Hello and welcome!
Thank you so much for joining me for this guided yoga major practice today.
Make sure you set up your space so you will not be disturbed for the duration of our practice,
And make sure you're comfortable either seated or lying down,
Supporting yourself so you can find complete stillness during the practice.
And when you're ready,
We'll begin the practice of yoga nidra.
And we'll start by taking a full belly inhale,
Closing down your physical eyes,
Repeating to yourself out loud or in your mind's eye,
I am about to practice yoga nidra,
And I want to notice the sounds within your space.
Noticing the sounds furthest away from you,
And the sounds closest to you.
And perhaps even noticing the sound of your own breathing or heartbeat.
And the wall to your left,
Seeing the ceiling above you,
The surface below you.
Take another big breath in,
We will find our sankalpa or resolve.
A short positive I am statement.
Allow this to come naturally to you without forcing.
Perhaps I am calm.
Finding one that works for you,
And repeating it to yourself three times,
Either out loud or in your mind's eye.
Beginning to feel as if you are starting to sink into the surface beneath you.
Feeling the weight of your body melting into the surface.
Below you.
Heavier and heavier with each breath.
And then starting to feel your body becoming light and weightless.
Almost as if you are beginning to float up towards the ceiling above you.
Each breath in,
Becoming lighter.
Your body begin to settle.
Taking a big breath in,
And out.
We will begin to become aware of the body.
As each body part is spoken,
You can repeat it in your mind and bring your awareness to that space.
And without lingering,
Moving to the next body part as it is said.
So beginning to bring the awareness to the palm of your right hand.
The palm of your right hand.
And the right shoulder.
The right hip.
Right upper leg.
The right ankle.
Top of the right foot.
The right big toe.
Second toe.
Fourth toe.
Bringing awareness to the left hand palm.
The left thumb.
Second finger.
Third or fourth finger.
Back of the left hand.
The left wrist.
Upper arm.
The left shoulder.
The upper leg.
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And fifth toe.
Now,
To the crown of the head.
All the tiny muscles of the scalp.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Right glute.
Left glute.
Back of the right leg.
Back of the left leg.
The right heel.
Sole of the right foot.
The left heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Bringing awareness now to the forehead.
The brow.
The right eye.
The left eye.
The right cheek.
Left cheek.
Tip of the nose.
The upper lip.
The jaw.
Front of the throat.
The right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
The abdomen.
Front of the right leg.
Front of the left leg.
The right ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Top of the left foot.
Beginning to feel the entire right side of the body.
The entire left side of the body.
The entire front side.
The entire back side.
Feeling the entire body as a whole.
The entire body as a whole.
Now bringing awareness to your natural breathing.
The soft rise and fall of your chest as you happen to breathe.
Gently beginning to deepen your inhale.
Feeling the abdomen start to rise as you breathe in.
And the fall as you breathe out.
Feeling the inhale as deep as you can.
And softening as you breathe out.
We will begin to count backwards with the breath.
From 28 you will breathe in.
28.
Breathe out.
28.
Breathing in.
27.
Breathing out.
27.
Continue counting as you breathe.
If you lose track or make a mistake,
Returning back to 28 and starting again.
And releasing the counting.
Take a big breath in.
And a complete breath out.
We will now begin to move through a rotation of imagery.
Whatever image is spoken,
You can see it in your mind's eye.
Feel or sense it.
And as the next image is spoken,
Releasing the previous image.
Trying not to linger on an image longer than is stated.
Picturing a red tent in the woods.
A red tent in the woods.
An orange umbrella.
The Great Pyramids.
The sun setting in the ocean.
The sun setting in the ocean.
A crow flying.
Through an open blue sky.
A crow flying through an open blue sky.
A green coffee mug.
Children playing at the park.
Children playing at the park.
A doctor's office.
A doctor's office.
Waiting in line for movie tickets.
Waiting in line for movie tickets.
White sneakers.
White sneakers.
Lying down in the green grass.
A lawn chair at the beach.
Snow-capped mountains.
The sound of my voice.
The sound of my voice.
Your reflection in a mirror.
Your reflection in a mirror.
Take a big breath in.
Awareness back to your heart center.
Repeating your sankalpa that you set at the beginning of practice to yourself three times.
Take a big breath in.
And complete breath out.
Start to bring your awareness back to your physical body.
You can invite some soft wiggles into fingers,
Into toes.
Perhaps gently opening your eyes.
