Hello and welcome to this yoga nidra practice for energy restoration I'd like to invite you to join me for a lovely period of rest and so before we get started I'd love to encourage you to not see this practice as another thing to to do or to work on but just an opportunity a treat to yourself to really just let go and be guided there's nothing for you to do as such but really get yourself comfortable and follow the gentle guidance that comes through the practice so I'd encourage you to do this practice in a way that enables you to be as comfortable as possible so for many of us that will be lying down so that our whole body can be fully supported I'd encourage you to maybe pop something underneath your knees just to take some pressure off your back and just allow your whole body to let go but really you know your body best so make any adjustments that you need to maybe grab yourself a blanket an eye pillow or anything that helps you to down regulate and relax and really take your time coming to that position of rest there's no rush to immediately come into a feeling of relaxation so just make any little adjustments that you need to and let your system just settle at its own pace and during today's practice we're going to be working through some gentle breath patterns that help to restore and circulate energy in the body so we'll be just together noticing how the breath can flow through different channels and areas of the body just gently bringing our attention there letting it go and really finding that lovely blend of deep breaths but also that sense of flow and ease in the body that can help any energy that's maybe stuck or stagnant to begin to create some movement again after the practice so now you're in your comfortable resting position just allowing the eyes to close down if that feels natural and feel your body to begin with really being supported by the surface that's beneath you noticing those points of contact with that surface there's nowhere for you to go now there's nothing for you to do just allow the ground beneath you to hold the whole weight of your body feeling the relief that your body can just rest completely now you're simply being,
You're simply letting go and beginning to notice the natural rhythm of the breath as it is now perhaps observing that as you shift more and more into this feeling of relaxation that it's beginning to change in some way or maybe just slow down but whatever's happening just noticing the flow and the rhythm of the breath that we all have and seeing for a moment if you can find any comfort in that rhythm this breath that is constantly moving,
Flowing,
Evolving through the body without any conscious thought or awareness so beginning to imagine your breath as a soft current that's flowing through your body and with each inhale the breath is just moving through space inside your body and with each exhale your body just softening that flow of breath finding space on the inhale and then letting go and softening on the exhale your awareness and your breath just beginning to move and flow together we'll be visiting the theme of water through this practice so maybe getting a sense of a gentle lapping wave with the breath or maybe it's a gentle trickling stream and with this awareness of the breath we're gonna gently take a meandering scan of your body helping all parts and points to relax a little more deeply so using that lovely flowing breath to allow yourself to be supported by what's beneath you even more with every exhale so noticing the back of your head resting supported down into your shoulders maybe letting them drop just an inch on the exhale your arms resting by your side or perhaps they're resting on your body your breath just encouraging your hands to be soft your whole back against whatever's beneath you upper back supported,
Your mid-back your lower back almost as though when you breathe out your front body just falls back into your back body and what's beneath you your pelvis and your hips now just seeing if you can relax around the edges there directing a nice deep breath to that area and down into your legs now feeling the contact beneath you the back of your thighs,
Your calves and down into your heels and maybe noticing as you bring attention there that your feet can just fall out to the side just letting go of any holding and then noticing your whole body now against the ground your body made up of all these points and parts but as a whole now relaxed grounded the ground just receiving you nothing the body needs to hold on to now and as we reconnect now with that ocean wave the flow of the breath noticing as you inhale the breath travels up through your feet through your legs,
Your pelvis,
Your belly,
Your chest,
Your throat all the way to the top of your head and on the exhale let your breath flow from the head back down chest,
Belly,
Pelvis,
Legs and out the bottom of your feet inhaling up through the feet,
Legs,
Pelvis,
Belly,
Chest,
Throat,
Top of your head and let the breath flow out like a wave back down chest,
Belly,
Pelvis,
Legs and feet and on the exhale let the breath flow from the head back down following that flow of breath like a wave as it travels up through your whole body on the inhale and letting it all flow back down on the exhale finding your own pace and rhythm and your own imagery to guide you as you breathe from your feet to your head just like a slow rising and falling tide observing how with the exhale your body can just move melt even more into the support beneath you gradually softening a gentle wave rising and a wave returning and now we're going to switch this very slightly so keeping with that lovely flow from your feet to your head but now when we inhale we're going to inhale up the left side of the body so as you inhale imagining the air flowing in through your right foot up your leg,
