So welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.
Welcome home to yourself.
And as you settle down to rest,
Know that you are welcome to make whatever adjustments are necessary in order to get super comfortable.
There's a loving invitation to take good care of yourself here as you take time to create your own nest to snuggle into where the body can feel completely supported.
There's no rush to settle the body down.
Take your time.
Enjoy the process.
I wonder if you'd like to have support under the head or the knees?
Maybe that would be nice.
Or maybe you'd like to lie on your side.
Whatever you like,
Whatever feels good is absolutely perfect.
And if you don't have a blanket covering you right now,
Maybe having one close by in case the body temperature drops during the practice.
And though that's what ever arises during the practice is welcome.
Any external noises,
Internal noises,
Coughs,
Sneezes or sniffles are all a welcome part of the practice.
Perhaps you might need to shuffle or change position during the practice and that's welcome too.
There's no need to stay completely still and if you do need to move,
Maybe doing so in a way that can help the body return to comfort.
There's actually no need to do anything in particular during this practice of yoga nidra.
You don't even really need to listen to what I'm saying.
Just to be here resting is more than enough.
And as the body settles,
I wonder if you could welcome in the breath.
How would it feel to welcome in the breath to this resting body?
And maybe at the end of each exhale,
You could feel the whole body so settled into the earth.
Right down there at the end of the exhale in that space before the incoming breath,
The space between.
The body is so settled that it might feel as though the body and the earth are one.
The body is welcomed home to the earth.
And she is so delighted to receive this body.
To hold this body.
She welcomes you home.
And in this place where the body and the earth are one.
Could there be a settling of awareness into the space of the deep heart's core?
And I wonder if the heart could speak and if you could listen deeply to the heart.
What might you hear?
And knowing also that silence is welcome and received with love.
And welcoming now their journey of awareness across the land of the body.
And as we are here at the end of March,
The land is beginning to reawaken with the emergence of spring.
Maybe some spring flowers in particular come to mind.
Crocuses,
Snowdrops or daffodils,
Whatever you like.
And maybe as the awareness travels to each part of the body,
Tiny spring flowers begin to sprout and bloom.
Welcoming into the body the turning time as the earth moves from winter to spring.
Settling the awareness now at the crown of the head.
Spring flowers emerge at the crown of the head.
Down to the third eye between the eyebrows.
And between the collarbones at the base of the throat,
Flowers emerging at the right shoulder,
Elbow and wrist,
The tip of the right hand thumb,
Tiny flowers here at the tip of the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and little finger.
And what about all the spaces between all the fingers?
Back inside the right wrist,
Elbow and shoulder between the collarbone.
Flowers emerging at the left shoulder now,
The left elbow,
Wrist.
Tip of the left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Tiny flowers at each tip and all the spaces in between.
Inside the left wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
And between the collarbone.
Moving down now to the centre of the back of the breastbone.
Tiny spring flowers begin to emerge here.
And on the left side of the chest to the right side of the chest.
And flowers down into the belly,
Behind the navel,
The abdomen,
And all the way down to the pelvis.
Spring flowers beginning to emerge behind the pubic bones.
Across now to the right hip,
The knee and the ankle.
Perhaps tiny flowers are sprouting from the right big toe.
The second toe,
Third,
Fourth and fifth.
And what about all the spaces between the toes?
Back to the right ankle,
Knee and hip behind the pubic bones.
Across to the left hip,
Left knee and ankle.
Little flowers in the left big toe.
Second,
Third,
Fourth and fifth.
And all the spaces in between.
Coming back now to the left ankle,
Knee and hip and the pubic bones.
Back up to the navel,
The breastbone,
Between the collarbones,
Between the eyebrows and the crown of the head.
Welcoming now the spring flowers in the whole of the body.
A whole body.
The whole of the right side.
The whole of the left side.
On both sides together.
The whole body.
The land of this resting body covered in tiny spring flowers.
And now notice the incoming breath.
And if you like.
Allowing the breath to bring all the flowers across the land of the body into full bloom.
Petals softly opening as the breath comes in.
Then maybe as the breath goes out,
The petals of each flower begin to softly close.
At the end of the exhale,
Each flower returns to a bud.
Breath coming in,
Flowers blooming.
Breath going out,
Petals closing.
And what would it be like now to hold awareness of both this full bloom and the closed buds at the same time,
Together?
How would that be?
And now letting go of this practice and simply notice the body lying here.
Resting on the earth.
What does this body look like as it lies here to rest?
See the position of the body.
See the clothes you're wearing,
The blankets that cover you.
See the body as if you're looking down from above.
Look down on yourself with a gaze of kindness and compassion.
As if looking down upon a dear friend.
See yourself now from the right side.
See yourself from the left side.
See yourself from the perspective of the feet as if you could look up through the body.
And now see yourself from the perspective of the head.
Looking down through the body to the feet.
What would it be like to see the body from underneath?
And letting go of this practice now as the awareness settles back to the breath.
Notice the body being breathed.
Allow the breath to travel down into the deep heart's core.
The heart welcomes you home once again.
And perhaps there is some insight to be gifted from the heart in this moment.
In whatever form that may arise.
And knowing also that the gift of silence can be the most precious gift of all.
And now notice the sensations of the breath.
Is the temperature of the air as it travels in.
And travels out of the body.
Are there any smells to be smelt?
Perhaps the breath begins to deepen.
So you can hear the sound of your own breath.
Notice any other sounds that surround you right now.
Close by.
And far away.
The breaths continue to get a little noisier now as we come towards the end of this practice.
With each breath in,
Feeling yourself returning to a waking state just as the earth slowly and without rush begins to reawaken after the rest of winter.
Take your time to immerse.
Maybe some movements begin to appear in the fingers,
The toes,
The wrists and the ankles.
Allowing these movements to begin to spread throughout the body in whichever way pleases and delights you.
Or maybe a yawn,
A wriggle,
Savouring this slow emergence.
This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
