Resting With Grief: A Yoga Nidra For Loss
This deeply restorative Yoga Nidra invites you to rest fully while staying gently aware of body, breath, emotion, mind, and awareness. You’ll move from physical relaxation into subtler realms of sensation and stillness, setting an intention and connecting with your Inner Resource—a felt sense of peace you can return to anytime. A practice to release effort, rest deeply, and remember your natural wholeness. Best experienced lying down with a cozy blanket. There will be no bell at the end, allowing you to remain resting or drift into a soft, peaceful slumber. Music composed by Narek Mirzaei (Music Of Wisdom).
Transcript
Hello and welcome,
I'm Joanna Barrett,
Your guide for this Yoga Nidra practice,
Resting with Grief.
This practice invites you to rest deeply while remaining gently aware of the layers of your being,
Your body,
Breath,
Emotion,
Mind,
And awareness.
Through the stages of Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep,
You'll be guided from physical relaxation into subtler realms of sensation,
Energy,
And stillness.
You'll set an intention,
Connect with your heartfelt desire,
And discover your inner resource,
A felt sense of peace that you can return to whenever needed.
As you rest,
You'll learn to welcome every experience as it is,
Allowing space for what arises and cultivating ease and presence.
There will not be a bell at the end of this practice,
So you can remain resting as long as you'd like,
Perhaps even drifting into a soft,
Peaceful slumber.
Find a comfortable position,
Laying down or seated,
Perhaps with a cozy blanket over you,
And allow yourself to be supported by the surface your body is resting upon,
Allowing your eyes to remain open,
Gazing down,
Or gently closed.
Take a few moments to settle into a position that feels just right.
Whatever you experience is perfect,
Just as it is.
Now,
Simply rest with ease and follow my guidance,
Allowing my voice to become your own voice.
During this practice,
Welcome every experience as a messenger that is inviting you to explore sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts without trying to change,
Fix,
Or make anything happen.
As you welcome whatever is arising,
Your body and mind are learning to remain at ease and discover the feeling within that is always at peace,
Experiencing yourself to be unchanging with well-being,
A witnessing presence that welcomes everything.
Now,
Feel your body settling into stillness.
Bring your attention to your senses.
Notice the taste in your mouth,
The sounds around you,
Smells,
Images or colors behind your eyelids,
The touch of air on your skin.
Your senses are open and alive.
Now,
Bring your mind to an intention for your practice,
How you would like to feel during and as a result of your practice,
Perhaps a sense of well-being or relief from discomfort or emotional pain,
Or to remain alert and present throughout this practice and in your daily life,
Affirming your intention with your entire body and mind.
Allow your heartfelt desire to emerge,
The longing you desire more than anything else in your life,
Perhaps the feeling of wholeness,
Healing,
And health,
Being free of pain,
Or feeling deep self-acceptance,
Peace,
Or joy.
Imagine your deepest heartfelt desire completely fulfilled as true and manifesting right in this very moment,
And how you feel in your entire body and mind when this is so.
Then,
Let your heartfelt desire go,
And notice how it returns at the end of our practice and in your daily life.
Allow your inner resource to emerge now,
Your special place that brings the feeling of security and ease into your body.
This may be a room,
A place in nature,
An image,
Or simply the feeling of peace in your heart.
Whatever it is,
Invite it in using all of your senses,
Sounds,
Smells,
Tastes,
Sensation,
Colors,
Forms,
Feelings of security and ease as you imagine your inner resource,
Knowing that you can return to this place and space at any time during your practice or during your daily life whenever you need to feel safe,
Secure,
Calm,
And peaceful.
Now,
Let the sound of my voice be your guide to support you in experiencing sensations throughout your body.
As I name each area,
You may feel sensations that are present or nothing at all,
But whatever you experience is perfect,
Just as it is in this moment.
Bring your attention to sensations inside the mouth,
Roof of the mouth,
Floor of the mouth,
Inside your cheeks,
Left and right,
Back of your throat,
The entire mouth a field of sensation,
The ears,
Left ear,
Inside and out,
Right ear,
Inside and out,
Sensing both ears at the same time,
Welcoming your breath as pure sensation in the nose,
Left nostril,
Right nostril,
Both nostrils at the same time,
Left eye,
Right eye,
Both eyes together.
