Connect With Your Body

Deeply connect with your body with this potent guided Yoga Nidra meditation practice. You'll be gently guided through a journey throughout your physical body as well as other techniques to help you reclaim transformative rest and cultivate a sense of equanimity.

Transcript

Let's begin the practice.

Lie down comfortably on your back,

On your yoga mat,

Bed,

Or on the floor.

If you cannot for any reason lie safely or comfortably on your back,

Feel free to lie down on your side or any position of comfort.

Feel free to use any pillows,

Blankets,

Or props to help you become as comfortable as possible.

Make sure that you won't be disturbed.

Close your eyes and take the next few moments to make any final adjustments.

Once you are supremely comfortable,

Inhale deeply through the nose.

Exhale completely from the mouth.

Inhale again deeply through the nose.

Exhale completely from the mouth.

One more time,

Inhale deeply through the nose.

Exhale completely from the mouth.

Return to your natural breath pattern.

Settle into your body.

Settle the body down into the earth.

Settle the body beginning to soften and relax.

Notice all the places where your body is supported.

Perhaps you can notice the heels,

The backs of the legs,

The buttocks,

The shoulder blades,

Backs of the arms and hands,

And back of the head.

Let the earth support you,

Nourish you,

Soften you.

Invite softness into your being.

Allow the forehead and eyes to soften,

The jaw soften.

Invite the throat space and the heart space to soften,

Release.

The arms and hands,

The belly,

The legs and feet all coming into softness.

In your mind,

Draw an outline around your physical form.

And allow that line to get a little blurry,

Blurring the division between the body and the space around it.

And begin to notice sounds.

Send the sense of hearing out into the distance.

And notice the most distant sounds you can hear.

Notice closer sounds now,

Sounds inside this building,

Sounds inside this room.

Just allow the mind to move from one sound to another.

Now listen to the sounds happening inside your own body.

Focus on the natural sounds of the body.

Notice you can hear your pulse,

The heart beating,

The gentle sound of your own breath.

Listen to the breath and feel the body breathing.

Just notice your natural breath.

At any time in the practice,

If you become distracted or drift off,

Just gently bring yourself back to the breath.

It is always there for you.

At this time in the practice,

I invite you to create a sankalpa.

Send your awareness down into your heart space and ask yourself,

What is my heart's deepest longing?

And from this desire,

Create your sankalpa,

Your heartfelt resolve.

Once you've created your sankalpa,

Silently repeat it three times.

Let go of your sankalpa for now.

Bring your attention to your physical body.

I will guide you through a systematic scan of the body.

As each body part is named,

Draw your attention to that part.

Notice it just as it is,

And then move on to the next one.

We'll begin on the right hand side of the body with the right hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Side body.

Waist.

Hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Chin.

Ankle.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

The fifth toe.

The whole right side of the body.

Shift awareness to the left hand side of the body.

Left hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Forearm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Side body.

Waist.

Hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Chin.

Ankle.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

The fifth toe.

Awareness of the whole left side of the body.

Become aware of the back body now.

Left heel.

Right heel.

Left calf.

Right calf.

Back of the left knee.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left thigh.

Back of the right thigh.

Left buttock.

Right buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

Back of the neck.

Left shoulder blade.

Right shoulder blade.

The spinal column.

The whole spinal column from bottom to top.

Back of the head.

Crown of the head.

Forehead.

Left temple.

Right temple.

Left eyebrow.

Right eyebrow.

The eyebrow center point.

Left eye.

Right eye.

Left ear.

Right ear.

Left cheek.

Right cheek.

Left nostril.

Right nostril.

The bridge of the nose.

The tip of the nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

The line where the lips meet.

The inside of the mouth.

Tongue.

Teeth.

Jaws.

Chin.

Front of the neck.

Throat center.

Left side of the chest.

Right side of the chest.

Heart center.

Upper abdomen.

Naval center.

Center of the pelvis.

Middle pelvic floor.

Whole left leg.

Whole right leg.

Both legs together.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together.

Notice the whole right side of the body.

The whole left side of the body.

Both sides together.

Notice the whole back of the body.

The whole front of the body.

Back and front together.

Notice the whole body as one.

See the whole body resting at peace.

The whole body.

And shift attention to the movement of the natural breath.

Feel the belly rising and falling.

The rib cage expanding,

Releasing.

Notice the pause between the breath cycles.

Observe the body breathing.

Feel the gentle wave-like motion of the breath.

Notice where the breath touches the inside of the body.

Whole body breathing.

The whole body filling with breath,

Releasing the breath.

Whole body nourished by the breath.

Continue to observe the body breathing a little bit longer.

And release the attention from the breath.

At this time in the practice,

We'll explore opposites and sensations.

Imagine your body becoming heavy.

Invite in a sense of heaviness into your entire being.

The whole body.

Whole being is heavy.

Deeply grounded into the earth below.

As heavy as a boulder.

Experience heaviness.

And now invite a sense of lightness into the body.

Whole body begins to feel light.

As light as a feather.

Feel as though you could float right off the ground.

Light and airy.

Whole being is light.

Experience heaviness again.

Heavy and grounded.

Experience lightness again.

Light and airy.

Let the mind go back and forth between feeling heavy and light on your own.

Now see if you can feel both heaviness and lightness at once.

Let this go now.

Returning to your natural state.

Lift your attention to the space behind the closed eyes.

Gaze into the space of the mind.

Use all of your senses to bring to mind the things that I will name.

An ancient tree,

Deeply rooted into the earth.

Dew drops on a spider web.

The summer sun.

A cool breeze against your skin.

Walking through a labyrinth.

A snow-capped mountain.

Smelling ocean waves.

Howling wolf.

An eagle soaring across the sky.

A prism creating a rainbow.

The planet earth.

River winding through a valley.

A bonfire.

Prayer flags waving in the wind.

And stars twinkling in the night sky.

And see yourself.

See yourself resting underneath the expanse of the stars.

And feel yourself as the starry night sky itself.

Boundless.

Timeless.

Without end.

Recall your sankalpa.

The heart felt resolve that you created at the start of practice.

Feel the truth of your sankalpa.

And repeat it to yourself three more times.

Feel yourself expansive,

As open as the night sky.

Become aware of yourself as an observer,

Watching your existence.

Begin to notice your thoughts,

Your feelings,

Sensations.

Notice your breath again.

Feeling the breath nourish the body with life force energy.

Take in a deeper breath,

And as you do so,

Sense your body again.

Notice all the places where the body has been supported.

Recall the outline of your physical form.

And allow the division between your body and the space to become more solidified.

Invite movement into your fingers and toes.

Gradually into the rest of your body.

Take any intuitive movements or stretches your body may be seeking.

Indulge yourself in gentle movement.

And slowly turn over to your right side.

Rest here for a few moments.

And slowly and mindfully bring yourself up to sit again.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

Reviews

Very relaxing. Great delivery. Thank you for this. I will use it again in the future.