Hello and welcome to this yoga nidra practice.
My name is Deanna and I'm so grateful that you're here and taking some time for yourself.
As we begin.
Take a moment to make any changes if you need to,
So that the space you're in maximizes your ability to relax and find peace.
As you prepare to lie down,
Along the way you might want to adjust the lighting of the room so it's a little softer.
Maybe grab a blanket or two.
A blanket to cover the body can not only provide warmth as you rest,
But can also help to facilitate a sense of grounding and safety.
Maybe a folded blanket or a small pillow to support your head and neck.
And a bolster or pillow under your knees to help you relax your low back.
And if you'd like something to cover your eyes as you dim out the outer world and turn your awareness inward.
Take time as you settle into your resting position to wiggle around and find comfort.
Invite your legs to be hips width or a little wider.
Feet naturally turn out as the legs and the belly soften.
Arms alongside your body,
A little open to the side as is comfortable to you.
Palms turn up and relax.
Fingers soften and maybe curl slightly.
When you're ready,
Find stillness.
Eyes closed.
Face relaxed,
Body soft,
Natural breath.
This time of non-sleep,
Deep rest is intended to leave you feeling a sense of rejuvenation and restoration.
And while our intention is to remain deeply relaxed,
And yet also in a state of awareness,
There may be moments where you feel like you're drifting between wakefulness and sleep,
And that's okay.
It's a very normal part of the process.
Rest assured that if you do happen to drift off,
There's a part of you that is always listening and will receive the messages that are meant for you to hear today.
And so now we begin our practice of yoga nidra.
Take a slow,
Steady,
Deep breath in through your nose.
On your exhale,
Open your mouth and let out a soft sigh.
Do that again.
Take another deep breath in.
Pause gently at the top.
Take one more small sip of air and then open your jaw as you sigh it all out.
One more time.
Breathe in until you feel full.
Pause.
Absorb.
Take in just a little more air and then open up and maybe let out a soft ah all the way to the bottom of your exhalation.
Then allow your breath to come in and out on its own at a pace that is natural and free.
Invite your lips to stay soft and your tongue relaxed as you continue to surrender your body over to the innate intelligence within and around it.
Your body knows exactly how to breathe,
How to heal,
And how to do what it needs from moment to moment.
You don't need to think here or figure anything out.
Allow yourself to simply be fully in your body right here,
Right now.
Anything that arises in your body or in your mind.
Meet it with unconditional love.
You are allowed to be here just as you are.
Invite your awareness to release attachment to the outside world.
Focus on what's happening within.
Notice the rhythm of your breath.
The way the breath moves your body.
Notice all of the places along the backside of your body that are held by the earth beneath you.
Know that you are safe.
You are supported.
You're right where you need to be here in this moment.
Allow yourself to receive that support fully.
Bring your awareness to the front side of your body.
Open,
Soft.
Gently moving as you breathe in.
And breathe out.
On your next exhalation,
Feel your entire body relax even more as you let go of the weight of trying to hold yourself up,
Of trying to hold everything together.
Sink in.
Drop down.
Let it all go.
Begin to think of an intention that aligns with your highest good.
In Yoga Nidra,
We call this our Sankalpa.
It is your heart's deepest wish.
A truth that is calling from within you to actualize in your life.
A sankalpa in this way is like a seed we plant into our subconscious mind to nurture and grow as we carry on in our practice.
Be patient with this part as you allow that seed to grow.
Let it bloom in its own time,
Just as you would anything in nature.
Release the need to hurry the process and trust that your sankalpa is closer and closer with every breath you take.
Reprogramming the subconscious can take time,
Yet it can be done.
Plant the seed of your intention and then let it be.
If you would like some suggestions that align with our practice here today,
Some examples might be,
I am grounded and safe.
Or I am deeply supported.
Or I am nurtured by the earth.
I trust the earth to hold me.
If none of these resonate with you right now,
Make your own.
Any short and sweet present tense affirmation style statement will do.
Even something as simple as saying I am.
And then leave space for possibility beyond what you can intellectualize in this moment.
I see what comes up.
Once you have your sankalpa,
Repeat it silently with loving energy in your mind three times.
And trust that for the remainder of your practice,
It will reverberate through your body and through your mind.
Now,
We'll begin to move awareness through your physical body.
Simply follow the guidance of my voice to notice different places.
Not attaching to anyone,
Please.
