Into The Forest - Guided Yoga Nidra

This session takes you on a deeply relaxing and restorative journey allowing you to let go of the busyness of everyday life and connect to a place of calm, inner peace and healing. Using vivid visualizations and body awareness techniques, you will be guided toward profound relaxation, helping to reduce stress and promote mental clarity.

Transcript

Welcome to this guided yoga nidra practice.

My name is Ashley.

Thank you so much for being here.

The practice of yoga nidra can be referred to as dynamic sleep,

Where you are in a state of deep relaxation with awareness,

Allowing the opening to the inner chambers of your mind.

During the practice,

Remain aware,

Listen to my voice and move the mind rapidly with the instructions given.

Keep your mind moving from point to point and be aware of every experience.

View any experiences that arise with awareness and detachment,

No concentration.

We will practice in shavasana,

Lying on your back.

Some prefer to lie on their side or sit and that's okay too.

Take a few moments to make yourself comfortable,

Adjusting your body position,

Your clothing,

Blanket.

Shrugging your shoulders away from your ears and allowing for a slight tuck to the chin.

Allow your feet to naturally fall apart,

Placing your hands beside you or letting them rest on your belly.

If you haven't already,

Begin to close your eyes,

Find stillness in the body and bring some awareness to your breath.

Where your awareness goes,

Energy flows.

Feel your belly rise on the inhale and feel your belly soften back down on the exhale.

Rising on the inhale,

Softening down on the exhale.

Take a deep breath in,

Feeling calmness spreading throughout your body and on the exhale with ease.

Allow for any worries or tensions to flow away.

With each breath,

Allow yourself to relax more deeply.

Become aware of your body and relax completely.

Feeling your shoulders and your hips getting heavy towards the earth.

Complete relaxation.

Take a moment to settle into your space.

As you are surrendering to this relaxation,

Notice the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you becoming smaller and smaller.

Your body relaxed,

Lying on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor.

Total awareness of the body lying on the floor.

Witness the stillness.

Become aware of the sounds in the distance.

The most distant sound you can hear.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.

Sounds within this room without too much thought.

Just notice.

Begin to guide your attention inward and allow for everything outside of my voice to disappear.

My voice will be a friendly guide along this journey,

But the journey itself is yours.

Let us journey into a full surrender to observe and witness what resides within.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

Set the intention to be awake and aware as you practice Yoga Nidra.

Say to yourself three times,

I will stay awake and aware through the practice of Yoga Nidra.

I will stay awake and aware through this practice of Yoga Nidra.

I will stay awake and aware through this practice of Yoga Nidra.

You will now create your Sankalpa,

Your intention,

A resolve.

This is a short,

Positive,

Clear statement that is vital in sowing the seed of change.

Your Sankalpa is a seed which you create and sow in the bed of your mind.

Choose intentionally so that you become more balanced,

Joyful,

Fulfilled.

Bring to your mind's eye your Sankalpa.

It might be an I am statement.

Repeat it internally three times with deep,

Heartfelt presence.

I am.

I am.

I am.

We now begin our rotation of consciousness,

The rotation of awareness.

Follow my voice and as quickly as possible allow your awareness to go from part to part.

In your mind,

Simultaneously repeat the name while bringing awareness to it.

Become aware of your right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of the palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The right waist,

The right hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

The second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Become aware of the left hand,

Left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of the palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

Lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The left waist,

The left hip,

Left thigh,

Kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

The second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now move your awareness to the back body.

Back of the head,

Back of the neck,

Right shoulder,

Left shoulder,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The spine,

The whole of the back together.

Now rest the awareness in the front body.

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The eyebrow center,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Nose,

Tip of the nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

The chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Middle of the chest,

Chest,

Navel,

Abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Whole of the right leg,

Whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

Whole of the right arm,

Whole of the left arm,

Both arms together.

The whole of the back,

Whole of the front,

Whole of the head together,

Legs,

Arms,

Arms,

Head together,

The whole of the body together,

The whole of the body together,

The whole of the body together.

Refrain from sleep.

Say to yourself,

I am awake and aware.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

Bring awareness to the center of the chest,

To the natural breath.

Follow the gentle flow of your breath without altering it.

On the inhale,

Feel your belly and chest rise.

And on the exhale,

Feel your belly and chest soften down.

Inhale,

Rise.

Exhale,

Soften down.

Envision your breath as a golden light flowing up and down your spinal column.

Inhale,

Glowing light flows from the tailbone to the crown of your head.

Exhale,

It flows from the crown of your head back down to the tailbone.

A cosmic tide of breath,

Prana.

Stay with your breath as it flows up and down your center.

Golden,

Vibrant,

Free flowing.

Begin to count your breaths in the following manner from 15 to 1.

Inhale,

Golden light rises,

15.

Exhale,

Golden light softens,

15.

Inhale,

Rising,

14.

Exhale,

Softening,

15.

14.

Continue this practice following your natural flow of breath.

If you lose count,

That's okay.

Simply begin again at 15.

Release your counting and return the awareness to the natural state of the breath.

If you didn't complete your counting,

That's all right.

Give yourself permission to release any disappointment.

We will now begin exploring physical and mental visualizations.

Allow any of these sensations,

Feelings,

Or images that arise to flow through you like water.

No attachments,

No concentration.

Awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body.

The feeling of heaviness.

Become aware of heaviness in every part of the body.

Legs,

Arms,

Torso,

Head,

Softening into the ground beneath you.

Heavy.

The whole body heavy.

The whole body heavy.

Release heavy.

Awaken the feeling of lightness in the body.

The feeling of lightness.

