This practice will have you connecting to your breathing and to your sankalpa, or intention, which manifests as a single-sentence affirmation. In addition to bringing awareness to your body and its sensations, we will also be exploring emotional opposites.
So find a safe space to listen as I walk you through, step-by-step, the instructions of this 20-minute R&R Sleep Meditation. And stay tuned for more practices in the weeks to come.
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Male Announcer: You’re listening to From Pain to Possibility with Susi Hately. You will hear Susi’s best ideas on how to reduce or even eradicate your pain and learn how to listen to your body when it whispers so you don’t have to hear it scream. And now here’s your host, Susi Hately.
Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra. Your opportunity to find deep, settling, recuperative rest in a way that not only helps you recharge your battery, clear your mind, but it’s that recuperative experience that enables clarity. When that tension fades away and what’s present is clarity. So with this practice, that is where we get to explore.
Know that everything that I am offering here, all the instructions and the guidance, is an invitation for you to follow. So feel free at any point to modify or skip any of the invitations or guidance.
So settling in into a relaxed position, whether you’re laying down or seated, eyes open or closed, and scan through your body and see if you can become just a little bit more comfortable. It’s this ease piece at the beginning of this practice that can support so much rejuvenation, so much settling and recuperation.
Taking a breath in and a breath out. A breath in and a breath out. This is also a time where you can connect into your sankalpa or your intention or wish for anything right now. What might it be? What’s your best intention or outcome for this practice? Or maybe it’s some intention that you are currently working on.
What is it that you wish for right now? Formulate this into a one-sentence affirmation in present time as if it has already happened. And once you’ve established this, affirm it silently to yourself now. And as you say it, feel the resonance of that sentence through your body and through your breath.
Now come into an awareness of your body, moving through different aspects of your body into a sensory experience, a listening experience. We’ll begin at your left foot, feeling your left heel, the sole of your foot, the top of your foot, your left big toe, your left second toe, third toe, fourth toe, baby toe. Feeling the whole of your left foot.
Now feeling into your left ankle, calf, shin, knee, and thigh. Feel the whole left leg now, from the tips of your toes to the top of your leg.
Feel into your right foot now, the right heel, bottom of your foot, top of your foot, the right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth, and pinky toe. Feeling the sensations in your right ankle, calf, shin, knee, and thigh. Feeling the whole right leg and foot from the tips of the toes through the foot, up through the whole leg to the right hip.
Feeling your pelvis now. Feeling your pelvis as sensation. And then noticing your lower torso, middle torso, upper torso. Feeling the whole torso at once, from the pelvis, lower torso, middle, upper torso.
Feeling your collarbones. Moving to your left shoulder. Your left upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, palm of your left hand, back of your hand, your left thumb, index finger, middle finger, fourth finger, fifth finger. Feel the sensations in the whole of your left hand now, and your whole left arm to the shoulder.
And feeling the collarbones again, and your right shoulder. Your right upper arm, the right elbow, forearm, wrist, right palm, back of the hand, your right thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger. Feel the whole of your right hand now, and your whole right arm up to the shoulder.
Now feel both shoulders at once. Feel both arms and hands at once. Now feel the sensations in your neck, the whole of your neck and throat. Feeling the back of your head, the top of your head, your forehead, and the sensations in your face. The inside corner of your eyes. The flare of your nose. Your upper lip.
Feeling the air just outside of your nose. Feeling the sensations in and around your mouth. Your tongue, roof of your mouth, floor of your mouth, left sidewall, right sidewall. Feeling the whole of your mouth as sensation, and the whole of your head as sensation.
Feel your whole body now, all of the sensations in your whole body at once. Listening. Listening through sensation.
Bring your attention to your breath, gradually slowing your breath down. Relax. Easy, slowing breath without any strain. Now count your breath down from five to zero. Inhaling, five. Exhaling, five. Inhaling, four. Exhaling, four. Inhaling three.
And notice now any emotions or thoughts that may be present. You might notice that emotions or thoughts will gradually dissolve and disappear if you don’t engage them. Letting emotions or thoughts arise and go. And when your next thought arises, as you notice it, it dissolves again. Attuning yourself to the underlying ground of peace that’s ever-present.
Now think of an emotion, a thought, or a belief that you would like to work with. Maybe one that has entered into your space now. And notice what that is, and consider its opposite. And when you’re ready, notice that emotion or thought or belief, and how you feel when that emotion, thought, or a belief is present in your body. Where and how you have felt it in your body.
Now notice the opposite of that emotion or that thought or belief, and where and how you feel it in your body. We feel sensations in our body. We feel emotions and thoughts and beliefs in our body. Notice the sensations and where you are feeling that emotion or thought or belief, and where you notice its opposite. Going back and forth a few times between these opposites. Noticing what you feel as you identify with one, and then the other.
And when you’re ready, feel both opposites at once. Feel your way into both at once by opening or widening the lens of feeling awareness. You can’t think your way into feeling both opposites. You can’t actually think your way into feeling. Allow and notice how and what you feel when you’re open to both at once.
You might feel the opposites dissolve or open into a sense of neutrality, expansion, or even wholeness, or an entirely new belief, emotion, or thought. Notice what you feel with both at once.
In this space, allow for your sankalpa, your intention, your wish for this practice, to bubble back up into your awareness again. From this place of physical and mental relaxation, imagine and feel it as true now. Imagine your wish is true, and take a moment to imagine your life with it as true.
What do you notice as you imagine your life with this sankalpa, this intention as already true? How do you feel with your wish, with your sankalpa coming true?
As we move toward completion, feel your body resting here in this room, aware of your intention coming true as a feeling in your heart or in your guts, wherever that feeling sits and settles.
Gradually begin to deepen your breath, bringing gentle movement into your fingers and toes, slowly opening your eyes, touching your thumb to each of your fingers, bringing in other sensory experiences of sound or images. And when you’re ready, take this practice into your life, into the rest of your day.
Thank you for exploring this practice with me. I release new Yoga Nidra’s sleep meditations and body scans every week. I’d love for you to come back and join me here for next week’s relaxing and life-affirming practice. Have a great week.
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