Your hip,
Your torso,
Your right shoulder,
The right side of your head and exhale as the breath flows down the left side head,
Your shoulder,
Torso,
Hip,
Leg and foot and then back up the left side all the way to the top and then exhaling down the right side,
Head,
Shoulder,
Torso,
Hip,
Leg and foot and back up the right side all the way to the top as if you're breathing up one side of a mountain and down the other and then coming back up and over the mountain to the other side again finding your own flow and rhythm,
Breathing up one side and down the other balancing both sides of the body allowing any nature imagery to support you whether it's the mountain or a current moving across your body clearing and cleansing each side in turn and completing one more trip up one side of your body and out the other before taking a pause and just letting that concentration and that attention just drift just letting yourself be and relax,
Nothing to do for a moment and from this peaceful place,
I encourage you to bring to mind or bring to body maybe something or someone that you really care about,
Something that you really feel in your heart something that gives you that warmth,
That expansion,
That feeling of love in your body or maybe it's about your connection to yourself that you're fostering and that gratitude for being here and together we're gonna give oxygen to that feeling,
Help it to circulate,
To spread in the body so we'll be breathing in and through the heart so now with that lovely flowing breath returning,
Imagining you're inhaling through your left hand this time,
Up through your left arm and your shoulder into your chest,
Into your heart and exhaling from your heart down your right shoulder,
Your right arm and your right hand and as before then flowing back up the right hand,
Arm,
Shoulder into your heart and then down the left side if it helps you can bring your hands together resting on your body so you quite literally have that shape of a heart that you're breathing down one side and up and around feeling that breath circulating in through one hand all the way to your heart and down the other side before returning back allowing that feeling in your heart that you connected with to flow,
To circulate,
To grow and to almost be held in those arms and hands of yours as if you're allowing that feeling to be spread out into the world and into your own body through your hands soft loops,
Circles of breath and then letting go of that focus on your heart and the loop of breath and again just relaxing completely for a moment and then letting go of that focus on your heart and the loop of breath letting your attention drift wherever it wants to and observing how your breath has settled not directing it in any way but just observing and with this natural breath that you've landed with just subtly noticing if you can allow on every exhale the sensation that your front body is falling back into your back body that slight rise on the inhale and then that falling back into what's beneath you on the exhale almost like your front and back body are becoming one in that sense on every inhale as you allow everything to be held that you maybe even lose sight of where your chest is and where your back is and just allow the weight and the softness to support you to melt into the ground beneath you all the pathways just dissolving observing that you're a whole body breathing breathing just resting in quiet awareness letting yourself dissolve and mold into the support enjoying these final moments of complete rest and nothing to do nowhere to go and now we've reached the point in the practice where you have choice so if you're really enjoying where you are and you'd like to bathe in this feeling a little longer then please feel free to do that and to turn this practice off or down so you can enjoy some more rest and if you're transitioning now back into the rest of your day just gently bringing your attention back to your fingers and your toes and inviting in the smallest bit of movement there to begin with just giving them a little wiggle and using that little bit of movement as the spark and just allowing it to gently expand maybe moving your arms and your legs maybe just having a sigh stretching if that feels good maybe rocking from side to side almost like you're reawakening for the day following your body's impulse and how it wants to open and expand and making any noises or any expressions you want to as you allow your body to begin to move more freely and to connect again with the environment that you're in maybe getting a sense of your place in the space and of course whenever you're ready you can open your eyes and begin again to orient to your surroundings maybe noticing what your eyes set along anything comforting or reassuring in your space and now there's nothing left for me to do but wish you a nourishing rest of your day i really hope you enjoyed the practice and are leaving feeling a little more restored of course if you enjoyed the practice i'd love to hear from you so please feel free to let me know in the ratings and reviews how your experience was and anything else you'd like to share and i really look forward to being with you all again soon
