Hello and welcome to this short yoga nidra practice.
Find a comfortable place to lie down where you can rest safely without interruption.
You might lie on the floor with blankets and pillows or make yourself comfortable on a bed or a couch.
You may want a blanket nearby or over the body as you may begin to feel cooler while resting in stillness throughout the practice.
During this practice,
We invite the body to rest while the mind remains lightly awake and aware.
We aim to remain physically still so the body can settle fully,
But if you need to adjust at any time,
You can always reposition slowly and with intention.
There is nothing you need to do,
Just simply follow the sound of my voice.
And if you lose track of what I'm saying,
That's perfectly okay.
Let's return to my voice whenever you become aware of it again.
And before we begin,
Ask yourself,
Is there any way I could be 5% more comfortable?
And then making those adjustments.
And if it feels supportive,
Allow the eyes to close.
Begin to notice your body resting here.
Feel the pressure of the body meeting the surface beneath you.
Take a deep,
Expansive breath in through the nose,
Filling up the belly,
The ribs,
And the chest.
Open the mouth,
Let it go with an audible sigh.
One more like that deep expansive breath in.
An audible sigh out.
And feel the body becoming heavier into the support beneath you.
And then allow the breath to return to its natural easy rhythm.
Notice each inhale arriving through the nostrils creating expansion within the torso.
Notice each exhale slowly leaving through the nose as the torso softens and the body becomes heavier.
Every inhale expansive and full.
Every exhale,
Feel the body softening.
And just continue breathing in this way.
And just for this time,
Allow everything outside of the practice to remain in the background.
And meet each part of the practice as it comes.
Now it is time to connect with your Sankalpa or intention.
A Sankalpa is a short positive statement reflecting a quality you would like to nurture within yourself.
Like a supportive reminder planted like a small seed within the mine.
You may choose grounding,
Rest,
Self-trust,
Or compassion.
There is no perfect choice.
Choose what feels most supportive to you today.
And then we'll shape that quality into a brief statement in the present tense.
Some examples are I am grounded.
I allow myself to rest.
Or I meet myself with compassion.
You can choose one of those or create your own.
Now repeat your Sankalpa or intention silently to yourself three times,
Slowly,
Clearly,
And with feeling.
Allow the meaning of the words to settle into the mind.
And remain open to the possibility that this quality already exists within you.
And through this practice,
You are allowing it to grow.
Now we'll begin to rotate awareness through the body.
There is no need for any physical movement.
So as I name a body part,
Simply bring your awareness there.
Move lightly and easily from one point to the next.
If the mind wanders,
Return back to the sound of my voice.
Bring your awareness to the inside of the mouth.
Sense the tongue.
The roof of the mouth.
The lower gums.
The upper gums.
The inside of the cheeks.
The lips.
The chin.
The right to cheat.
The left cheek.
The nose.
The right eye.
The left eye.
The space between the eyebrows.
The right eyebrow.
The left eyebrow.
The forehead.
The crown of the head.
The back of the head.
The back of the neck.
The right shoulder blade.
The right shoulder.
In the upper arm.
Elbow.
The forearm.
Rest.
The palm of the right hand.
In the back of the hand.
The right thumb.
Index finger.
The middle finger.
Ring finger.
And the little finger.
Now sense the left shoulder blade.
The left shoulder.
The upper arm.
The elbow.
And the forearm.
And the wrist.
And the palm of the left hand.
The back of the hand.
The left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
And the little finger.
And now sense the upper back.
The middle back.
The lower back.
Sense the entire spine.
The right glute.
Right thigh.
The right knee.
Look how.
.
.
Ankle.
My heel.
Soul of the foot.
Top of the foot.
And the right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Sense the left glute.
The left thigh.
Left knee.
In the car.
The ankle.
The heel.
Sole of the foot.
The top of the foot.
A left big toe.
The second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And 5th toe.
Now sense the entire pelvis.
The lower belly.
The upper belly.
The chest.
The throat.
The chain.
The lips.
The inside of the mouth.
And now sense both arms together.
Both arms together.
Sense both legs together.
Both legs together.
The entire front of the body.
The entire back of the body.
The entire head.
And sense the entire body together.
The entire body together.
Sense the whole body held in awareness.
And now bring your attention to your natural breath.
Notice the breath flowing in through the nostrils.
And gently flowing out.
The breath is effortless and automatic.
Now notice the belly.
Notice its subtle movement with each breath.
Gently expanding as you breathe in.
And softening down as you breathe out.
With every breath,
The belly rises.
And the belly falls.
Maintain this awareness of your breath and belly moving together.
Now bring your awareness to the space behind your closed eyelids.
We'll now move through a visualization.
Imagine yourself standing at the beginning of a quiet mountain path.
The path rises gently before you clear and easy to follow.
So you begin walking slowly along the path.
Surrounded by tall trees.
Fresh mountain air.
The steady earth beneath you.
You continue to follow the path as it carries you gradually upwards.
Soon the trees begin to open and you arrive at a peaceful overlook.
Here you find a smooth stone seat,
Naturally shaped to support you.
So you settle in comfortably,
Supported by the stone.
Before you mountains stretch across the horizon.
You notice a river winding gently through the valley below.
And you take in the spaciousness surrounding you.
And as you rest here,
You become aware of someone approaching along the path,
And there is something familiar about them.
As they come closer,
You recognize that you are looking at another version of yourself.
A version of you who seems deeply at home within themselves.
And feel the steadiness of their presence.
The warmth and understanding within their eyes.
And recognize that whatever you notice within them is not separate from you.
It already exists within you.
And now gently release the image of this figure.
Release the mountains,
The valley,
The river.
Everything fades away.
Begin to feel your heartbeat.
Now allow your sankalpa,
Your intention,
To rise again within your awareness.
Repeat the same phrase you made at the beginning of the practice now silently to yourself three times.
Slowly,
Clearly,
And with feeling.
Feel the words settle within the mind.
Now return attention to the natural movement of your breath.
Allow your awareness to expand to sense the whole body resting here.
Feel the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
Begin to deepen your breath.
As you feel ready,
Gently begin to move the fingers and the toes.
Maybe circling the wrists and the ankles.
Take any other small movements you would like to gently wake up the body.
Take your time to roll over to one side.
Pause there for a moment.
And then as you feel ready,
Just press yourself up into a seat.
Thank you for sharing your practice.
