This is a restorative yoga nidra practice,
A resting meditation that will be done on your back.
Perfect for when you need help falling asleep or relieve any stress you might be feeling.
You want to make yourself as comfortable as possible,
So maybe dim the lights and lie down on your back.
If you have a bolster it's nice to place it underneath the knees and cover yourself with a blanket.
A pillow under the head and one over the eyes will also be really nice.
You can also use a sweater to cover your eyes and use props from around your home.
Make any last adjustments you need.
Heels are separated just a bit wider than hip distance apart.
You can adjust the flesh of the buttocks so it feels fairly symmetrical back there.
And it's like supporting the back half of your pelvis.
Your arms can be by your sides,
Your shoulders can be on your shoulders.
Palms can be by your sides,
Palms facing up.
We have so many sensory nerves in our fingers and in our palms,
So we want to limit the amount of sensory information that's coming into the body so we can begin to quiet the mind.
You can adjust the shoulder blades just a little bit underneath you,
Like two little teacup saucers resting underneath your lungs.
Find a nice gentle curve of the neck.
You can kind of nod your head yes and no.
Almost like a little bobble head doll.
Until you find that really sweet balance where you have a little breeze under your neck.
The forehead can be soft,
The jaw relaxes.
The lips might even part as the tongue falls into the floor of the mouth.
Close your eyes if you haven't already.
Just take one minute to scan your body and just become aware of the physical sensations in your form.
There's no need to fix them or judge them.
Just become aware.
You might sense the warmth of your skin,
A tingling in the palms or fingers or an area that feels quite spacious or congested.
Just scan your body.
Begin to feel the body pull into gravity,
Falling into the floor more and more with each breath.
And feel the earth rise up to meet you as if it's holding you,
Telling you it's okay to let go.
Completely relax the breath so you no longer have to shape it in any kind of technique.
Just your natural flow of breath in and out through the nose.
Become aware of that very subtle movement of the breath at the belly.
This tiny little rise and fall of the belly as you breathe.
Then silently begin to count back from ten every time you exhale.
So the next exhale as it comes,
Just silently think ten.
The next time the belly naturally falls,
Nine.
Moving back,
Relaxing deeper and deeper with each count.
If you get lost in the counting,
Just start again.
Or if you finish early,
Again,
Just start again.
Each time letting a little bit more go,
Relaxing a bit deeper.
If you get lost in the counting,
Just start again.
Each time letting a little bit more go,
Relaxing a bit more.
Each time letting a little bit more go,
Relaxing a bit more.
Relax your counting,
No matter what number you've gotten to.
We're just going to move awareness through our body now,
Like a rotation of consciousness.
So place your awareness,
Your attention into your right hand.
No need to move it or feel anything particular.
Just feel the density of your presence,
Your awareness in your right hand.
Feel your right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Right forearm,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right underarm,
Right ribs,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Right groin,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
The space around the knee,
Right shin,
Right ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole of the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Left forearm,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Underarm,
Left ribs,
Left waist,
Left hip,
Left groin,
Left thigh,
Your knee and the space around the knee,
Left shin,
Left ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Back of your head,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Your right heel and your left heel,
Ball of the pelvis,
Spine,
Lower belly,
Upper belly,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Center of the chest,
The throat,
Your chin,
Bottom lip,
Top lip,
The space between the lips,
Tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The right ear,
The left ear,
Tip of the nose,
Bridge of the nose,
The right eye,
The left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
Forehead,
Crown of the head,
Feel the entire back of your body,
Now feel the entire front of your body,
Now feel your whole body,
The whole body resting here,
Feel the whole body resting.
Remaining still,
Just become aware of your body.
Let's gently begin to deepen the breath,
Feeling a sense of renewal.
You can allow the breath to grow slow and large that it begins to move down through your arms and legs,
Animating the feet and toes,
Wiggling your fingertips and your toes.
It might feel good to roll the head gently from side to side,
Stretch out the arms overhead.
Taking your time,
When you do feel ready,
You can bend one knee at a time,
Placing your feet on the bolster or the floor.
When you feel ready,
Pull your knees to your chest and give them a squeeze.
And when you're ready,
Rolling over to your right side and just rest in a fetal position.
You can create a little pillow for your head with your right arm,
Just stay here honoring your practice,
Honoring the time that you've dedicated to your practice and the experience that's born out of that engagement.
When it feels right,
You can press your left hand into the earth and just lazily peel yourself back into a comfortable seated position,
Cross-legged or kneeling.
Let's take the palms together and just gently rub the palms,
Creating a bit of heat between the hands.
Let's take the palms together in front of the chest and you can bow your chin towards your chest.
Namaste.
