Welcome to this sacred practice of Yoga Nidra.
My name is Tina and I'll be your guide during this very sacred practice.
We'll be hovering between sleep and wakefulness and know that if you're using this practice to go to sleep at night then no need to set an alarm or anything but if you do happen to be practicing in the day and you happen to fall asleep you may want to set yourself an alarm so that you wake up.
But for now.
.
.
Fly down.
Sit comfortably.
Use whatever you need to feather your nest.
Perhaps a bolster under your knees.
Or if you're lying down flat.
That doesn't feel comfortable.
Support yourself on cushions,
Bolsters,
Blocks,
Anything that you happen to have around you.
I want you to feel truly cosy and comfortable.
As I guide you through this very special practice.
All you need to do is follow my voice.
You don't need to move at all,
But know that you are equally never stuck in any position.
And you can,
Of course,
Choose to skip any part of the practice.
If you are trying to stay awake,
Make a resolve with yourself to just keep following my voice.
But if you do happen to fall asleep,
Know that that is okay too,
That that is obviously what you need today.
This particular practice that I have for you today is for refueling,
Recharging your battery.
So I want you to take this moment right now to think about your phone.
Your cell,
Your mobile.
What happens when it gets down to a really low mode,
Low percentage?
Of course,
We start to panic.
We make it a priority to get power back into it quickly.
It becomes almost an emergency situation.
Yet we allow the same thing to happen with our mind and our bodies.
We allow ourselves to walk around with 1% battery.
Do we offer the same kind of care and attention that we give our phones?
The purpose of today's practice is an opportunity for you to refuel,
To recharge your battery,
To take stock of what is going on in your life right now.
You'll be digging deep down inside of your unconscious self.
Trying to tap into your bliss body.
And hopefully this practice will help you feel calm and relaxed.
In this particular moment,
See if you can make yourself ever so slightly more comfortable,
Even if it's just 5 or 10%.
Feel comfy.
Feel warm,
Feel at ease.
Take a big breath in.
Releasing audible exhale,
Ah.
Do that again,
Big breath in.
Releasing out audible ah and as you breathe out sink into your cushions,
Your blanket,
Your sofa,
Your bed Soften through your shoulders.
Relax any tension that you might be holding on to.
Holding on to unnecessarily.
See if you can find a shape that just feels truly good in your body.
If it feels comfortable to do so,
Close your eyes.
Begin to notice any shapes or colours that might appear.
Soften around your eyes now,
Your eyebrows,
Your forehead.
Release your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Perhaps slightly parting your teeth.
And allowing your chin to feel heavy.
Now tap into your hearing sense.
See if you can tune into one sound.
Maybe it's my voice or the music playing in the background.
Follow the sounds.
Even the ones that seem far away.
And then listen hard for precious moments of silence.
Can you hear any sounds that are closer to you now?
Is there a tick-tock of a clock?
The sound of your heart beating.
Or the sound of your breath as it makes its way in and out of your body.
It is now time to set a sun culture.
In the tradition of Yoga Nidra.
Your Sankalpa.
Or intention.
It is like a resolve.
Your heart's biggest desire.
It can be an intention for this practice.
This day.
Perhaps it's something that you are aiming for.
Try and keep your sun culpa short and see if you can keep it positive by starting it with the words,
I am.
Imagine your Sankalpa as a small seed that you are planting in the universe.
What is your heart's desire?
What do you need right now in your life?
And there is no right or wrong answer.
Just trust whatever arises.
Trust yourself.
Repeat your Sankalpa to yourself three times.
Trust in those words.
Try to picture it as you say it,
As if it is already true.
Open your kind awareness now back to your breath.
And if you are exhausted.
Or anxious.
I want you to try and let go of those labels,
Those words,
Like I'm so tired,
I'm so worried,
What happens if I fall asleep?
Let go of those words and what those words mean and their connotations.
Instead,
Just really tune in to how your body feels with no labels.
As your right hip feel heavier on the floor than your left.
Do your shoulders feel achy?
Does your jaw feel tired?
What's physically happening without any judgement or labelling.
Just really be in your body.
Now try to make your breath a little bit bigger.
As you inhale,
Feel your belly rise.
