Yoga Nidra For Intimate Presence

Unfolding isn't always easy, and this guide is created for the soft and gentle practice of presence. Deep, intimate presence with yourself, as you settle into the moment just as it is. The moment just as it is, allowing you to find the thread that ties you to hope, to love, to grace, to trust, to safety.

Settling in for the familiarity of the wise self in this intimate connection within this guided moment.

Transcript

Hello, My name is Jen, And today I will be guiding you through a soft, Gentle practice of Yoga Nidra, Where we can allow the body to shift into softer states, Where we can allow our bodies to find rest, Recovery, And restoration. Throughout this guided moment, We will be finding presence, Deep, Intimate presence within the body, Within our breath, Within the energy, And within this exact moment, Each and every moment that passes by, Finding soft and gentle, Intimate presence with ourselves, With softness. At the end of this practice, There will be 10 extra minutes of music playing in the background, Allowing you to really drift into sleep or just a moment longer to be just as you are. And as we allow ourselves to settle in for this practice, Perhaps grabbing any extra layers that you are needing, An eye pillow maybe, An extra blanket, Some socks, Anything that can allow you to really deeply ground the body and be really mindful to be comfortable. Allowing yourself to set up however it feels best in your body. Part of allowing our nervous systems to offload and the body to really find rest isn't wanting to have an expectation of exactly how our body should be held. So mindfully with awareness of how your body feels, Settling in, Whether that's on the backside, The side body, However you can allow your body to find rest. Maybe you want to put a pillow or bolster or extra support underneath the knees to allow for a slightly more offloaded lower back and hips. Sometimes when we lie down for a practice where we're looking for a little bit of restoration or a little bit of support, Sometimes we want it so badly that we almost rush it or force it. Sometimes when we do that our bodies resist softening and resist grounding in the body. So in this exact moment, Just as you are, Allow yourself to notice your body. Notice where you're perhaps feeling tension or restriction in the body. And in those areas maybe they need a quick wiggle or a shake. Maybe they just need a little bit more attention to the softening of the space, Of the fascia, Of the connective tissue, Of the muscles, Of the bones, And of all the fluid that is surrounding that area. Aware of the softening in these areas of tension or restriction or resistance. In our bodies we tend to hold in spaces habitually, Tension and tightness so often that we don't even realize that these places within our bodies are tense and are restricted. So really allowing that deep layer of awareness. Some of our body's favorite spots are our jaws, Our neck, Our shoulders, Our lower back, Our hips. Just really mindfully finding ease in these places. And allow yourself to slowly steep into this practice, To settle and to soften, To shift our nervous system from the sympathetic state where we're reactive to the parasympathetic state where we can soften, Where we can digest. We're not only looking to digest what we've intaked through the mouth, We are looking to digest experiences, Digest emotions, To process. In our day-to-day lives we're so often running from one thing to the next thing, One to-do list to the next to-do list. And often in the pockets where we have an opportunity to find a shift into the parasympathetic nervous system, We tend to fill those places as well. So allow yourself in this moment to really arrive in the process, In the steeping of the softening, Allowing the cardiovascular system to slow down and to steady. Leaning into the softening, The grip your daily life has on your body, Your mind and your spirit, The restricting through your skin and your muscles, Fascia, Connective tissue, And through your bones and organs, The restriction that seeps into your energy body and emotional expressions. Lean in as you tenderly nurture your body with ease in this softening. The system offloading, Unwinding, And unbinding as we settle into this space of gentle softening. Notice the layers of your skin finding deep ease, The fascia and the connective tissue finding release. Bring awareness into your bones. Imagine there was no gravity holding them. They're fully decompressed in their space for movement and softening between the joints. Your organs settling into the soft space. The pace at which they're functioning, Slowing, Finding ease and comfort. Your entire physical body settling, The pressure release, The habitual tension releasing, The weight of the days that have been building up within you softening. As the intimate exchange for softness makes its way through you. Now slowly and gently bring awareness into your breath without adjusting, Without forcing, Without altering. Noticing your inhale and your exhale just as they are, Without wanting them to be different. And noticing the way that your breath is moving in your body. Notice where your breath is moving. Notice if it feels spacious or perhaps it feels restricted and without judging, Without wanting to shift it. Just noticing the breath moving in the body. Slowly now and softly beginning to add the length to each and every cycle of breath. With every inhale, Slowly and softly lengthening. And with every exhale, Lengthening. Building towards intentional breath with grace, With steadiness, And with softness. Breathing all the way full into the body down to the belly, Filling the whole lower belly as deep as you can to the bottom. And your lungs, Feeling the lungs expand and as they expand, The ribcage moving. Noticing your breath making its way all the way up to the shoulders. And perhaps as you exhale, You'd like to gently separate your lips and allow your breath to softly escape your body. And as your breath moves out of the body, Really noticing how the body contracts. And in the contraction of our exhales, Our bodies slowly begin to land and ground into the earth. Fully held and supported. As well