Not creating any stories around what you encounter.
Just flow effortlessly from one place to the next.
Bring your awareness to your right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
And pinky finger.
Feel the palm of your right hand.
And the back of your hand.
Your wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
The top of the shoulder.
And the underarm.
Feel your right side ribs.
Waste.
Hip.
Bye.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
The top of your right foot.
Your right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Pinky toe.
And then the sole of your right foot.
And then feel the whole right side of your body all together.
Shift that loving awareness down into your left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
And pinky finger.
Feel the palm of your left hand now.
And the back of your hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Top of your left shoulder.
Underarm.
Your left side ribs.
Waste.
And hip.
Your left thigh.
Me.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Top of your left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Pinky toe.
The sole of your left foot.
And then the entire left side of your body together.
Feel both of your heels.
Both of your calves.
The backs of both thighs.
And your seat.
Notice the tip of your tailbone.
Your sacrum.
Low back.
Mid-bar.
Shoulder blades And the upper back.
The curve of your neck.
The back of your head.
Crown of your head.
Center of your forehead.
Both of your eyebrows.
Relax.
Both temples.
All of the muscles in and around your eyes.
Both cheekbones.
The bridge of your nose.
The tip of your nose.
Both nostrils.
Your upper lip.
And lower lips.
Upper T.
And lower teeth.
The tip of your tongue.
The root of your tongue.
Both of your jaws.
Your chin.
Your throat.
Your collarbones.
Your chest.
The center of the chest.
Your ribcage.
Your belly.
Pelvis.
The tops of both of your thighs.
Your kneecaps.
Your shin bones.
Both of your feet.
All 10 of your toes.
All 10 of your fingers.
Both of your hands.
Both arms.
Rest your awareness back in the center of your chest and your heart space.
Breathe into and out of your heart.
And now,
Feel your whole body.
All of you together.
Not separated.
Connected.
Integrated.
Divine.
Quiet,
Relaxed body.
Supported by the earth beneath you.
Bring your awareness now to the natural movement of your breath.
Simply observe it.
Allow it to unfold like anything else in nature.
No need to rush or force anything.
Just as you would allow a flower to bloom without pulling at its petals.
Allow yourself time here.
This time is for you.
For your growth.
For you to learn to listen to and honor your natural rhythm.
As you inhale,
Your body receives whatever you need.
And as you exhale,
Your body releases.
Imagine that each time you inhale,
You're receiving beautiful,
Nourishing,
Supportive light from the earth beneath you and the atmosphere around you.
And with every exhale,
You release something back to the earth.
Anything that you would like to let go of.
The Earth can hold any weight you give to it.
It is strong.
It is stable.
It receives without judgment.
It transmutes anything you release back into the energy field as pure,
Radiant,
Loving light.
Feel,
Sense,
Or imagine that as your breath comes in,
It moves downward.
From the crown of your head through your upper body.
Your lower body.
Down to your heels.
And then all the way down to the earth beneath you.
Deep into the center of the earth.
Feel yourself become more rooted.
Grounded.
Connected to the pulse of the earth.
Feel gratitude that you don't have to do anything special to be held by the earth.
You always have been,
And you always will be supported in this way.
Unconditionally loved and held.
Soften into the Earth's embrace.
Feel deeply into your sense of lying here.
Notice.
All the places in your body that feel heavy.
Feel the weight of your muscles,
Your organs,
Your bones.
Feel the heaviness of your entire body.
Now,
Feel the opposite sensation.
What parts of your body feel light?
Weightless.
Maybe you feel as if these places are floating into the air.
Toggle effortlessly between the two for a moment.
Heavy and light.
Dense and weightless.
Now.
Feel warm.
Like the sun was shining down onto your skin.
Feel the warmth as it penetrates and fills your body.
Let any tension melt away.
And then feel coolness.
As if the sunshine were now covered by a passing cloud and you're lying in the shade.
The cool soil beneath you.
Feel warmth and coolness.
Allow them to both exist simultaneously.
You don't have to favor one or the other.
They're both allowed to be here.
And now,
Simply return to the feeling of being held by the earth.
Allow.
The following images.
To come and go in your mind's eye.
A dense green forest.
Alive with the sounds of birds,
Insects,
And other creatures.
A meadow of tall grass that moves with the wind and bright wildflowers that feed the bees and butterflies.