And then chest rise and pause,
Exhale out.
Just allowing gravity to take more of you.
Feeling light.
Feeling free.
Inhale,
Belly,
Ribs,
Chest,
Fill up.
Breathe in.
Exhale,
Think,
Surrender.
Inhale big.
Exhale,
Release,
Relax Thanks.
You can be breathing out of your nose or your mouth,
It's your choice.
Just a few more,
Just like that.
Last inhale now.
Breathing in big.
Invite sensation into the body.
Just feel whatever you need to feel really big and then exhale.
Give yourself permission to release as you breathe out.
And just let your breath do what it wants to do now,
Let it just do its magical thing,
Let it settle and allow yourself.
To be taken over now by something greater than you right now.
Set yourself up to just be pliable.
To be overcome.
To just turn off.
Press the pause button of life.
An imaginary button.
Everything that is going on outside of the room that you are in now.
Nothing else matters in this moment.
Feel your heels where they make contact.
Perhaps with your bed,
The floor,
A blanket.
I want you to feel your right heel.
Send all your awareness into your right heel without moving it.
Just imagine the neurons in your brain just swooping or swishing down to the right yield.
Feel the right here.
Feel the sole of your right foot.
Holding your awareness at the top of your right foot.
Send your awareness into the big toe of your right foot.
Feel your big toe on your right foot.
Then send your awareness into the second home.
The toe.
Fourth toe and pinky toe.
Send your awareness to your right foot as a whole.
Allow gravity to have more of it.
Think.
Let.
Go.
Send your awareness to your right car.
Feel the front of the lower leg.
Your shame.
Send awareness to the back of the lower leg,
Where the calf is connected with the floor or a bolster or your bed.
Think,
Let go.
Bring awareness to your right knee.
Imagine your knee just softening.
Unwinding.
Instantly relaxed,
Slackened.
Feel your awareness in your right knee.
Bring your awareness to your right thigh.
Feel the front of the right thigh.
Feel the back of the right thigh,
Where it's in contact with the bolster.
The bed or the floor.
Hold your awareness now,
The whole right thigh.
Just think,
Let go.
Send your awareness now to your right buttock.
Where it's in contact.
With a prop or a block.
And think of gravity having more of your seat.
Say to the right seat,
Let go.
Bring your attention now to the left seat.
Left sit bone go heavy left side of the body heavy.
Say to the left seat,
Let go.
Bring your awareness into your left thigh.
Feel the top of the left thigh.
From the bottom of the right side.
Bringing them apart.
And then together.
Tell the left thigh to get heavier.
Let gravity hold you.
Say to the left thigh,
Let go.
And bring awareness to your left knee.
Let me softening.
Tissues receiving more slack,
More space.
Say to the left knee,
Just say,
Let go.
Bring your awareness to your left shin.
The top of your lower leg.
Bringing awareness to your left car.
Feel the top and the bottom of your leg separately.
Then bring your awareness to them together.
Say to the lower left leg,
Let go.
Feel the left heel on the ground.
Let it be heavy.
Feel the sole of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Say to the left foot,
Let go.
Send your awareness now into your left big toe.
Second.
Says.
Cool.
Feel awareness in your pinky toe.
Say to the whole left foot,
Let go.
Feel both legs completely relaxed.
Bring your awareness now to your belly.
I want you to imagine your stomach just unraveling.
And so often we talk about anxiety and the stomach being in knots.
Just imagine your stomach getting larger,
Relaxing more.
Slack coming into all the tissues,
The muscles,
The organs.
Visualize stomach uncoiling,
Tissues uncoiling,
Getting more slack.
Visualize the stomach to say,
Let go.
Everything is okay.
Bring your attention now to the back of your neck.
I want you to gently,
Gently think of lengthening the back of your head.
So that the back of your skull lengthens away from your heart ever so gently,
So slightly.
Maybe your chin dips slightly.
And all the little muscles in your neck turning off one by one.
No need to hold your head up.
Take your kind awareness now and bring your energy to your right shoulder.
Allow it to get heavier with gravity.
Say relax.
Awareness to your right bicep,
Top of the bicep.
Let gravity have your upper arm.
Think Relax.
Right upper arm,
Where it's in contact with the floor,
The bed,
A mat.