as our exhales allow us to offload energy that is not serving the body. Offloading the nervous system. Offloading the cardiovascular system. Staying steady with the full extent of your inhales and your exhales. At your own pace. Filling completely full. And softening in the body. And if your mind is wandering without judgment, Bring awareness back to your inhales. And to the movement of your body, Feeling the way that the side body even expands and contracts. The way your throat expands and contracts. Even noticing the shift in temperature in the air as you inhale. And as you exhale. Imagine the lungs expanding and contracting. Imagine the diaphragm moving up and down. And imagine all the movements of the tissues, Of the organs, Of the blood, Of the cells of the body. With each and every cycle of breath. And begin to bring awareness into the energy of each and every cycle of breath. In this exact moment, Just as you are, Your inhales moving fully in through the body. And your exhales releasing and softening. Can you feel it? The intimacy of this presence. You do not have to create presence. You simply create the space and let it arrive in its own time. Steeping here gently in this moment. As it arrives, Unmotivated, Unmasked, And just as it is. Slow, Soft, Tender. There is a language of connection that arrives. And it spreads through our bodies in moments we uncover. We steady ourselves as we steep in slowness. The connection speaks to us through sensations of grounding. It speaks to us in grace and hope. And it speaks to us in love. If you feel drawn to set an intention, Without force or expectation, Listen to the language of this connection. The voice of your inner guides bringing one forward. An intention is a resolve, A vow to yourself, A truth, A support. It is beyond overthinking, Past mindful playbooks and expectations. Lean into the sensation. The trust that carries you and holds you at your feet. The trust that carries you and holds you at your core. Your essence. When and if one has been brought forward, Repeat it three times within your mind, Connecting to your breath. A gentle inhale. And a settling exhale. Feeling the power of its presence, Connecting with this intimate awareness. Allowing this expression to travel through you with the language of this softness, Just as you are. There is nothing being asked of you. There is no where you need to be. Here, In this moment of deep intimate presence, Where you are safe to be just as you are. Arrive. Your body soft. Your breath gentle. The energy in and around you slow and tenderly moving with grace, With warmth, And with a deep sense of safety as the language within you unburdens you. Allowing you to arrive in this deep intimacy, Just as you need. Now, Let my voice be a guide as you gently journey through the body with the intimate presence of connection. Intimacy is a state of familiarity, Of friendship, Of closeness. Feel the presence of your own familiarity, Of your own friendship. And your own intimate closeness seep through your being as you make your way through the body connection. Bring your attention now to the top of your head. Feeling the connection to the crown of the head, The scalp, The back of the head resting. Move awareness to the forehead, The space between the eyebrows, The temples. Bring attention to the eyes, The right eye, The left eye, The eyelids soft and heavy. Awareness moves now to the nose, The tip of the nose, The bridge of the nose, The cheeks, The upper lip, The lower lip, The inside of the mouth, The tongue resting. Bring awareness to the jaw, The jaw joints. Allow your teeth to part slightly. Move attention to the ears, The right ear, The left ear. Awareness flowing down to the throat, The front of the throat, The back of the throat. Bring attention to the neck, The sides of the neck, The front of the neck, The neck completely at ease. Awareness moves to the right shoulder, The right shoulder joint, The right upper arm, The right elbow, The right forearm, The right wrist, The right hand, The right palm of the hand, The right thumb, The right index finger, The right middle finger, The right ring finger, The right little finger. The entire right hand relax. Bring awareness to the left hand, The right hand relax. Bring awareness to the left shoulder, The left shoulder joint, The left upper arm, The left elbow, The left forearm, The left wrist, The left hand, The left palm, The left thumb, The left index finger, The left middle finger, The left right finger, The left little finger. The entire left hand resting. Move attention to the upper chest, The right side of the chest, The left side of the chest. Awareness now moves to the heart space, The center of the chest. Bring awareness to the ribcage, The upper ribs, The lower ribs. Move awareness to the upper back, The space between the shoulder blades. Awareness moves to the middle back, Then the lower back, The spine supported. Bring your attention to the abdomen, The upper belly, The lower belly, Soft and relaxed. Awareness moves to the right hip, The right thigh, The right knee, The right calf, The right ankle, The right foot, The right heel, The right sole of the foot, The right top of the foot, The right toe, The right heel, The right foot, The right ankle, The right heel, The right ankle, The right foot, The right heel, The right ankle, The right heel, The left knee, The left calf, The left ankle, The left foot, The left heel, The left sole, The left top of the foot, The left toes, Left big toe, Left second toe, Left third toe, Left fourth toe, Left little toe. Bring awareness to both legs together, Both feet, Shift your awareness now as it moves to the entire body, From the top of the head to the tips of the toes. Your whole body is intimately connected now. Your whole body bathed with ease. Comfort and safety. The body resting just as it is, Unmotivated, Unhurried, Unwound and unbound. Can you feel the intimate presence of connection? The way it is beginning to journey through your whole being with each cycle of breath. The gentle inhale, Drawing awareness inward, Awakening a deep connection with yourself, The language of presence, The soft landing, Of your exhale, Settling the body. The gentle inhale, Drawing