So make sure now that you are as comfortable as you can possibly be,
So if there are any last-minute movements or adjustments that you need to make for your comfort,
Do whatever you need to do so that you can completely surrender into your practice,
And perhaps forget that your body is even there at all as you rest.
And notice how even in this process of just getting ready,
Your body is already beginning to relax.
As you become more settled and more comfortable,
Feel your body naturally resting into the surface that you're lying on.
Feel your body becoming heavier as you rest into that surface.
Notice how every breath gently carries your body into a deeper level of relaxation.
With every breath,
Your body becomes more relaxed,
More peaceful.
Every breath carries tension away from your muscles.
And just notice the sounds that you can hear in your environment,
And just let the awareness jump from sound to sound without getting too involved in any particular sound,
Just observing that the sounds are there.
And know that the sounds are not going to disturb you as you practice today.
They can only help you to rest even more deeply.
If you have an intention for your practice today,
Just take a moment to bring that intention into your awareness.
So whatever has inspired you to practice yoga nidra today,
Perhaps for healing,
For rest and rejuvenation,
To begin a new cycle,
For meditation and self-exploration,
Maybe to help your body achieve better sleep.
Whatever your reason for practicing today,
Just bring that into your awareness now.
Take a moment to acknowledge it.
And we're going to take a journey around the body.
So just let the awareness rest at each body part,
As I name it.
Beginning at the right hand,
Bring the awareness to rest at the right hand thumb,
The right index finger,
The right little finger,
The palm of the right hand,
The back of the right hand,
The right wrist,
The right forearm,
The right elbow,
The upper arm,
The right shoulder,
The right side of the chest,
The right side of the abdomen,
The right waist,
The right hip,
The right thigh,
The knee,
The lower leg,
The right ankle,
The right heel,
The sole of the right foot,
The top of the right foot,
Each of the right toes,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Moving to the left side,
Bring the awareness to the left hand thumb,
The left index finger,
The left middle finger,
The ring finger and the little finger,
The palm of the left hand,
The back of the left hand,
The left wrist,
The left forearm,
The left elbow,
The upper arm,
The left shoulder,
The left side of the chest,
The left side of the abdomen,
The left waist,
The left hip,
The left thigh,
The knee,
The lower leg,
The left ankle,
The left heel,
The sole of the left foot,
The top of the left foot,
Each of the left toes,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
The whole of the right foot,
Rest the awareness on the whole of the right foot,
The whole of the right leg,
The whole of the right arm,
The whole of the right side of the body,
The whole of the left foot,
The whole of the left leg,
The whole of the left arm,
The whole of the left side of the body and the whole of the body together,
Awareness on the whole of the body together,
The whole of the body together.
Bring the awareness to the breath,
Follow the natural flow of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Watch the breath flowing into the chest,
The chest gently expanding and the chest gently contracting on the way out again.
Bring the awareness to that point just before the inhalation.
There's a tiny pause right before the inhalation begins.
Rest the awareness at this pause,
Allowing the rest of the breath to happen naturally.
At this point,
At the beginning of the inhalation is when each new cycle begins.
Observe the gentle movements that happen in the body with every breath,
The chest moving,
The abdomen moving,
The tiny movements that happen throughout the whole of your body.
Bring the awareness to all of the movement that's happening in your body right now,
Tiny subtle movements that always continue to happen,
Movements happening within the digestive system,
The blood circulating,
The heart beating.
Observe all of the movement throughout the whole of the body.
And now notice how still your body has become.
Notice how body is completely still,
As if fast asleep.
Observe the still sleeping body.
Rest the awareness on the stillness inside the body,
The stillness inside the body.
And now allow the awareness to be aware of movement and stillness at the same time.
Can you observe the body completely still and fast asleep and alive with movement and activity at the same time?
The experience of movement and stillness together.
Movement and stillness together.
Bring the awareness to the heart center.
Rest the awareness here in the peace of the heart center.
As you rest in the quiet stillness,
Every part of you will continue to heal,
Continue to renew,
Re-energize.
You are free to simply exist in the quiet peace of the heart.
And before you finish the practice,
Just take a moment now to create a positive vision of yourself,
Stepping back into your life.
See yourself re-energized,
Renewed,
Ready to begin a new cycle.
See yourself healthy,
Whole,
Filled with joy.
See yourself carrying the peace that you have cultivated during the practice back out into your day,
Back out into your life.
And now very gently begin to turn the awareness back outwards.
Notice any sounds that are present in your environment and just let the awareness jump between the sounds without getting too involved in any one sound,
But just acknowledging that they're there.
Watch the breath flowing in and out of the body.
And notice how every breath re-energizes and re-animates the body.
See the breath flowing into your hands and your feet,
Into your fingers and your toes.
And very slowly start to make some small movements to re-awaken the body.
When you feel ready,
Give yourself a stretch in any way that feels good for you.
Taking your time,
There is no rush to come back.
When you are sure that you're feeling wide awake again,
Slowly blink the eyes back open to complete the practice.
