Yoga Nidra for the Nervous System

Namaste. Welcome. I am Tina. Thank you for being here. This is a yoga nidra intended to support you in moving into a deep state of rest, moving through all of the layers of the self into the deepest realms, into a state of nourishing and rejuvenating rest. This yoga nidra practice supports the nervous system, replenishes a rest deficit. If you feel that you could use a little more rest in your life, maybe you struggle with sleep, maybe you just feel a little tired and you need to top up your energy reserves. Regulating the nervous system in times of stress or anxiety, and helping to create a baseline state of well-being. Take the next few moments to adjust into a comfortable stillness. If you haven't already, lay down to rest, maybe in a traditional shavasana on your back, legs and arms extended, a pillow under the knees or under the head, or covering over your eyes, or choosing any position that you feel called to. If you would be more comfortable laying on your side or propping yourself up, take all the time you need to find that place of nourishing comfort. Although this practice deepens in stillness, trust your body to move in any way that you need, anytime. Trust yourself, listen and receive. All you need to do is follow the sound of my voice while you rest, while you let your body relax, while you let your mind relax. Simply following the sound of my voice into a state of rest, becoming aware of your breath, the already flowing waves of inhalation and exhalation, the air touching the nostrils, the rise and fall of the belly and the chest, this breath perhaps slowing down, deepening and lengthening as you pay attention to it. There's a fullness to the inhale, expanding and filling the lungs of the belly and chest, expand and inflate, and a release on the exhale, softening and letting go with every breath. Continuing to simply be here with the rise and fall of your breath, welcoming the flow, welcoming this nourishing rhythm, and as you breathe, letting your thinking mind soften, thoughts relaxing and awareness expanding down into the body. As the light of awareness flows through the body, welcome a shift from thinking and analyzing into feeling and sensing. A shift into being. That's right, continuing to take this time to rest and receive. You are so worthy of this rest. Settling awareness into the heart, the space in the center of the chest, welcoming whatever is here in your heart, welcoming also an intention or sankalpa, knowing that this is an opportunity to plant a seed into the subconscious and the deep waters of the unconscious. And through this planting of a seed, there's potential to rewire the brain, to create new neural pathways, to shift out of old ways of being. So welcome this sankalpa as an intention. Maybe it's one word like peace or healing. Maybe it's a phrase, I exist in love. Whatever it is for you that calls to your heart, take the next several breaths to welcome this sankalpa, this intention to be felt in the heart. And we'll begin a rotation of awareness, where your gentle focus moves from one point to the next within you. And as this awareness moves, it's like a massage for your nervous system, beginning by shifting from the heart into the throat, effortless awareness. From the throat to the inside of the mouth, sense the aliveness of the tongue, the sensation of the roof of the mouth, the floor of the mouth, top lip, bottom lip. Sensing the nose, tip of the nose, right nostril, left nostril, both nostrils together, breathing. Sensing the right eye, the eyelid, the eyebrow, the globe of the eye, and the left eye, the eyelid, the eyebrow, the globe of the eye. And sense the space behind the eyes, effortless and relaxed. Awareness drifts to the mind's eye in the center of the forehead, center of the crown of the head, center of the back of the head, base of the skull. Sense the right ear receiving sound, the left ear receiving sound. Might you sense the spaces in between the ears, effortlessly witnessing. Let awareness flow back down the neck and throat, spilling into the heart center. Here in the heart, recall your sankalpa, your intention. Sense the right side of the chest, right shoulder, upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist, the right hand, sensing the palm of the hand and the back of the hand, the right thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, fourth finger. Might you sense the spaces in between the fingers and the entire right arm, radiant sensation, right side of the chest and upper back, down to the right waist, ribs, right side of the belly, internal organs on the right, the right hip, down the right thigh, knee, lower leg, ankle, right foot, sole of the foot, top of the foot, right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe, the space in between the toes and a felt sense of the entire right leg, from toes up to right hip, radiant and relaxed. Let awareness expand up the entire right side of the body, from right leg through right hip, waist, ribs, chest, shoulder and arm, hand, fingers, right side of the neck, right side of the face and skull. Awareness of the entire right side of the body, effortless, awareness centered in the heart, breathing here, sensing the left side of the chest and upper back, left shoulder, upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist, left hand, palm of the hand, back of the hand, and sensing the left thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, sensing the spaces in between the fingers and then a felt sense of the entire left arm, left shoulder, left side of the chest, left ribs, waist, down to the left side of the belly, internal organs on the left, left hip, thigh, knee, lower leg, ankle, foot, soul of the foot, sensing the toes on the left, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe, sensing the spaces in between the toes and a felt sense of the entire left leg, and awareness expands from left leg up through left hip, waist, ribs, chest, shoulder, left arm, hand and fingers, left side of the neck, face and skull, welcoming a felt sense of the left side of the body, radiant and relaxed, now welcoming a