Welcome to your Christian-based yoga nidra,
Focusing on Psalm 51.
Starting in a comfortable seated form,
Begin to relax your shoulders away from your ears,
Rooting your sacrum as you elongate your spine,
Imagining invisible string lifting through the crown of your head as you breathe into your pelvis,
Lower abdomen,
And chest expanding as you count to four.
Exhale releasing the tension as you count to four,
Allowing your navel to draw into your spine with every exhale.
Repeat this breath,
Inhaling to the count of four,
Exhaling to the count of four,
As you root and draw up through the crown,
Settling in.
If you feel comfortable,
You may close your eyes or keep your gaze soft and open.
Imagine you are dwelling in which God lives,
You inhale and allow his spirit to flow freely.
And in him,
You two are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.
Ephesians 2 20-22.
Exhale for your lower abdomen,
Expand your chest,
Expanding,
Exhaling,
Compressing to the spine.
Imagine God restoring every part of your being,
Your body,
Heart,
Mind,
Spirit,
Soul.
Now coming into a laying form if you're comfortable,
If not,
You can stay in a seated position.
The breath is one of the most basic yet complex and even mysterious functions in the body.
It is the cornerstone of all activities in the body.
As the breath is the cornerstone with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
As you breathe here,
Follow the breath and everywhere it goes.
Imagine it flowing from your head down your chest into your legs,
Through your feet to the other side,
Up the opposite leg,
Into the chest,
Heart,
Mind.
Send this life force to where you need it.
With every inhale,
Focus on God's faithful love.
Every exhale,
Empty yourself out to create space for God to work.
Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin,
For I am conscious of my rebellion and my sin is always before me.
Against you,
You alone I have sinned and done this evil in your sight.
So you are right when you pass sentence.
You are blameless when you judge.
Indeed,
I was guilty when I was born.
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
Verses two through five.
Imagine as you allow gravity to receive your weight,
Your physical body releases entirely,
Settling deeper into the ground for deep renewal.
Now with grace,
Let your consciousness move through your body as you are guided.
Feel each body part then move on to the next when prompted.
Surely you desire integrity in the inner self and you teach me wisdom deep within.
Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean.
Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Feel your face.
Notice as you move to release tension from your eyes,
Your mouth,
Your tongue relaxes,
Your ears as they cease to hear the room around you,
Tuning into the ever present whispers God offers all the time.
Release and surrender.
Let me hear joy and gladness with the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.
Move your awareness gently down to your throat.
The sensations of swallow and release your shoulders gently touching the ground.
The weight they carry now released.
Your chest as it rises and falls with your breath,
The breath of the spirit moving through you.
Imagine release and surrender.
Allow Jesus to heal you as you breathe from the inside out.
God create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore the joy of your salvation to me and give me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach the rebellious your ways and sinners will return to you.
Feel your pelvis,
Your hips,
Your arms,
Your hands and fingers.
Your little finger,
Your ring finger,
The middle index and thumb releasing them from their constant toiling.
Release surrender.
With steady breaths lightly resting in God's embrace your legs are weightless.
Breathe as your ankles,
Feet,
Toes and the soles of your feet release from their constant roll to support your weight.
Release and allow the weight to fall to your mat.
Save me from the guilt of bloodshed.
The God of my salvation in my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Lord open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.
Your entire body releases.
The weight now surrendered fully and completely in God's embrace.
Breathe in the grace and release.
You do not want a sacrifice or I would give it.
You are not pleased with the burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
God you will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
In your good pleasure cause Zion to prosper.
Both the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in righteous sacrifice and whole burnt offerings.
Lord I surrender all.
We surrender all.
Slowly bring awareness back to your body.
Start to feel every inhale and exhale as your chest expands and contracts.
Notice your feet if you feel comfortable start to move your ankles and wiggle your toes.
Maybe push your knees down into the ground feeling your thighs contract.
Start to notice your pelvis pressing into the ground your spine long and relaxed.
Your shoulders anchored your arms and your fingers.
If you would like you can start to wiggle your fingers rolling your shoulders.
Put your head heavy into the ground.
And start to take lightness to the space.
Maybe moving as feels comfortable.
You can keep your gaze open.
When you're comfortable you may roll over to your left or right side and push up into an easy sitting position.
Bring grounding through the sit bones.
Inhale nice and deep.
Your belly expand.
And exhale just sigh it all out.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Namaste.
