This practice is to promote a state of deep relaxation.
Take a moment to settle in comfortably.
This meditation is best practiced lying on your back with your arms resting slightly away from your body,
Palms facing up.
Place your feet a little wider than your hips,
Allowing them to fall to the sides.
Make sure you are warm enough.
Try to remain still throughout the practice,
But if you feel uncomfortable at any point,
Please feel free to make changes to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Whatever your experience is today,
It is the experience that is meant for you.
There is no right or wrong way to do this practice.
Start by taking a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Close your eyes and begin to relax.
Take another deep breath into your entire body,
Hold for a moment and breathe out any tension you might be holding.
One last slow deep breath in,
All the way from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet,
Hold,
And as you exhale,
Releasing all the stress from your body.
Feel your body sink into the surface beneath you.
Notice where your body makes contact with this surface.
Coming into stillness now,
And bringing your awareness outside of the room you are in,
Listening for sounds in the distance without straining your ears,
Just moving your attention from sound to sound without the need to label the source.
Now gradually move your awareness to sounds within the room you are in.
Be aware of the sound of your breath flowing freely in and out.
Now,
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the room that you are in.
Visualize the four walls,
The ceiling,
The floor.
Visualize your position in the room,
Your body lying down.
The parts of your body touching the surface beneath you,
Your clothes,
Your hair,
Your face,
Your entire body lying down.
Now,
Bring your awareness all the way down to your right foot,
Moving your awareness to your big toe,
Your second toe,
Your third toe,
Your fourth toe,
And your baby toe,
The ball of your right foot,
Your heel,
The top of your right foot,
Your right ankle,
Your right shin,
Your right calf,
The front and back of your right knee,
Your right thigh,
The top of your right thigh,
And the bottom,
Your right hip,
Right groin,
Right glute.
Bringing your awareness now all the way down to your left foot,
Moving your awareness to your big left toe,
Your second toe,
Your third toe,
Your fourth toe,
And your baby left toe,
The ball of your left foot,
Your heel,
The top of your left foot,
Your left ankle,
Your left shin,
Your left calf,
The front and back of your left knee,
Your left thigh,
The top of your left thigh,
And the bottom,
Your left hip,
Left groin,
Left glute,
Move your awareness to your lower abdomen,
Your navel,
Your upper abdomen,
Your chest,
Your lower back,
Your middle back,
Your upper back,
Your right shoulder,
Your right upper arm,
Your right elbow,
Your right forearm,
Your wrist,
The palm of your right hand,
The back of your right hand,
Your right thumb,
Your right index finger,
Your middle finger,
Your ring finger,
Your little finger,
The entire right side of your body.
Soothed and relaxed.
Your awareness now moves to your left shoulder,
Your left upper arm,
Your left elbow,
Your left forearm.
Your wrist,
The palm of your left hand,
The back of your left hand,
Your left thumb,
Your left index finger,
Your middle finger,
Your ring finger,
Your little finger,
The entire left side of your body.
Soothed and relaxed.
Moving your awareness to the front of your neck,
Your throat,
The back of your neck,
Your jaw,
Your gums,
Your tongue,
The inside of your cheeks,
Your mouth,
Your cheeks,
Your ears,
Your nose,
Your eyes,
Your forehead,
And your temples,
The top of your head,
The back of your head,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Slowly become aware of your breath.
Feel the flow of your natural breath in and out of your nostrils.
The breathing is normal and spontaneous without any effort.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest,
Ribcage and abdomen with each slow breath.
And feel the nourishing energy of the breath flowing through you.
Maintain awareness of your breath and continue to breathe through the belly.
With every inhalation,
The abdomen is expanding.
With every exhalation,
The navel is drawn in towards the spine.
Begin to count your breath,
Descending from 10 to 1.
Inhale,
Breath rising,
10.
Exhale,
Breath descending,
10.
Inhale,
Breath rising,
9.
Exhale,
Breath descending,
9.
Continue on with your breathing,
Maintaining awareness.
If you lose track of your counting,
Begin again at 10.
You may stop counting.
Gradually come back to the rhythm of your breath,
Feeling it flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Maintaining your awareness of slow,
Easy breath.
Becoming aware of your physical body.
Your body is relaxed and lying down.
Taking your awareness into all the points that are touching the surface beneath you.
The back of your heels.
Thighs.
The hips.
The back.
Shoulder blades.
Arms.
And head.
Begin to notice sounds outside the room.
Notice sounds inside the room.
Visualize the floor,
The windows,
And walls,
And the ceiling in the room where you are lying.
Take three deep breaths.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Lie down quietly until you are ready to move.
