Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.
Before we begin,
Take a little time to make yourself comfortable.
See if your phone can be turned off,
Maybe turn the lights.
Perhaps let those who live with you know that for the next little while,
You're taking some time to rest and recharge.
This is your time.
Maybe you need a blanket or warm socks.
Or maybe today you need just the opposite,
Fewer covers and a little more cool air around you.
Listen to your body.
Lie down on your back if that is comfortable and available to you.
If it isn't,
Find another position.
Lie on your side.
Prop yourself with pillows.
Sit in a chair.
There is no perfect position for yoga neither.
There's only the position in which your body can say.
For a little while,
I can rest here.
So close your eyes.
Feel the surface underneath you.
Notice the places where your body meets that surface and the spaces between.
Allow the surface to fully support your body.
And for the duration of this practice,
You don't have to do anything for anybody.
You don't have to be productive.
You don't have to solve anything.
You don't even have to make yourself relax.
Just be here.
Let yourself be cared for by this practice for a little while.
The transition through perimenopause and menopause is a time of change,
And every woman experiences it differently.
Perhaps you've noticed changes in your sleep.
Maybe there are moments when you suddenly feel warmer than everyone else in the room.
Perhaps your energy feels different or you're noticing changes in the natural rhythms of your body.
Or maybe your emotions feel a little closer to the surface or you notice changes in concentration or memory.
Or perhaps none of these things describe your experience.
Your experience is your own.
So some of these changes may be easy to accept.
Others may feel uncomfortable,
Unfamiliar.
Or simply tiring.
Whatever your experience is today,
You don't need to make it different.
For now,
Simply meet yourself where you are.
Meeting this changing body with tenderness.
This is the body that carried you through every season of your life.
Maybe deserves a little more patience now.
And maybe you do too.
You've moved through many seasons of your life already,
And your body has changed.
Your thoughts,
Emotions,
Needs,
And desires have changed.
And they will continue to change.
But through all those changes.
There has always been you.
And jink and.
.
.
Still being completely,
Deeply you.
Let's create a Sankalpa,
A spiritual resolution.
Think of your heartfelt desire.
Your true north.
And ask yourself quietly,
What matters to me now?
And let the answer come without forcing it.
Say your Sankalpa in your mind in the present tense.
As though it's already happening.
Perhaps I trust myself.
And listen to my body with kindness.
I move through chant with steadiness and ease.
Or I'm at home within myself,
Or something completely your own,
Something that feels true to you.
And repeat your sankalpa in your mind three times.
Feel its meaning as though you were planting a seed somewhere deep within you.
You don't need to make it grow.
You don't need to keep checking on it.
Just plant the seed and let it be.
And now bring your awareness to your physical body.
A body resting here.
The body exactly as it is in this moment.
Bringing your awareness to your feet.
You may want to gently tense both feet.
And release.
Tighten the muscles of your legs and release.
Tighten your buttocks.
And release.
Make fists with your hands.
And release.
Splay your fingers.
Let them soften Gently tense the muscles of your face.
And let it go.
In your whole body resting.
Nothing to correct,
Nothing to improve.
Adjust this body today,
Exactly as it is.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
As I will name different parts of your body,
Simply bring your awareness there.
There is no need to move.
No need to concentrate too hard.
Just hear the name of the body part and feel it.
Mentally touch it.
So bring your awareness to your right hand.
Right thumb Second finger.
3rd finger fourth finger.
Best finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Right wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the waist right hip.
Right side.
Kneecaps back of the knee.
End.
And curl.
Eel.
All of your right food.
Up of your right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Or baby toe.
And bring your awareness to your left hand.
Left thumb.
Second finger middle finger.
Fourth finger.
Thank you.
Arm of your left hand.
Back of the head.
Rest.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Elder.
Left armpit.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Kneecaps.
Back of the knee.
Live together.
Send.
Ankle.
Eel.
All of your left foods.
Top of your left foot.
Lift big toes back and toe.
Third toe.
Or and 5th toe.
And bring your awareness to the back of your body.
And feel your right heel.
A left heel.
Right calf,
Left calf.
Back of the right thigh.
Back of the left side.
Ride butter.
Left button,
Both buttocks together.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
Right shoulder blade left shoulder blade.
Both shoulder blades together.
Back of your neck.
Of your head.
Of your head.
Or head.
Right tempo.
Left and pull.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows.
The right eyelid.
Left eyelid Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear left ear.
Right cheek Left cheek.
Nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Den.
Duh.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
And turn up the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Become aware of the whole right leg.
And the whole left leg.
Both legs together.
Now the whole right arm.
Or left arm.
And both arms together.
Your whole back whole front of the body Oh,
Head.
And now the whole.
Body.
All body resting.
All body resting.
Feel the weight of your body.
Notice where the body feels heavy against the surface beneath you.
The heels feel heavy.
The legs.
My pelvis heavy.
The back.
Arms heavy.
