Welcome,
I'm Jocelyn.
This is a Yoga Nidra that is focusing on the inner refuge or inner sanctuary.
And it is recorded for those who are grieving,
Though anyone is more than welcome to listen to this Yoga Nidra.
We all go through grief in our lives,
Or maybe you know someone who is grieving.
And the inner refuge,
The inner sanctuary,
Is our safety and security within our body.
So this is a wonderful practice for anyone.
And the more that you come back to your inner refuge and your inner sanctuary,
Into the layers of sensation and of the senses,
The more this inner sanctuary and inner refuge will become alive in moments when you're not in meditation.
So I encourage you to listen and stay and come back often,
My friends.
If you could find yourself in a comfortable position,
One where your body is not working,
Where your body can be supported,
Held.
In Yoga Nidra,
We talk about a Yoga Nidra nest,
A place of comfort,
Of support.
Of course,
Yoga Nidra is effortless.
So any way you can help your body be effortless,
And that might mean with pillows or blankets,
Turning the lights low,
And trying to listen to where your body needs support.
So just taking a moment to get to that place.
So often we forget to listen to our body and offer up what it's asking for.
It is perfectly fine to move through this Yoga Nidra sitting in a chair or laying on your side or even on your belly,
Just making sure that that's the most supported way for your body today.
And it might change from day to day,
Right?
So whenever you find yourself there in a place of as much effortlessness as possible,
I invite you to close down your eyes and turn your awareness inward for a little while.
To be still in your body,
Bringing your awareness in and find if anything needs to be shaken out or wiggled so that you can find yourself in a place of stillness.
Bringing your awareness in to feel your breath moving through your body and opening your inner ears to any sounds,
Either on this recording,
My voice or the music or sounds within your space.
Just really allowing yourself to gently fall into the moment of inner awareness.
And just taking your awareness gently to your eyes and inviting your eyes to settle back.
Invite them to be effortless.
That's all it takes.
Just a little awareness and a small invitation.
To your jaw,
Is your jaw holding anything?
Might you invite your jaw to settle back and down?
And might you imagine the muscle of the mind?
Inviting the muscle of the mind to let go just for this meditation,
Gently like a flower opening up even.
Allowing the muscle of the mind to unfold in gentleness.
It doesn't have to hold anything right now.
We are being effortless.
And simply listening to my voice,
The invitation to open,
Release,
Let go.
And allowing your awareness to travel to the shoulders,
Just a simple invitation for the shoulders to settle back and down,
To settle in for a short while.
And the hips,
Inviting them to simply settle in for a short while.
And just taking a few breaths together,
Just allowing your breath to deepen into your lower belly,
And maybe as your breath deepens it moves up to your ribs and your chest as well.
But it doesn't have to.
And we'll inhale through the nose for a count of four,
And then we'll exhale through the mouth for a count of six.
Inhaling that deep breath into the lower belly,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Opening your mouth and exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling through the nose,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling through the mouth,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And we're going to do two more,
But on these last two,
As you exhale through the mouth,
Might you bring a little sound?
I invite you to sigh with voice if you feel so inclined.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Sighing out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Sighing out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And letting that go.
My yoga nidra works with a sankalpa and I would like to offer a couple of sankalpas you might want to use for today.
Sankalpa being a heart's intention or a true north.
And you might have a sankalpa you're working with and that's wonderful,
But I'm just going to offer up a few for today that you might want to use.
A sankalpa is usually in a positive tense and an I am statement.
You might use,
I am safe and secure in my body.
Or I am opening up myself to feel safety and security in my body.
Or I am opening to the present moment to begin to feel safe and secure in my life.
So you might want to use one of those or you might have your own.
In a sankalpa we inhale and then on the exhale we silently say to ourselves the sankalpa of our choice and we do that on three separate breaths and three times in total.
So you can do this at your own pace,
Inhaling.
And as you exhale sing silently to yourself the sankalpa of your choice.
Two more times.
As you listen to my voice I'll guide you on a rotation of consciousness.
It is a journey around your body with a series of invitations for your awareness.
It is effortless.
Effortless connection.
You might imagine a gentle warm light on each part of the body that I gather your awareness around.
With a gentle reminder that you are not alone in this life.
A gentle gaze of comfort.
A gentle reminder through a golden light that you are not alone.
That it's okay to let go sometimes.
The centers of the bottoms of your feet.
The centers of the palms of your hands.
The top of the head.
The root energy center.
The pelvic bowl.
The lower belly,
The sacral center.
The belly button,
The solar plexus center.
The heart center,
A warm and golden light.
Just a reminder that you are not alone.
The center of the throat.
The center of the forehead.
The back of the head.
The place where your skull meets the back of your neck.
A place of ancient wisdom.
A gentle and golden light.
Softly and gently touching.
A place of ancient wisdom.
