Welcome.
Thank you for joining me today in this Yoga Nidra practice.
We embrace the state of non-sleep deep rest in the ancient tradition of yogic sleep,
A state of trace awareness that emerges during Yoga Nidra as we settle into stillness.
Quieting the mind.
In this practice,
You will be guided through breath work,
A body scan,
And a guided journey to a sacred place witnessing ancient natural rock arches that symbolize groundedness,
Resilience,
And strength.
Tapping into your own feeling of inner strength and resilient groundedness.
I invite you to trust in the wisdom of Yoga Nidra.
Know that the music and frequencies in the background are specifically designed to promote delta brainwaves that are experienced during slow wave sleep.
And know you will relax into deep sleep with these slow brainwave states,
Allowing you to rest quietly and still the mind during this meditation.
Begin with a comfortable position as you settle your body.
Adjust as you need to.
Could you perhaps become 5% more comfortable?
Perhaps you reach for an eye mask to embrace the darkness and your inner vision.
Become comfortable lying on your back.
You may be resting on your bed,
Yoga mat,
Or the earth itself.
And bring your attention to your breath.
Inhaling and exhaling from your heart center.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
3,
4.
Exhale 2,
3,
4.
Return your breath now to a natural rhythm.
Welcome a feeling of softness in your body.
Sensing places where natural softness abides.
Notice where you may sense it and settle into a natural,
Easy opening to the experience of softness.
Bring your awareness to any sound that comes to your attention and welcome the different layers of sound that come and go.
And now bring your attention to your heart's wish,
A sankalpa for this practice.
I witness my inner strength and resilience.
I witness my inner strength and resilience.
Grounded in this present moment.
The seed of intention is being planted deep within your unconscious mind.
Allow it to expand as your body softens.
You are now experiencing deep rest.
There's nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Simply witness the restoration of peace to your nervous system.
Allowing your body and mind to rest,
Settle into stillness as we begin a rotation of consciousness.
As you follow my guidance,
Imagine this is a massage for your nervous system.
Begin with sensations in your mouth,
The roof of your mouth,
The tip of your tongue,
Root of the tongue,
Upper gums and teeth,
Lower gums and teeth,
The space between the upper and lower teeth,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
The space between the lips,
The tip of the nose,
Inside the right nostril,
Inside the left nostril,
The softness of the right cheek,
The softness of the left cheek,
Right eye,
Eyelid,
Temple,
Right eyebrow.
Witness the space between the eyebrows,
The left eye,
Eyelid,
Temple,
Left eyebrow.
Bring awareness to both sides as you simply settle into softness,
Letting go of tension and restlessness.
And now bring your awareness to your ears,
Right ear,
The folds and valleys of the outer ear,
A touch of air on the earlobe,
Ear canal,
Deep inside the inner ear.
And notice now the left ear,
The folds and valleys of the outer ear,
A touch of air on the earlobe,
The ear canal,
Deep inside the inner ear.
Witness the space between the ears and bring your awareness to the top of your head and hair at the top of your skull,
Back of the head,
The whole face and head along the neck and throat,
From the jawline to the base of the neck at the collarbone,
Right collarbone,
Upper arm,
Right elbow,
Lower arm,
Wrist,
Center of the right palm,
Counting fingers on your right hand down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Witness the space around your fingers and now bring your awareness back to the base of your neck,
To your left collarbone,
Upper arm,
Left elbow,
Lower arm,
Wrist,
Center of the left palm,
Counting fingers on the left hand down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Witness the space around the fingers on the left hand and again,
Bring your awareness back to the base of your neck,
The front of the chest,
Lower belly,
The pelvic bowl.
Witness the fluid movement of breath throughout the whole torso,
Including your back,
And bring awareness to your right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Right foot,
Counting toes on your right foot down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Witness the space around the toes on your right foot and bring your awareness to your left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Feel your left foot,
Counting toes on the left foot down from five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Witness the space around the toes on the left foot and bring awareness to your whole body down the left,
Left,
And right,
Front and back,
A unified field of sensation.
Bring awareness to the whole outline of your body,
Head to toe,
Skin to bones.
With each breath,
Feel waves of softness and relaxation spread across each body part.
As you breathe in,
Imagine tension is leaving with each exhale,
Just as the wind sweeps through the towering arches of the beautiful red rocks,
Effortlessly standing tall.
Witness as nature recycles what no longer serves you,
Just as the wind carries away any dust or debris.
And now let's connect again to your breath.
Feel it naturally ebbing and flowing,
Moving in and out.
No need to control it,
Just sensing and feeling effortless breath,
Observing as it naturally ebbs and flows with each inhale.
