Hi, I'm Kelly Boys. Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice called "Being Held". Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation practice, and it's done lying down. So if you can, find yourself in a comfortable supported position to go into this meditation practice. Today, we're going to explore being held by God, what does that feel like in our body, and what do we know to be true when we feel deeply held by the divine. Let's begin by getting comfortable. So wherever you are in this moment, can you make yourself 5% more comfortable than you are? This might mean that you draw your shoulder blades down your spine, that you shift your position, whatever it is so that you feel supported to go into a deep state of relaxation. Let's begin. Take a deep inhalation to the crown of your head, and on the exhalation, you're gonna sweep your attention down your body to the soles of your feet. Do this two more times inhaling to the crown of your head, exhaling all the way down to soles of your feet. One more time at your own pace. So begin by allowing your mind to settle. You may be thinking about where you've just been or what's next. Can you allow that to go into the background? And maybe make the intention today, in this moment, to explore being held by God. As you sense your body being supported by the surface that you're resting upon, can you feel the quality of being held? What would it be like to relax any tension in your body? It's as if you were actually held by safe arms, where this is a moment for you to let go of tension, let go of your worries. You might be working with a difficult emotion or situation, and allow your nervous system to relax completely. So again, allowing your mind to go into the background, all the thoughts and feel the felt sense of the whole backside of your body, the surface that you're resting on and being held by God. Notice what's present for you as you do so. There's no correct way to do this meditation. It's an exploration of your own inner experience. We'll do a body scan and some breathing practices as we explore this further. So when I name a body part, simply bring attention to that body part and notice what's there. You may have some tension or holding or it may feel spacious. Without judgment, can you allow yourself to do this body scan, do the breath work, and explore being held by God? Let's begin in the jaw, and we'll end in the feet. So sense your jaw, notice, if there's any tension or holding. You may move your jaw around a little bit, just see if there's any holding or tension. As you notice any tension, can you allow it to relax a release? Sense both your ears now, your left and right ear. If you can, sense both ears at the same time. The mind can't easily be on two objects at once. So let go of thinking and sense both ears, your jaw, your breath, coming in and out. Sense your eyes as well, your left and right eye. Can you notice any tension or holding behind or around your eyes? As you notice or feel into any holding and your eyes may be closed, can you allow any holding or tension to release? So this actually requires your presence, your attention, and the intention to allow your body to relax. As you relax your eyes, also feel what is it like if I'm simultaneously held by God in this moment as I'm doing this body scan, noticing the places that I'm contracted, simultaneously being held. So we'll continue the body scan and add breath work. Sensing crown of your head, back of your head, and your shoulders. Take an inhalation sensing your left shoulder and then exhale all the way down your left arm to the palm of your left hand, perhaps squeezing and releasing your fist. So as you breathe in and out, sense only your left arm and left hand. On your next inhalation, bring attention to your right shoulder, and exhale all the way down to the palm of your right hand, perhaps squeezing and releasing your right fist. All of your attention is absorbed in your right arm, right hand. I'm doing the same with your torso, your whole back, your chest, your belly. Can you notice as you breathe in and out, any pockets of tension or holding, you may feel some emotion, you may feel some contraction or an image or situation comes to you? As you do so, whatever it is that you're noticing, can you allow yourself simultaneously to release as if you're being held, as if the situation is being supported and held? So you don't have to hold this on your own. So we'll finish the body scan by bringing attention to your left hip. Take an inhalation, and then exhale all the way down your left leg to the sole of your left foot. As you inhale and exhale, only sensing your left leg and foot. Bringing patience to the practice, doing this body scan and breath work. As you bring attention to your right hip with an inhalation, and then exhale all the way down your right leg to the sole of your right foot. Breathing in and out, feeling only the sole of your right leg, right foot. And on the next inhalation, sense both hips simultaneously, and then exhale down both legs to the soles of both feet. As you do so, you may feel your body begin to relax and release into the surface that supports you. Now, sensing your whole body globally, from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, your entire backside of your body, front side of your body, left side, right side. As you sense your entire body here, bring in this idea of being held by the divine. If it were true in this moment that you're deeply held by the divine, what do you know to be true? How do you feel? Perhaps the feeling of support, feeling of being nurtured, love and care. If so, can you lean back into those qualities and allow yourself to feel them fully in the meditation as if it's completely true? As you explore this part of the meditation, are there any images or memories that come to you, or perhaps emotions that would also like to be held in this way? If so, can you allow them to be here? Notice, what images, memories, or emotions are asking to also be held, and can you welcome them and allow them to be here with you, held by the divine supported, cared for? Even the challenging bits, the ones that are so easy to refuse. What is it like to welcome your entire experience in this moment knowing that you're held? This may include the feeling of not feeling held or supported, even that is also held and welcomed in this meditation. Let's come back to a breathing practice. Bring attention to your heart, center of your heart. Breathe in and out, feeling the center of your heart. Can you allow your heart to connect to God, to connect to the divine as you breathe in and out? In this exercise, we'll breathe into the heart and then exhale out into the entire body, fingertips and toes, following the inhale all the way back into your heart, and exhaling all the way out into your entire body, crown of your head, soles of your feet. As you breathe in and out in this way, can you consider your entire experience being held? Your breathing, your emotions, your thoughts, your body being here as you inhale to the heart and exhale out into your whole body. As you rest here exploring this quality of being held by God, what do you know most deeply to be true about your experience right now? Just consider, what do I know most deeply to be true right now? And allow whatever appears in your experience to be a messenger delivering a message to you. Take a moment now in this meditation to consider the message if there has been one that you've listened to. Also consider, how does it feel in my body in this moment having explored being held by God? What changes do I feel from the beginning of the meditation? And notice inwardly your experience. We'll do a final breathing practice before closing this meditation. Let's come back to the heart breathing. Inhaling to the heart, exhaling your whole body. Can you allow your mind to, again, still fade into the background with the thoughts as you breathe in and breathe out? Resting in whatever qualities are present, perhaps ease, a sense of joy or freedom, relaxation. What's it like to be here without being driven by your thinking mind and resting in God's arms as it were just the feeling of being deeply held? What if this is enough for right now? What if this is a complete moment as you inhale to your heart, exhale to your whole body? Perhaps naming inwardly, this message, I'm okay as I am or I am loved. And if anything else at all is present for you, anything challenging or difficult, can you, again, welcome that as well to be here? This meditation isn't refusing any aspect of ourselves as we consider what it's like to be held by God. If there's any particular way that you'd like to close the meditation, feel free, but begin to notice the whole backside of your body, the front side, perhaps opening your eyes for a moment and closing them again a couple times. Perhaps moving your fingers, clenching your fists, and releasing them. Getting to move your feet. You can draw your knees in toward your chest and roll off to the side if you'd like to, or you can stay right where you are. As we close the meditation, consider your intention that you set at the beginning and notice how you're feeling right now. Can you take that with you into your day, into your evening? And can you allow yourself to feel the truth of being held? Thanks for meditating with me.