Reminding you you are not alone.
It is safe to let go.
The tip of the tongue.
The inside of the right cheek.
Roof of the mouth.
Inside of the left cheek.
The floor of the mouth.
Lower lip.
Upper lip.
Tip of the nose.
The right nostril.
Left nostril.
The nasal passages.
The right cheekbone,
A gentle and warm golden light.
Shining down.
And the right cheekbone.
A reminder that you are not alone.
Right temple.
Eyebrow.
Eyelid.
Globe of the eye.
All the little muscles and tissues behind the right eye.
The right earlobe.
Folds of the ear.
Inner right ear.
The space between the ears.
The most gentle,
Warm,
Golden light.
A welcome reminder you're not going through this alone.
Left inner ear.
Folds of the ear.
Earlobe.
Left temple.
Eyebrow.
Eyelid.
Globe of the eye.
All the little muscles and tissues behind the left eye.
The whole face and head.
A gentle and warm golden light.
A reminder that you are not alone.
It is okay to let go.
The right side of the neck.
The back of the neck.
The left side of the neck.
The front of the neck.
The right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Back of the hand.
Tip of the thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
The palm of the hand.
Inside of the right wrist.
The crease of the elbow.
Armpit.
Heart center.
That gentle and warm golden light over the heart center.
A gentle reminder that you are not alone.
Left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Back of the hand.
Tip of the thumb.
First finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
The palm of the left hand.
Inside of the left wrist.
Crease of the elbow.
The armpit.
The heart center.
Both arms.
Gentle golden light shining down on both of your arms.
Reminder you're not going through this alone.
The belly.
The pelvic bowl.
The tailbone.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Top of the foot.
Tip of the first toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The center of the bottom of the right foot.
A golden warmth of light across the bottom of the right foot.
Inside of the ankle.
The crease of the knee.
The hip crease.
Tailbone.
Pelvic bowl.
Left hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Ankle.
Top of the foot.
Tip of the first toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Center of the bottom of the left foot.
A warm golden light reminding you that you are not alone.
Inside of the right ankle.
The crease of the knee.
Hip crease.
Tailbone.
Both legs together.
A warm golden light shining across both legs.
Both legs and the trunk of the body.
A warm golden light across both legs and the trunk of your body.
A warm golden light across the arms,
Trunk of the body and both legs.
Your head and face,
The trunk of your body,
Your arms,
Your legs,
Your whole body bathed in a golden light.
A reminder that you are not alone.
You are not alone.
And you can release that.
An inner refuge or inner sanctuary is a place of safety and security within you.
It is unique to each one of us.
It might be real or imagined or a combination of both.
When we are traveling into grief,
Having that place of refuge,
That place of sanctuary inside of us,
That place of safety and security within each of us is amazing.
So I'm going to take you on a journey into your inner refuge,
Your inner sanctuary,
Your inner safety and security.
We're going to use a lot of our senses in this place.
The images or sounds or smells that come up for you might be from memories,
From imagination.
They might be from real places or dreams of places.
It doesn't matter.
There's no wrong or right here,
My friend.
We're going to explore your inner refuge.
Within you,
There is a place of strength,
Of availability,
And it allows us to move through grief,
Through loss,
Through transitions of all kinds,
Because that place within you is always there,
Safe,
Secure in the present moment.
This place might be real or imaginary.
It might be tangible from your life,
Your memories.
It might be imagined with sharp and vibrant colors or sounds that only you can hear.
But it is within you,
This inner refuge,
This inner sanctuary.
So allowing your heart to soften its edges,
Allowing the muscle of the mind to unfurl,
Allowing your body to rest settled in to its own nest of support,
Allowing your senses to open up,
Your inner ears,
Your nasal passages and nostrils,
The taste buds in your mouth,
All of the surface of your skin,
Allowing your eyes to soften back into your imagination,
Back into your memories of aliveness,
And settling in to the word safe,
Settling in to the word secure,
Maybe settling in to the word comfort,
Softness,
And allowing any images that arise to build like blocks in your imagination.
You might find yourself in an outdoor environment to nature,
With a breeze or the sun or the moonlight,
Or you might find yourself by a fire in a cabin.
Allowing the muscle of your mind to expand around this place,
Allowing your imagination to expand around this place.
What do you see?
What colors are around you?
Are they bright?
Are they soft?
Are there many different colors or many variations of just one color?
Do you notice things that are around you?
Books or trees or flowers?
Are there letters or blankets?
Cups of tea and coffee?
Do you notice the things that you're surrounded by?
They might be from nature,
They might be man-made,
You might even notice a thing or two that you haven't seen before,
And you might want to pick an area,
This place of security and safety,
And zoom in just a little,
Or you might want to zoom out just a little.
