And now we begin our practice of Yoga Nidra.
Just settle in to Shavasana.
Start to feel into the stillness.
Notice what it feels like.
To feel still.
Notice the breath flowing gently through the still body.
Cultivate the sense of stillness.
Now invite the breath to slow just a bit more.
Feel the whole body becoming soft.
Feel the sense of release.
Feel this sense of calmness.
And now we begin the part of Yoga Nidra called Rotation of Consciousness.
You're all name.
Part of the body and invite you to bring your awareness to the part named.
Let your awareness rest there for a moment or two until you're invited to move the awareness elsewhere.
Begin with the right hand.
Focus all of your awareness on your right hand.
Let everything else recede into the background.
Concentrate just on the right hand.
Shift the focus now to the right elbow.
Become aware of your right elbow.
Notice the right elbow completely.
But everything else.
All sensations,
All thoughts.
All mental activity,
Let it all go other than focusing on the right elbow.
Now shift the focus to the right shoulder.
Notice everything you can about your right shoulder.
Now focus on the right hip.
Concentrate your awareness on your right hip.
Draw the awareness down the right leg to the right knee.
Pause there.
Feel into your right knee.
Now draw the awareness further down the right leg to the right foot.
Focus on your right foot.
Shift the focus to the left foot.
Draw the awareness up the left leg to the left knee.
Focus on the left knee for a time.
Now draw the awareness up to the left hip.
Concentrate your awareness on your left hip.
Now concentrate on the left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Left hand.
Come back to the left elbow.
Left shoulder.
Left hip.
Left knee.
Left foot.
Focus on your left foot.
And shift the focus to the right foot.
Right knee.
Right hip.
Right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Right hand.
Now expand the awareness and become aware of the whole body.
Focus on the whole body all at once.
Focus all of your awareness.
On the whole body.
Now bring your awareness to your forehead.
Focus on the surface of the forehead between the eyebrows.
Concentrate as deeply as you can on the eyebrow center.
Stay focused on eyebrow center.
Now shift the focus to the eyes.
Focus on the eyes behind closed lids.
Now the ears,
Focus your awareness on both ears.
Shift the focus now to the base of the nose.
Notice the nostrils.
Notice the breath flowing in through the nostrils as you inhale.
Feel the breath circulating in the body.
Now notice the breath flowing out through both nostrils on the exhale.
Follow the breath flowing in and out through the nostrils.
For several different cycles of breath.
Feel into the flow of the breath.
The flow in.
The flow out.
Now release the breath awareness.
And imagine that you are resting in a pool of water.
The water is warm.
The water is about at the level of your neck.
It feels safe.
It feels serene to rest in the warm water.
Notice that the surface of the water is completely flat.
Like glass.
Focus all of your awareness on the surface of the water.
In the pool.
Now see a ripple.
In the surface of the water.
Notice the ripple arose because of gentle movement in your body.
Each time you move,
You create a ripple on the surface of the water.
Try and minimize.
The movement.
Allowing the surface of the water.
To return to its glass-like state.
Stay focused on the surface of the water.
Notice also now that you're breathing in and breathing out.
The motion of the body on the inhale and the exhale.
Causes gentle movement.
Ripples.
In the surface of the water.
Watch the surface of the water and notice the ripples as you breathe in.
And breathe out.
Now try to soften the breath as much as you can.
Minimizing the ripples.
On the surface of the water.
Stay focused on the relationship.
Between the breath.
And the ripples on the surface of the water.
Soften the breath even more.
Until there's almost no movement at all.
Transmitted by your breathing.
To the surface of the water.
The breath is so gentle and so soft.
That the water stays almost completely glass-like.
Focus on the surface of the water.
Now release the visualization.
Of resting in the water.
Begin to remember where you are.
Remember any details at all of the space that you're in.
Now become aware of your body resting.
In the room.
Begin to invite movement gently to the fingers of both hands.
Very subtle,
Very gentle movement.
Now invite movement to the toes.
Again,
Very gentle,
Very subtle.
Now start to move the hands and fingers a little bit more.
And then let the feet join in that movement.
Eventually bend your elbows.
Take a deep breath.
With the exhale,
Bend the knees.
Once the knees are bent,
Roll over to either side.
And pause for a moment.
On your side.
Just notice here what arises for you.
Take another deep breath in.
And with the exhale,
Come up to a seat.
Well,
Thank you so much for being here and for your beautiful,
Beautiful practice today.
I offer you,
As I always do,
Loving kindness.
May you be happy.
May you be well,
May you be safe,
May you be peaceful,
And may you be at ease.
All right.
Well,
That concludes our practice for today.