Allow yourself to be fully supported.
There is nothing you need to hold.
Nothing you need to praise against.
For this moment.
Let the earth hold you And now notice the places in your body that feel comfortable.
Perhaps there is a place that feels warm.
Stuff.
Open.
And perhaps there is a place that doesn't feel quite as comfortable.
A place of tension.
A place that feels tired.
Place that simply wants your attention.
You don't need to change it.
You don't need to understand it.
Just notice.
See if you can offer the same awareness to every part of your body.
Not asking the body to be different.
Simply feeling.
This is your body today.
And this body has changed many times before.
It has grown.
Adapted.
Rested.
Worked.
Move.
Heal change.
And through every change,
You have been here.
Now notice the soles of your feet.
The tops of your feet.
Ankles.
Calves and shins,
Knees,
Thighs,
Whole legs.
Pelvis.
Oops.
Back of your head.
Of your head.
Your face.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Risks.
Hands.
Become aware of your abdomen and your chest.
And begin to notice the subtle movement of your body as you breathe.
There is nothing you need to do to the breath.
Simply notice that breathing is happening.
Perhaps you feel the abdomen gently rising and falling.
Perhaps a chest moving.
Maybe you feel the breath somewhere else.
Just notice.
Picture yourself now in a position in which you are resting.
Seeing the whole body from above.
Quiet.
Supported breathing.
Of physical body resting.
And underneath the movement of breath.
Bring your awareness to your right foot and imagine that you can breathe through the right foot.
As you inhale,
Feel the breath traveling from the right foot up to the right leg towards the pelvis.
And as you exhale.
Allow the breath to travel from the pelvis.
Down through the left leg.
And out through the left foot.
Breathe in.
To the right foot,
Up the right leg.
The pelvis,
And breathe out down the left leg.
Through the left foot.
And one more time,
Inhale through your right foot.
Up to the pelvis.
Exhaling down the left leg.
And out through the left foot.
And now reversing the direction and breathe in through the left foot,
Up through the left leg to the pelvis and breathe out from the pelvis down to the right leg and out the right foot.
Inhaling up the left leg to the pelvis.
And exhaling down the right leg through the right foot.
One more time.
Breathe in through the left foot up I'm bringing out the right leg to the right foot.
Now letting go of that,
Taking a breath in and out.
And bring your awareness to your right hand.
Imagine breathing in.
The palm of your right hand up through the right arm to the right shoulder.
And through the heart center.
As you exhale,
Feel the breath moving from the heart center through your left shoulder down the left arm and out through the left hand.
Inhaling through your right hand,
Up the arm toward the heart.
Exhale from the heart down the left arm through the left hand.
Let's do it one more time.
Inhale from the right hand to the heart center.
And exhale from the heart center through the left hand.
Reverse the direction.
Breathing in through the left hand,
Up through the left arm,
Towards the heart center.
And breathe out from the heart through the right shoulder down the right arm.
And to the right hand.
Again,
Inhaling from the left hand towards the heart.
And exhaling from the heart to the right hand.
One more,
Breathing in towards the heart center.
Breathing out through the right hand.
Let go of that and take a breath.
Bringing your awareness to your spine.
Sensing the central line of your body.
Imagine breathing in through the crown of your head down along the spine.
All the way towards the back base of the spine.
And as you breathe out,
Allow the breath to travel upward again along the spine.
And through the crown of your head Inhale.
From the crown.
Down the spine to the base of the spine.
Exhale up.
Around the base of the spine.
Upward through the crown.
And again,
Breathing down.
And breathing up.
Now let the visualization go and allow breath to return to its own natural rhythm.
There is nothing you need to regulate,
Nothing you need to control.
Simply notice the breath coming in.
And the breath going out.
Notice that every breath is a little different,
A little deeper,
A little shallower.
Warmer,
Cooler.
No two breaths exactly the same.
Breathing continues and your body knows how to breathe.
Now imagine that you can breathe in through both hands and both feet at the same time.
As you inhale,
Feel the breath,
The energy,
The prana,
Traveling through the arms and legs towards the heart center.
And as you exhale,
Feel that energy gently expanding from the heart.
Again,
Breathing in through your hands and feet towards the heart.
Breathing out,
Prana expanding.
Breathing in towards your heart center.
Exhaling outward,
Softly expanding.
One more time,
Breathe in through your hands and feet towards the heart.
And breathe out,
Allowing the energy to expand beyond the boundaries of your body.
Feel the space around you.
No need to know where the body ends or where the space around you begins.
Breathing.
Receiving.
And releasing.
Gathering and expanding.
There is nothing you need to make happen right now.
Allowing the breath to move as it moves,
The energy moves.
As it moves.
Can notice change without having to resist it.
And underneath that movement,
You're still here.
Aware of the breath,
Aware of the energy.
Aware of the edges.
Breath moving.
Energy moving.
And awareness remaining.
Now shed the light of your awareness.
