Hello and welcome everyone.
I am Kate Zoukis and in this video I'm going to take you through the practice of Yoga Nidra.
So Yoga Nidra is a deep state of relaxation and it is one of my most requested meditations or relaxation techniques that I get from my clients and students.
So this is why I'm pulling this video together and making it available for you to do at a time that is convenient for you as well.
So a Yoga Nidra is also known as a body scan,
So you may have heard of a body scan meditation or also a yogic sleep.
It is a state of deep relaxation where you are relaxed but still aware and conscious,
So you're not entirely asleep.
However,
If you do this in the evenings,
Sometimes you might find yourself drifting off and that is completely okay.
Listen to your body.
So we're going to get started with this practice and this practice is best for you to do if you are lying down.
So just make sure you get into a comfortable position and if you can't lie down,
Just sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the ground is fine,
But I do recommend you lie down for this meditation.
You can do it lying on the couch,
Lying on the floor in Shavasana or lying in your bed is completely fine as well.
It actually is one of my favorite positions to do a Yoga Nidra in.
So you just need to be relaxed from your end.
So just take a couple of moments now just to get into a comfortable position.
Just settling into your space,
Gently just letting go of all of the events of the day so far.
Settling into who you are,
Letting go of anything that may be external to you,
Letting go of all expectations,
All judgments,
Just going within yourself and then just gently start to focus on your breath.
Just relaxing your body,
Just ensuring that your spine is long and straight,
Just lengthening up through the neck,
Through the head and the crown,
Just ensuring that your legs are just straight and relaxed,
Your feet are gently just flopped out to the sides,
Letting your arms just lie down by the side of you,
Relaxing your hands,
Starting to connect with your breath,
Starting to focus on your inhale and your exhale,
Gently closing your eyes or downcasting your eyes.
Whatever is comfortable for you,
This is your time.
Now gently starting to take your attention to your nose,
Just to the tip of your nose and just taking two big inhales here and then just exhaling completely,
Inhaling in,
And then exhaling completely and then taking your attention to your left nostril.
Nostril and now just see if you can inhale and exhale by only using your left nostril.
And now taking your attention and your awareness to your right nostril and again seeing if you can inhale and exhale through only your right nostril,
Just taking your focus and your awareness to your right nostril.
And now taking your attention to both nostrils and just inhaling and exhaling out through both nostrils.
And now taking your attention to your left eye and to your left eyebrow and now taking your attention to your right eye and your right eyebrow and relaxing both eyes and eyebrows together.
And now taking your attention to your left cheekbone and to your right cheekbone and to both cheekbones together and taking your attention to your left ear and your right ear and just feeling both ears together.
And now taking your attention to your lips,
To your tongue,
To your teeth and just feeling your whole mouth together and just relaxing your lips,
Your tongue and your teeth,
Just feeling your whole mouth relaxed and just taking your attention to your jaw and just relax your jaw and just feel your whole head and face and relax your whole head and face.
And now taking your attention to your throat,
Relax your throat,
Relax your neck and taking your attention into your body,
Into your body,
Just feeling your left shoulder,
Your left side of your chest,
Your left side of your waist and your left hip and just relaxing the left side of your torso and body and just taking your attention to your right shoulder,
To the right side of your chest,
To your right waist and to your right hip and just relaxing the right side of your torso and body and just feeling your whole shoulders,
Chest,
Waist and hips together and just relaxing your torso,
Feeling your whole torso as one and relaxing your whole torso and taking your attention now to your left arm,
To your left upper arm,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Hand and fingers and relaxing your left arm and taking your attention to your right arm,
To your right upper arm,
Elbow,
Right wrist,
Hand and fingers and relaxing your right arm.
Now feeling both arms together,
Both hands and fingers and just relaxing both arms,
Hands and fingers and taking your attention now to your left leg,
To your upper leg,
To your left knee,
To your calf and lower leg,
To your left ankle,
Foot and toes and relax your left leg and taking your attention to your right leg,
To your right thigh and upper leg,
To your knee,
Your right calf and lower leg,
Your ankle,
Foot and toes and just relax your right leg and now feeling both legs together and relaxing both legs,
Feeling both legs relaxed and feeling both feet and toes relaxed.
Now feeling your whole body relaxed from the crown of your head right down to the tip of your toes,
Feeling your whole body relaxed,
Feeling your body relaxed yet aware and just taking a few breaths into your whole body and feeling your breath as it is flowing through your whole body as your whole body is aware yet relaxed and gently start to count down to your breath from a count of 10 down to one as we start to close out this practice.
So inhaling and exhaling to 10,
Inhaling and exhaling to nine and continue to your own breath as you get to a count of one and once you have got to a count of one,
Gently start to bring some movement back into your body.
You can wriggle your fingers and your toes,
Start to bring yourself back into the room you are in as we gently close out this practice this practice of yoga nidra.
Namaste