felt sense of the entire body, the entire body now, effortless, resting, noticing the flow of your breath, the body breathing itself, the presence of prana, of life force energy, as you feel and sense the movement of prana as you breathe, you might imagine this flow like an ocean wave, rolling in on the inhale, rolling out on the exhale, an ocean wave cascading through your being as you breathe, as if trillions of cells in the body are alive and radiant with sensation, the flow of prana, of life force, like an ocean wave rolling in and rolling out, cleansing trillions of cells as you begin to welcome a felt sense of being on the earth, heavy, grounded, as if your whole being welcomes the feeling of being grounded, rooted to the earth, a heaviness, a density, as you feel the physical body grounded and earthy, that's right, stable, at home here, on the earth, of the earth, begin to welcome the opposite sensation, a feeling of being light and spacious, like the element of air, this air element within you and all around you, you might imagine a feather flowing through the breeze, or the seeds of a dandelion floating by, your entire being welcoming the feeling of lightness, spaciousness, expansion, like an open sky, floating, and then let your being shift back to a felt sense of heaviness, bringing back the density, stability of the earth, this rooted, grounding feeling, fills your whole body and being, there's the weight of the bones releasing into gravity, completely secure and stable here, and heavy against the earth, and again, shift back to spaciousness, to lightness, that feather floating in the breeze, an open sky, trillions of cells floating, so much room to breathe and to be, light and airy, floating, free. Now, integrating these opposites together, maintaining this felt sense of expansion and lightness, and yet also welcoming, simultaneously, the feeling of heaviness, of rooting and grounding, the earth, filling the body, yet floating, spacious to the sky, being here in this state of balance, grounded, and heavy, yet expansive and light. Now, begin to welcome a feeling of stillness, everything is still and calm, you might imagine the surface of water, like glass, no ripples, simply calm and still, welcome this feeling of stillness to be within you and all around you, embracing stillness completely. And then, its opposite, welcoming motion, the felt sense of perpetual motion, that still, glass surface of the water, starts to ripple, waves begin to flow, currents, spirals of movement, and you feel this in your body, maybe the movement of blood, the pumping of the heart, the movement of the breath, this perpetual motion, as you then come back to stillness and welcome the feeling of stillness within you, again the surface of the water smoothing out, just like the mind, smoothing out, clear, still. This feeling of stillness pervades all movement, as you welcome both opposites now, welcoming the stillness that holds the movement, rippling waves, movement of breath and heartbeat, even the movement of the mind held within the stillness, knowing that just like in life, when you feel lots going on around you, competing for your attention, details, and whatever is on your plate, you can become the stillness and the calm that holds this movement, finding this balance, capable of shifting from one state to the next, resilient and adaptable, movement held within spacious calm that is always available, the calm within the storm, the eye of the storm, peaceful amongst change, calm amongst chaos, at home in the stillness and at ease with the movements. Now let awareness come to the mind's eye, the space in the center of the forehead, and welcome any image or symbol or felt sense that arises as a message from your inner wisdom, welcoming any messages from your inner wisdom, perhaps coming through as an image or a symbol, or more of a feeling and a sensation. Be the witness. Relax back into this gentle witnessing presence and feel this natural state of oneness, a natural state of ease and rest. Feel your entire being at home in this state of balance and harmony, at home in this state of rest, integrating and healing, simmering in the sweetness of this peace, awareness in the heart now, as you welcome back your sankalpa or intention, or any gift of wisdom that you carry with you now, sensing and feeling this here in your heart, present, true, and real. As you rest here, you may wish to drift off into a nap or to sleep. If so, simply ignore what I am saying next and allow yourself to continue to drift on and rest, or perhaps you transition by starting to notice your breath, feeling the rise and fall of the belly and the chest, feeling the air touching the nostrils, feeling your whole body resting in your space, and your senses start to awaken, hearing what's around you as sound, feeling the touch against your skin or beneath you, shadow or shapes behind closed eyes, aromas or tastes. And if you are in transition, you might wiggle your fingers and toes or take a gentle stretch. You might shapeshift in any way, slowly, slowly, there's no rush, offering this practice out to all beings, dedicating the peace from our hearts to all hearts. And if you have made it to this point in the journey, I invite you to leave me a comment using the word peace somewhere in your comment, to let me know you made it this far. And I'm so honored that you're here, so thankful for your presence. I am Tina from the School of Living Yoga. You are heartfully invited to continue journeying with me and my channel through guided meditation, yoga nidra, hypnotherapy, and yoga for cultivating peace and restoring the nervous system for self-care. You are invited to join myself and my beloveds, Ali Boothroyd, Kristen Rose, Laura Dunford in our online studio, which features live sessions with us, opportunities to connect, and a recorded library and workshops, and so much more. You are invited to check out the links for our trainings, yoga teacher trainings, and I also offer private counseling hypnotherapy to go deeper and to support you in your journey. So much love. I hope to hear from you in the comments. Take care, everyone. Thank you.