Or the mind.
Notice that you are thinking.
There is no need to stop your thoughts,
No need to empty your mind.
Simply notice the next thought that appears.
When a thought comes,
You say to yourself,
That is a thought.
And wait for the next one.
Perhaps it's about something that happened earlier today.
Something you need to do later.
A memory,
A plan.
Worry or Perhaps something completely random really doesn't matter.
Notice the thought.
And let it pass.
That is a suck.
Notice how unthought appears,
Stays for a moment.
And you don't cling to it.
Another one takes its place.
You don't have to follow any of them.
You don't have to finish the story.
Just notice.
I'm thinking.
And perhaps Now become aware of your emotions.
Maybe there is a feeling present right now.
Is it peace?
Contentment,
Restfulness,
Sadness.
Irritation.
Joy.
Maybe you can't quite name what you're feeling.
Or perhaps there is no particular emotion that stands out.
Whatever is here,
Just notice it.
You don't have to change the feeling.
You don't have to explain it.
You don't even have to know where it came from.
Just as thoughts come and go,
Feelings come and go.
Some stay longer than others.
Some arrive quietly.
Others arrive with much more energy.
Your mind does not need to perform for you right now.
Doesn't need to remember anything.
It doesn't need to organize anything or make a decision.
For these few moments,
Let the mind rest too.
And return to simply watching the thoughts.
Notice the next thought as it arises.
See how it changes and disappears.
Imagine the thoughts like clouds.
Moving across a wide blue sky.
So I'm small and light.
Some larger.
Some moving quickly,
Others lingering for a while.
You don't need to move the clouds.
You don't need to make the sky clear.
Just notice that the sky is there.
Whether there are many clouds,
A few clouds.
Or none at all.
And begin to notice the space between the thoughts.
Maybe only for a moment,
A little space.
Another thought may come.
And then another space Allow the distance between you and the thoughts to become a little greater.
You can see the thoughts without becoming involved in every one of them.
Thoughts changing,
Feelings changing,
Sensations changing.
And still.
You are here.
The same quiet awareness noticing all of it.
You were here before this thought appeared.
You are here while the thought is present.
And you remain.
When it's gone.
Rest for a moment in that awareness.
Nothing to follow.
Nothing to figure out.
Nothing to become.
Just aware.
Continue resting in this awareness as you are aware of the body.
And the body changes.
You are aware of the breath.
You are aware that every breath comes and goes.
You are aware of thoughts.
They appear.
And disappear.
You are aware of feelings.
As they arise.
Change and pass.
And there is something that notice it,
All of this.
Notice that you are aware.
Simply rest as the one who notices.
Your body has changed your life.
The bat you had as a little girl.
As a teenager.
A young woman.
The bad you have now.
Different and always yours.
You're so edged.
What mattered to you had changed.
What you wanted has changed.
What you feared has changed.
What you believed about yourself.
May have changed many times.
And through all those changes,
There has always been this quiet sense of I am.
Save you.
Living through different moments,
Different bodies.
And seasons of life.
You don't need to return to any earlier version of yourself.
You don't need to hold on to who you were.
You are here.
Notice the quiet presence that knows this moment.
The body is resting.
The breath is moving.
Thoughts may come and go.
And you are here.
If another thought comes,
Let it come.
If a sensation appears,
Let it be here.
If an emotion comes,
Allow it to be there too.
Everything can come and go.
You don't need to follow it.
You don't need to hold on to it.
Remain here for a little while with nothing to follow.
Nothing to change nothing to understand.
Letting yourself rest.
Perhaps you can sense the quiet underneath of everything that moves and changes.
You don't need to search for it,
Just rest.
Body,
Peace breaths.
Boost.
Mind.
Peace.
Art.
Peace.
Peaceful feelings spread through your awareness.
No effort,
Just peace.
And perhaps for a moment,
There is nothing you need to be other than exactly what you are.
Everything changes and still,
Here you are.
Now bring back your sankalpa.
The same heartfelt resolution you made at the beginning of the practice.
And repeat your sankalpa in your mind three times.
Letting the Sankalpa settle deeply within you.
The seed has been planted.
You don't need to do anything more with it now.
Begin to bring your awareness back to the breath.
Notice the natural breath coming in and going out.
Begin to notice the physical body again.
And the weight of your body.
The surface underneath you.
The temperature of the air on your skin.
The sounds around you.
Noticing your hands.
Graphite.
Your face.
Your whole body.
And begin to deepen your breath.
Very gently move your fingers,
Move your toes.
Maybe move your wrists,
Ankles.
Pick whatever small movements feel good.
There is no need to hurry.
Your body time to return.
And as you come back,
Remember that you don't need to return to exactly the same person who began this practice.
We're always changing,
Moment by moment.
Season by season.
And through all of it,
You are still you.
When you're ready.
Slowly open your eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra comes to an end.
Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Aum Peace Peace Peace
