Good evening,
I'm Lucy and welcome to this peaceful release practice.
We're going to begin our session with a short breathwork practice called left nostril breathing and then we will be moving into a yoga pose called legs up the wall.
So making sure that you're warm and you're ready for bed,
Come and sit with your back against a wall in your bedroom.
You may wish to sit on a cushion or have one close by and you may also want to have a yoga strap or dressing gown belt for this practice too.
But not to worry if you don't have one though,
You can do this practice without it.
Starting with our breathwork practice,
Left nostril breathing is going to help us bring our focus away from whatever has happened in the day.
Maybe it's been a great really positive day,
Maybe it hasn't been so good.
However it was for you,
It's now done and this practice will help us settle into the presence of this moment and bring our focus to the here and the now.
It will help you tap into your inner well of calm as the breath flows through the left nostril only.
Traditionally seen as our softer,
More restful and more nurturing side of the body,
Getting us ready for a peaceful night's sleep.
To do this,
Gently close your right nostril with your right thumb,
Keeping it closed as you breathe in and out through your left nostril only.
And we'll bring in a count of four for each inhale and exhale.
If this gets at all uncomfortable,
Please release the right nostril and visualize that you're breathing through the channel of the left.
We're going to take eight rounds.
Taking a round of full breath through both nostrils to start.
And then on the next breath,
Closing the right and breathing in through the left nostril for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Then exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Breathing in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing out for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhaling one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Last round.
Inhaling for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling for three,
Two,
One.
Release your right thumb and breathing again through both nostrils.
And check in with how you're feeling now.
We'll now start to move into our yoga pose.
So keeping your hips and bottom as close to the wall as possible,
Start to roll onto your back.
You may need to do a little shuffling about to get close to the wall again,
But you'll end up with your back on the floor,
Your hips on the cushion,
Your bottom slightly touching the wall and your legs fully resting against,
Your feet looking up to the ceiling.
You can let your arms spread wide or let them rest on your tummy.
And if it feels as though your hips are slipping on the wall,
You could grab your yoga strap or the belt of your dressing gown and tie it around your ankles so that they have something to relax against and soften into.
Once you're comfortable,
Closing your eyes,
Taking a few long,
Slow,
Deep breaths.
Maybe coming back to the four,
Four counts that we were just doing if that felt restful to you.
Let your jaw soften.
Let the muscles around your eyes soften.
Release any gripping or tensing in the back of your body,
Your thighs,
Your tummy.
Having our legs up in this position is a powerful signal to our nervous system that we are somewhere safe,
Somewhere we can relax and let go.
Maybe you've noticed your breath is already naturally softening.
Maybe you've noticed it's already a little deeper.
We'll take a moment now to really tune into your breath.
Noticing the journey that each inhale and exhale makes from your nostrils all the way down to your tummy and back again.
If your mind is still feeling busy with thoughts from the day,
Maybe you'd like to do this short visualization.
Start to imagine yourself in a shop with a wall in front of you with shelves and sat on each shelf are lots of apothecary bottles.
Picture the bottles.
Maybe they are a dark amber colored glass.
Maybe they are clear or a light blue,
Pink or green.
Do they have plastic tops or cork stoppers?
What are their shapes,
Sizes?
Are they a smooth glass or are they textured?
Visualize picking up one of these apothecary bottles and feel the weight of it in your hand.
Feel the temperature of the glass on your skin.
And notice any little details or marks on the bottle.
Also on the shelf is a stack of paper and a pen.
Again,
Notice what this looks like for you.
Visualize yourself choosing a piece of paper and using the pen to write down one of your lingering thoughts on it.
And then opening the bottle,
Place the paper inside,
Sealing it back up and looking at the paper through the glass.
Place it back on the shelf.
That thought is now safe for you to leave,
But you can come back to it again when the time is right.
Do this as many times as you wish with as many thoughts that you want to put to one side.
And any thoughts you want to completely let go of,
Imagine writing them down on the paper and then scrunching that piece of paper up,
Throwing it out.
This is your time for rest.
You don't have to think about anything.
No one needs anything from you.
You can rest.
Keep writing your thoughts down to save for later or giving yourself permission to let them go.
And starting to bring your focus back to your breath.
Leaving your apothecary bottles of thoughts.
With each breath,
Feel yourself softening.
With each breath,
Feel yourself letting go.
Becoming aware of any physical sensations that are present for you now.
Maybe the feeling of the wall against your legs,
Your heels.
The feeling of the floor beneath you.
Maybe the temperature in your room.
Start to bend your knees and draw the heels down the wall towards you,
Bringing the knees towards the chest.
Roll onto your left side and make any adjustments so that you are feeling comfortable.
And take a few moments lying on your side,
Feeling the protective quality of this position.
Then gently starting to make your way towards your bed.
This is your time for rest.
Your time to get a good night's sleep.
Thank you so much for practicing with me tonight.
I hope you have a peaceful and restorative night's sleep.
You