A field of radiant sensation,
Sensing your forehead,
Scalp,
Back of the head,
Inside your throat.
Sensation of the inner walls inside your throat,
Left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Wrist,
Left palm,
And right hand.
Right hand fingers,
The entire left arm,
Right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Lower arm,
Wrist,
Right palm and fingers,
The entire right arm,
Both arms and hands together as one field of sensation.
Sensation inside the throat,
Upper chest,
Upper back,
Middle chest,
Middle back,
Abdomen,
Lower back,
Pelvis,
The entire torso as a field of vibrant sensation.
Left buttock,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Left lower leg,
Ankle,
Foot,
And toes.
The entire left leg,
Right buttock,
Right hip,
Knee,
Right lower leg,
Foot,
And toes.
The entire right leg,
Sensing both legs and feet at the same time.
Sensing the entire front of your body,
Back of your body,
Left side,
Right side.
Sensing the entire body,
Inside and outside,
As a field of radiant sensation.
And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness,
Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that is present.
First sensing what is present,
Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is coming and going.
Become aware of the body breathing itself naturally,
Rhythmically,
Your abdomen gently rising as your breath flows in,
And releasing navel to spine gently as your breath flows out.
There's no need to change anything as the body breathes itself.
Begin counting each breath silently to yourself backwards from 7 to 1.
In-breath,
Abdomen rising,
7.
Out-breath,
Abdomen releasing,
7.
In-breath,
Abdomen rising,
6.
Out-breath,
Abdomen releasing,
6.
Continue counting and breathing in and out with your body's own natural rhythm.
If you lose count,
Simply begin again at 7.
Breathing,
Counting,
And being with everything just as it is.
Now let go of your counting and be aware of the sensation flowing throughout your body with your breath.
Awake and alert the body as a field of radiant sensation.
While gently retaining the breath at the top of your next inhalation,
Bring your attention to the left side of your body.
And while exhaling and inhaling,
Welcome sensation throughout the left side of your body.
Then,
While gently retaining the breath at the top of your next inhalation,
Bring your attention to the right side of your body.
Exhaling and inhaling,
Welcoming sensation throughout the right side of your body.
Alternating from one side to the other at your own breathing rhythm,
Giving time during retention for sensation to shift across the midline from one side to another.
And now,
Sense the entire body simultaneously and allow the body to return to its own natural breathing rhythm.
And know this,
All that's now present in your awareness.
Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything now present.
Sensing what is present.
Then experiencing yourself dissolving into being the field of awareness in which everything arises.
Remember your inner resource,
This place that you can go to at any time to feel secure and at ease.
I invite you to return to your inner resource whenever you need.
Now bring your attention to feelings that are present throughout your body,
Such as warmth or coolness,
Heaviness or lightness,
Comfort or discomfort,
Allowing these feelings fully into your body.
And if no feelings are present,
Simply welcome whatever is present for you.
And perhaps helpful,
You may choose to welcome an opposite of this feeling fully into your body.
Then welcome both opposites of feeling into your body at the same time,
Experiencing how this affects your body and mind.
Bring your attention to an emotion that is present in your body or one that you are working with in your life.
Or recall a memory that invites a particular emotion into your body,
Welcoming the emotion as sensation.
And if no emotion is present,
There's no need to make anything happen.
Simply welcome whatever is present.
If an emotion is present,
Become curious.
Where are you feeling it in your body?
Allow it to be there fully while welcoming thoughts,
Images,
Or memories that arise with this emotion.
And if it's helpful,
Allow an opposite emotion to emerge,
Perhaps recalling a memory that invites an opposite emotion into your body.
And if an opposite emotion is present,
Where do you experience it in your body?
Take your time.
Welcome this opposite of emotion.
Perhaps move back and forth several times between opposite emotions,
Experiencing first one and then the other.
Sensing how each is experienced in the body,
Inviting both emotions into awareness at the same time.
Without thinking,
Simply experience how this affects your entire body and mind.
