Welcome.
Thank you for joining me today.
In this yoga nidra meditation,
We will do a body scan and breath work and a guided journey to a crystal clear alpine lake,
The wind dancing on the lake surface,
And a mesmerizing beautiful dance of the balance between stillness and movement.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air and embrace your heart's wish for this meditation,
Also known as the sankalpa.
You may use your own or borrow mine.
I am calm,
Grounded,
Peaceful.
I am calm,
Grounded,
Peaceful.
Settling in now,
Be sure your body is comfortable and supported by the earth lying on your back.
You may be resting in your bed,
On your yoga mat,
Or the earth itself,
Arms at your side and palms facing up.
You may choose to close your eyes,
Perhaps using an eye mask,
Or if you choose to keep your eyes open,
Find a fixed still point to rest your gaze upon softly.
Settling in now to stillness,
Becoming effortless in the physical body.
If you need to adjust any props or blankets for comfort,
Perhaps using a pillow to support your neck or your knees and bring awareness now to your breath.
Simply breathing gratitude from your heart center at a rhythm of a four,
Four breath.
Breathing in two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
In two,
Three,
Four.
Out two,
Three,
Four.
And now dropping the awareness of this rhythm,
Return to a breath that feels natural to you.
Allowing your body to be completely supported by the earth.
Your mind wanders to a safe and serene place.
Imagine a sparkling Alpine lake glistening on this clear winter day.
It is in vivid detail,
A place where you stop everything to take a deep breath of fresh air as you reflect on the serene view of the lake,
Mountains,
Trees,
Clouds,
And snowy shoreline.
Embracing gratitude as you breathe in and out of your heart center at your own rhythm.
Inhale and exhale from your heart center.
And following the guidance of my voice,
Imagine awareness moving slowly from one point to the next,
Creating a stream of awareness as attention moves throughout your nervous system,
Welcoming sensations just as they are without any need to change them or make anything different.
You may think of this body scan as a massage for your nervous system.
And now bring awareness to the roof of your mouth,
The tip of your tongue,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
The space between the lips,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
The tip of your nose,
The right eye,
Eyelid,
Temple,
Eyebrow,
The space between your eyebrows,
The left eye,
Eyelid,
Temple,
Eyebrow,
Sensations of both of the eyes.
Notice your ears,
The folds and valleys of the outer right ear,
A touch of air on the earlobe,
The folds and valleys of the outer left ear,
A touch of air on the earlobe.
Notice the space between your ears and bring awareness to the top of your head,
The back of the head,
The whole face and head,
Along the neck and throat to your collarbone,
Right shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Center of the right palm,
Counting fingers down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Give time for attention to come back to the base of your neck,
Left shoulder,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Center of the left palm,
Counting fingers on the left hand down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Give time for attention to come back to the base of your neck,
Chest,
Ribs,
Navel,
Lower belly,
The whole bowl of the pelvic girdle,
Sensing fluid movement of breath in your torso and feel sensation of your right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Right foot,
Counting toes down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Feel sensation in your left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Left foot,
Counting toes down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Notice the whole body now,
Left and right,
Front and back.
The whole body,
A unified field of sensation.
Feel the body breathing itself,
A natural breath in and out without effort,
Just sensing,
Feeling,
Effortless,
Easy breath.
Observe your natural breath,
Not trying to change it or shape it in any way.
Witness the natural breath in the body,
Sensing the inhalation,
The expansion,
The exhalation,
The emptying out,
The inhalation,
Smooth,
The exhalation,
Effortless,
Letting go.
Notice the breath of the belly expanding and emptying out.
Witness the subtle sensation of your diaphragm rising and falling just as the wind lifts the birds flying overhead.
Your breath is effortless,
Nothing to do.
And now,
Begin to count your inhales and exhales down from 10 to zero,
Inhaling 10,
Exhaling 10,
Inhaling 9,
Exhaling 9.
And now,
Continue at your own pace down to zero.
I will hold space and silence for about two minutes.
