In the busyness of everyday life,
It can be really easy to overlook the power of rest,
But even a brief pause can bring you renewed energy and clarity.
This yoga nidra is designed to be your oasis of calm,
A space where you can deeply relax and recharge your body,
Just like a gentle nap.
Welcome to this power nap yoga nidra.
My name is Lauren and I will be guiding you through this practice today.
Begin to settle in here,
Remembering to gather props to support the body,
And if you're new to the practice,
Traditionally,
This practice is done lying down.
But what's most important is that you find a position that works best for you today.
Could you take just a moment to see if you can provide your body any additional support,
Ensuring that your head and neck are feeling really comfortable,
Maybe adjusting any clothes that need to be loosened or adjusted.
And taking the time to cover up with a blanket or having one nearby.
As the body temperature tends to drop during the yoga nidra practice,
You'll find that covering with a blanket that's appropriate for your environment will allow you to relax even further in the practice.
Continue to settle the body,
Making small adjustments as needed,
Until you can find yourself in a place of stillness.
Once you're in this place of stillness,
Trying to remain as still as possible for the practice.
But know that if you need to move or make adjustments,
That's completely okay.
Just go right back to being as still as possible.
Let's settle into this present moment with the breath.
First by becoming aware of the breath,
Allowing yourself to connect with how you're breathing in this moment.
Noticing where you feel your body move each time you inhale and each time you exhale.
Noticing how the breath feels.
Maybe it feels shallow or deep,
Slow or fast.
Slowly watching and allowing the breath to become a tether,
A tether that's binding you to this present moment.
Take a deep breath in through the nose slowly,
Filling the lungs,
Feeling the body expand.
Then slowly let the breath go out the nose,
Slowing it down even further than you inhaled.
Repeating again when you're ready,
Slowly inhaling through the nose,
Feel the body expand,
The ribcage expand,
Even all the way into the back of the body as you breathe deeply.
As you exhale slowly,
Exhale out the nose,
Allowing the out-breath to be longer than the in-breath.
Repeat this for three more full inhales and exhales at your own pace.
Allow each breath to dissolve the mind and thoughts,
Thoughts dissolving like dew beneath the morning sun.
As you easily let go of watching the breath,
You begin to feel the front of the body become really heavy and welcoming this heaviness into your body in a way that feels safe and good to you.
The whole front of the body becomes really heavy and weighted and this heaviness welcomes in tension release throughout the entire body.
And then you feel the back of the body spreading and releasing from the weight of the front of the body,
The edges of the body softening and expanding.
There's no longer a need for you to have borders of the body as the tension dissolves,
The body expands further and further.
And allow a sense of a velvety softness to settle deeply into the body,
Settling deeper and deeper to where you feel the softness settle along the bones.
Bring in your sankalpa for this practice,
Mentally repeating the sankalpa that you're working with or repeating this one,
My body and mind recharge with ease and energy.
And then guide your awareness to the palms of your hands.
Feeling all of your awareness,
The space of the palms of the hands and your experience that's happening here.
And in your own unique way,
Imagine taking three breaths in and out through the palms of the hands.
And then move your awareness to both thumbs,
Both index fingers,
Both middle fingers,
Both ring fingers,
Both little fingers,
Backs of the hands,
Wrists,
Lower arms,
Both elbow joints,
Upper arms,
Both shoulder joints,
Both sides of the chest,
Center of the chest.
Coming down to the navel center,
Pubic center,
Both hip joints,
Both knees,
Both ankle joints,
Tops of the feet,
Bottoms of the feet,
Both big toes,
Second toes,
Third toes,
Fourth toes,
Little toes.
Allow your awareness to drift to the top of the head,
Experiencing the top of the head,
The scalp,
The center of the forehead,
Both eyebrows,
Both eyes,
The sockets of both eyes,
Both temples,
Both ears,
Both ears listening,
The tip of the nose,
The air moving in and out the nose.
And allow your awareness to rest here on the breath,
Watching the natural breath move in and out the nose.
And as you watch the breath moving in and out the nose,
Begin to count down your natural breath,
Counting down from 10 to 1.
Breathing like this,
Inhale 10,
Exhale 10,
Inhale 9,
Exhale 9.
Counting down at your own pace,
And if you lose track start over.
Slowly let go of the breath,
Softly guiding your attention to behind the forehead,
And allow yourself to rest here,
Resting in the abode of deep rest,
Inviting your intention back to the practice.
Mentally repeating three times your sankalpa,
Or my body and mind recharged with ease and energy.
Take a gentle,
Soothing breath in through the nose,
Breathing deeply and slowly.
As you exhale,
Let it out the mouth.
Repeat that again,
Inhaling with the intention of becoming more aware of slowly awakening the body.
Exhale out the mouth,
Letting the breath go.
Feel your body on the surface below you.
Feel how the body has changed or shifted into a body that is welcoming ease,
Has let go of tensions that are held from the day.
Notice your mind,
And if there's been any shifts in the quality of your mind,
Anything that's shifted from the beginning of your practice to now.
When you're ready,
Welcome in small movements,
Movements that feel right for you,
That will help you slowly awaken the body.
As you slowly give your body time to wake up,
Beginning to welcome in a feeling of rejuvenation.
As the body has had time to recharge and rest,
The nervous system rebalancing,
Rebooting.
I invite you to take your time to slowly awaken the body,
Honoring this rest that you've just had by giving your body time to slowly come back to the present moment.
Your practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
