Welcome to your practice of yoga nidra.
Find support through any props that you need.
Maybe a blanket under base of skull or bolster underneath.
Blankets for warmth or eye pillows.
Turn palms up as the arms widen from the body.
Toes fall open hip width or mat width apart.
Before we settle completely we will do a little movement.
You might want to take your hair down.
That always helps me relax.
And as you settle,
Gather breath from toe tips slowly rising up spine gather from fingertips to top of head.
Exhale out of the mouth with a sigh or a ha and watch the breath.
Take the same course back down bones dropping.
Again,
Inhale gather toe tips,
Fingertips,
Crown.
Exhale out the mouth.
Invite any tension to exit out of the fingertips,
Toe tips or spine to the earth.
Again.
And at the bottom of your next exhale feeling the body settle.
Let's practice opposite stretching to release any stored tension.
Right arm goes overhead and you can lift the wrist and point through the fingers as you extend through the left leg.
You might point the toes or lift the heel or even lift the glute.
Breathe in as you stretch from right fingers to left toes and then exhale release and bring the right arm back alongside body.
Now left arm goes overhead.
Inhale stretch through left fingers and right toes stretching and reaching.
Inhaling,
Breathing maybe hold the breath.
Out the mouth.
Left arm moves back down to the side body.
Now both arms and legs inhale arms overhead.
Maybe lift the glute,
Stick out your tongue,
Stretch your eyes or stretch your jaw.
Stretch from fingers,
Toes,
Spine.
Out the mouth.
Arms alongside your body,
Back to corpse pose.
Feeling the flood of energy.
Breathing from toe tips to fingertips again.
And a sigh as you exhale letting go even more.
And at the bottom of your breath release any control of the breath.
As you step into yoga nidra,
You step into sacred space within.
Releasing,
Holding,
Stress,
Tension on any layer,
Mind,
Body,
Heart or energetic system.
Noticing any holding that may be from the past,
Future or the present.
And suggesting that the mind arrive here now.
Breath so soft.
Witnessing the soft breath.
How it breathes you.
And you're witnessing this experience as it unfolds.
Releasing all judgment,
Expectation and entering into yogic sleep,
Nidra,
Where the body rests so completely.
And the mind aware,
Listening.
Whole body relaxed and mind receptive.
Listening.
And from this moment on release all doing.
Nothing to do.
Receiving this experience as you feel your body fully.
And feel the heart.
The heart full fertile soil.
And imagine a seed in the center of the heart.
Maybe that seed has words.
An intention.
Something you'd like to state.
A way of being.
I am whole.
Maybe it's something you want to create in your life.
It's a very simple statement.
It's present tense.
I am and positive.
And if words arise from that seed of the heart,
Just let them form a sentence that is your intention for practice in life.
And repeat it to yourself silently three times.
And if nothing is arising,
No need to force it.
Just enjoy the expansive space of your heart in silence.
And feel this knowing in your heart that as you state the words,
It's true.
It's reality.
It's here.
It's now.
And say to spirit,
To life,
Bring me this or something greater.
And follow my guidance as your awareness moves through your body.
Just touching your awareness to the parts that I name.
Tailbone.
Pubic bone.
Pelvic floor.
Right hip.
Knee.
Ankle.
Foot.
All five toes.
Left hip.
Knee.
Ankle.
Foot.
All five toes.
Foot.
All five toes.
Pelvic floor.
Lower spine.
Mid spine.
A light touch of awareness.
No effort.
Upper spine.
Neck.
Base of skull.
Still base of skull to tailbone.
And whole spine.
Whole spine.
Whole spine.
Right shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
Hand.
All five fingers.
Left shoulder.
Wrist.
Left elbow.
Hand.
All five fingers.
Naval point.
Space between the ribs.
Inner chest.
Hollow throat.
Jaw.
Tongue.
Grip of tongue.
Roof of mouth.
Eyebrow center.
Eyes.
