Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,
Also known as yogic sleep or effortless relaxation.
I am Beth and I will be your guide today.
I invite you to begin by getting yourself
Into a comfortable position.
You are welcome to lie on your back,
Maybe with a bolster
Or a pillow under the knees,
Or maybe you prefer to lie on your side today.
Just making
Yourself as comfortable as possible in your nidra nest.
Maybe tucking yourself in with
A blanket.
Of course,
During this time if you do need to adjust or move,
Feel free to
Do so.
And as I guide you through this practice,
If anything I say doesn't resonate with you
Today,
Know that that is okay and you can ignore the words in themselves and allow yourself
To just drift,
Letting my voice be a safe sound in the background as you enter into
This nidra state,
A place between wakefulness and sleep.
The theme of our yoga nidra today is spring,
A time of renewal and growth.
Springtime is
Often seen as nature's new year,
A perfect time for setting intentions.
Towards the end
Of the nidra,
I will invite you to visualise or feel yourself walking through a field surrounded
By the vibrant colours of spring.
But if any other images or sensations come up during
This time,
Feel free to ignore my suggestions and to just have your own experience.
Now we will begin by arriving in the body,
Noticing how you are feeling today.
Where
Are you holding onto tension?
Where can you release and soften?
Maybe having a moment
To notice any thoughts,
Any emotions.
What are you telling yourself right now?
Is it
Kind?
Are you showing yourself the love,
The compassion that you deserve?
And then bringing
Your awareness to your breath,
And there's no need to change or control anything right
Now,
But watching the natural rhythm of this breath,
Effortless,
Flowing,
Each exhalation
An invitation to soften.
And if you like,
You can sigh a couple of times,
Releasing
Any of that tension that you may be holding onto.
And now we'll rotate the awareness around
The body.
As I name each body part,
Simply bring your awareness there,
Allowing yourself
To feel it,
Soft and warm.
We'll start with the top of the head,
The forehead,
The right
Eye,
The left eye,
The nose,
The mouth,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The whole face,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The back of the head,
The neck,
The right shoulder,
Right
Upper arm,
Right forearm,
The back of the right hand,
The palm of the right hand,
The
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
The whole right hand,
The whole right arm,
The left shoulder,
The left upper arm,
The left forearm,
The back
Of the left hand,
The palm of the left hand,
The thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth
Finger,
Little finger,
The whole left hand,
The whole left arm,
The throat,
The collarbones,
The
Heart,
The stomach,
The right hip,
The right thigh,
The right lower leg,
The ankle and the right foot,
The whole right leg,
The left hip,
The left thigh,
The left lower leg,
The ankle and the left foot,
The whole left leg,
The
Tailbone,
The lower back,
Middle of the back,
The shoulder blades,
The whole back,
The back of the neck,
Back of the head,
And the top of the head
And then allowing the awareness to rest in the whole right side of the body,
Then the whole left side of the body,
And then expanding your awareness into the entire body
Being aware of the whole body resting,
The whole body soft,
And then bringing your awareness back to your breath
Noticing the way the body gently moves as you breathe,
Inhaling a sense of lightness or space,
Exhaling being held and supported
You can stay with this natural rhythm of your breath,
Or if you'd like,
Begin to add a soothing count,
Counting to 4 as you inhale,
And to 5 or 6 as you exhale
If this ratio doesn't work for you,
Simply choose another ratio,
Just allowing your exhales to be that little bit longer than your inhales
If it feels uncomfortable working with this count,
Don't push it,
You can always go back to just observing the sensations in your body as you breathe
And then if you are working with that count,
Simply releasing it,
We're now inviting you to explore if any parts of the body feel a little warmer than the rest
If you can't find anything particular,
You can choose to focus on your heart,
Imagining a nurturing warm light glowing there
And now feel if any parts of the body feel a little cooler than the rest,
And then bringing your awareness back to where it feels warm
And then back to where it feels cool,
And then bringing the awareness back to that warmth once more
And imagine that the warmth is expanding through the body,
Allowing the warmth to reach the areas that feel a little cooler
Allowing these areas to merge,
The warmth meeting the cool,
The perfect temperature,
Finding balance
And resting in this warmth,
Allowing the body to feel soft and held
I now invite you to begin visualising yourself standing in a beautiful field,
Surrounded by the vibrant colours of spring
What flowers can you see?
What colours are they?
How do these flowers smell?
And each flower bursting with new life and growth
Allow yourself to connect with the energy of this new growth,
Feeling it flow through your body and fill you with renewed energy and vitality
The air is warm and the sun is shining down on you,
Filling you with this warmth
And you take a deep breath in,
And then exhale in slowly,
Letting go of any negative thoughts or emotions
And now bring your attention to the ground beneath your feet
Imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet,
Extending deep into the earth
These roots are strong and sturdy,
Firmly anchoring you to the earth and grounding you in this present moment
As you continue to breathe deeply,
Imagine the energy of the earth flowing up through these roots and into your body
Through the soles of your feet,
Along your legs,
Hips,
Upper body,
All the way to your shoulders
And as you exhale,
The energy moves in the opposite direction,
From the shoulders all the way down through the soles of the feet,
Into the earth
Inhale from the soles of your feet to your shoulders,
And exhale from your shoulders to the soles of the feet
Taking a couple more breaths like this at your own pace
Like a soft wave,
Giving you energy,
Connecting you to the ground,
Connecting you to these roots in the earth
And this energy,
This breath is vibrant and powerful,
Filling you with strength and resilience
Allowing you to feel this energy flowing through your body,
Nourishing and supporting you
And now begin to imagine a beam of light shining down from the sky
This light represents the energy of the sun,
Filling you with warmth
As the light shines down on you,
Imagine it filling every cell in your body,
Energising and renewing you
You can take a few moments to bask in this light,
Feeling its warmth and its energy
Allowing yourself to be fully present in this moment,
Feeling the energy of spring all around you
And as you rest here in this spring field,
I want you to bring to mind a goal or intention that you would like to set for the coming year
It could be something related to your personal life,
Your career,
Your health and wellbeing
Whatever it is,
Allow yourself to connect with it fully,
Feeling the excitement and potential of this new beginning
And then visualise this intention as a seed,
Planted deep within your heart
And as you move forwards with each passing day,
This seed will grow stronger and taller,
Reaching towards the sun and the sky above
You can visualise this seedling and allow yourself to feel the energy of growth and renewal that is all around you
Feeling yourself growing stronger and more resilient with each passing moment
Filled with the potential and possibility of new beginnings of this springtime energy
And sitting with this intention,
With this seed for just a moment
And now we'll begin our slow and gentle return,
Slowly making your way back to your body
Maybe starting to become aware of the sounds around you
And you can stay with stillness,
Maybe letting yourself drift off into sleep
Or you can begin to move through your hands and your feet,
Maybe taking some deeper inhalations to awaken the body
And in your own time,
You can start to come out of the practice
Maybe bringing yourself back up to seated,
Or just gently rolling over onto one side
