Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.
This meditation is designed to help you drift off into restful sleep.
If you are using this during the day and have further commitments,
I invite you to set a gentle timer to wake you up.
Find a comfortable position laying down on your back.
Feet slightly apart.
Palms up.
You might like to use a pillow underneath your neck and under your knees.
Take your time to settle in and get as comfortable as possible.
Nidra translates to sleep in Sanskrit.
During this meditation,
The body is fully at rest while the mind remains conscious and aware.
If there is any other small adjustment you can make to allow yourself to be a little more comfortable,
I invite you to do that now.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Your own natural rhythm.
Notice the quality of your breath without trying to change it or judge it.
Just notice.
And on your next inhale,
Deepen the breath,
Hold at the top and open mouth exhale releasing all of the air out of the mouth.
Another deep breath in through the nose,
Hold at the top and open mouth exhale with a sigh.
One more breathing in peace and relaxation and breathing out any tension in the body.
And let that go.
We'll set our sankalpa,
Our intention for this practice.
It may be deep and restful sleep,
Waking full of energy,
Feeling nourished.
Whatever your intention is,
Is great.
Bring your intention into your mind's eye.
Imagine what it would be like if it were true.
How does it feel?
Allow this feeling to be present in your body at this time.
What does your life look like and feel like with your intention manifested?
Now let that go.
I will now begin to scan through each part of the body.
I invite you to remain as still as possible through this practice,
Bringing only your awareness to each part of your body as I guide.
I invite you to follow the sound of my voice.
Repeat the name of the body part silently to yourself as you hear them named,
Remaining still.
If at any point you lose track,
Just bring yourself back to the sound of my voice.
Bring your awareness to your right hand,
Right thumb,
Right index finger,
Right middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the hand,
Right wrist,
Right forearm,
Right elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of the torso,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the right foot,
Right knee,
Heel,
Top of the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Now we move to the left hand,
The left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the torso,
Left hip,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Now bring your awareness to the back of the body,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Space in between the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Both nostrils together,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Chin,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of chest,
Left side of chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The right leg and left arm together,
The left leg and right arm together,
The lower body,
The upper body,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Imagine a crackling fire and feel the sensation of heat in the body.
Imagine glistening snow and feel the sensation of cold in the body.
Feel the body hot and feel the body cold.
Now feel the body hot and cold at the same time.
Without thinking about how this is possible,
Just invite both feelings together,
Hot and cold.
Bring the awareness to the breath and we begin to count down with each inhale and each exhale,
Beginning with the number 30.
Inhale 30.
Exhale 30.
Inhale 29.
Exhale 29.
Inhale 28.
Exhale 28 and continue counting down to zero.
The goal isn't to get to zero,
But to focus on counting with the breath.
If you lose your count or hit zero,
Simply start back at 30 and continue.
The goal isn't to get to 12 or 13 or 14 or 50,
But simply get ready for that count.
Let the counting go.
Imagine yourself in a field of beautiful flowers.
Each flower blossoms with intention and love.
The colorful flowers with their sweet smell fill your body with their essence.
You hear the birds chirping,
The bees buzzing,
And feel the soft breeze of the wind on your neck.
A feeling of peace washes over you like a gentle wave in the ocean,
Cleansing you,
Nourishing you,
Refreshing you.
You feel alive,
Grounded,
And full of love.
