Yoga Nidra For Resting In The Gap

This Yoga Nidra will help you rest comfortably in the gap where something is ending and the new has not yet emerged. Perhaps old goals, ambitions, or activities don't hold the same resonance for you any more, or a relationship, or a way of life is ending. Allow yourself to rest in the stillness, and vastness of your True Nature, without trying to fill the void that has been left as the old drops away. This void is fertile with what will emerge in its own time.

Transcript

Namaste.

This is Elara at Heartful Way.

And this is a yoga nidra that will help you to be comfortable in the void,

In a place of not knowing,

In that place where something is ending and the new has not yet become clear.

This can be a place where your old motivations or goals or ambitions just don't resonate anymore,

But you're not quite sure which direction or what direction that your life will be going and everything just seems kind of unclear.

This can also be if or when a relationship comes to an end,

At least in the form that it has been in,

Or a work or career.

Any kind of place where there is a sense of ending and no real knowledge of what is to come next.

A place where what used to interest you and excite you just doesn't hold the same vibration for you anymore.

And it can feel very disorienting to be in this place and we may try to hold on to things that naturally passing,

Whose time has come to be let go of without any assurance of what is to be born into this void,

Into this space.

And yet there is great wisdom in allowing yourself or your life to empty and to be comfortable in that emptiness,

In that void,

In that place of unclarity or not knowing,

Without trying to force something too soon,

Too quickly to fill that void.

So with that in mind,

Find a comfortable place where your body can rest.

And you may choose to take a supine position,

Coming down onto the back of the body,

Or any other position that is comforting for your body right now.

Making those final adjustments to get as comfortable as you can and closing your eyes,

Taking a deep breath in through the nose and then sigh it out through the mouth.

And again.

And one more just like that.

Allow yourself to empty and allow the breath to settle into its own rhythm now.

And let your body relax,

Softening the shoulders and the hips.

Relaxing the arms and legs,

Softening the forehead,

Relaxing the jaws,

Letting go of any holding,

Any trying,

Any doing,

Letting go of the mental noise,

Or at least letting it fade into the background.

And follow my guidance as we move awareness throughout the body.

Coming into a deeper state of relaxation.

Moving from doing and thinking to simply feeling and being.

Begin by bringing awareness inside your mouth.

Feel the sensations throughout the mouth.

Sense your teeth and your gums.

The tongue resting inside the mouth.

Follow sensations toward the inner ears and the outer ears.

Sensing each ear and sensing the space between the ears.

Allow the space to be at ease.

Sensing the forehead and temples,

Eyebrows,

The space between the eyebrows,

The bridge of the nose,

The air at the nostrils.

Sensing the eyes and eyelids,

Cheekbones,

Upper jaw,

Lower jaw,

Lips,

Chin,

Top of the shoulders,

Shoulder joints,

Upper arms,

Elbows,

Lower arms,

Wrists,

Thumbs,

Index fingers,

Middle fingers,

Index fingers,

Ring fingers,

Little fingers,

All ten fingers,

Both hands,

Both arms,

And shoulders.

Middle of the chest,

Diaphragm,

Belly,

Pelvis,

Hip joints,

Thighs,

Knee joints,

Lower legs,

Ankles,

The soles of the feet,

Second toes,

Third toes,

Fourth toes,

Fifth toes,

Little toes,

All ten toes simultaneously,

Both feet,

Both legs and hips,

Upper back,

Shoulder blades,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

Both arms and legs,

Both hands and feet,

The whole body,

The whole body as sensation,

The whole body,

Together.

Inhale,

Begin to notice the breath,

Body breathing itself.

Now sense the base of the spine and imagine that you're inhaling up from the base of the spine all the way up to the top of the head.

Now allow the exhalation to flow down and around the body all the way down to the base of the spine.

Inhaling up through the center of the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head and exhaling down and around the body left and right side carrying the exhalation down back to the base of the spine allowing your natural breath to flow in and out up and down.

Imagine or sense and feel the energy moving up from the base of the spine through the center of the body all the way up to the crown of the head and then flowing down like a waterfall around the body and back to the base of the spine.