Bring the sensation of lightness,

Weightlessness,

Into every part of the body.

Beginning at the head,

All the way to the toes.

The body feeling so light,

It seems to be floating away.

A feeling of levitating.

Awareness of lightness.

The whole body light.

The whole body light.

Now bring awareness to both heaviness and lightness.

A feeling of equally heavy and equally light.

Awareness to both sensations at the same time.

Imagine them merging into a balanced state.

Visualize a color or an image that represents this integration.

The sensation of cold.

Awaken the experience of bitter cold in the body.

Shivering cold.

As if you were standing outside in the icy wind,

Walking across a cold floor barefoot in the winter,

Or taking a cold plunge.

Feel the sensation of chilling cold penetrating the whole body.

Awareness of bitter cold.

The whole body cold.

The whole body cold.

Release cold.

Awaken the sensation of heat.

Awaken the experience of heat.

Feel the body becoming very hot.

Heat throughout the whole body.

Recall the feeling of being hot from the summer sun,

Sitting by a blazing fire,

Or soaking in a hot tub.

Heat all over the body.

Heat all around the body.

Awareness of heat.

The whole body hot.

The whole body hot.

Now bring the sensation of both coldness and heat into your awareness.

Feeling equally hot and equally cold.

Awareness of both sensations at the same time.

Imagine them merging into a balanced state.

Bring to your awareness the sensation of tightness.

Awaken the experience of tightness in the body.

Tight like weathered hands gripping a steering wheel.

Rigid and tense.

Where in your body do you feel constricted?

Recall a time when you felt this taut,

Stiff sensation in your body.

Deepen your awareness to the experience of tightness.

Tightness in the whole body.

Tightness in the whole body.

Now release this feeling of tightness.

Feeling the sensation of softness.

Awaken the sensation of softness in the body.

Tender to the touch.

Smooth like a well-used velvet pillow.

The experience of tension softening.

Relaxing.

Dissipating from the body.

A feeling of calm and comfort.

Softness in the whole body.

The whole body soft.

Imagine contrasting sensations of tightness and softening.

Fostering an understanding of how they feel in the body.

Awareness of both sensations in the body.

Equally tight.

Equally soft.

Merging into a balanced state.

Bring your awareness to the present and make sure you are not sleeping.

Say to yourself,

I am awake and aware.

I will not sleep.

I am awake and aware.

Now bring your attention to the inner space between your eyebrows.

Your third eye.

The Chittikash.

Feel the infinite darkness.

Become aware of the darkness that resides here.

The space of nothingness and everything.

I'm going to name a number of different things and you should try to visualize them on all levels.

Feeling,

Awareness,

Imagination.

As best as you can.

We will move quickly through these.

Hold no attachment to what arises.

Keep your mind moving.

Point to point.

Calm water.

Glowing lantern.

Rocking chair.

Foggy morning.

Budding flower.

Owl.

Meadow.

A reflection.

Moss.

An open window.

Tree bark.

Moonlight.

Moonlight.

Moonlight.

Visualize yourself standing at the edge of a forest.

In front of you lies countless tall pine trees as far as the eye can see.

A dense forest.

And behind you,

A moment now in the past.

You feel the earth beneath your bare feet.

Alive with texture and sensation.

The sun is peeking through the forest canopy.

And you feel the warmth as it kisses your forehead.

You begin traveling down the forest path.

It winds through a serene and shaded woodland.

The earth,

A patchwork of moss.

Fallen leaves and the occasional stone.

It's grounding you in a way that connects you directly with the pulse of your breath.

The air is cool and fresh.

Carrying the scent of pine,

Damp earth,

And wild flowers.

The way ahead narrows.

Ferns edging the trail.

They brush against your legs as you walk.

Occasionally,

The rustle of a small animal in the underbrush stirs the stillness.

But for the most part,

The only sounds are the soft crunch of your footsteps and the distant rhythmic drip of water after a recent rain.

A little farther along the path,

You take notice of an old wooden box.

Ancient and weathered.

It is illuminated by a sunlit glade.

Where the forest seems to pause,

Giving you a glimpse of the sky above.

You open the box,

Mindfully,

To find written on an aged piece of paper,

Your Sancalpa.

Your heartfelt desire.

Feel your Sancalpa vibrate through your entire being.

You notice the air is heavy with a peaceful solitude of the woods inviting you to pause.

Breathe.

Take in the beauty of this moment.

Your attention shifts to the earth beneath your bare feet.

There's an intimacy in its contact.

Like your body is momentarily part of the land.

When you stand still,

You can feel the hum of energy.

The vibration of living things.

The pulse of the planet beneath you moving.

Bring your awareness back to your Sancalpa.

The intention you made at the beginning of practice.

Your heart's vow.

Repeat it three times with faith and trust that it is already true.

You are already living it.

I am.

I am.

Relax all efforts.

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your breathing to the natural state of your breath.

Develop awareness of your physical existence.

Become aware of the meeting points between your body and the earth beneath you.

Your heels,

Calves,

Hips,

Shoulder blades,

Back of the head.

Opening awareness to your surroundings and the noises within the space you are in.

Lie quietly for a few moments and keep your eyes closed.

Begin to make small movements to the body.

Moving your fingers and your toes.

Stretching yourself.

Take your time.

There is no rush.

When you are sure that you are wide awake,

Sit up slowly and open your eyes.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Take a moment of gratitude for this time of release and renewal.

Trust that the energy you've cultivated today will continue to support you as you move forward.

Keep the sense of peace and clarity with you as you re-enter your day.

Take a full deep breath in.

Exhaling completely.

Namaste.