Hello,
My name is Angela and I will be guiding you through this practice of self-inquiry.
Now that you have committed to carving out this pocket of time for yourself,
This is the time for you to find that home within,
In the center of the stillness and quiet and connect deeply to your body and self.
Whether the little ones are in their own quiet space,
Hopefully napping,
Or you are on break from your busy day,
Finding a quiet and comfortable place and space to lie your bones is an important piece in the connection between yourself and this guided practice.
This can be in a cozy bed,
The floor supported with props,
Or even in your car,
Making this dedicated sacred space one for an easy invitation to release and let go.
Finding that comfort now,
Lying down,
And notice if you could be 5 or 10% more comfortable in whatever position you have chosen.
Open your senses,
Taste inside the mouth,
Hearing,
Listening with ears and whole body,
Smell,
Welcoming the touch of air and aroma inside the nostrils and vision,
Relaxing the eyes from the world of looking and seeing internal vision opening,
And feel the skin,
The touch of air temperature,
The touch of your clothes,
The touch of the ground.
Now begin to think of your intention or Sankalpa for this Nidra practice,
An affirmation or mantra,
Something that you want to cultivate in your life,
Something that your heart is longing for or your deepest desire.
As you contemplate your Sankalpa,
See and feel your life with the fulfillment of this desire,
Creating this affirmation in the present tense terms.
As the words I am,
Think of this as a little seed you are planting into your time in the world of deep yogic rest,
Like a little blessing that you sprinkle over your passage through this practice or even the day,
Repeating your Sankalpa silently to yourself three times.
During this practice of Yoga Nidra,
Accept whatever each moment has to offer,
No room for judgment here.
Have awareness but not thought,
Listen to my voice and only my voice,
Set yourself free from any other sounds,
Finding a deep exhalation and another exhalation from the depths of any weight that has been holding you down.
Now allow your attention to spontaneously be drawn into the breath without needing to control it or manipulate it.
The breath is breathing you.
We will begin to move our consciousness throughout the physical body.
It is natural to flow in and out of conscious hearing,
However the deepest part of you,
Your core self,
Is always listening,
Noticing without labels or judgments,
Bringing the attention to the very crown of your head,
Becoming so quiet and internal that you can feel your scalp,
Letting any tension melt,
Moving that awareness into the temples,
The right side,
Across the forehead into the left side,
And melting any wrinkles of worry along the way,
Sensing the shape of your left eye and how it rests in the socket,
The smooth of the eyelid,
Exhaling and moving awareness to the right eye,
The shape of the eyeball itself and how it naturally rests in its own socket,
Feeling the skin of your cheeks,
The bone beneath,
And even the space beneath your bones,
Feeling your jaw hinges,
Right side,
The left side,
Relaxing the bottom row of teeth gently away from the top row of teeth,
Allowing the lips to stay softly sealed.
Notice how the tongue rests in the bottom palate,
The shape of the tongue,
The weight of the tongue,
The texture of the tongue,
Sensations in the gums,
Teeth,
Sensations in the throat,
Chest,
The weight of your back ribs resting.
Move awareness to the right hand,
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the right hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right armpit,
Ribs,
Hip,
Waist,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
Right calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe.
Moving awareness to the left hand,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left side of the ribs,
Hip,
Waist,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe.
The pelvis,
The right glute,
The left glute,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Right inner ear,
Left inner ear,
Roof of the mouth,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Middle chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
The whole spine,
The whole head,
The right arm,
The left arm,
Both arms together,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
Both legs together,
The whole front body,
The whole back body,
The whole body.
Be aware of the whole body.
Begin to feel your whole body breathing,
Feeling the breath as it moves in and out from the surface of your skin,
Allowing yourself to surrender into this steady peaceful state,
Softening with each exhale.
And deeper with the stillness to feel the soft organs and the contents of your skeleton,
The heartbeat slowing down,
All the organs committed to rest.
Now begin to count backwards with each exhalation from zero to 10.
Starting at zero and moving with each exhalation to the number 10.
Imagine that your whole body is becoming light.
Feel as if you could float away.
Float from the floor and toward the ceiling.
Your head is light and weightless.
Your torso is light and weightless.
Your limbs are light and weightless.
Rising higher and higher away from the floor or the surface below.
Now imagine your body becoming heavy.
Feel heaviness in all parts of your body.
Each part is becoming heavier and heavier.
Your head is heavy.
Your torso is heavy.
Your limbs are heavy.
Your whole body is heavy.
Feeling this heaviness as if you were sinking into the floor.
Now notice what is your direct experience of the body now.
Is it solid?
Is there a center?
Let the body answer the question.
Finding your way back to your heart space.
Reclaiming your breath as you fill your lungs with a world of life force and intention.
Drawing awareness back to the surface.
Feeling all that sensation rising up,
Around,
In between.
Cultivating your own inner wisdom,
Remember your Sankalpa,
Your affirmation,
And repeat your I am statement silently to yourself three times.
Notice all the space surrounding you.
Letting your body expand wider and wider into the space that surrounds you.
Breathing with intention.
Allowing the breath to awaken the body.
And when it feels right,
Allow the eyes to open.
Thank you for joining me for your practice.
I hope it brought you relief,
Refuge,
And restore.