Continue this way breath and energy moving up along the spine as you inhale and down around your body as you exhale staying focused on the natural flow of the breath feeling and sensing energy moving up as you inhale and down as you exhale several breath cycles Now begin to notice the pauses between the breaths next time you inhale notice the pause before you exhale and notice the pause before you inhale again still feel the energy moving up and down with the breath,

With your natural breath but now become even more interested in the pauses between the in-breath and out-breath and the out-breath and the in-breath naturally allow the pauses to lengthen without causing any discomfort Could you let the pauses lengthen just a little consciously pausing before each breath as you inhale feel the fullness in the lungs let that pause be there to feel it and then allow the exhale and as you empty feel the emptiness before you fill the lungs with the new inhale sensing the fullness after inhale and the emptiness after exhale and notice that the pauses were there naturally before you even put your attention onto them notice the natural flow of the breath filling the lungs as you inhale emptying the lungs as you exhale and can you be comfortable with holding the breath for a moment feeling full and then holding the breath for a moment feeling empty after you exhale few more breath cycles consciously inhaling drawing the energy up pausing to feel the fullness consciously exhaling allowing the energy to flow down and out holding that empty space before filling it with an inhale not causing any strain or struggle allow the breath to flow naturally paying attention to how it flows and getting interested in that pause of the empty the empty lungs get really interested in that pause now so there's a natural inhale exhale there's a natural feeling of emptiness before the next inhalation and then could you let the exhalations lengthen you can let go of the visual or the sensing of the energy moving up and down and move into the counted breath for a few breath cycles counting to 4 as you inhale and then count to 6 as you exhale making the exhales longer than the inhales sense the natural pause when the lungs are really empty and then welcoming the new inhale a few breath cycles in this way lengthening the exhalation to make sure that the lungs are really empty and then pausing to feel that emptiness before allowing the next natural inhalation to take place getting curious about that emptiness before you take the next breath noticing that the more empty you can get the lungs by exhaling a long exhale the easier it is to take a full inhalation just notice now let go of all that allow the breath to just flow naturally allowing the body to breathe itself and bring your awareness into the spot between the eyebrows into the third eye in your forehead allow your awareness to be naturally drawn into this one spot giving yourself permission to begin to drift deeper into inner awareness falling deeper and deeper inward it's safe to let go and just let yourself fall deeper inward and just like the pause after the out breath and that emptiness before the in breath could you let yourself drift deeper inward into the inner silence the gap between the thoughts allowing your thoughts to just come and go just like the breath coming and going and noticing the gaps the silence the emptiness between thoughts and see if you can find your way inward through those gaps allowing the contents of the thoughts to just fade into the background falling comfortably into your inner stillness into the sense of emptiness let yourself go deeper into it not by doing or trying by allowing simply by allowing letting go letting go letting go into the emptiness into the silence into the void there's nothing to do here nothing to achieve nothing to figure out nothing to plan letting go all that let yourself simply be this is the dimension of grace where your being flows naturally just like the breath and where there is a silence even an emptiness of non doing give yourself permission to experience it naturally and rest comfortably in this space allowing whatever else comes into your awareness to just drift by whether it's thoughts images or sounds feelings let those go come and go as you rest in this space of inner grace of inner emptiness and silence ever so gently now allow your awareness to begin to surface noticing your breath allow the breath to deepen noticing the air on your skin and the clothing over your skin sensing the room that you're in any sounds in your environment and your body your fingers your toes you might allow small movements to come into the fingers and the toes and maybe gently stretching out the arms and the legs and at some point when you feel ready if you wish you may want to shift your position if you're on your back maybe turning onto your side or changing your position any other way that would feel good for your body and then take as much time as you need to integrate your experience noticing how you feel in your body mind and heart and allowing yourself to feel the safety protection and comfort and also the love of the womb of existence and thank you so much for practicing with me today and for allowing me to guide your practice if there is someone that you feel that could also benefit from these practices feel free to share and invite them onto this channel until next time be well namaste