Finding Your Inner Resource

A yoga Nidra practice specifically designed to support the cultivation of safety/steadiness in your body. "Inner Resource" refers to the practice of visualizing a space that helps you feel safe(r) and more present in your body. This practice invites you to cultivate felt safety in your body and to develop an Inner Resource practice.

Transcript

Welcome to your practice for finding or developing your inner resource,

The practice of cultivating a sense of felt safety in your system,

Or perhaps we may describe it as feeling okay.

You may be lying down.

And if you're lying down on a bed or on the floor,

You may want another pillow under your knees to support your low back.

You may wish a weighted blanket on you,

Or something covering your eyes.

And you may wish to press your elbows into the ground to tuck your shoulders,

A little more underneath you.

And then to press into the back of your head and your upper back to lift your hips and move them further away from you,

Lengthening your spine.

And you're going to draw we settle into stillness and endeavor to stay still.

While also remembering we have permission to move and choosing to move intentionally when we need to.

So checking in to see if any additions,

Subtractions,

Shifts or wiggles could bring you into even 5% greater comfort in this moment.

Allow comfort to be your practice today.

So perhaps the word comfort resonates with you.

And if you choose a different word,

That's okay.

Choose a word that resonates with you and invites you into tuning in and prioritizing your felt support,

Your felt comfort.

Becoming aware of the space around your heart.

Silently repeat your word three times.

While your awareness is in your heart space,

As if you were whispering this intention to your own heart.

If your mind wanders,

That's perfectly okay.

It's a very typical of minds.

Simply guide your mind back to the sensations of being here and breathing here.

That's all we're going to do is attune to being here and breathing here and using the focus of our mind using our attention and our breath to gradually shift and deepen our presence in our body and our breath.

So as you allow your awareness to continue to settle into practice,

Begin noticing sounds you identify as being the furthest away from you.

Could be a sound from the neighbor,

From the wind,

A refrigerator hum.

Notice the sounds furthest away from you.

Then notice the sounds between you and those far away sounds.

What sounds are closer and yet not closest.

Now notice the sounds very close to you.

The sound of your breath,

Perhaps the sound of my voice,

The sound of a pet nearby.

Notice what is close.

Notice the sound of your breathing.

As you notice the sound of your breathing,

See if you can allow your body to feel held by the ground underneath it.

As if this surface were coming up to meet and to hold you.

See if there is any more softness that you can bring into allowing this support coming up to hold you.

Now let us turn toward moving our attention,

The focus of our mind through areas of your body that I list.

You can almost imagine that your attention was lighting up or focusing a lens,

Bringing this area of your body into clear focus in your mind.

We are gently arriving and moving through one area at a time.

You may find your mind wanders,

And that's okay.

When you notice and you hear the next area listed,

Start there,

Bringing your mind back into moving through each area of your body.

Starting with the thumb on your right hand,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

The palm of your hand,

The back of your hand,

Your whole right hand,

The space between your fingers on your right hand,

Your right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Your right armpit,

Right side of your chest,

Right side of your waist,

Your right hip,

Thigh,

Right knee,

Right calf,

Ankle,

The heel of your right foot,

The sole of your right foot,

The top of your foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Your whole right foot,

The spaces between your toes on your right foot,

Now the thumb on your left hand,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

The palm of your left hand,

The back of your left hand,

Your whole left hand,

The spaces between your fingers on your left hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Your left shoulder,

Armpit,

The left side of your chest,

The left side of your waist,

Your left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

The ankle on your left foot,

The heel,

The sole of your foot,

The top of your foot,

Your left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Your whole left foot,

The spaces between your toes on your left foot,

Bring your attention up to the back of your head,

Your neck and upper back,

Shoulder blades,

Your mid back,

Lower back,

Back of your pelvis,

Backs of your upper legs,

Backs of your knees,

Calves,

Heels,

Bring your attention up to your forehead,

Both eyebrows together,

Both eyelids,

Your right eye,

Your left eye,

Both eyes together,

Your nose,

Cheeks,

Top lip,

Bottom lip,

Tongue,

Roof of your mouth,

Floor of your mouth,

Your whole mouth,

Your mouth,

Your throat,

Collarbones,

Chest,

Heart center,

Your solar plexus,

Just below the center of your rib cage,

Your belly button,

Just below your belly button,

Your pelvis,

And inner thighs,

Knees,

Shins,

Tops of your feet,

Your toes,

And now allow your awareness to expand back to your entire body,

Body,

Your whole body,

Resting,

Breathing,

Being held by the earth,

Held by the support underneath you,

Coming up to hold your whole body breathing.

Notice the movement of your breath.

Where do you feel your breath most easily?

In your chest,

In your back or belly,

Your collarbones or your nostrils.

And for a few moments,

Watch the movement of your breath.

In the same way,

In the same way a child may watch the movement of ants,

So closely attuning and watching the movement.

Gradually watching your breath move in and watching your breath move out.

Allow the effort of watching your breath gently dissolve.

Allow an image to arise,

Shaping the image of your inner resource,

A place that brings safety,

Steadiness,

A sense of feeling okay to your system.

It may be real or imagined,

Indoors or outdoors.

Let your body decide.

You may see a quiet forest path,

A cozy room with soft light,

A garden,

A meadow.

As you bring forward this vision,

Look around and notice the textures.

Notice the textures and details of this space.

Notice the colors and the quality of the light.

Notice the temperature.

Notice where you are in this space.

How are you in this space?

And what does the light feel like to you in this space?

How does the air feel on your skin in this space?

If your mind wanders,

Keep bringing it back to experiencing the textures and the details.

What do you notice?

What do you see in this space?

And how does it feel to be in this space?

Turn toward the sensations in your body.

How do you know this place feels supportive?

You may notice warmth or softening.

There may be a lessening,

A lightening,

Of effort,

Maybe a shift toward neutral.

Notice the body sensations of being here in this space.

Notice being in your inner resource,

An inner space,

Which is available to you at any time.

And if it feels welcome,

Allow a thread of joy to arise.

Not a performance,

Not a requirement.

Simply the joy of resting,

Of being with yourself.

Let it be subtle.

Let it be soft.

But notice if that thread arises.

And before we begin our transition out of our practice of yoga nidra,

Notice what you would like to carry forward with you.

It may be a word,

Maybe a phrase.

It may simply be a felt sense.

And when you notice it,

And when you notice what you would like to carry forward,

Take a gentle but purposeful breath into it,

As if your breath were an energetic camera that could capture that as a little snapshot.

And now begin to gather your awareness back into the room.

Notice the edges of your body,

The feeling of the ground underneath you,

Perhaps the sounds around you.

Reintroduce little movements that speak to you,

Perhaps wiggling your fingers or toes,

Turning your head left to right.

This may expand into a desire to take a full body stretch.

Or to bring your knees in and do a really snug squeeze.

In your way and in your time,

Ease your way out of this practice.

Thank you so much for your practice.

It's a privilege to be with you.

It's a privilege to teach.

Reviews

Calming and relaxing, thank you