So welcome to our yoga nidra this evening.
I will guide you to surf the place between being awake and being asleep.
And if your mind is busy at times this is okay.
It's okay if you fall asleep.
It's still working.
You can't fail at yoga nidra.
So make sure you are really comfortable now,
Taking any last minute adjustments if you need.
And I'll just say one or two words about our nidra practice today.
The theme of this nidra is late summer.
And this is the liminal space between the hustle and bustle of summertime and the slowing down associated with autumn.
This nidra also falls the day after the eclipse of last night's full harvest moon.
So it's an auspicious time to practice nidra and to really surrender and relinquish anything that is no longer serving us.
So in traditional Chinese medicine late summer is considered a fifth season.
Where we pause between the full expansion of summer and autumns turning inward.
When nature shows us how abundance and release can co-exist.
When we gather the fruits of our years growth and labor.
And we also begin to let go of anything that we have outgrown.
It's also the season of the earth element which governs our center.
Our ability to digest not just food but all of life's experiences.
Where we find the sweet place between giving and receiving,
Between effort and rest.
So lying down now in whatever position is comfortable for you.
And beginning to take some long exhalations and allow your body to be fully supported by the surface beneath you.
So welcome any sensations in your face,
Your jaw,
Your mouth and your tongue.
Your whole head.
Welcome sensations in your neck and your shoulders.
Welcoming everything exactly as it is.
Your arms,
Your torso,
Your legs.
The sensation of the surface beneath you.
Supporting you.
And as you focus on your exhalations feel the weight of your bones becoming heavier.
Allow the weight of your organs to sink back.
Visualize your blood and your breath settling into the back of your body.
Allow your skin to spread out along the back body as if it was melting.
Softening.
Focusing on your exhalations.
Your whole body softening.
Your whole body softening.
And knowing that we are in this space of late summer.
It is a time of very gentle transition.
And I invite you to set an intention.
An intention that resonates with both how you have grown over recent weeks and months and also with what you're ready to release.
Maybe you think about this past year like you've been tending a garden.
What seeds of self-care or boundaries or inner wisdom have you planted that are now ready to be acknowledged?
And just as a wise gardener clears away what's finished growing at the end of a season to make space for new beginnings.
Are there any old patterns or habits that you are ready to gently release?
And your sankalpa,
Your intention for this practice may be about honoring this natural cycle.
Maybe it's simply I give myself permission to gather and release.
If nothing specific comes just use this time to rest and relax.
And if you have a sankalpa,
An intention,
A heartfelt desire you can repeat it silently to yourself three times now.
And from here let go of any thoughts related to your sankalpa.
As you picture or feel or sense the gentle warmth of a late summer sun.
That golden quality of light when the sun is still warm but the shadows are getting longer.
And allow that energy of abundance gently fall upon you.
Maybe you sense it through the warmth of the earth or the gentle breeze that carries the first smells of the leaves starting to fall from the trees.
And feel gratitude for this energy.
Allowing the late summer energy to fall upon your lips and your mouth and your tongue and the inside of your mouth.
Your cheeks,
Nose,
Your eyes,
Forehead,
Temples,
The top of your head.
The back of your head.
Your neck,
The back of your neck.
This late summer energy gently touching the back of your neck and your left shoulder.
Outside of your upper arm,
Outside of your lower arm.
Back of your hand,
Palm of your hand,
Thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger.
Fourth finger and little finger.
The inside of the lower arm.
The inside of the upper arm.
The armpit,
The side of the upper body.
The ribs and the waist and the space between the upper body and the left arm.
Gratitude for your heart.
For your centre of love and abundance.
The left side of your chest.
The left side of your belly.
Your spleen,
The earth element organ that transforms and transports nourishment for the whole of your body.
The left hip,
Top of the thigh,
Shin bone,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot.
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
The calf,
The back of the thigh,
The glutes.
The left side of the lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back.
Gratitude for the whole left side of the body.
And then back to the neck,
The back of the neck.
The late summer energy gently touching the back of your neck.
And over to the right shoulder.
The outside of the upper arm,
Outside of the lower arm.
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Thumb.
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger and little finger.
Inside of the lower arm,
Inside of the upper arm,
Armpit.
The side of the upper body,
The ribs and the waist.
And the space between the upper body and the right arm.
Gratitude for the heart again,
Steady and constant.
The right side of your chest,
The right side of your belly.
Your stomach,
The other earth element organ that receives and begins to transform what nourishes you.
Nourishing the whole of your body.
The right hip,
Top of the thigh,
Shin bone,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Big toe.
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
The calf,
The back of the thigh,
The glutes.
The right side of the lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back.
Gratitude for the whole right side of the body.
Gratitude for the whole body.
The whole body warmed by the energy of late summer.
The whole body softening with the energy of harvest and gentle gathering.
The whole body softening.
And now let's breathe in that golden energy.
Inhale the abundance that comes from patience,
From waiting,
From careful cultivation and ride the exhalation.
As you breathe out,
Let it go.
Letting go of anything that you have outgrown.
Releasing anything that you no longer need.
Inhaling abundance.
Exhaling release.
Inhaling abundance.
Exhaling release.
As you continue to breathe,
Allowing yourself to expand,
To gather.
As you inhale and allowing yourself to soften and release as you exhale.
Making space on the inhalation.
Moving into that space on the exhalation.
Now notice the slight pause at the top of your inhale.
And hold your awareness here.
