Hello,
This is Gemma and welcome to this grounding yoga nidra practice.
Grounding helps us to connect to the earth and our bodies.
It can be hard to tune out of the constant chatter of the mind.
Our minds are wonderful for many things,
But sometimes they can get quite noisy and overwhelming,
Making it difficult to tune into the body and hear its wisdom.
And this yoga nidra is an opportunity to do just that.
To quiet the mind,
Connect into the physical body and connect to ourselves.
So take a moment now to settle into a quiet,
Undisturbed space,
Just for you.
You might like to cosy up under a blanket.
Place a pillow under the knees to soften the lower back.
And you may want to lower the lights,
Or even place an eye pillow over the eyes,
To allow you to really go inwards,
Disconnect from the outside world,
And support you in tuning into the body.
Slowing down.
Beginning to relax and let go.
You might acknowledge any sounds that are around you,
Whether near or far,
Just allowing them to fade into the background as you bring attention into the body with the breath.
Take a few deep breaths here to start to unwind.
Take a deep,
Gentle inhale through the nose,
All the way down,
Filling the belly,
Followed by a long,
Slow,
Extended exhale through the mouth.
In your own time,
Inhaling through the nose,
Filling all the way up,
Gently and with ease,
And slowly exhaling out through the mouth,
Letting it all go.
One more time now,
Inhaling,
Feeling the air draw deep down into the belly,
And exhaling all the way out.
Just allow the breath to find its own natural rhythm now.
No need to force it in any way.
Allow the breath to move in and out of its own accord.
And just notice what that's like.
How does the breath feel in the body in this moment?
Whatever your experience is,
Can you welcome it?
Allow it to be just as it is.
And with every breath you breathe out,
You can notice the different muscles in your body.
Begin to relax and let go.
Notice the muscles in your forehead.
Just relax and let go.
The muscles of the face and jaw softening,
Releasing.
The neck and shoulders relaxing and letting go.
The muscles of the back,
The chest,
The tummy,
And all the way down,
Down through the legs to the feet.
All beginning to relax and let go.
And as you rest here with the breath,
Welcome in your Sankalpa,
A deep heartfelt intention for your practice.
You may have your own personal Sankalpa,
Or you may like to use I listen to the wisdom of my body.
Or you may simply say,
I am grounded.
Just tune into what resonates for you,
And then quietly repeat your Sankalpa three times to yourself now.
Moving awareness throughout the body now.
You may find at times your mind gets carried away by thoughts.
Simply notice when that happens and gently come back to my voice,
Back to your breath,
Back to your body.
Starting at the top of the head,
The forehead,
The eyebrows,
Eyes,
Cheekbones,
Temples,
Ears,
Nose,
Jaw,
Collarbones,
Centre of the chest,
Right shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Left hand,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Centre of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
First finger,
Second finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
Wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Centre of the chest,
Wrist,
Navel,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Ankle,
Pelvis,
Left hip,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
The whole of the left leg,
The whole of the right leg,
Both legs together,
The whole torso,
The whole left arm,
The whole right arm,
Both arms together,
The whole face and head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body together as one,
The whole body in union,
The whole body.
Bring all your attention to the breath in the body now.
Imagine a channel of energy radiating out from the soles of the feet into the earth below you,
Connecting you all the way into the core of the earth.
As you breathe in,
You draw in earth energy through the bottom of the feet.
As you breathe out,
You return energy down into the earth,
A mutual exchange of energy between your body and the body of the earth.
Breathe in earth energy,
Connection to all that is.
Breathe out,
Releasing any lingering tension into the earth to dissipate,
To dissolve.
Find a deep sense of connection to the earth beneath you,
Ever-present,
Supportive.
Notice now any parts of the body that feel heavy.
Notice any sensations of heaviness.
Welcome a sense of heaviness that roots you to the earth,
Sinking into the earth below.
And now notice any parts of the body that feel light.
Welcome in a sense of lightness to the body.
Perhaps a sense of drifting just above the earth,
Yet still connected by a few tendrils of energy rising from beneath you.
Let that go now,
And can you welcome in both a sense of heaviness and lightness simultaneously?
A sense of heaviness rooting you to the earth and a sense of lightness gently cradled by the earth's energy.
Bring a sense of heaviness again into the body,
Grounding you to the earth below.
Imagine now a big oak tree.
A big oak tree with deep,
Deep roots weave their way towards the core of the earth.
Imagine yourself resting against the wide,
Strong trunk of this oak tree.
Perhaps feel the texture of its bark against your skin.
The dappled light shines softly through the branches that sway gently overhead.
The lush green leaves softly murmur with the breeze.
You nestle yourself in amongst the strong roots that surface above the soft soil.
Breathe in the scent of the soil and the grass.
As you sink into the support of this majestic oak tree,
You sense its strength.
Steady.
As you rest against the support of the old oak,
You might welcome in once again your Sankalpa.
Perhaps feeling its grounding presence in the body.
The body resting in contact with the earth beneath you.
Held by the ever-present support of the ground below you.
Resting here in a deep state of peace.
Resting into awareness itself.
Notice the breath in the body once again.
Return to the sensation of the breath running through you all the way down to the feet.
The feet heavy.
The legs heavy.
The whole body in contact with the surface below you.
You might take in a gentle deep breath here.
In through the nose.
And a long,
Gentle exhale through the mouth.
Allow yourself to savour this moment.
Right here and now.
Bring awareness to the feet.
Perhaps the face.
Begin to get a sense of the space around you once again.
You might bring in some small movements to the fingers and toes.
Just gently waking up the body now.
And you might start to make those movements a little bigger.
Perhaps rubbing the feet together.
The fingertips and thumb tips together.
And just feeling the sensations of the movement in the hands and feet.
You might like to gently stretch.
Perhaps raising the arms over the head.
As you begin to welcome in sounds around you.
The sense of the room around you.
And in your own time you might remove the eye pillow if you have one.
Or gently flutter the eyes open.
And just lay where you are for a few moments longer.
Just taking in your surroundings.
Noticing how the body feels now.
There is no rush.
Bringing a sense of groundedness and peace back into the room with you.
Back into your day.
Thank you for practicing Yoga Nidra with me.
And I wish you a peaceful and grounded day ahead.
