Welcome and thank you for joining me for this Yoga Nidra practice to encourage a state of gentle rest and peace in the body.
Lay down on the floor or bed.
Make yourself comfortable,
Warm and cosy.
If the lower back needs support,
Place a pillow or bolster under the knees.
The legs are slightly apart and the arms rest gently beside the body or on the belly.
Close the eyes and surrender the body to the support of the surface beneath you.
Let the body go.
The body sinks down and starts to become heavy,
Settled and still.
Take a deep breath in now,
Releasing with a sigh.
Another deep breath in,
Letting it go.
One more time,
Big sigh.
And just encouraging the body to sink down even further now.
Focusing on the natural breath.
Imagine that with every out breath a wave of relaxation flows from the crown of the head down through the body,
Right to the very tips of the toes.
This wave flows down the body every time you breathe out.
Feel the wave move with the out breath.
Exhaling and relaxing.
This breath allows the body to sink down even further,
Becoming heavier,
Becoming softer,
Becoming still.
Feel the muscles in the face begin to soften.
The eyes,
Cheeks,
Mouth,
Lips,
Jaw,
Whole face become soft.
Shoulders sink down.
Arms and hands become heavy.
The feet flop out to the sides if they wish.
There's a sense of heaviness in the legs and a softness in the abdomen.
The abdomen is soft and relaxed.
Spend a few moments watching as the abdomen rises and falls with the breath.
Body breathes in,
Body breathes out,
Gently watching the breath.
You may wish to set an intention to remain still and awake for the next part of the practice.
Where the body rests while the mind stays fully alert.
Use my voice and the instructions as an anchor to keep yourself present and focused.
And journey with me now as we rotate the awareness through parts of the body.
Feeling the parts of the body as they're named and moving to the next part.
As we travel around the body we invite in a sense of softness and relaxation.
Starting with the right hand,
Repeat mentally right hand,
Visualize the right hand.
Moving to the right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Armpit,
Shoulder.
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm is relaxed.
Right side of the chest,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot.
Whole right foot,
Whole right leg,
Whole right leg is relaxed.
Right leg and right arm together,
Whole right side of the body,
Whole right side of the body is relaxed.
To the left side,
The left hand,
Repeat mentally left hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Armpit,
Shoulder.
Whole left arm,
The whole left arm is relaxed.
Left side of the chest,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot.
The whole left foot,
Whole left leg,
The whole left leg is relaxed.
Left leg and left arm together,
Whole left side of the body,
Whole left side of the body is relaxed.
Feel the lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
The whole spine,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The centre of the eyebrows.
Feel into the eyebrow centre,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Bridge of the nose,
Tip of the nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Right side of the jaw,
Left side of the jaw,
The whole face.
The whole face is relaxed,
Down to the throat,
Collarbone,
Chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
The legs.
Feeling both arms together,
Both legs,
The whole trunk,
The head,
Both arms,
Both legs,
The trunk,
The head,
Whole front of the body,
Whole back of the body,
Whole body,
Whole body,
Whole body awareness,
Whole body is relaxed.
Repeat mentally,
My whole body is relaxed,
My whole body is relaxed.
Have an awareness of the whole body all at once.
Form an image in your mind of your beautiful body,
Lying still,
Comfortable and rested.
And in this still space you have created,
Settle your soft attention on the breath,
Just watching as the body breathes in and gently releases the breath back out.
Body breathes in,
Body breathes out,
Being aware of each and every breath,
Accepting the breath just as it is,
Witnessing the body's natural rhythm,
Body breathes in,
Body breathes out,
You are the witness to this breath.
Being aware of how the body moves to accommodate each breath,
The expansion with the in-breath and the softening and releasing with the out-breath.
And leave the breath behind now,
Come back to full awareness of the whole body,
Remembering the time of day,
The room you are lying in,
The walls,
The ceiling above and the floor below.
Take a few moments to gently bring yourself back,
Taking a deep breath in and sighing it all out.
And remaining in this relaxed state as long as you wish.
And when you are ready,
Slowly stretching the body in any way it needs to,
To reactivate.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