And now notice the slightly longer pause at the bottom of your exhale.
And hold your awareness here.
And as you continue to breathe gently,
Bring your awareness to the base of your spine.
Feel the breath reaching deep down to the bottom of your back.
Your root,
Your connection to the earth.
Sense a line from the base of your spine to the top of your head.
And guide your inhalation upwards.
From the bottom of your back,
Up your spine and out through the top of your head.
And guide your exhalation from the top of your head,
Down your spine and out of the bottom of your back.
Inhale,
Up.
Exhale,
Down.
Inhale,
Up.
And exhale,
Down.
And if you wish,
You may choose to add a calming rhythm to your breath.
Counting to four as you inhale.
And counting to six as you exhale.
Inhaling to four from the tailbone to the head.
And exhaling to six from the head to the tailbone.
And maybe if you watch,
The line expands outwards.
Creating a wave,
A soft wave of grounded energy.
Flowing up on the inhale and down on the exhale.
And maybe the wave expands down to the bottom of your feet.
And all the way up to the crown of your head.
A soft wave.
Flowing with the breath.
Allowing this wave to wash over you.
And wash through you.
And maybe your awareness now shifts to your hands.
Can you feel your breath pulsing there?
Sensing the work that these hands have done.
The seeds they have planted.
The fruits they are collecting.
And the top of your head.
Can you feel your breath pulsing there?
Maybe you can feel a golden thread extending out from the top of your head.
Running parallel to the ground.
Up and away from you.
And shifting your awareness to the base of the spine.
Can you feel your breath pulsing here?
And maybe there's a golden thread extending from the base of your spine.
Up and away.
Running parallel to the ground.
Running away from you.
Feeling the whole of that thread.
Allow yourself to be supported and held by the thread.
Like the earth holds the roots of all growing things.
Allow yourself to be held.
And completely let go.
As your focus on the golden thread begins to dissolve.
And maybe you can picture or sense yourself in the centre of a golden field.
Golden from the crops ready for harvest.
And you feel completely safe.
And completely at ease.
And if this doesn't resonate with you just keep flowing with your experience.
And in the field sense the warm late summer sun on your face.
And feel the slightly cooler breeze pass by.
The warm sun on your face.
And the slightly cooler breeze passing you by.
The warm sun and the cool breeze.
And see the golden grain swaying.
And the deep blue sky above.
And see the golden grain swaying.
And the deep blue sky above.
Golden grain.
Blue sky.
Golden grain.
Blue sky.
And you notice the last of the bright flowers blooming.
And the first leaves beginning to turn.
The last bright flowers blooming.
And the first leaves beginning to turn.
The last flowers and the first leaves.
And the last flowers and the first leaves.
And you may choose to take a walk through this field.
And you can sense the solid earth beneath your feet.
And as you walk you come to a place that feels special.
Beside an old oak tree.
And you notice one or two leaves are beginning to hint at autumn.
And here you pause and you look out over the field and the fields beyond.
And you can see a pretty long way.
And these fields represent your year so far.
The ups and the downs.
And the growth of your journey.
And you take a moment to notice what has grown strong and golden and mature in your life this year.
Your new strengths and resiliences and your trust in your abilities.
Your wisdom in yourself.
And allow yourself to acknowledge these things.
They are your harvest.
They are the fruits of your inner work.
And with you you have a beautiful basket.
And you begin to gather these qualities.
These new strengths.
One by one gently placing them in your basket.
Feel the weight of all you have cultivated.
And feel proud and strong.
And as you gather these things for your basket notice that scattered across the field are things that you no longer need.
Old patterns.
Old fears.
Ways of being that once served you but now you have outgrown.
You don't need to pick these up.
You can simply acknowledge them with gratitude for how maybe they once protected you.
But now you let them return to the earth to compass and nourish new growth.
And you can rest here knowing that you carry both your harvest with you and your willingness to release what no longer serves you.
And with each exhalation letting go of what you've outgrown.
And with each exhalation releasing any worry or doubt.
And with each exhalation trusting in the natural cycle.
And with each exhalation sinking deeper into earth's support.
Letting any images or experiences to arise.
Letting them wash over you.
And gently returning to your sankalpa or intention.
If you set one in the beginning.
If you didn't use this time to breathe and relax.
If you have a sankalpa repeat it to yourself three times.
And if you wish to return together now then you can gently listen to my voice.
If you prefer to fall deeper into rest you are welcome to do so as well.
If you wish to return begin gathering your consciousness back.
Just like you are gathering in a harvest.
Feeling your body lying on the surface beneath you.
Feeling the weight of your legs and your feet.
Feeling the weight of your arms and your hand.
Feeling the weight of your head.
Feeling the gentle movement of your tummy and the gentle movement of your chest.
Notice the flutter of your heartbeat.
Steady and strong.
Welcoming back your legs and your feet.
Welcoming back your arms and your hand.
Welcoming back your head.
Welcoming back your tummy.
Welcoming back your chest.
Welcoming back the whole of you.
Welcoming back the whole of you.
As you allow your breaths to become a little bit deeper and a little bit longer.
And you very gently start to bring some movement to your fingers and your toes.
Starting to hear sounds around you.
And taking as much time as you want or need.
Stretching your body or hugging your knees into your chest.
And very slowly rolling onto one side and eventually sitting up.
Bringing your palms together.
Take a big breath in and a long breath out.
Our practice of Nidra is now complete.
Wishing you a restful and peaceful time ahead.