Imagine you are drawing in strength and vitality with each exhale,
Releasing any tension or fatigue.
Again,
With each inhale,
Imagine strength and vitality with each exhale,
Releasing tension or fatigue.
Allow your breath to become deep,
Slow,
And steady,
As you inhale deeply and exhale softly.
Witness yourself becoming more anchored and grounded.
And now embrace your inner vision.
Imagine you are standing in the heart of ancient,
Magical towers of red rocks,
Arches,
Effortlessly reaching for the sky while still solidly grounded in the earth.
The sun is setting.
The massive red rocks reflect a warm,
Golden light.
A natural archway stretches high above you,
Majestic curves,
Seemingly defying gravity.
The landscape around you is vast,
Endless,
Timeless.
The wind carries the scent of desert air,
Cool in the early evening.
The rock arches stand resolute,
Weathered by time,
And still strong,
Resilient.
In this place,
You feel the power of groundedness.
The rocks have been shaped over centuries and millennia.
They've stood firm against the elements.
Their presence is a reminder of your own inner strength and resilience.
Witness the immense power of these arches.
They surround you with a protective presence and know that within you lies the same grounded inner strength.
As you stand beneath one of the arches,
You notice the solid,
Comforting presence of the earth beneath your feet.
You know this ancient rock has been carved and shaped by forces over time,
And still it remains standing tall,
Resilient.
You too have this inner strength,
Grounded,
Unshaken by the winds of life.
Imagine your body is just as solid as these timeless arches.
With each inhale,
Witness your body becoming more resilient.
With each exhale,
Releasing any doubt or insecurity.
You are grounded.
You are resilient.
Witness the strength of your body like the rock,
Sturdy and firm,
Knowing you are capable of handling any challenge,
To face any difficulty while remaining strong,
Resilient,
Grounded.
As you witness this representation of effortless resilience,
Take a deep breath,
Inhaling the inner strength of the land around you.
Feel the power of the red rocks,
The effortless reach of the arches,
The energy of the wind filling your body.
Allow this energy to flow around you,
Deep into your core,
Fortifying every muscle,
Every cell.
With every breath,
You become more connected to this land,
To the timeless endurance,
Knowing your body is strong,
Like the rock arches,
Capable of standing tall,
No matter what comes your way.
Inhale the feeling of strength and groundedness,
With each breath,
Feel your resilience growing.
Inhale strength and groundedness.
Exhale any perceived limitations.
With each breath,
Feel resilience growing.
Witness the strength of your legs,
Arms,
Your core,
You are strong,
You are capable,
You are resilient,
You are grounded.
With each breath,
Your body becomes more connected to your inner strength,
This is mirrored by the towering arches above you.
Surrender to gravity now,
As you witness the effortless reach of the arches above you.
I will hold two minutes of silence for you to witness your resilience.
And now,
Gently return your awareness back to your breath.
As you breathe in,
Returning to an awareness of breath,
Coming in and out of your heart center.
Feel the strength of the earth filling you with resilience,
Breathing out any tension or fatigue.
Feel yourself becoming stronger,
More grounded,
And at ease.
Returning to your sankalpa,
Or your heart's wish.
I witness my inner strength and resilience.
I witness my inner strength and resilience.
I witness my inner strength and resilience.
You are grounded in this present moment.
Know that strength and endurance and deep resilience is planted deeply into your unconscious mind.
It is always within you,
Accessible to you,
Whenever you need to access these resources.
You may remember,
I am resilient and grounded in this present moment.
Notice the softening throughout your body.
This has replaced any tension or fatigue in your muscles.
Quickly scan your body,
Head to toe,
Skin to bones,
Witnessing the softness and deep relaxation.
Know that you've experienced deep rest and recovery in a short amount of time.
And now as we bring awareness back to the physical body,
Notice the light beyond your eyelids.
Imagine the outline of your body,
And still using your inner vision,
With your eyes closed,
Or softly gazing on a still object.
Imagine as another wave of softness is coming up from the earth,
Washing over your toes,
Ankles,
And feet.
Calves,
Knees,
Hips,
Abdomen,
Navel,
Ribs,
The tips of your fingers,
Wrists,
Elbows,
Shoulders,
Your entire torso,
Front and back,
Lower jaw,
Upper jaw,
Ears,
Nose,
Both eyes,
Forehead,
The top of your skull,
And the back of your head.
And now when you're ready,
You may flutter your eyelids open,
And softly wiggle your fingers and toes,
And take in a deep breath,
Rocking your knees slowly,
Perhaps hugging them to your chest,
And thank the part of you that showed up for this meditation today,
In this deep restorative practice.
And know that the light within me sees the light within you.
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful,
May you be loved,
May you be whole.
Namaste.
