Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra,
Shared with you by Sarah Johnson,
And welcome home to yourself.
Finding a place of retreat here,
Adjusting if there needs to be adjustment,
No need to hurry,
Taking all the time,
All the time,
Knowing that it is worth the time and effort to make yourself as comfortable as you can.
And when you have found that place,
Allowing the body to simply rest there,
Inviting for the eyes to close if that feels comfortable to do so,
Or if you would prefer,
You could also have a low,
Soft gaze,
Ensuring that as you create your landing space for this practice,
That you take the time to find a position that feels warm and comfortable so that you can lie in complete ease,
Considering the softness of your nest,
The warmth of your nest.
In Yoga Nidra,
We turn inwards,
We notice the body with a gentle awareness and love,
Without feeling the need to change or strive for more.
Being in a state of Yoga Nidra invites us to tap into our true selves,
A homecoming if you like,
Where we are at total love and peace,
Regardless of what the outer world is trying to teach us,
In order for us to be happy.
And know that everything I offer to you during this practice is simply an invitation.
And so you can choose how you would like to receive the practice,
And how you would like to follow my suggestions.
This is your practice,
It is a place to be exactly as you are,
A safe spot to land,
Gifting you an opportunity to really listen within.
Inviting you now to take three long,
Slow,
Deep breaths,
Inhaling and filling your lungs,
Exhaling and emptying your lungs with a deep sigh out,
Aware of your breath,
Each time you exhale,
Feel a wave of relaxation flood through the body,
As you begin to release and let go.
Imagine how it would be if you could give permission for the body to fully let go,
If you could completely and utterly allow the body to let go.
Almost like this body could go into a power saving mode,
For the batteries to recharge,
For the batteries to recharge.
Feel yourself laying on the earth,
Scanning the body and becoming aware of any places or spaces that are being held,
Or feel constricted in any way.
And if you need to,
Feel free to let your body adjust again for that extra comfort.
Inviting now for stillness to be in your body,
Or as close to stillness as is available to you today.
And imagining now that you are drawing a circle of protection around your body,
Perhaps choosing a circle of colour or material that nurtures you.
Maybe a white light,
Maybe moonlight,
Or a circle of flowers.
And letting that circle of energy emanate a feeling of love towards you,
As if you were cocooned in a healing power,
A circle of healing,
Bathed in this vibration of healing by this circle of light.
And just resting in this circle for a few moments,
Seeing yourself in this circle,
Bathed in the vibration of healing,
Cocooned in its presence.
Keeping your awareness on this coloured circle as you take another two or three breaths here.
Gently taking your awareness now into the body,
Awareness of your face,
Breathing into the face,
As if the whole face could breathe in air through the skin.
And as you exhale,
Release the face fully into the ground.
Place your attention from the mid chest to the shoulders.
Breathe into the pores of the skin,
And as you exhale,
Lay the chest and shoulders into the ground.
Place your attention into the whole of the abdomen,
Breathe in deeply into the skin of the abdomen.
And as you exhale,
Lay this area to rest.
Bring your attention to the palms of your hands.
Breathe deeply into the skin of the hands.
Now lay the palm and the fingers fully to rest.
Place attention at the base of the pelvis.
Take a breath deeply into the bowl of your pelvis and exhale and let it all release into the ground.
Place attention down to the soles of the feet.
Breathe into the skin covering the feet.
Exhale and release the weight of the feet and the legs into the ground.
With each exhalation allowing the earth beneath you to fully hold each part of your body.
The weight of your body fully held by the earth beneath.
Guiding your awareness into the centre of the breastbone now,
Inviting the breath to travel here,
Softening the space of the heart as if you are breathing in through the heart.
Breathe deeply into the heart and as you slowly exhale,
Lay this place to rest.
Feeling the heart space soften and release.
If something is weighing on your heart,
Know that the earth can hold that as well.
So,
Exhale deeply and give whatever your heart is holding on to,
To the earth.
Trusting this space.
Soft hands,
Soft feet,
Soft heart,
Resting.
And as your awareness rests in the space of the heart,
Tuning into this place of innate wisdom and guidance,
Connecting inwards and connecting with an intention for this practice of your deepest heart's desires.
And maybe if nothing arises,
This intention may resonate for you.
I am at home in my body.
Healing is here.
I am at home in my body.
Healing is here.
Holding your intention here in your heart space,
Sending a positive and strong message to your heart and mind that this is important to you.
Trusting that the timing is right and that this is the right moment.
The invitation now is to guide your awareness around the body.
To place awareness deeply into the body parts I name.
And you may find that your awareness produces a warmth,
A sensation,
Or maybe even a light,
A healing light as you place your attention around the body.
