Let's begin our practice of Yoga Nidra.
If you haven't done so already,
Lay down on your back in Shavasana.
For those of you here with me live.
You're laying on a yoga mat.
And if you're listening to this later on.
Remember,
You can rest on a mat or you can rest on a blanket or any other sort of gentle cushioned surface.
Settle into the back body.
And just take a few moments to feel the back body resting on whatever surface you happen to be laying on.
Take a couple of moments to notice specifically how that feels.
And then now would be the time to make any adjustments to the posture.
That you feel like need to be made.
So that you can rest comfortably there for about the next 30 minutes or so.
Once you feel settled and content.
On your back.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold that breath for just a moment without force,
Very gently,
And then exhale and release the breath.
Let it go.
Let's do that again.
Breathe in.
Hold the breath gently.
Notice what it feels like to retain the breath.
And then let it go.
Now bring your awareness to the breath.
Flowing through the body.
Notice the inhale.
Notice how the breath pauses at the end of the inhale.
Before turning and becoming an exhale as the breath flows out.
There's another pause then after the exhale before the next inhale.
Begins.
See if you can focus on all four parts of breath.
Through three more complete cycles.
Now make any final adjustments to the position of your arms,
Your legs,
Your torso,
Your head.
And then say silently to yourself,
Now I am going to practice yoga nidra.
I will not sleep.
I will not move.
Now we'll begin the phase of yoga nidra called rotation of consciousness.
Here I'll name or identify parts of the body and invite you to bring your awareness to the part name.
And to let it rest there until you're invited to move the awareness somewhere else.
Begin with the tip of the right thumb.
Bring all of your awareness.
All of your concentration.
Just to the tip.
Of the thumb on the right hand and let your awareness rest there.
Broaden the awareness now.
Until you're focused on the whole right thumb.
Concentrate.
On the thumb on the right hand.
Shift the awareness now to the right index finger.
And notice the whole index finger on the right hand.
Right middle finger.
Right ring finger.
Pinky finger on the right hand.
Now focus all of your awareness on the palm of the right hand.
Notice the broad expanse of the right palm.
Now draw your awareness around to the back of the right hand.
Concentrate.
On the back of the right hand.
Now become aware of the right wrist.
Focus on the right wrist.
Try to let everything else go.
Focus all of your awareness on the right wrist.
Now draw your focus up your right arm to the right elbow.
Let it rest on the elbow.
Notice everything you can about the right elbow.
Now draw the focus up the right arm even more.
Let it rest on the right shoulder.
Draw the focus down from the shoulder,
Past the ribs on the right side.
And now focus on the right hip.
Come down the right leg to the right knee.
And now let your awareness rest on your right knee.
Draw the awareness down from the right knee to the right ankle.
Let your awareness rest on your right ankle.
Shift the focus to the top of the right foot.
And now the bottom of the right foot.
Focus now just on the big toe on the right foot.
And now focus on the tip.
Of the big toe on the right foot.
See what's there for you on the tip of the big toe on the right foot.
Shift the focus now.
To the tip of the thumb on the left hand.
Concentrate on the tip.
Of the thumb.
On the left hand.
If your awareness wanders somewhere else.
Once you notice that,
Gently bring the awareness back.
The tip of the left thumb.
Now become aware of the whole thumb on the left hand.
Notice everything you can about the left thumb.
Now bring awareness to the index finger on the left hand.
Left middle finger.
Left ring finger.
Pinky finger on the left hand.
Focus just on the pinky finger.
Now the left palm.
Back of the left hand.
Left wrist.
Flow up the arm to the left elbow.
Let your awareness rest on the left elbow.
Now draw the awareness up the arm to the left shoulder.
Focus now on the left shoulder only.
Now down the left side body to the left hip.
Let your awareness rest on the outside of the left hip.
Down the left leg to the left knee.
Now down the left leg to the left ankle.
Top of the left foot.
Bottom of the left foot.
Focus now on the big toe on the left foot.
Narrow your focus to the tip of the left big toe.
Concentrate intently on the tip of the left big toe.
And now expand the focus to the whole left side of the body.
From the tips of the toes on the left foot to the top of the head.
Notice the whole left side of the body.
Shift the focus to the right side of the body.
Notice the right side of the body from the tips of the toes on the right foot to the top of the head.
The right side of the body.
Now become aware of the whole body.
Focus all of your awareness on the whole body.
Stay focused on the whole.
Now bring awareness to the navel.
Concentrate 100% of your awareness.
On the navel.
Let your awareness rest there for a time.
Now shift the focus to the solar plexus.
Just below the lowest ribs,
In the center of the torso,
Bring your awareness to the solar plexus.
Let your awareness rest there.
Now bring awareness to the heart space.
Right in the center of the chest.
Shift the focus now to the throat.
Focus on the pit of the throat on the front side.
Now bring awareness to eyebrow center.
On the forehead.
Just between the eyebrows.
Let your awareness rest on Eyebrow Center.
Now return the awareness to the whole body.
Feel the whole body as one.
United.
Not a collection of parts or pieces.
The whole body as one,
A single unit.
Now become aware of the breath.
Feel the body breathing in.
And breathing out.
Feel the full cycle of breath all at once.
Let go of the idea that the breath is composed of separate parts.
Notice the whole cycle of breath.
Flowing.
Let your awareness continue to rest.
On the flow of the breath.
Let go of all other thoughts,
All other sensations.
Let yourself settle into the experience of the breath flowing.
Now begin to imagine that you are resting on a cloud.
Imagine a beautiful spring day.
The sky is a beautiful blue.
You're floating on the cloud in the sky.
It feels safe.
Floating on the cloud.
Just enjoy the freedom of floating.
Feel the cloud floating here and floating there.
Feeling light.
Feeling weightless.
Continue imagining.
Floating on the cloud.
Free and unencumbered.
Serene.
Joyful.
Nowhere to go.
Nothing to do.
Just floating.
Now become aware again of the breath.
Focus all of your awareness.
On the breath flowing in and flowing out.
Come back to awareness of the cycle.
Of the breath.
Notice that the cycle is unending.
Stay aware of the breath.
Flowing.
Now bring your focus back to your heart space.
Notice as you breathe in.
And the heart rises.
As you breathe out.
The heart falls.
Follow the rise and the fall.
Of the heart space.
With the flow of the breath.
Let yourself experience three more complete cycles of the heart rising and falling,
Synchronized with the breath.
Now begin to remember where you are.
See if you can bring up a specific memory of the room that you're in.
And remember where in the room you are resting at this moment.
And now as we begin the process of reawakening from our practice of Yoga Nidra.
Invite gentle movement into the fingers of the right hand.
Very gentle,
Very subtle.
And then bring awareness to the left hand.
Invite gentle movements into the fingers of the left hand.
Begin to rotate the hands at the wrist.
And then move the toes.
And rotate the feet at the ankles.
Eventually bend the elbows,
Bringing the hands off of the mat or the floor.
And then bend the knees.
Once the knees are bent,
Pause for a moment.
Take a breath or two.
And then roll over to whichever side feels more comfortable for you.
Pause there with the knees bent.
You can cradle your head in your arm if you'd like.
And from your side come to a seat.
Once you're seated,
Bring your awareness to your sitting bones and feel the sitting bones resting on the earth beneath you.
And bring the palms to the knees.
Soften the shoulders,
Soften the elbows and wrists.
Take a deep breath in.
As you exhale,
Gently open the eyes.
And that concludes our practice of Yoga Nidra today.
Thank you all so much for being here.
Have a wonderful rest of the day.