And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness,
Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything now present.
Sensing what's present,
Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything arises.
Remember,
There's no right or wrong way of doing this,
And that you are welcome to return to your inner resource at any time.
I invite you to welcome a thought or belief that you sometimes fall into or take to be true about yourself.
And if nothing is arising,
Simply be with whatever is present.
And if there is a thought or belief present,
As you hold this belief about yourself to be true,
Become curious where and how do you feel it in your body,
Sensing how this belief affects the entire body.
Noticing images,
Emotions,
Or thoughts that co-arise with this belief,
Without trying to change anything.
And if it's helpful,
Bring to mind the opposite of this belief.
As you hold this opposite belief about yourself to be true,
How does it affect your body?
Welcoming any images,
Emotions,
Or memories that emerge.
Be present to your experience just as it is,
Without trying to change or fix anything.
And now,
In your own rhythm,
Alternate several times between these opposites of belief.
Welcoming first one as true,
And then the other.
Experiencing how each belief acts upon your body and mind.
I invite you to welcome both beliefs at the same time,
And to experience how this affects your body and mind.
And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.
Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything now present.
Sensing what's present.
Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything arises.
Being attentive to sensations throughout your body,
Glimmers of pleasure,
Happiness,
Joy,
Or well-being.
Or recall a particular event from your life that invites these feelings into your body right now.
Welcoming what emerges just as it is.
Perhaps a sense of being okay just as you are.
Perhaps experiencing the sensation of joy as an inner smile that radiates from your heart and expands throughout your entire body.
Flowing from your heart to your torso,
Arms and hands,
Down into your pelvis,
Legs and feet.
Flowing up to your head and face.
To your mouth,
Lips and eyes,
All smiling.
Your entire body smiling,
Radiant and alive with the feeling of joy and well-being.
Then let go of any memory or image and remain with the sensations of joy and well-being.
Allowing this to saturate every cell,
Muscle,
Organ throughout your body.
Joy permeating your body and the space around your body as a field of radiant well-being that you can experience amidst all circumstances in your life.
Be aware of yourself as the witness of all that's now present in your awareness.
Everything coming and going to you as the witness.
Then dissolve into being spacious and unchanging,
Witnessing,
Or pure awareness in which everything is coming and going.
Awareness touching and caressing everything that is arising.
Feeling your way,
Not trying to look with your eyes or analyze with your brain.
Then dissolve simply,
Being pure awareness,
Openness itself.
And sense,
Where is my periphery?
Where is my center?
Sensing how pure awareness is substantial and undeniable,
Yet without color or form.
Empty,
Yet full of well-being and peacefulness.
Simply being,
Spacious,
Unchanging,
Pure awareness and well-being.
Changing experiences coming and going.
Hand yourself as pure awareness,
Aware and awake as itself,
As well-being and peace.
Being awareness and reflecting upon all that has been and is now present.
Sensations.
Emotions.
Beliefs.
Well-being.
The experience of being pure awareness.
Everything just as it is.
Yourself just as you are.
At this time,
I invite you to come back to your inner resource,
Your place of groundedness,
Security,
And safety.
Noticing your breath,
Easy and rhythmic,
Your forehead at ease and cool,
Your belly,
Hands and feet warm and at ease.
And bring to mind your intention for your practice.
Perhaps noticing the formation of an intention for your next practice.
Perhaps affirming the desire to integrate this intention into each moment of your daily life.
Bringing yoga nidra into your daily life.
And now recall your heartfelt desire as a resonance of sensation in your body.
Experiencing it as an accomplished fact in this moment.
And imagine going about your daily life noticing sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts constantly changing.
Yet all the while feeling yourself as unchanging,
Spacious awareness in which everything is coming and going.
Perhaps before we close our practice,
Experience the feeling of gratitude for taking time to practice this yoga nidra for welcoming and loving yourself.
Experiencing yourself as timeless,
Open,
And spacious well-being that is perfect just as it is.
And yourself as whole,
Healthy,
And perfect just as you are.
And gratitude for the understanding that you always know the perfect response to each moment and you take the time to welcome your deepest knowing.
Thank you for your practice.
