Welcome to this short yoga nidra body scan.
Come into the bed or the surface you'll be resting on and make yourself comfortable.
Arrange a pillow under your neck and head and also under the knees so the lower back can relax.
You may want to cover your body with blankets so your body is not too hot or too cold.
You can also wear an eye mask or cover your eyes,
Allowing you to go inward.
Acknowledge yourself now for taking the time to take care of yourself and restore.
And take a deep breath in and out as you come into presence.
Extend your arms,
Legs and hands and feet so that you can find the right angle so that they can fully relax into the surface.
Stretching your full body and making any adjustments to ensure you're evenly aligned.
Encourage your hips to ease and open,
Arranging your arms at a slight distance from your sides,
Palms facing up and fingers relaxed.
Gently close your eyes and plan to keep them closed for the entirety of the session.
Allow your lips to relax,
The tongue and every facial muscle to soften,
Letting the jaw loosen and the chin slightly lowering.
For the duration of the meditation,
Try to keep your body in a state of complete stillness from this moment on.
This will deepen the relaxation and enhance the mindfulness.
Let your attention come now to your breath,
Inhaling deeply three times,
Each breath helping to dissolve any lingering tension or thoughts.
And if you like to sigh on the out-breath for added relaxation,
You can.
Now loosen your control of the breath and shift to simply watching the breath as it spontaneously arises in the body,
Inhaling when you feel like inhaling and exhaling when you feel like exhaling for as long as feels natural,
Letting go of any efforting and letting the attention simply rest lightly on the breath.
Feel the sensation of breath in the nostrils,
Down the throat and the rise and fall of the stomach and chest.
Bring the attention now to the back.
Take note of all the places your body is touching the surface that you are resting on.
Let the intention rise up again in your consciousness and your whole being of rest,
Rejuvenation,
Self-care,
Peace,
Internal harmony.
As we begin to rotate our awareness around the physical space of the body,
Just allow your attention to gently rest on the body part,
Noticing it lightly and moving on,
Starting with the back and the left leg,
The right leg,
The left arm,
The right arm,
And the head,
Sinking more deeply now.
Allow your body to be held,
Letting the thoughts just drift away.
You feel the weight of your body becoming heavier and heavier.
You note the weight of the bones and the muscles as they all relax.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you breathe out,
Shift your awareness to your forehead.
Notice any sensations on the face,
Like coolness or warmth.
Feel the clothes and blankets against your skin.
Feel the entire physical space occupied by your body.
Notice the gentle,
Steady rhythm of your breath as it nourishes every cell.
Feel each inhale as it comes,
Refreshing your being.
And on the exhale,
Let everything go.
Become aware of the senses,
Any sounds,
Just letting them be.
Noticing any internal sensations in the body,
Welcoming all sensations as they are.
Let your attention come to the inside of the mouth,
The position of the tongue and the lips,
The flow of air through the nostrils,
And any aromas in the environment.
What is the quietest sound you can hear?
What is the softest touch you can feel?
Notice how these questions bring you to a deeper stillness and inner silence.
Now,
Methodically move your awareness to each part of the body,
Starting from the top of your head.
Notice the scalp,
Feeling any sensations of weight or lightness.
Moving to the forehead,
Observing its smoothness and weight as relaxation spreads across your face.
Notice the eyes,
Feeling them softly closed,
The eyelids heavy.
The cheeks and the jaw,
Each part of the face releasing tension and sinking into a state of deep relaxation.
Continue down the neck and throat,
And allow them to relax,
Feeling the weight of your head supported by the surface.
Move your awareness to your shoulders,
Feeling them become heavy and relaxed,
Releasing any burdens and tension.
Sensing the arms,
From the upper arms down to the elbows and forearms.
Now the hands,
The wrists,
And the fingertips,
Feeling each part of the body become heavier,
Fully supported.
Bring your focus to the chest,
Noticing the rise and fall with each breath,
The heart's gentle beating.
Move down to the belly,
Feeling it soften.
Sense the hips and the pelvis,
Letting them open and relax,
Feeling the weight of your lower body grounding you.
Now the thighs,
The lower legs,
The knees,
The calves and shins,
The ankles,
The whole lower body becoming heavy.
The whole upper body,
The arms and shoulders,
The whole lower body from hips to toes,
The whole lower body from toes to hips,
The whole lower body.
The whole upper body,
From the hips to the head and the shoulders down to the arms.
The whole upper body,
From the arms to the shoulders and the head down to the waist.
The whole upper body.
The whole body,
From head to toe.
The whole body,
From toe to head.
The whole body.
And from this oneness of sensation of the whole body,
Begin counting the breath.
Starting from ten,
Going down to one.
Ten,
Inhaling.
Ten,
Exhaling.
Nine,
Inhaling.
Nine,
Exhaling.
Continue all the way down to one.
Take note of where you are and just take a big cleansing breath as you let go and just enjoy the sensations of peace and serenity and ease.
And let your attention gently ride the breath,
Just lightly touching it with your awareness.
And come now to the breathing.
Feeling a sense of rejuvenation and readiness,
Bringing your attention back to the sounds around you,
To the space that you're in.
Letting your mind begin to wander about what you want to create today,
For yourself and for others,
How you want to show up.
What needs,
Values and gifts do you want to express through your actions and thoughts today?
Begin to make gentle,
Deliberate movements.
Maybe wiggling the toes slightly or the fingers,
Curling the fingers gently.
Moving the wrists back and forth.
And gently moving the ankles left and right.
And just allow the body to stretch and move as it pleases.
Maybe a big stretch,
Maybe crossing the arms,
Grabbing a knee,
Pulling it to the chest.
Whatever feels good to gently wake the body.
Taking a deep breath in as you stretch the arms,
And then as you exhale,
Letting them relax.
And another deep breath in as you extend the legs,
And exhaling as you let them relax.
Moving the head slowly now to the right and to the left.
Gradually welcoming yourself back into the space around you.
Feeling a sense of freshness.
Notice the calm that you've cultivated,
And acknowledge yourself for meeting your needs for self-care,
Rest and rejuvenation.
And when you're feeling ready,
You can begin to bring yourself back into the day ahead.
Carrying the calm and ease and groundedness you've cultivated into the rest of your day.
Feeling attentive,
Feeling ready.
Knowing you can handle whatever life brings to you today.
Notice how just taking 15 minutes to hold self-care will make such a difference in the rest of your day.
Blessings.
May you be well.
