Hi,
My name is Laurence and I welcome you to this Yoga Nidra journey to cultivate gratitude.
It is said that gratitude is the song the heart sings when it remembers the beauty of being alive.
May our hearts remember this feeling through our practice together.
We will begin with grounding in the body and the heart,
Using an awareness to breath.
So with your next in-breath,
Visualize or imagine that your inhale is coming in through your right hand,
Moving up your arm,
Pausing in your heart space.
And with your exhale,
Through your left arm,
Out of your left hand.
Inhaling through your left palm,
Pausing in your heart,
Exhaling through the right.
Inhale right.
Pause in the heart,
Exhale left.
It's your own pace going from left to right,
From right to left.
Now let go of the breathing pattern and let yourself settle in for your practice.
You might want to lie down on your back in Shavasana or rest in any position that feels the most supportive and comfortable for you.
Make sure you take some time now so that your body feels fully supported and ready to rest.
What might bring a little more comfort for your head and your neck,
Perhaps a pillow or your shoulders and your hips,
Maybe a bolster or rolled blanket behind the knees.
Bringing a soft blanket over your body for warmth,
Maybe an eye mask to invite darkness and calm.
Allow yourself to move,
To wiggle until you find the right position.
And when you feel completely ready,
Let yourself settle into stillness,
Knowing that stillness is simply an invitation.
And if at any moment your body needs to move,
Please honor that with kindness.
And now begin to open your awareness to listening,
To the natural receptivity of your ears.
There's nothing to do or to achieve.
Yoga Nidra is the practice of allowing.
So let my words wash gently over you and let yourself be guided by the sound of my voice.
Settle into the intention to remain present,
Awake and aware.
And as sleep comes,
Trust that this too is welcome.
Your body and heart will receive all the beautiful benefits of this practice.
Either way.
So bring your awareness back to your heart center,
Your inner lighthouse glowing softly from within.
And ask it gently,
What do you need?
What do you long for?
Take a moment to simply listen.
It may speak through words or sensations or even a peaceful silence.
Whatever arises,
Trust that this is perfect.
That this is the wisdom of your heart.
The seed of your personal Sankalpa.
You may choose to connect with your own intention or if you wish you can work with this one today.
Gratitude fills my heart and guides my way.
Repeat your Sankalpa silently three times with three breaths.
Allowing the words to settle deep within your being.
Now begin to invite your awareness to softly travel through your body.
Following the guidance of my voice.
As you rest your awareness on each part,
You might want to whisper a quiet thank you.
Or imagine a warm light of gratitude touching that area.
A simple way to recognize your magnificent body that carries you.
Let this journey through the body be an offering.
A loving dialogue between you and this sacred vessel that holds your precious life.
Bring your awareness to your right hand.
Your right thumb.
Thank you.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Thank you.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Thank you.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Calf.
Ankle.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
All five toes.
Thank you.
Now move your awareness to your left hand.
Your left thumb.
Thank you.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Thank you.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Thank you.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Ankle.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the foot.
All five toes.
Thank you.
Now your neck.
Awareness to your jaw.
Lips.
The inside of the mouth.
The cheeks.
Nose.
Eyes.
The forehead.
Crown of the head.
Now feel your whole body resting in stillness,
Wrapped in gratitude.
Your whole body.
Notice the breath.
Not changing it.
Just becoming aware of it.
Notice how the breath moves in.
And the breath moves out.
Following the flow of your natural breath.
Rest here,
Held by the gentle rhythm of your breath.
Rest here,
Held by the quiet pulse of gratitude moving through you.
Now gently invite the feeling of lightness into your body.
Let yourself feel as light as a feather.
As if your whole being could float.
Now welcome the weight of your body.
Feel the pull of gravity.
The groundedness of being here.
Return to the experience of lightness.
Then once more to the sense of heaviness.
And explore going back and forth between feeling this grounding heaviness and this elevating lightness.
Back and forth between the two at your own pace.
And now begin to sense both of these opposites together.
Welcoming the sensation of being light and heavy.
Floating and grounded at the same time.
Notice how your body holds them both.
And now allow the body to fade into the background.
As if you were opening a quiet space within the mind.
A clear,
Open sky of awareness.
As I name them,
Welcome the wonders of the natural world.
You might visualize them,
Just get a feeling.
And I invite you to remember that their qualities reside within you as well.
Imagine a sunrise.
Piercing through the darkness,
Sunrise.
A sunrise.
An ocean.
An ocean.
Endless,
Vast,
Calm ocean.
An ocean.
Some trees.
Ancient,
Strong,
Rooted trees.
Some trees.
A sunflower.
Tall,
Beautiful sunflower.
A sunflower.
A butterfly.
A light,
Delicate butterfly.
A butterfly.
A rainbow.
A colorful,
Brilliant rainbow.
A rainbow.
A rabbit.
Soft,
Curious.
A rabbit.
A full moon.
A luminous,
Shining,
Bright full moon.
A full moon.
Now allow gratitude to quietly light up your heart.
For the simple,
Abundant beauty that surrounds you here on earth.
And the abundant beauty that also lives within you.
And now let the images dissolve.
Return to the vastness of awareness itself.
Nothing to see.
Nothing to do.
Just resting in the quiet presence of what you truly are.
Rest here in the stillness that remains.
In this sacred awareness.
Magnificent.
Expansive.
Infinite.
Pure awareness.
And now gently recall your Sankalpa,
Your heart's deepest intention.
If you were working with these words today,
Gratitude fills my heart and guides my way.
Bring them back into your awareness now.
Gently bring your attention back to the sensation of your breath.
Feeling the rise and fall of the belly.
The movement of air through the nostrils.
The subtle rhythm that connects body and mind.
And expand your awareness to the shape of your body.
The edges,
The boundaries.
The points of contact with the ground.
Notice the weight of your body fully supported by the earth beneath you.
Feel the room around you.
The space that holds you.
Allowing yourself to sense the world outside your body.
Take a deep nourishing breath.
Softly wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Slowly roll your head from side to side.
Taking a deep stretch if it feels good.
And slowly invite your body to find a comfortable fetal position.
Or stay in whichever position feels most nurturing right now.
Keep your eyes closed and feel the effects of the practice moving through your body.
And allow yourself to receive these words by Melody Beattie.
Letting them settle into your heart space.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
It turns denial into acceptance.
Chaos to order.
Confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast.
A house into a home.
A stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past.
Brings peace for today.
And creates a vision for tomorrow.
Take a few breaths here letting these words resonate.
Rest here for a few moments.
There's nothing to do,
Nowhere to go.
Let yourself integrate the practice and take all the time you need.
Again,
My name is Laurence and I am so very grateful that you practiced with me today.
Thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you.
