Let's begin this practice of yoga nidra to prepare for sleep.
So settling into your bed,
Either lying on your back or your side,
Getting ready for a deep night's rest,
Adjusting your pillow until your head feels supported,
Wrapping yourself in warm blankets and covers,
Making any final adjustments to your body so you can rest in comfort and stillness.
In this practice,
I'll be guiding you to the very edge of sleep.
The body will be resting,
But the mind will still be awake,
And then at the very end of this recording,
I'll prompt you to drift off into a deep,
Restorative sleep.
Try to maintain a hint of consciousness until the end of this recording,
But if at some point you lose track of my voice or you fall asleep,
Trust that you will still absorb everything you need to hear in the deepest parts of yourself.
Remember that there is no right or wrong way to experience this practice,
And everyone's path will be different.
Begin by dropping your full awareness into the back of your body,
Noticing all the areas where the back of the body is making contact with the surface of your bed.
Feeling into where the back of your head is resting on your pillow.
Begin to release any tension that you're holding onto here,
Releasing any tightness in the top of your head,
The sides of your head,
And both hemispheres of your brain.
Soften the skin around the corners of your eyes as you imagine your eyes dropping back and down,
Resting heavy in their sockets.
And release any clenching or tightness in your jaw,
Allowing your whole head to sink down now even further into the softness of your pillow.
Moving your awareness to your shoulders,
Allow both shoulders to soften and melt away from your ears.
Remember to release any tension in your hips,
Your legs,
Feet,
Or all ten toes,
The whole body sinking down into your bed.
Feeling peaceful and at ease,
Nowhere to go,
No one to be,
Nothing to do but to follow my voice.
I invite you now to shift your focus to the space right between your eyebrows and start to bring in your own personal intention.
If you're not currently working with an intention,
Asking yourself what do you want to most bring into your life right now?
What emotional quality or feeling tone do you want to cultivate?
Perhaps you want to bring in more courage,
Creativity,
Self-love,
Gratitude,
Or perhaps you simply desire to sleep more deeply and wake up feeling fully rested.
Whatever it is,
Bring your own personal intention into your mind now,
Stating it in the present tense as if it is happening now,
And then repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Continuing to deeply rest and prepare your body for sleep,
We'll now start to rotate your consciousness through your body,
And as you do,
Try to bring in a curious,
Non-judgmental awareness to each body part I mention.
Avoid overthinking and just simply tune in and notice any sensations that are naturally arising.
Begin by bringing all your attention to both feet.
Noticing any tingling,
Vibration,
Sensations of heat or cold.
All your awareness centered on both feet.
Noticing first the tips of all your toes,
The arches,
And both heels.
Noticing both feet all at once.
Scanning if you can feel any differences between the right and the left.
Let your awareness move upward into both legs.
Fully scanning both legs with your mind,
Noticing any sensations.
Scanning the lower legs,
Both knee joints,
And both upper thighs and hamstrings.
Pausing to notice any differences present between the right and the left legs.
Bringing your awareness now into both hips and hip joints.
Noticing any feelings that are present here.
Traveling to the low belly now.
Noticing any sensations arising in the low belly.
Moving into the low back.
Noticing what's present here without judgment.
Moving up to the center of your chest.
Observing any sensations in your chest,
Heart,
Or ribcage.
Being curious,
Just noticing anything arising.
Moving up to both shoulders.
And then awareness moving down through the upper arms,
The elbow joints,
Into the lower arms,
The wrists,
The palms of both hands,
And then the tips of all ten fingers.
Nothing to do but to observe any and all sensations arising in the tips of the fingers.
Let your awareness travel now to the very base of your throat,
And then through the entire jaw.
Noticing any sensations in your lips,
The tip of your tongue,
Base of the tongue,
Inside the right cheek or inside the left cheek.
Awareness to the entire mouth now,
All at once.
Flowing your attention to the bridge of the nose,
The tip of the nose,
And the entire nose.
Noticing any sensations arising in the right ear and earlobe,
The left ear and earlobe,
The right eye and eye socket,
And the left eye and eye socket,
And then both eyes together at once.
Awareness coming to rest now,
The space right between your eyebrows.
Resting here,
Noticing all sensations in the whole body.
Feeling into all the collective sensations at once.
Assuming everything present in your body just as it is,
With love and deep gratitude.
I invite you now to begin to tune into your breath,
Noticing your breath flowing in and out.
Without changing your breath in any way,
Just be the observer.
Returning to the breath again and again as you feel your mind drifting away.
Notice the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you inhale and exhale.
Feeling your body naturally welcoming in the breath and then allowing it to flow out effortlessly.
And shifting your attention from your breath to simply observing your body resting in your bed.
Picture yourself lying in your bed,
Ready for sleep.
Your face serene and calm.
Your body still,
Completely at ease.
Your body deeply resting,
Fully receiving this gift of rest.
And then repeating your intention statement again,
Silently to yourself,
Three times.
Taking two deep breaths now,
And as you do,
Just allow your body,
Mind,
And spirit to give yourself over to sleep.
Allow yourself to drift off into the dream world.
Feel your body growing heavy,
Sinking down even deeper.
Letting go now of any last remaining awareness.
Allowing yourself to fully drift off into a deep,
Peaceful sleep.
