Hello and welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.
This practice we will specifically be working with radical kindness toward our body,
Accepting ourselves the way that we are with love and gratitude.
To begin you will find a comfortable shape either lying on your back or sitting upright.
This practice is traditionally done laying down so that we can allow our senses to start to drift away and we can really begin to awaken the internal landscape.
You may want to elevate the head slightly or place a pillow under your knees.
Just take some time to get comfortable here,
Whatever that means for you.
Begin to notice the points of contact of your body on the floor or the bed wherever you are.
Drawing your awareness to the backs of your heels,
Your shoulders,
Maybe where the hips are touching the ground.
Relax the jaw.
Relax the space behind the eyes and between the eyes.
And with each exhale just letting go of any more tension that might be held up in your body.
We're going to do a few eye exercises here.
So drawing your eyes all the way over to the left.
And back through center and all the way over to the right.
Going from side to side for a few moments here.
And beginning to draw some circles to the right.
And if this doesn't feel right for you,
You can just let it go.
Let my words wash over you.
And we'll draw circles to the left.
And bringing your gaze up toward the space between your eyebrows.
And gently letting go of any effort within the eyes.
So they begin to just settle.
Starting to notice the natural rise and fall of your chest and your belly.
Bringing your awareness to the tip of your nose and where the inhale begins.
As you breathe,
Imagine air and oxygen being sent all the way down to your toes and toward the tips of your fingers.
Filling up every crevice and every place within your body.
Your body is a landscape.
Beautiful in every way.
All of its flaws are really perfections.
This divine vessel has carried you so far in this life.
It has seen many things.
It has felt heartbreak,
Loss.
It has also felt joy and excitement and pure happiness.
Allowing yourself to honor this sacred vessel without judgment.
So noticing that your body will continue to breathe on its own and you can be effortless here.
Just noticing the ebb and flow.
And now bringing your awareness into your head,
Into your skull.
And beginning to now draw that awareness down toward your heart center,
Your heart space.
And now that your awareness is on your heart,
Can you be here and ask yourself,
What do I need today?
What do I need in this moment?
Whatever it is,
Whatever theme in your life that you are working with,
We will begin to develop an I am statement around whatever it is you need support with.
This particular nidra is based around body love and acceptance.
So if your heart is quiet today,
You may want to use one of these following affirmations or you can simply be here in gratitude for your body and that is more than enough.
These affirmations,
Also known as sankalpas,
Should be personal,
Positive,
And really speak to your deepest heart's desire.
Maybe it's a belief that you would like to bring to the forefront of your mind to begin to shine out any negative programming that we tend to carry with us without even being aware.
Repeat the following in your mind if nothing is coming to you or be here in gratitude.
I am grateful for my body.
I am grateful for all of my body's flaws.
My body deserves love.
I am kind and caring toward my body.
If any of these speak to your heart,
Repeat them three or more times in your mind.
Begin to draw your awareness to the top of your head.
I'm going to move through different parts of the body in rapid succession.
Every time I name a body part,
Bring your awareness there and maybe in your mind say a gentle thank you to this part of yourself.
Bringing your awareness down to the ears,
The eyes,
The nose,
Your lips,
The tongue,
The teeth,
The throat,
The chest,
Both shoulders at the same time,
Your biceps,
The elbows,
The forearms,
Thumbs,
Pointer finger,
Middle finger,
Third finger,
Pinky finger,
The rib cage,
Your lower belly,
Your hip bones,
The glutes,
The thighs,
The shins,
Your calves,
The tops of the feet,
Your big toes,
Second toes,
Third toes,
Fourth toes,
Pinky toes,
The whole body at once,
The whole body,
Thanking the whole body.
Good.
Beginning to visualize now your spine.
Notice that it is the perfect line to divide your body between its left and right halves.
And now imagining that you could light up just the right side of the body,
Splitting yourself down the middle and giving light to the right side of the body.
Imagine breathing through just the right side nostrils and noticing your heartbeat and pulse in the right side limbs,
Awakening a feeling of sunlight.
This is your solar side,
Feeling warm and activated,
Feeling bright and strong.
Now,
Shifting your attention to the left side of your body,
Pay attention to the left side of your body,
Breathing through the left nostril,
Following any sensations on the left side,
Noticing the pulse through the left side.
This is your lunar side,
Feeling the left side of the body and imagining the moon,
Spacious,
Soft and glowing,
Humble,
A lunar energy here,
Perhaps a colder feeling than the right side.
Going back to the right side,
Feeling energy,
Vitality,
Bright and glowing,
Action.
And back to the left side,
Feeling receptive,
Passive rather than active,
Embodying the moon,
Restful and steady.
And now beginning to dance back and forth between the two.
You are the sun and you are the moon.
You are the whole solar system within your body without labeling.
Think of the landscape of your body,
Embodying all of these things,
Active,
Restful,
Spacious and bright.
And you feel all of these things in your oneself.
Bringing now your awareness to the space behind your closed eyes and begin watching and noticing this inner landscape or this inner sky.
Imagining that you are walking into an empty field.
There are millions of stars in the sky and you find a comfortable patch of grass and lie down watching the sky or this space behind your eyes.
You begin to notice that the space behind your eyes is just as vast as the night sky and that there is an entire universe within you.
Letting your eyes adjust to this midnight blue-black space,
Concentrating and noticing any shapes or light that may come up.
Perhaps it's colors or patterns or light.
Perhaps you see nothing at all and that is okay.
Continuing to observe and be the watcher.
Be radically non-interfering with whatever is coming up.
Practicing detached awareness.
If any subtle images make themselves known,
You can simply notice them and nothing more.
Bringing to your mind's eye now the following.
A vast open field.
The moon full in the sky.
The sun at sunset.
A bird chirping in a tree.
Steam off a hot morning coffee.
Light spilling in through a window and onto the floor.
A tulip growing.
The vast night sky.
Your body in space,
Glowing.
Here we'll begin to bring forth your affirmation or sankalpa.
If you have your own,
Feel free to repeat it in your mind three or more times here.
If you would like to use one of the following,
Feel free.
I am grateful for my body.
My body deserves love.
I am kind and caring toward my body.
Planting this seed within your garden that is your mind.
Knowing that your body is a beautiful and expansive landscape.
It is intelligent.
And it can hear you.
I am grateful for my body.
My body deserves love.
I am kind and caring toward my body.
If you prefer to not use a sankalpa or affirmation,
Just be within the feeling of gratitude for your vessel.
Now,
Bringing your awareness back to your body and maybe noticing the points of contact on the ground or on your bed,
Noticing any blankets covering you or any clothing touching your skin,
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest and belly,
And becoming aware of the room that you are in,
Any belongings that are surrounding you,
Any furniture or loved ones.
Picturing the four walls,
Each breath filling you up full,
And each exhale releasing any unneeded tension or thoughts from your mind.
Returning back to the space that you are in.
You are safe here and you are held.
Whenever you're ready or you are welcome to stay lying down,
I invite you to roll over onto your right side.
Taking a moment here to thank yourself for showing up today.
No matter who you are or where you are or what your struggle is,
I'd like you to know that you are enough and you are part of everything.
Your just being is contributing to the whole make up of the universe.
Keeping yourself gently up to sit and drawing a deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale let it out through the mouth and allow your breath to become effortless once again.
Thank you for trusting me with this practice.
Thank you for showing up for yourself.
Have a beautiful day.
