Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.
Yoga nidra or yogic sleep is a practice that supports deep rest and healing when the body or mind feel tired,
Overwhelmed or in pain.
Through this practice you're welcome to move,
Adjust or rest in any way that feels most supportive.
Let's begin by settling in.
You don't need to hold your body in any particular way.
Just adjust your position until it feels most supportive and then start to notice the support of the surface beneath you as your body finds its resting shape.
Let your arms rest away from your body and allow your feet to naturally fall open.
When you're ready,
Soften your eye gaze and if it feels okay for you,
You may like to gently close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and as you exhale perhaps offer a soft sigh.
Noticing if you have space to release the effort of holding.
Breathe in again and as you breathe out you may feel the thoughts and concerns of the day start to soften.
One more deep breath in and as you exhale,
Simply allow your weight to be held by the support beneath you.
For today's practice,
We'll focus on body awareness.
This is your invitation to tune in and observe the flow of sensations.
Feel the sensations in your physical form wherever they arise.
There is nothing to achieve and nothing to solve.
This is simply a journey toward the quiet space between activity and deep rest.
Bring your awareness to the feeling of the whole body resting.
Just notice where you are supported and where there might be open space.
Perhaps you sense your whole body as one or maybe your awareness is drawn to a particular part of your body.
Wherever it lands,
Gently breathe into that awareness.
Now let's invite our awareness to move through the body.
Bringing your focus to your eye sockets and sensing the gentle weight of your eyes resting within them.
Allowing the focus to flow to the forehead,
The right temple,
The right cheek,
The right side of the jaw.
Noticing the chin,
The mouth,
The tip of the nose and the space between your eyebrows.
Up to the forehead again,
The left temple,
Left cheek and the left side of your jaw down to the throat.
And then bringing your awareness to the whole outer surface of the face.
Noticing any sensations you may be experiencing.
Just watching with curiosity without needing to change a thing.
Gently drift your awareness down to your right foot.
Sensing the right big toe,
The second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and little toe.
The sole of your foot,
The top of your foot and then moving the awareness up to the ankle,
The shin,
Calf,
Right knee,
Thigh and the right hip.
And then sensing the whole of the right leg as one.
And softly guide your awareness to your left hand.
Sensing the left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and pinky finger.
Feel the palm and the back of the hand and then gently move the awareness up to the wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm and the left shoulder.
Shift your awareness to the right hand.
Sensing the right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and pinky finger.
Feel the palm and the back of the hand and then move that awareness up to the wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm and the right shoulder.
Gently guide your focus to your left foot.
Sensing your left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and little toe.
The sole of your foot,
The top of your foot,
Up to the ankle,
Shin,
Calf,
Left knee,
Thigh and the left hip.
Then gently expanding the focus to the whole body.
Sensing the back of the body,
Feeling the back of the head,
The shoulders,
The spine,
The hips,
Backs of the legs and the heels.
Just sensing the entire back of the body resting against the floor.
Shifting the awareness to the front of your body,
To the throat,
Chest,
Belly,
Pelvis and the tops of the legs.
Just sensing the expanse of the front body and then gently inviting the awareness to the left side of the body.
From head to toe sensing the length of the left side and drifting across to the right side of the body and from head to toe sensing the length of the right side.
Drawing the awareness to the inside of your body,
Sensing the space,
The warmth,
The organs and the deep structure.
Softly expanding your awareness to the outside of your body,
The skin,
The surface,
The boundary.
And finally sensing the whole body from head to toe,
Left and right,
Front and back,
Inside and out.
Your whole body resting in stillness.
Bring the awareness back to the flow of your breath again and just notice the gentle rhythm of your breath as the air moves through your body.
And just noticing how the breath flows naturally,
Consistent and calming.
If any thoughts or feelings come to visit,
Just acknowledge them gently and allow them space to pass.
Rest here for a few moments,
Held by your breath and the support of the ground beneath you.
Gently and slowly begin to invite your awareness back to the room.
Start to notice the sounds around you,
Both near and far.
Feel the texture of the air on your skin and you might like to invite some gentle movements through the body.
The wiggle of your fingers and toes,
A stretch or any other movement that feels right.
Start to deepen the breath and whenever you feel ready,
Roll onto the side and just rest here for a moment,
Honoring the transition and the quiet that you've cultivated.
There's no need to hurry.
In your own time,
Press your hands into the floor and slowly make your way up to a comfortable seated position.
You're welcome to close your practice in any way that feels right for you today,
Seeing if you can stay with the sense of quiet that you've invited into your body and mind.
