Checking In: Nidra For Mind And Body Connection

This is a guided relaxation for complete beginners using techniques from yoga nidra. It helps to bring the awareness back into the body by checking in with yourself through five elemental senses: hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. Becoming aware of the feelings and sensations in the body is the first step to be present and mindful. This nidra can be practiced either standing up, sitting or lying down.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of checking in with yourself.

Whether you are standing up,

Sitting or lying down,

Make sure that you feel centered and comfortable.

Take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale with a sigh to let everything go.

Start checking in.

How are you feeling now?

Is it possible to gently invite your eyes to close?

Imagine that your body is your home and welcome home to yourself.

The first step is very easy.

All you have to do is watch your breath for a moment,

The in and out,

In and out,

In your most natural rhythm.

Remember in this practice,

There is nothing you can do wrong because there is simply nothing to do.

I invite you to imagine that you are being surrounded by a field of sounds.

What can you hear?

What's the sound that is the furthest away from you and what is close by?

Can you pick up any sound that you didn't notice before?

Take a mental note of your posture.

Notice how your body is being supported by the surface.

It could be the floor or chair or mattress.

Notice how the body is being supported by the surface.

Could you notice any differences in the left and the right side?

Record the room or the space that you're doing this practice in.

Can you picture where things are and what are the colours of them?

In your mind,

How much detail can you see?

Bring the awareness into the mouth now,

To the tongue.

Can you notice the texture and moisture inside the mouth?

How smooth is it?

Is it dry or moist?

Perhaps you could pick up a taste and if you do,

What can you taste?

Finally,

Bring the awareness to the nostril.

What can you smell?

Maybe there is nothing.

Could you perhaps notice the quality of the air?

Is it cool or warm,

Dry or humid?

Slowly come back to the breath.

Watch how the body subtly moves along with every inhale and exhale.

Perhaps start to deepen the breath as we draw or close to the practice.

Today we checked with five different senses.

Hearing,

Touching,

Sight,

Taste and smell.

Notice how you are feeling at the end of this practice and how does it differ from the start.

Give thanks to yourself for checking in.

Today's practice is complete.

Thank you for listening.

Reviews

Pleasant

A refined practice using sensory check ins to unwind. Beautiful calming voice. Thank you 🙏🏻

I loved how short and effective this checking in process was which will allow me to use this throughout my day. Thank you.