Relax.
Awareness to your right elbow,
Right forearm.
Voila!
Awareness now to your right wrist.
You Bring your awareness into the palm of your right hand.
Bring awareness back.
To hold the right hand.
Feel and hold your whole hand in your awareness.
Take your awareness to your right thumb,
Second finger.
Little finger.
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Feel your whole home.
Think relaxed.
Feel the whole right side of your body.
Let it unwind,
Uncoil,
Get heavier,
Relax.
Bring your awareness to your left shoulder.
Feel it healthy.
Take awareness to your left bicep.
Feel the top of the arm.
The bottom of the arm.
The whole upper left arm and lower arm.
Relax.
Awareness to your left elbow.
Left forearm.
Take your energy to your left wrist and relax.
Bringing your awareness to your left palm.
Feel it relax.
Bringing your energy back.
Back to the front.
Calm now and let the whole left hand relax.
Bring your awareness into your left thumb.
Fourth finger,
Middle finger.
Ring finger and pinky finger.
Feel the whole left hand in your awareness and relax.
Left arm,
Relax.
Left side of the body,
Let it get heavier,
Unravel and relax.
Visualize now more space now appearing between all your organs so that everything's floating a little bit farther apart now.
Letting gravity continue to sink you down,
Getting heavier and heavier.
And without manipulating your breath too much.
Just as you breathe out,
See if you can find a space where you don't really need to breathe in again for just a couple of beats.
Feel your whole body weighted down.
Take your attention to your right eye.
Relax the space behind your eye.
Give your energy to the left eye.
Relax your eye,
But also the space behind the left eye.
Feel your left cheekbone relax.
Left cheekbone relaxes.
Right cheekbone,
Relax.
Feel your lips,
Your jaw slacken.
The back of your head.
The space between your eyebrows.
Say relax.
Take your attention now to the area behind your eyes.
Visualize now on the screen of your mind.
That dark area where perhaps patterns and shapes are already forming.
Tune in to that area.
As I name a few things.
Just pause,
Notice what arises for you in the few moments that I mention these things.
Perhaps nothing at all,
And that's okay.
Try not to force any images.
We'll start with the color blue.
The color blue.
Looking out of the window.
And seeing rain fall.
A baby laughing.
The sun shining.
You,
Smile me.
The color purple.
Family of deer.
Your favourite hot drink.
Fluffy warm socks.
A tasty treat.
Your favourite spot on the sofa.
Allow any images now to just fade away now.
No need to linger anywhere.
Feel yourself but let yourself be held.
In the most nourishing ocean.
It's just vast intelligence.
Where everything is uncoiled,
Loose,
Slack.
Supported.
Completely at peace.
Allow yourself to feel heavy like lead.
Feel like you're being breathed.
Cultivate the subtle sense that your body is recharging,
Refueling.
Just held in this healing space.
Whether it's ocean or light.
Whatever you want to visualize.
Imagine your favourite place where you are supported.
You are safe.
Recharging.
Refueling.
Continue to breathe,
Keep following my voice just to refuel as much as possible.
Imagine every body part recovered,
Refueling.
Every cell refueling,
Renewing.
Every thought you've ever thought of renewing and turning into something more gentle.
It is now time to remind yourself of your Sankalpa.
Your intention.
The seed that you planted at the beginning of this practice.
Bring it to the forefront of your mind.
Repeating your sankalpa three times.
See if you can repeat it to yourself with feeling.
If you were planning on returning back from this yoga nidra,
Start to notice your physical body now.
Each one of your senses as you slowly return back into the room,
Perhaps rubbing your fingers and thumbs.
Slowly wiggling your toes.
Moving ever so slowly.
Perhaps drawing one knee in,
Then the other into your chest.
Give yourself a big hug.
Rolling over to one side and perhaps pause on your side before you come to a comfortable seat.
Know that it's okay to want to yawn,
To stretch.
Whatever feels natural and right to you.
If you'd like to stay,
Line down for an extended Shavasana.
Continue to rest.
In this beautiful practice.
Thanking yourself or gifting yourself this beautiful time of rest.
Know that it's been my absolute pleasure guiding you today.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Peace Peace