awareness inward, Awakening a deep connection with yourself, The language of presence, The soft landing exhale, Settling your body, Allowing the energy to spread through your being. Every inhale, Awareness in the expansiveness of your lungs, Chest, Ribs, Heart, Belly. Your exhales offloading as your body contracts and soothes into the softening within this present moment. Nothing more and nothing less. Arriving just as you are. Inhale, Exhale. Each cycle of breath is an opportunity for arrival within this intimate presence. Arrive here. Arrive now. Arrive just as you are. The whole body connected to the language of self. The whole body resting. The whole body soft and tenderly supported in safety here and now. In this moment you can trust. In this moment you can trust. In this moment you are supported and safe. Feeling the safety here as you are held within your own being, Supported within this deep presence. We will use this safety as an anchor point as we begin to explore gently with pairs of opposites. Bringing yourself back at any moment to the anchor of safety within this present moment. Each sensation named awakening full and expansive through your body. While you remain relaxed here in the intimate presence of connection, Allow the mind to feel warm. Your whole body filling with warmth. The warmth spreads through your whole being. Now allow the mind to shift the sensation of coolness. As if a cool breeze blew by. The feeling of warmth. Feeling of gentle coolness spreading now through your body. Shifting awareness of warm and cool together. Noticing how awareness can transition between warmth and coolness. Come back to the intimacy and safety in the present moment. Feel your breath gently inhale and exhale. Allow your mind now to feel happiness. The body heavy and fully supported beneath you. Your whole body heavy. Now shift awareness to the sensation of lightness. The body light, Buoyant. The whole body light. Shifting your awareness as heaviness and lightness move gently together. Come back to the intimacy and safety of this moment just as you are. Inhale and exhale. Now allow the mind to shift awareness into stillness. The deep rest and quiet in stillness. The whole body still. Allow the mind now to shift to movement. The subtle movements within the resting body. The whole body gently moving in this restful state of stillness. Shifting your awareness now to stillness and movement. Together at once. Come back now to safety here in this moment. Your breath moving gently in and out. The rise and the fall of your body's language. Your body connected to this intimate tender moment of presence. From this space of presence imagine a gentle safe space opening within you. Notice where the opening begins. As it opens the sensation of trust. And comfort washes over you. As if warm water was gently being poured over the crown of your head. Making its way down your body. Warming as it travels down, Down, Down. It may feel like that of a warm embrace from someone you love. Someone safe. Their palm caressing your head softly reminding you that you are here and you are hell. Trust this opening within you. You may feel a presence, An inner guide, A deep sense of wisdom bubbling to the surface. Let it arrive in this moment without expectations or judgments or yearning. Just as it is. Perhaps it's a visualization, A feeling or a knowing. Simply be here just as it is without expectations. Experience the openness, The comfort and trust here and now as you arrive deeply with this opening. The guides, The wisdom here with you. You are able to unbind and unwind. You are safe now to put down your protection. The layers that keep you bound and tense. Soften here with the presence. You are safe. Just as you are. Here you are. This is you, My dear one. When it all peels back and the stillness arrives, The presence is you. The wisdom, The guide is you. Feel the presence of your wise self. Feel this love and support. Arrive with gratitude for the connection. Arrive with love and remembrance for all that you are in this deep embodied, Intimate moment of connection. Your essence, Your core uncovered as you've arrived here with a deep intimacy within this presence. Your whole body is safe to dissolve into the sensation of safety and trust and love. Here and now with the presence of your inner guides and your wisest self, You are free. You are open. You are soft and tenderly supported. Arriving fully unbound and unwound, Fully open in this moment just as it is. Nothing more, Nothing less. Dissolve into the depths of this safe haven of respite. Soft, Tender, Loving remembrance. From this seat of intimate presence, Gently allow your intention to rise back up to the surface. Feeling now the deepest settling of your intention spreading through your body with each and every breath. As you've settled into softening and opened your inner self, Feel your intention travel through every cell of your body, Making its way deeper with each and every breath. Deep, Intimate presence of self here and now, Just as it is. Nothing more, Nothing less. Steady and soft, Safe and supported. Gratitude and love seeping deep within you, The sensation warming your whole body. Let yourself hold here in this moment of presence. Feeling the whole body supported in this intimate experience of presence. Gently and softly, Bringing awareness back into the movement of your breath. Gently noticing the inhale and the exhale, Just as it is. The rise and the fall of the body as breath moves in and out. Begin to bring awareness into the skin on your body, The fascia and the connective tissue, The muscles, The bones, All the fluid between and around you. Your breath still moving in and out. And may you drift off into a peaceful rest. Or perhaps, Gently and slowly, Bringing movement into your fingers and your toes, And your wrists and your ankles. Bringing yourself back into your space, Into your body. And rolling onto your side body when you are ready. Being mindful to move slow. And stay in this presence as long as you can. Being mindful to gently and softly make your way up into a seated form, If you are moving back into the awake body. I'm sending so much love and gratitude to you for sharing this space.