The most important part of the practice is the placing of your awareness.
Pouring all of your awareness now into the space at the place between the centre of the eyebrows,
Allowing for that healing light or warmth,
Nourishment to flood through the space at the centre of the eyebrows.
Softening,
Releasing here.
Allowing your awareness to travel down to the notch at the base of the throat.
Feeling a softening here.
Guiding your awareness to the right shoulder.
Feeling the release and softening as your awareness settles into the right shoulder.
Down to the right elbow,
Right wrist.
Into the palm of the right hand,
Feeling a softening here.
The back of the hand.
Into the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Back up to the right wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder.
Settling gently back at the notch at the base of the throat.
And moving across to the left shoulder.
Allowing your awareness to settle into the whole of the left shoulder joint.
Softening,
Releasing.
Down to the left elbow.
The left wrist.
The left palm.
The back of the hand.
The left hand thumb.
Index finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
And the little finger.
Back up to the left wrist.
Left elbow.
Shoulder.
Notch at the base of the throat.
Guiding your awareness down to the centre of the chest.
The left chest.
And the right chest.
Back to the centre.
Pouring your awareness down to the navel.
Feeling a softening here.
Down to the tip of the pelvis.
Into the right hip.
Right knee.
Right ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Into the right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Back up to the right ankle.
Knee,
Hip.
Resting at the top of the pelvis.
Into the left hip.
Left knee.
Left ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Back up to the left ankle.
Knee and hip.
The centre of the pelvis.
Travelling back up to the navel.
And the heart space.
Notch at the base of the throat.
The centre of the eyebrows.
Crown of the head.
Allowing for there to be a softness and release of the crown of the head.
As you rest your awareness back at the space of the place at the centre of the eyebrows.
Aware of the whole of the body.
The whole of the body.
Aware of the whole of the body resting.
Whole of the body.
A sense of oneness.
Body,
Mind,
Soul.
In this state of stillness.
Sensing now the earth beneath your body.
Sense into the properties of the earth.
Solid,
Strong,
Stable and grounded,
Always there.
Feel deeply how the earth is reaching up to hold you.
Supporting you.
And sensing now into that space that surrounds you.
Sensing the properties of space.
The essence of emptiness.
Vast expansiveness.
So still and yet space makes all movement possible.
Is there a way that you can move between the two,
Between earth and space?
A sense of feeling grounded and yet expansive.
Moving between the properties of groundedness of the earth and spaciousness of space.
Holding both of these together at the same time perhaps.
As you lie connected to the earth.
A sense of being grounded and yet as you sense into the space around the body you have a sense of emptiness and expansiveness that surrounds you.
Connecting with that sense of being grounded and yet expansive together at the same time.
Leaving that exploration now.
Becoming aware of the breath.
Allowing your awareness to move with your breath.
On each inhale expanding your awareness beyond that of your physical form.
Expanding beyond and outside the body.
And on the exhale the awareness retreats back inside the body.
Inhaling awareness and breath expands beyond the physical body.
Exhaling and awareness and breath contract back inwards.
Breathing in flow with that of the universe.
Inhale expansion beyond the physical body.
Exhale and a contraction as awareness comes back into the body.
Flowing with that formation of the breath for a few moments.
Allowing your breath now to travel back to the centre of the heart space as we recall the intention from the beginning of the practice.
Your heart's deepest desire.
The intention from deep within the heart's wisdom.
I am at home in my body.
Healing is here.
I am at home in my body.
Healing is here.
And as we start to make our journey back to the here and the now inviting for you to come back into the physical body.
Sensing the body fully resting.
Sensing the body having fully let go.
Welcoming in a feeling of complete relaxation and rest.
Noticing how the sweet sensation of deep rest has made you feel.
Preparing to come back now.
Seeing if you can leave this experience behind.
Know that you can connect with this feeling each and every time you lay your body down to rest.
Starting to feel that the whole internal landscape of the body is one of deep peace.
Noticing that feeling of having let go.
Being aware of the body connected with the earth beneath and feeling a deep sense of groundedness.
From head to feet.
Heads to heels.
And feeling now the breath moving in and out of the body.
Allowing the breath to travel all the way down to your extremities,
Your fingers and your toes.
Deepening your breath as you bring life and energy into the body.
Starting to introduce some very gentle movement.
Keeping the eyes closed.
Rolling over onto one side.
And maybe staying here a little while as you take in the effects of the practice.
Taking your time,
There's no hurry,
There's no rush.
Maybe noticing what might be a little bit different about yourself compared to how you were when you first lay down to practice.
This practice of Yoga Nidra has now finished.
This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