Inner ears.
Crown.
Block of head.
Whole body.
Whole body.
Whole body.
Bring your attention to your natural breath.
Breathing you.
Just witness the breath take this pathway.
From tailbone,
Inhale to base of skull.
Exhale base of skull to tail.
Every time the breath rises from tailbone to base of skull,
You fill the spine with light.
Every time you exhale from base of skull to tail,
You fill the spine with white light.
From tailbone to tail.
From tailbone to tail.
From tailbone to tail.
And releasing the breath.
Bringing the inner gaze to the eyebrow center.
Watching darkness behind the eyes.
Or a blank screen behind the forehead.
Feel to mind the images,
The scene I name.
With imagination and feeling.
It's a winter night at sunset.
And you're standing on the bank of a frozen lake.
Luminous colors fill the sky.
The sunlight is reflecting on the surface of the ice as if creating rainbows in the air.
You decide to start to step on the ice and it's stable,
It holds your weight.
Every step that you take,
You can hear the ice crunching under your feet.
As you make your way towards the center,
Further away from the shore,
The bank,
You take a step and the ice is thinner,
It cracks.
You're not scared.
The sun finally sets and the sky is light.
The air quiet.
You take another step and the crack in the ice becomes bigger.
You can hear the crack moving all around you.
You're not scared.
You take another step and your foot falls through the surface of the ice and your body follows.
It's cold and peaceful.
Relax all around as your body sinks.
The further that your body sinks,
It becomes heavier and smaller.
Your body is sinking.
It's like your limbs contract.
Your body dissolves and all there is is dark,
Quiet.
When you get towards the bottom of the lake,
You become a seed and as you touch the bottom of the earth,
The seed sinks deeper.
Inside the seed that was once your body is golden light.
Resting and in that light,
You recognize the luminous presence of your highest self.
Once dormant but now vibrant golden light in the form of a seed.
That golden seed holds the light of your intentions and your dreams.
Seeing that seed in the center of your chest.
Touch into the presence of that golden light and enter the sanctuary of silence.
Reconnect to the intention that you created at the beginning of practice.
Same words repeated from a place of appreciation.
Repeat your intention to yourself silently three times.
And feeling the reality of the words that it's here,
It's so.
And the light of your highest self recognizes and acknowledges your intention.
Remember you are the emissary of light and love.
Worry it with you wherever you go and to everyone you meet.
Feel your body lying on the floor resting.
Your body supported by the earth holding you.
Your senses slowly begin to externalize by listening to sounds beyond my voice.
Your senses externalize without opening the eyes,
Just imagining the room around you,
The walls,
The ceiling.
And then eventually without rushing,
Your breath will slowly begin to deepen.
And as you continue to deepen your breath,
Your body will eventually move.
There's no rush.
It might move just by wiggling fingers or toes.
It might move by stretching or hugging the knees into the chest.
You'll make your way to a fetal position to the right at some point and you can always take more time and keep resting.
It's not a problem.
When you do rise,
You'll face the front and we'll do a little palming.
Please don't feel rushed,
Which means you'll just rub your hands together and create a little warmth and energy and presence by feeling your touch,
Breathing.
Then you'll cup your eyes.
Your fingers go above your eyebrows.
Take a breath in and exhale,
Palms to the soles of the feet,
Just grounding your energy here,
Taking a breath and gathering the hands at the heart.
Exhale completely.
For the sound of om,
Breathe in.
Bringing the thumbs to the eyebrow center in prayer,
Bowing the head,
Honoring the sacred space shared in the tradition of yoga,
We say namaste.
The head rises right hand to heart,
Left hand on top,
Right thumb crosses on top.
This is the Eagle mudra or the wings of the heart.
Jai is a Sanskrit word,
Praise.
Raise the flow that guides you,
Your heart,
Your spirit,
Your life.
May you listen and follow its guidance.
We say jaiya fla.
Jaiya fla.
Thank you.