A beach,
The sparkling of waves as they meet the shore and recede again.
A place where ocean and sky meet and seem to dissolve into one another.
A mountain standing tall and strong.
Reaching high into the blue sky.
The summit covered in bright white snow.
I'll rate.
Peaceful.
Reflective.
Gentle ripples spreading across the surface of the water.
Until they fade away.
A desert.
Bright heart.
Glowing in amber light.
A river.
Flowing,
Winding.
Gently carving its path as it flows from its source.
A cave.
Dar.
Quiet.
Deep in the earth.
Now see yourself go to any place in nature that calls to you.
A place where you feel safe and relaxed.
Feel the earth beneath your feet as you walk and explore your environment.
Notice what the ground feels like.
Its texture,
Its steadiness.
Feel the temperature of the air around you.
Look around.
What do you see?
What does your safe place in nature look like?
In great detail.
What can you feel?
What can you smell?
What can you hear?
See yourself walking along as an integral part of this landscape.
You belong here.
You are not separate from nature.
You are part of it.
Lie down now in a cozy place.
And imagine that beneath your body,
There's a gentle pulse coming from deep within the earth.
Feel the slow,
Steady rhythm of the Earth's heartbeat.
And bring your awareness to your own heartbeat.
Your heart song.
Imagine placing one palm over your heart and your other palm down on the earth.
For a moment,
Just listen to and feel the two heartbeats together.
They don't necessarily need to be at the same time,
But you're aware of both.
Feel the relationship between your own heart.
And the Earth's heart.
How you support each other.
How you love one another.
How you nourish each other.
Feel into the electromagnetic field that supports and surrounds us all.
Begin to imagine a gentle light traveling between your own heart and the Earth's heart.
What color do you imagine that light as?
See it weaving back and forth in an infinite loop.
Exchanging energy.
Giving each other strength.
With each heartbeat,
Remind yourself.
I am here.
I am held by the earth.
I belong.
And send gratitude downward into the earth.
Fill your heart with compassion.
And with each breath you take,
Feel that compassion radiate outward.
Touching every living thing on our planet.
Imagine billions of hearts around the world doing the same thing at the same time.
Caring.
Nurturing.
Protecting.
Restoring.
Magnifying the amplitude of our collective energy.
Imagine healing intentions blanketing the earth.
Wish for all beings to be happy,
Peaceful,
And free from suffering.
Take a moment here.
And in this beautiful fertile place Remember your sankalpa.
Repeat it three more times to seal it in.
Allow the visualization to slowly fade away.
And as we complete our yoga nidra practice.
Bring your awareness back to your body lying here.
Feel again into the movement of your breath.
Cool,
Fresh air on the in-breath.
Peaceful out-breath.
The temperature of the air in your space.
Notice the sounds in your room.
Sounds that are a little further away.
Expand your awareness.
Feel your feet,
Your hands,
Your face.
Maybe bring a soft smile.
Onto your lips.
Take a deeper breath in through your nose.
And then open your mouth and let it go one more time.
Take all the time you need here.
Feel free to pause or end your practice here and come back into the world at your own pace.
And when it feels right,
Slowly begin to find movement again.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Open your mouth,
Wiggle your jaw,
Maybe stick out your tongue.
Maybe wiggle your nose,
Scrunch and unscrunch your face.
Allow your movements to get bigger.
You roll out your wrists and ankles.
And then take any stretches that feel right to you as you come back into your body fully.
Any movements that would make your yoga nidra practice feel complete.
When you're ready.
Slowly roll over onto a side into a fetal position.
Rest your head,
If you'd like,
On your bottom arm and pause here.
Feel again into the earth supporting you.
And as you rest in this seed-like shape.
Know that you were held as you arrived today.
You were held during our practice.
And you will continue to be held by the earth.
As you go about the rest of your day.
Gently pick yourself up and find a comfortable seat.
If you need to open your eyes along the way,
Maybe close them again once you settle.
Find a tall spine,
Broad collarbones,
Relaxed shoulders,
And an open heart.
Cross your hands over your heart,
One on top of the other.
Sealing the practice with a somatic heart hug.
Maybe gently bow your head towards your heart space in reverence and gratitude.
Feel once more into your beautiful beating heart.
And the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
You are supported.
You belong here.
You are held by the earth.
As you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
I thank you so much for being here.
Sending you all my love.
Take care.