And now,
Gently bring your attention back to the awareness of my voice.
There is plenty of time.
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
Just becoming absorbed in the process of witnessing an easy,
Natural breath of fresh air.
Allow yourself to rest deeply in the moment,
Knowing you are surrounded by the calm of the lake,
The snow.
In this quiet energy,
Notice the fresh,
Cool air.
You are one with this peaceful landscape at this alpine lake.
Notice the wind,
The trees,
Wildlife,
And stillness around you.
Imagine you are at the edge of a beautiful alpine lake on a quiet winter's day.
The air is crisp and fresh.
The world around you is blanketed in snow.
The surface of the lake is calm.
The air is fresh and cool.
The water,
Deep and blue,
Stretching out before you,
Reflecting back to you the rhythm of the wind as it ripples and dances on the surface of the water.
There is soft,
Diffused sunlight that gives the landscape a serene,
Peaceful quality.
Notice the cold,
Fresh air filling your lungs with each inhale,
Crisp and invigorating.
As you exhale,
Release any heaviness or tension,
Letting the cool breeze carry it away.
The wind stirs gently,
Just enough to create tiny ripples across the water surface.
The lake is framed by tall evergreen trees.
It seems to be breathing as well.
The only sound is the faint whisper of wind and the soft lapping of water against the shoreline.
As you breathe,
Imagine you are inhaling fresh,
Pure winter air that fills your lungs with clarity,
Clearing away any tension or clutter from your mind.
And as you exhale,
Feel the fresh air help you release any lingering tension or heaviness as it carries it off into the expansive silence of this winter landscape.
With each breath,
Allow the stillness of this winter scene to enter your body.
The snow-covered shoreline is soft,
Quiet,
Untouched,
As if time itself has slowed down.
You are safe and peaceful here,
Embraced by the calm beauty of the Alpine Lake in winter,
And returning to your Sankalpa or your heart's wish.
I am grounded,
Calm,
Peaceful.
I am grounded,
Calm,
Peaceful.
Imagine the air is brushing against your face,
A reminder of the stillness of winter.
The world around you is calm,
A reminder of the stillness of winter.
The snow resting as a soft blanket that softens all sounds.
Witness the trees,
Tall and strong,
Standing quietly,
Only gently swaying from time to time as they dance with a strong gust of wind,
Their branches silhouetted against the soft light of the sun.
And again,
You witness the gentle ripple of the waves as the wind kisses the lake's surface.
With each ripple on the water,
Notice your own breath,
Calmly ebbing and flowing,
Slow and steady.
Allow yourself to rest deeply in the moment,
Knowing you are surrounded by the calm of the lake and the quiet energy of fresh air.
Imagine you are inhaling deeply the calm,
Fresh air of this winter scene as you exhale and release any tension carried away by the wind,
The waves,
And the vast stillness of the winter landscape.
Take another round of deep,
Fresh cleansing inhales and exhales at your own pace,
Witnessing the cool air fill your lungs with each exhale.
Feel the release of anything you no longer need,
Releasing it to the snow,
The fresh air,
The lake,
The trees,
And the birds.
They hold it and carry it all away.
And now,
When you're ready,
Gently begin to bring your awareness back to your body,
Slowly.
Notice the outline of your body,
Resting on your bed,
Yoga mat,
Or the earth itself.
As you prepare to awaken,
Remember you can return to this peaceful place whenever you need it.
Begin to sense the earth beneath your body,
The room around you.
Notice your hands,
Touching your thumb to each finger on each hand,
Counting one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
You may rub your palms together,
Bringing warmth to your hands and place them gently on your face.
Take a deep breath and start to awaken your body,
Nodding the head and fluttering the eyes open.
You may move your fingers or toes and stretch if you wish,
Returning to the world outside.
And remember,
Just as you witnessed the beauty of the glimmers of peace around you on this sparkling winter lake,
Know that the light within me sees the light within you.
May you be happy.
May you be loved.
May you be calm.
May you be peaceful.
Namaste.
