Welcome to this Yoga Nidra meditation.
A chance for you to put your own oxygen mask on first,
To give yourself the self-care,
The relaxation,
And the opportunity to create resilience for your nervous system.
My name is Lauren and I will be guiding you through this meditation today.
And I'd like to invite you to go ahead and start to settle into a shape that feels right for you for this meditation.
Traditionally,
This practice is done lying down,
But welcome the opportunity for you to find what works best for you today.
As you find what works,
Consider supporting your body with props.
This can be anything that you have lying around you.
Pillows,
Towels,
Blankets.
And consider placing them under the parts of your body that need the most support.
And once you feel that you've come to a place where you can start to become still,
You can begin to close your eyes or take a soft gaze and start to notice how the earth meets the body.
And if the earth isn't what's below you,
Then imagine what it would feel like to have the earth be directly below your body.
Allow the layers of your entire being to give way to the support of the earth.
Beginning to effortlessly,
Layer by layer,
Let go.
Feeling the skin let go.
Feeling the muscles and the fascia and the tendons start to let go.
Welcoming the invitation of support that is always below you.
Melting into the sensation of heaviness.
Dissolving a layer further into the bones and dissolving into a layer that's even more microscopic.
To all of the cells that float throughout your body.
And letting go to even all of the fluid and everything else in between that intricately links your body.
Everything feels extremely heavy.
And with this heaviness,
You welcome a sense of tension release.
The tension in the face melts away.
And with that melting away of the tension in your face,
It starts a cascade of everything letting go.
Moving down the neck.
Moving down the collarbones.
Tension releasing from the arms and hands.
The chest opens up and creates space.
No longer tight from tension.
Feeling the expansion of the lungs between each rib as you create more space as all of the tension lets go.
Feeling the knots of tension untangle from the gut and the organs settling deeper towards the earth that supports your body.
And the pelvis and your center become effortlessly anchored to this moment.
And begin to create this invitation of an anchor being placed in your center.
In the pelvic bowl.
And let the anchor be whatever it is to you.
And begin to imagine that there is an energetic connection between this anchor and your mind.
And with each exhale,
You feel the mind sink down further and further towards the heart.
Each exhale drifts you further away from thinking,
Away from doing,
And sinks you further into a space of resting and being.
Welcome your Sankalpa to this practice.
Mentally repeating your positive intention three times.
And if you're not currently working with your own Sankalpa,
You can allow one to arise organically,
Listening to what your heart has to offer.
Or you can practice without one.
Move all of your awareness to both of your big toes.
Awareness to your second toes,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth toes.
Awareness to the top of your feet,
Both ankles,
The shins,
The knees,
Middle of your thighs,
Both hips,
Pelvic center,
Navel center,
The solar plexus,
Heart center.
Breathe through the heart space for three breaths.
Hollow pit of the throat,
Both shoulders,
Both elbows,
Both wrists,
Palms of your hands.
And take three breaths in and out through the palms of your hands,
The thumbs,
Index fingers,
Middle fingers,
Ring fingers,
Little fingers,
Back of the hands,
Both sides of your waist,
The low back,
Mid back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Behind the heart,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Center of the forehead,
Both eyebrows,
Both eyes,
Your cheeks,
Both ears,
The lips,
Upper and lower,
Inside the mouth,
The entire tongue,
From tip to root,
The lungs.
Begin to watch your breath here,
And experience your breath from the inside,
Becoming aware of the tiny sensations of what it's like to experience your breath from the inside out.
Could you simultaneously bring your awareness to your breath in the front of your brain,
Right behind the forehead.
Imagine that as you breathe,
You're breathing in and out the front of the forehead,
Or the front of the brain,
Experiencing this breath in your own unique way.
And then when you feel ready,
Could you bring a sense of the breath moving from the front of the brain to the base of the skull,
Inhaling through the front of the brain,
Moving through all parts of your mind to the base of the skull,
And exhaling back to the front of the brain,
Releasing your awareness on the breath,
Bringing your awareness now to behind the forehead,
And allow yourself to just be,
And witness this moment here,
Completely resting.
It's time to plant the seed of your positive intention,
Mentally whispering three times,
Your sankalpa.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Bringing in all of the oxygen,
Breathing life into your sankalpa while simultaneously awakening the body,
Exhaling when it feels right for you to let everything go,
Repeating again,
Breathing in all of the oxygen and prana that you can to breathe life into your body,
Awakening your mind,
Awakening your body,
And breathing the life into your sankalpa that's been deeply planted,
And exhale letting everything go.
And could you just take a moment to tune into your body,
Creating an invitation to tap into the primal language of your body,
Which are sensations and feelings,
And notice what you might be noticing right now.
How or what is your body communicating to you after your practice of yoga nidra,
And how can you take what it's given you,
This gift of renewal,
With you the remainder of your day?
Is there a way that you can anchor back to this feeling?
Slowly begin to take small movements when the timing is right for you,
Moving the smallest parts of your body,
Maybe even energetically,
Starting with becoming aware of the movement of your breath,
And the cells of your body,
And the energy surrounding your body,
And then moving into something a little bit more,
Moving into the movements of your joints,
Or muscles,
Contracting and releasing,
Or just tapping into what your body needs at exactly this moment.
And take your time to continue to wake your body slowly,
And with so much compassion,
As your practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
