Take whatever position intuitively feels right and get really comfortable.
You can use pillows,
Blankets.
A blanket is really a great idea because the body temperature tends to drop during yoga nidra.
And then start to notice the breath,
Connect to the breath,
Notice if the breath is shallow.
Take a deep inhale and on the exhale think service.
And then take another deep inhale and on the exhale think caring.
And then begin to listen in all directions for sounds.
Listen for sounds outside the room.
Listen for sounds inside the room.
Listen for sounds of the body.
Perhaps your stomach is churning slightly.
Digestion is a sign of relaxation,
So it's a really good thing.
Listen or feel the breath moving in and out of the nose or mouth.
And then and then listen more deeply for or feel the heart beating.
And in the heartbeat hear the sankalpa.
A sankalpa is a short positive statement in the present or future tense.
It can be an affirmation,
A personal mission statement,
Or resolve.
If you don't have a statement you're working with,
For today I offer I care for myself and others.
Using my statement or yours,
Repeat it three times mentally with full awareness and the confidence that it will come true.
From the statement of intent,
The statement of wholeness,
Let's move on together to the rotation of consciousness through the body,
Also known as the body scan.
A body part will be named,
And there's the option to repeat the name of the body part,
Visualize the body part,
Or bring awareness to the body part.
You can do any of those things,
Or you can follow with me with a nyasa,
With a guided experience as we move through the body.
Imagine the body is empty soil,
An abandoned lot in a neighborhood full of potential.
Imagine the body there,
A fallow and full of dirt,
Weeds,
And scattered grass.
And as you connect to the body,
You pull out the weeds,
Clean the trash,
Dig and turn over the soil with the intention of making a community garden,
A place full of flowers,
Fruits,
And vegetables,
And herbs.
The body is this fertile soil,
And place a seed at the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And pinky finger.
Plant seedlings in the palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
A seed at the shoulder,
Armpit,
And sprinkle seeds gently at the right rib cage,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Planting seedlings,
Planting seeds at the upper leg,
Kneecap,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Seeds at the heel,
Instep,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
And scatter seeds across the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
Stay aware and bring the seeds to the left side of the body,
And let's start to plant them at the left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And pinky finger.
Gently place a seed in the palm of the hand,
At the back of the hand,
And scatter them on the wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Seeds placed on the side of the left rib cage,
Left waist,
Left hip,
Planting seeds on the upper leg,
Kneecap,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Instep,
Seeds at the sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
And seeds scattered across the left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
Bring these tiny seeds and place them on the top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow.
Plant a seed in the eyebrow center,
Gently place them on the right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right ear,
Left ear,
At the bridge of the nose,
Tip of the nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Seeds at the chin,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
A seed gently placed at the hollow between the collarbones,
And then scatter them,
Let them be scattered,
The right chest,
The left chest,
Plant a seed at the heart center,
Let these seeds of potential be placed at the upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvic bowl,
Buttocks,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Seeds placed in the upper back,
The right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder blade,
The back of the neck,
The back of the head,
The top of the head,
And then bring sunlight and water and notice the garden beginning to grow at the whole right arm.
Bring sunlight and water to the whole left arm,
Feel the seeds sprouting,
Seedlings getting bigger and everything blossoming,
Sunlight and water to the whole right leg,
See the garden growing there,
Sunlight and water to the whole left leg,
Now there are flowers,
Vegetables,
Herbs,
And fruit trees,
Connect to the growth and all the abundance of plants growing and trees growing at the whole front of the body,
And then notice the roots growing down very strongly rooted from the whole back of the body,
And then see the whole body together,
The whole body together,
Whole body together as a beautifully tended community garden where an empty lot once was,
And then let go of the body rotation,
Let the garden move back in through the skin into the body and hold on to all that abundance and beauty inside of you,
Let it just recede in and begin to notice the breath,
And on the inhale,
Think the word myself,
As you inhale,
Inhale for yourself,
Inhale thinking myself,
And as you exhale,
Think others,
Inhale myself,
Exhale others,
As we inhale for ourselves and exhale for others,
You can even simplify the word,
Inhale for me,
Exhale for us,
Whatever wording makes sense,
Let's do that as a community in our individual spaces for some slow deep breaths,
And if the words have gotten lost,
Come back to the words,
And the breath,
If it's gotten shallow,
Deepen the breath and let go of the words and come back to natural breathing,
And in the natural breath,
Hear the whisper of the Sankalpa,
That short positive statement that was made in the beginning of the yoga nidra practice,
And repeat it again at least three times mentally with full awareness and the confidence that it will come true,
Connect to our collective heartbeat,
All our hearts are beating together,
And connect to our collective breaths,
Knowing that even though we're separated,
We're all breathing together,
Start listening in all directions for sounds,
Knowing that we're all hearing my voice together,
Find the furthest sound that you can hear,
Remember that you're practicing yoga nidra,
Remember the room in which you're sited,
Situated,
Remember what the ceiling looks like,
Remember the walls,
Remember the floor,
Remember that you're part of a connected community,
And remember your Sankalpa,
And say to yourself mentally,
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete,
When you feel ready,
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes,
And if you're ready,
You can roll your ankles and wrists one way,
Making circles,
Then switch to the opposite direction,
And then take any kind of intuitive movement the body is asking for,
Maybe you take the great stretch,
Arms overhead,
Maybe you twist or wiggle or laugh,
Smile,
If it feels right,
Roll over onto your side in a fetal position,
It's the position of rebirth and renewal,
Perhaps you take a few breaths there,
Thinking about today's topic,
Caring and service,
And when you're ready,
And there's no need to rush or hurry,
We end this practice by bringing our hands together in prayer or any other mudra of reverence,
You can bow your head in to honor the time that you have spent meditating,
Being in community,
Hari om tat sat,
Ashe.
