Thank you for joining me today.
You may like to consider this time as a gift to yourself.
A space where there's no external demands or distractions and as you give yourself permission to slow down and experience a well-deserved rest Your focus gently turns inwards as you start to unwind,
Relax and let go.
So let's begin by lying down and make yourself warm and comfortable.
Ideally lying on your back but just finding that perfect position for you.
The sweet spot where you are completely comfortable and you can remain still.
So taking a few moments now to make yourself as comfortable as you can possibly be.
Close your eyes now as you start to settle in and just take a moment to notice that you have a body.
This awareness of the physical body helps us to become present and brings a sense of connection.
You notice that you are fully supported by the surface you're lying on and feel now that you can totally surrender your body to that surface.
Allow yourself to sink down and become heavy.
Let's take a few deep breaths together now.
Filling the lungs with a deep breath in and let the breath go with a big sigh and again big breath in and sigh it all out.
One more time breathe in and let it all go.
Continue with some deeper breaths for just a few moments at your own pace in your own rhythm.
Breathing in and then letting go with the out-breath.
Letting go of tightness or tension,
The busyness of your day.
Letting go of anything you no longer need.
Releasing and letting go with the out-breath.
Move your awareness from the breath to your face and invite those muscles in the face to gently release and let go.
Your eyes,
Cheeks,
Mouth and lips all soften.
Relax your tongue and part your teeth slightly to release tension in your jaw and we move down to the shoulders.
Allow the shoulders to drop down and relax.
Your arms and hands become heavy.
There's a sense of heavyness in the legs and feet and finally a feeling of absolute softness radiating throughout your whole belly.
This whole area is free,
Spacious and relaxed.
Spend a few moments here at the belly breathing in softness and then letting go and releasing with the out-breath.
Leaving the breath we now rotate our awareness through parts of the body.
Feeling and sensing the parts as they're named and moving to the next part.
As your body rests your mind stays focused on my voice and on the instructions and there's an intention to remain awake but if sleep does come that's okay.
There's no right or wrong.
We start on the right side of the body with the right hand thumb.
Picture your thumb in your mind and feel the thumb and move to the index finger of the right hand,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and little finger.
Palm of your right hand,
Top of the hand,
Right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Armpit,
Shoulder,
The whole right arm.
The whole right arm is relaxed.
Right side of your chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your right foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth and fifth toe.
Feel the whole right side of your body.
Whole right side of your body is relaxed.
Move your awareness to your left side and to the left hand thumb.
Place all of your attention on the left hand thumb.
Index finger of the left hand,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and little finger.
Palm of your left hand,
Top of the hand,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Armpit,
Shoulder,
The whole left arm.
The whole left arm is relaxed.
Left side of your chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your left foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth and fifth toe.
Feel the whole left side of your body.
Whole left side of your body is relaxed.
Take your awareness to the back of your heels,
Back of the legs,
Glute muscles,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Back of your neck,
The back of your head.
Feel your whole spinal column from your tailbone right up to the crown of your head.
Move your awareness to your forehead,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows.
Feel into the eyebrow center,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Your whole jaw,
Chin,
Lower lip,
Upper lip,
The tip of your nose,
Bridge of the nose,
The whole of your nose,
Whole of your face.
Your whole face is relaxed,
Soft and free of tension.
Moving down to your neck,
Chest,
Chest,
Heart center,
Abdomen,
Navel,
Pelvis,
Thighs,
Knees,
Shins,
Tops of the feet.
Feel both legs,
Both arms,
Your whole torso and your whole head,
The whole front of your body,
Whole back of your body,
Whole body,
Whole body,
Whole body awareness,
Whole body is relaxed.
Repeat mentally,
My whole body is relaxed,
My whole body is relaxed.
Now picture in your mind your entire beautiful body,
Lying here deeply relaxed.
Notice the stillness and the quiet peaceful space you have created.
Once again we gently glide our awareness back to the natural breath,
As it ebbs and flows in its own perfect rhythm.
Place your attention on your breath wherever you feel it the easiest.
So it may be at the nostrils,
The throat,
The chest or the belly.
Take a few moments to settle your awareness on a place that feels right for you.
And once we've found that place,
We become fully aware of each breath in and each breath out,
Allowing each breath to flow as it will.
The breath is nice and easy and we watch,
Noticing the gentle movement in the body that the breath creates.
There's no effort,
There's only the breathing and the watching.
And to help maintain our focus,
We now align words with the breath,
Just like using a mantra.
We use the words let,
Let,
Go.
So with every in-breath mentally say let,
And with every out-breath mentally say go.
Breathing in let,
And breathing out go.
Let,
If you drift off or get lost in thought,
Gently bring yourself back to the breath and the words.
Let,
When these words are used with the conscious breath,
It signals to the body that it's safe to release tension,
And that release creates a space that allows us to relax even more deeply.
Other words,
Let go,
To keep you anchored in the present moment,
Being aware of each and every breath.
Let,
Leave the words and the breath behind now,
And start to tune into your body as a whole.
Feel the stillness and the softness.
Feel the expansive space within your body,
And all of the space surrounding your body.
It's as if your body and the space around you have become one.
Now start to gently ease yourself back.
Feel the weight of your body being supported by the bed or the floor.
Feel the air where it contacts your skin,
The touch of your clothing,
And the weight of any blankets.
Bring to mind the room you are lying in,
And remember the time of day,
And gently begin to move in any way that's right for you.
Or you may find you're not ready to move just yet,
So rest here a little longer if that's the case.
Otherwise gently stretch and move,
Maybe wiggling the fingers and toes,
And gently moving your neck from side to side,
Moving in any way to slowly and mindfully bring yourself back.
This technique of letting go,
Combining words with the conscious breath,
Can be used any time as a tool to relax,
Slow down,
And release tension.
Even just a few minutes of conscious breathing,
Using the words let go,
Can be a wonderful reset.
Thank you so much for letting go with me today.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
