When your body is going through treatment or a long process of healing,
It's easy to focus all of your energy on the physical body.
Through the practice of Yoga Nidra,
We are able to see and experience not only the physical body,
But the other layers that make up you.
You have a physical body,
And also energy and breath,
What we call prana in yoga,
Also called the life force.
You have an inner world of thoughts and emotions that you are capable of feeling.
You have a layer of awareness,
Where you might notice patterns within your thoughts,
Emotions,
Energy,
Or the physical body.
You have a layer of connection to something bigger than yourself,
Whether that's nature,
Art,
The force,
Or a spiritual belief.
And at the very center of all of these layers is what we call the atman,
Or the light within you,
The soul or the essence.
This is the part of you that has all the answers,
That can see the bigger picture,
And that cannot be impacted by experiences of the physical body.
The invitation of this practice is to invite awareness to each of these layers of yourself,
And to find some kindness and relaxation along the way.
So settle into your space,
Seated or lying down,
In a warm and supportive position,
As close to comfortable as possible.
If at any point you start to feel uncomfortable,
Please make any movements or adjustments you need,
And then come back to the practice.
Let's start by noticing the environment around you.
With your eyes closed or gazing down softly,
Begin to observe.
Notice what you can hear in this space.
Are there consistent sounds,
Like the buzz of electricity?
Or inconsistent sounds,
Like animals or traffic?
Notice what you can see,
Even with your eyes closed or gazed down.
Is there movement in this space?
Is it bright or is it dark?
Observe any smells you are aware of.
Even spaces that are very familiar have a scent.
See if you can sense it.
Notice if there is a taste in your mouth.
What kind of quality does it have?
Without needing to move,
Observe what you are touching.
What does your clothing feel like on your skin?
What does the air feel like around you?
What does the ground feel like underneath you?
All of this information is true and real,
And very likely to shift.
And it's not the focus of our practice going forward.
So if you do notice your attention going to your environment,
Simply say hello to it and then set it off to the side for now.
Now let's set an intention.
Your intention can connect with any layer of yourself,
Your physical body,
Energy,
Thoughts,
Emotions,
Awareness,
Or connection.
Intentions are most powerful when set in a positive way with present tense like it's already true.
Your intention may start with I am or I feel.
When you have your intention,
Name it silently to yourself.
Then give it thanks and let it go.
Now we'll move through a rotation of awareness through the body.
As each place is named,
You might imagine a warm,
Glowing light encompassing that area.
Begin with your right thumb.
Imagine this glowing,
Warm light embracing your thumb.
Bring your awareness to your right first finger.
Glowing,
Warm light.
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
The palm of your right hand,
Of your right hand,
The back of your hand,
Entire hand,
Right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side waist,
Hip,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
The top of your right foot embraced in warm,
Glowing light,
The sole of your foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Entire right foot.
Bring your awareness to your left thumb,
Imagining warm,
Glowing light.
Left first finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
The palm of your left hand,
The back of your hand,
Entire left hand,
Glowing,
Warm light,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
The left side of your waist,
Upper leg,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
The top of your left foot,
The sole of your left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe,
Entire left foot embraced in warm light.
Bring your awareness to the crown of your head,
Your forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eye,
Warm,
Glowing light,
Left eye,
Warm,
Glowing light,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right cheekbone,
Left cheekbone,
Nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
The inside of your mouth,
Teeth,
Tongue,
Notice your chin,
Jaw,
The right side of your neck,
The left side of your neck,
Entire head and neck,
Bring your awareness to the right side of your chest and torso,
Bathing this area in warm,
Glowing light.
Now the left side of your chest and torso,
Entire chest and torso,
Right hip and leg,
Left hip and leg,
Entire pelvis and legs.
Notice the entire right side of your body,
The entire left side of your body,
Entire front side of your body,
Entire back side of your body,
Entire body bathing in warm,
Glowing light.
Now bring your awareness to your low belly.
Notice how this area moves with your breath.
It expands on your inhales and softens on your exhales.
Follow this rhythm of breath in your low belly for a few rounds.
In a moment,
We'll start to count backward from 10 to 0 on your exhales with awareness at the low belly.
Internally,
It might sound like inhale,
Exhale 10,
Inhale,
Exhale 9,
And so on down to 0.
If you get to 0 or lose your place,
Return to 10 and start again.
With awareness at your low belly,
Count backward 10 to 0 on your exhales.
Begin.
Begin.
With every exhale,
Imagine you can drop down a layer.
Release awareness at your low belly and bring awareness to your heart center,
The balanced middle of your chest from front to back,
Left to right.
Notice how your breath moves in this space,
Expanding and softening with each breath.
With awareness at your heart center,
Count backward from 10 to 0 on your exhales.
Begin.
Release awareness at your heart center and bring awareness to your throat.
Notice the passage of breath here.
Soft on the inhale,
Relaxed on the exhale.
With awareness at your throat,
Count backward from 10 to 0 on your exhales.
Begin.
With every exhale,
Imagine the muscles in your throat relaxing a little bit more.
Release awareness at your throat.
Now we'll go through some images.
Simply listen and observe as each one is repeated a couple of times.
A field full of wildflowers.
A field full of wildflowers.
Birds flying across a sunset.
Birds flying across a sunset.
A serene mountain lake.
A serene mountain lake.
A waterfall.
A waterfall.
Clouds gently passing by overhead.
Clouds gently passing by overhead.
A candle flame.
A candle flame.
Bring your awareness back to your intention.
It may be the same one from the beginning of your practice or it may be a new intention for this moment.
Name it to yourself silently.
Give it thanks and let it go.
Take a deeper breath in and out.
Again,
Inhale and exhale.
Notice if your body is ready to move.
And if so,
You might start with some gentle movement in your fingers and toes.
You might gently rock your head from side to side.
And notice if any other places want to move or stretch.
And this concludes our practice of Yoga Nidra.
You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need.
Namaste.