Maybe you're in a cabin and as you zoom out,
You find a gentle patch of woods or forest,
And as you zoom in,
You find something special in the fireplace or on the path outside.
Just take a few minutes to soften into this place of security,
Of safety,
Of inner strength.
Allow it to hold you,
And might you notice the sensations that you feel in this place?
Do you feel the temperature on your skin or the softness of fabric or grass that you're sitting on?
Do you notice the rough bark of a tree at your back,
Or do you notice the softness of a pillow?
Just imagining the depth of sensation here in this place.
And opening your inner ears in this place and listening for the sounds.
Do you hear birds or crickets,
A tea kettle,
Or do you hear the sound of the ocean or white noise?
You may hear a song or a tune or a melody,
Allowing your inner ears to open and expand into this space.
What do you hear?
Do you hear the rustling sounds Do you hear the rustling sounds of leaves or wind in the limbs of trees?
Do you hear a clock ticking or a grandfather clock?
Maybe you hear a murmuring of people behind you.
What do you hear in this space,
This place,
This inner refuge of safety and security that is all yours,
It is unique to you,
Real or imagined?
And opening up your nostrils,
Do you sense any aromas in this place?
Do you sense the aroma of autumn,
The sea,
An essential oil,
A garden?
What do you smell?
What aromas are surrounding you?
What can you pick up as you open up your nostrils to this place?
Open up your sense of smell to this place.
Maybe it smells fresh.
Or maybe it smells like childhood.
Maybe it smells like your favorite baked goods.
Allow the aromas to gently come in to your senses.
And what do you notice about this space?
Is there any sensation in your mouth?
Is there a taste that this space brings up for you?
Is your mouth dry here or moist?
Do you find that words want to come out of your mouth?
When you're in this space,
Does it bring back any sensations of memory?
Does it hold for you any memories of safety and security and strength?
You might even look around and notice shapes and symbols.
The way a cloud looks as it's passing,
Or a symbol on a book in a bookshelf,
Or the way the leaves have gathered around a sunbeam.
Do you notice any symbols in this place?
You may even have other people in this place.
You may have people that you're grieving in this place with you.
You may have people here,
Ancestors,
Family members,
Loved ones.
Or you may not.
What do you feel like in this place?
What does it feel like in your heart as you soften your edges of the heart space even more,
Opening and unfurling to the strength and the safety of this place,
This inner refuge?
What does it feel like?
What are the sensations in your heart?
Do you notice how your body feels here?
How your shoulders feel here?
How your hips feel here?
How your feet walk in this place?
How your eyes invite in the safety of this place?
And how does your heart respond to it?
I'm going to give you a few minutes to explore even further in this inner refuge of yours,
In this inner sanctuary of yours.
To be present here.
To breathe it in,
And breathe it out.
To bring aliveness here.
To your own unique inner sanctuary that is always available to you anytime you need.
This place is always available to you.
You are always welcome to call on this inner refuge.
And you might call on it by a simple symbol that you see,
A feeling across your skin,
A sound that you hear,
A color that you see,
Or a memory that you've witnessed here.
You can come back here at any time and explore it further.
And parts of it might change or shift,
But it always holds the safety and security and inner strength that's available to you always.
As we begin to release that inner sanctuary and bring our awareness back into our body,
We're going to take a few deep breaths.
Inhaling through the nose.
Exhaling through the mouth.
Inhaling through the nose.
Exhaling through the mouth.
Inhaling through the nose.
Exhaling through the mouth.
And on these last two,
We'll hum on the exhale.
With our teeth apart and your lips together,
Inhaling through the nose.
With our teeth apart and your lips together,
Inhaling through the nose.
And one last time,
Inhaling.
Slowly bringing a hand up to your heart.
Bringing gratitude to our inner safety,
Our inner security,
Our inner strength.
And blessing ourselves with gratitude.
Thank you.
Our heart allows us to feel.
Thank you.
Our body is our instrument of healing and expression and curiosity.
Thank you.
And our body holds the safety and the security for us to be able to walk into grief,
Knowing we will be okay.
Thank you.
And releasing your hand.
And you might want to wiggle your fingers a little bit or your toes.
Rolling your head from side to side.
Maybe rolling to your side in a fetal position for a minute.
Maybe fluttering your eyes open or even taking a full body stretch if that feels good.
And when you're ready,
You might want to sit up or take some notes about your inner refuge.
What you remember,
What it felt like,
Words,
Phrases,
Songs,
Colors,
Symbols,
Sounds,
Aromas.
Grief is a journey that is lifelong.
But our bodies were made for this journey.
Grief is universal.
Our bodies are creative conduits of life here on earth and life in spirit.
And our bodies are made for this work.
Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.
I hope you come back and revisit your inner refuge.
Because the more you do,
The more it will support you throughout your days.
Thank you so much.
I'm so honored to be able to record these meditations for you.
Namaste.
