with every lengthening of the exhale,
Notice the body relaxing.
And notice the sensations in the body.
And notice what's also happening in the mind as your body starts to relax with every lengthening of your exhale.
If it's helpful,
Weave in sensations from your inner sanctuary.
This joy,
Ease and wellbeing in being.
Know that your inner sanctuary is always here for you to tap into.
This deep relaxation opening into a deep joy and presence is always here.
Noticing any emotions that might be present.
Acknowledging them and witnessing them.
But there's no need to go into any story around them.
Noticing if any thoughts are also present.
Once again acknowledging the thoughts,
But letting them pass.
All of these thoughts,
Emotions and physical sensations are present in this unchanging sea of awareness.
This deep relaxation.
Sitting in this sense of ease and joy,
This sense of being opening into pure joy and awareness.
Perhaps the more you breathe deeper in doubling the exhales,
The more you may be able to open into this deeper sense of relaxation and a deeper consciousness.
Now releasing all count in the inhales and exhales.
And allow the breath to come back to its regular pace.
Noticing what is present right now in mind and body.
If it's helpful weaving in sensations from your inner sanctuary of joy and ease.
You might like to recall your intention you set at the start of this practice.
To let go of any stress around you and to allow your mind and body to fall into deep relaxation.
Notice where you might be feeling right now in your mind and body.
And perhaps a very simple reminder for yourself that in this and every moment may I remember to feel my innate sense of well-being.
Take a few moments to thank yourself for taking this time to drop into deep relaxation.
Notice how you're feeling in this very moment in mind and body.
Even in a short space of time we can always bring ourselves back to this space of joy,
Ease and well-being.
Your inner sanctuary is always here for you to come home to.
So keep practicing.
I'm Jamie Tan at Light and Spoon feeding your mind,
Body,
Soul.
On this channel we're all about mindful living.
Bringing some inner peace to your full on busy days.
I love hearing your experiences in this community so do share in the comments below your experience.
You can also find more of my meditations on the Insight Timer app.
Or download one of my yoga nidras for better sleep.
I hope they help you find more grace,
Ease and flow in your busy life.
And I'll see you in the next one.
