Here's are 2 guided relaxations for you to enjoy. Lie down, get comfortable, and drift away...
This one I recorded during a retreat in Bali Vijoleta's Guided Savasana in Bali
And this Body Scan guided relaxation can be used to ease you into sleep Vijoleta's Guided Body Scan . Did you know that what is commonly referred to as 'Body Scan' is a section taken out of the Yoga Nidra technique and now used separately as a powerful relaxation response technique?
How does it work?
There's something that happens to us when we lie down, in safety and comfort, on our backs, using whatever support we need for complete comfort. This might be a blanket to stay warm, or a rolled up towel under the knees if your back feels a little niggly. Every time we lie down the earth supports us, there's an underlying sense of trust in that that we can simply enjoy.
Lying down in a horizontal position is quite special. Our blood pressure can equilibrate across the whole body which adds to the sense of ease and comfort. When we are standing, the pressure of the blood pumping through us is not the same at all places of the body. The feet have the highest blood pressure and the upper body has the lowest and gravity influences the gradation through the body, and the heart needs to circulate blood at all these levels. Lying down gives the heart some ease as well as the nervous system.
The head area and brain in particular is usually at a steady blood pressure regardless of the orientation of our bodies relative to the ground. This is due to pressure sensors, baroceptors, distributed throughout the body sending constant signals as to whether there needs to be an increase or decrease in blood flow to the head because of alterations in pressure. The brain does not receive 'a rush of blood' in inversions,an incorrect statement often given by yoga teachers in a yoga class. The precious brain retains an even pressure thanks to the baroceptors.
“Did you know that what is commonly referred to as 'Body Scan' is a actually a section taken from Yoga Nidra technique, and now used separately as a proven powerful relaxation response technique?”