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- Meditation
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- Maternity
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- Maternity – Yoga Nidra...
Session 10/10
Transcript
This meditation practice is called Yoga Nidra. If you’re in the early stages of pregnancy, you should be lying on your back with the knees slightly bent and supported. If you are five months or later, find yourself a comfortable position on your left side. Use any props you need to support your body. Make sure that you’re warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable for the whole practice.
Ideally, you will remain still for the entire Yoga Nidra so that both your body and your brain have the chance to completely relax. But if you become uncomfortable, listen to your body and move into a more comfortable position.
Let’s start by letting your body sink into the floor. Feel grounded and heavy where you rest. Allow your eyes to become heavy, but soft. The practice of Yoga Nidra is the practice of yogic sleep. It will guide you to the state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping. You may feel like you’re falling asleep, but try to remain awake by listening to my voice.
I will ask you to move your awareness to various parts of the body. Allow the mind to shift effortlessly to each part as I name them. If your mind starts to wander, just come back to the sound of my voice. Become aware of any sounds that you can hear around you. Notice and label briefly what comes up but try not to get involved in the thoughts about it. Notice first the sounds close by, my voice, your breath, and then those that are further away. Perhaps a door slamming somewhere the sound of voices.
Become aware of your breath. Notice where you feel the air enter and exit at the tip of your nose. Feel the lungs rise and fall with each breath. Allow each exhale to take you further and further into relaxation. Allow each breath to become longer and slower. Take a long slow inhalation, followed by a long, slow exhalation. pause for a moment with the lungs empty. And then take another long slow inhalation. And this time make your exhalation even slower. Notice the pause after you exhale. Keep breathing long and slow throughout our entire practice today.
I’d like you to set an intention or positive affirmation that you will focus on as we practice today. Choose an affirmation in positive tense and repeat it to yourself three times. An example of this could be my body was designed to carry and birth this baby with ease. My body was designed to carry and birth this baby with ease. My body was designed to carry and birth this baby with ease.
We will now begin an awareness journey of the whole body. You will shift your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as I named them. Keep the body still throughout this journey will begin on the right side. The right hand thumb, the second finger, the third finger, the fourth finger, the fifth finger, the palm of the right hand. The back of the right hand. The whole right hand. The right wrist, the right forearm. The elbow, the upper arm, the right shoulder, the whole right. The right side of the waist. The right hip. The whole right side of the torso.
The right thigh, the right knee, the right carve the right ankle, the right heel, the whole right leg, the soul of the right foot, the top of the foot, the right big toe, the second toe, the third toe, the fourth toe, the fifth toe, the whole right foot. The left hand thumb, the second finger. The third thing. The fourth thing the fifth finger. The harm of the left hand, the back of the left hand, the whole left hand, the left wrist, the left for the elbow, the upper arm, the left shoulder, the whole left on the left side of the waist, the left here, the whole left side of the torso. The left thigh, left knee, left car, left ankle, left heel, Soul of the left foot, the top the left foot, the left big toe, the second toe, the third, the fourth toe, the fifth toe, the whole left foot. Now focus your attention on the back of your body. The right heel, left heel, the right carves the left calf, the right thigh, the left thigh, the right body, the left body, the lower back, the mid back, we are back. The entire spine, the right shoulder blade, the left shoulder blade, the back of the neck, the back of the head, the entire back of the body. The top of your head, the forehead, the right temple, the left temple, the right ear, the left ear, your right eyebrow, your left eyebrow, the middle of the eyebrows. The right eye, the left eye, the right nostril, the left nostril, the right ci, the left g the upper lip, the lower lip, both lips together, the chin, the jaw, the whole face together, the throat, the right collarbone, the left collarbone, the right side of the chest, the left side of the chest, the other part of your belly, your belly button, and the lower part of your belly. Take your awareness inside now to your baby as we scan through their body as well. Start by imagining your baby floating peacefully within your belly. Every part of them as relaxed as they know nothing of tension or stress in this beautiful space. Imagine each tiny body part as we bring our awareness to it. Repeat the name of the part in your head. As you focus on your baby.
We begin on the right side. their right hands, their second finger, their third finger, therefore the finger, their fifth finger, the palm of their right hand. The back of their right hand the whole right hand. Their right wrist, right forearm, right elbow, right up around. Right shoulder, right armpit, the hole right on the right side of the waist. The right here. The whole right side of the torso. The right thigh, the right knee, the right carve the ankle and heel. The whole right leg. The soul of the right foot, the top of the foot, the right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe, the whole right foot. The left hand thumb, the second finger, the third thing. fourth finger, fifth finger, the palm of the left hand, the back of the left hand the whole left hand. The left wrist, left elbow. left forearm. left upper left shoulder, left armpit the whole left the left side of their waist, their left hip the left side of their torso. The left by the left knee. The left carve the left ankle, the left heel. The soul of the left foot. The top of the left foot. The left big toe second toe Third toe, the fourth toe, the fifth toe, the whole left foot. Now focus your attention on the back of their body. Their right heel, left heel, their right carve their left car, the right thigh, the left by the right by the left bodek. The lower back. They’re made by their upper back, their entire spine, their right shoulder blade, bare left shoulder blade, the back of the neck, the back of the head, the entire back of the body. The top of their head, their forehead, their right temple, their left temple, the right ear, the left ear, the right eyebrow, the left eyebrow, the middle of the eyebrows, the right eye, the left eye, the right nostril, the left nostril, the right cheek, the left cheek, the upper lip, the lower lip, both lips together, their chin, their jaw, their whole face together. their throat, their right collarbone, their left collarbone, the right side of their chest, the left side of their chest, the upper part of their belly, their lower belly, their belly button and their connection to your body via their umbilical cord. Now imagine their whole right leg, their whole left leg, their whole right. Their whole left their whole face their whole head, the whole torso, the whole body of your baby, the whole body, the whole body. Take your awareness back out to your own body. Now. Be aware of your whole right leg. Your whole left leg, your whole right. Your whole left arm. The whole face, the whole head, the whole torso. The whole body, the whole body, the whole body.
Repeat your intention again to yourself three times. My body was designed to carry and birth this baby with ease. My body was designed to carry and birth this baby with ease. My body was designed to carry and birth this baby with a breathe deeply into this affirmation and this space of total relaxation.
When you’re ready to come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nose. Notice the slow Rise and Fall of your chest. Start to deepen each inhalation and as you breathe and notice that your body feels lighter and lighter. It feels as if each new breath floods the body with fresh energy. Stuff start to become aware of the sensations in other parts of your body. Now, notice the clothes resting gently against your skin. Become aware of all parts of your body that are touching the floor or furniture, the back of your heels or thighs, buttocks, the shoulder blades the arms, the hands and the head. When you feel ready to move, start by slowly wriggling fingers and toes. There is no hurry so please take your time. Give yourself a few moments to breathe here in this space before you return to your day.
”I'd like you to set an intention or positive affirmation that you will focus on as we practice today.