So welcome home to yourself and welcome to this yoga nidrith sleep.
The first thing to do is to make sure you're comfortable.
You can lie in any comfortable position,
Perhaps the position in which you most commonly fall asleep.
And while you're settling in,
I'll go over just briefly what we'll be doing in tonight's practice.
This yoga nidra,
Very gentle,
But if anything feels uncomfortable,
You always have permission to just open your eyes,
Move your fingers,
And that will take you out of the nidra state.
I'll guide you through the practice and all you have to do is listen to my suggestions.
But if anything I say doesn't resonate with you,
Just ignore the words themselves and allow yourself to drift and my voice can be a safe sound in the background.
In this nidra we'll prepare the body and mind for a good night's sleep by calming the nervous system.
See if you can let go of any expectations of falling asleep,
As that might block your experience.
Sometimes we fall asleep straight away and sometimes it can take a bit longer.
And if tonight is one of those nights where you feel resistance to relaxing and you're still awake at the end of the practice,
You'll still get something out of it.
There's no such thing as failure in a yoga nidra practice.
You can't do it wrong.
There's nothing to be done.
When you explore and soften into the resistance,
You can get to know yourself better.
And also you can explore that liminal space a little bit more.
So flowing with the experience however it feels this evening.
And the theme for tonight's practice is gratitude.
What we focus on grows.
And in this nidra we'll gently train the mind to notice and appreciate moments of beauty and gratitude in everyday life.
So let's start by just arriving in the body.
Perhaps noticing where you might be holding tension right now.
Bringing your awareness to the breath.
Each exhalation is an invitation to soften and relax a little bit more.
And if you like you could yawn or sigh a couple of times now in your own time.
Yawning and sighing can help to release tension.
Inviting the awareness to rest on the lower parts of the lungs.
Feeling the ribs expanding as you inhale.
And softening when you exhale.
Inhaling creating space.
And exhaling softening into that space.
Inhaling creating space and by exhaling softening into the space.
Now we'll rotate our awareness around the body focusing on gratitude and self-care.
By giving yourself a moment to drop down into the body and really listen to it.
One body part at a time with self-compassion and love.
When I mention the part of the body bring your awareness there.
Allowing it to soften.
Starting with the top of the head.
The forehead.
The right eye.
The left eye.
The nose.
The mouth.
The right cheek.
The left cheek.
The whole face.
The right ear.
The left ear.
Back of the head.
The neck.
The right shoulder.
The right upper arm.
The right forearm.
The right hand.
Thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The whole right hand.
The whole right arm.
The left shoulder.
The left upper arm.
The left forearm.
The left hand.
The thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The whole of the left hand.
And the whole left arm.
The throat.
The collarbones.
The heart.
The belly.
The pelvis.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
The right lower leg.
Right foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
The whole of the right foot.
The whole right leg.
The left hip.
The left thigh.
The left lower leg.
The left foot.
The big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And little toe.
The whole of the left foot.
The whole left leg.
The tailbone.
The lower back.
Middle back.
The upper back.
The shoulder blades.
The whole of the back.
The back of the neck.
And the top of the head.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole of the left side.
Gratitude for the whole body.
The whole body filled with a golden light.
The whole body glowing.
And now invite the awareness to rest in your feet.
Feeling the weight of the heels.
Rounded and safe.
And observing which other parts of the body have contact with the bed or the surface beneath.
Feeling supported by the bed.
And perhaps that connection with the surface beneath gently changes as the breath moves in and out of the body.
Inhaling a sense of lightness or space.
And exhaling being held,
Feeling supported.
Observing the breath.
And the way the body gently moves when you breathe.
And if you like,
You can add a soothing rhythm to the breath without any forcing.
Perhaps counting to four with the inhale.
And counting to six when you exhale.
Inhaling for four.
Exhaling for six.
And if this doesn't feel comfortable,
Then you can choose another count to the breaths.
Or you can always return to just observing the sensations in your body as you breathe.
Just allowing the breath to flow through you.
Perhaps like the waves of the ocean.
Inhaling,
Receiving.
And exhaling,
Washing away what no longer serves you.
And you might keep that rhythm of the breath if you like,
Or perhaps letting it go.
Guiding your awareness to the nostrils.
Observing the texture and the temperature of the air as it comes in and goes out of the body.
Perhaps the breath is cooler with the inhale.
And warmer with the exhale.
Feeling the qualities of the breath.
Inhaling,
Lightness,
Spaciousness.
And exhaling,
Rounding and softening.
And feeling that you have all these qualities within you.
Light and grounded.
Relaxed and drifting into sleep.
