Welcome.
My name is Leah,
And this is a practice of deep rest.
This practice will allow for time to soften the body.
Quiet the mind.
And listen to the wisdom that has always lived within you.
Nature moves in seasons.
And so do we.
Today,
We journey into autumn.
The season of golden leaves,
Crisp morning air.
Quiet landscapes and the gentle turning inward of life.
In Chinese medicine,
Autumn belongs to the metal element associated with the lungs and the large intestine.
The lungs,
A yin organ,
Invited us to receive life through the breath.
While the large intestine,
A yang organ,
Reminds us of the importance of releasing what has served its purpose.
The metal element carries the qualities of clarity,
Refinement,
Structure,
And discernment.
It reminds us that there is beauty in simplicity.
And wisdom in knowing what to keep and what to release.
As the trees surrender their leaves to the earth,
We too are invited to soften our grip on all that we have been carrying.
There's nothing to accomplish here.
Nothing to perfect.
Simply allow yourself to arrive.
Find yourself resting comfortably upon the earth.
Allow your arms to settle beside you,
Your palms resting gently upward.
Let the legs become heavy.
The feet falling naturally outward.
Feel the support beneath you.
The back of the head,
The shoulders,
The spine,
The pelvis,
The heels.
Allow your body to be received by the earth.
Bring awareness to the face.
Soften the forehead.
The tiny muscles surrounding the eyes,
The cheeks,
The jaw.
Allow the tongue to rest quietly within the mouth.
Feel the shoulders releasing away from the ears.
The chest softening.
The belly becoming spacious.
Imagine yourself resting beneath the branches of a beautiful old tree in autumn.
The air is fresh and cool.
The earth is steady beneath you.
A few leaves drift slowly downward,
Carried effortlessly upon the breeze.
There is no resistance to their falling.
Only surrender.
Begin listening now to sounds close by and sounds farther away.
Allow every sound to arise and dissolve within the spaciousness of your awareness.
There is nothing you need to follow.
Nothing you need to hold.
Simply listen.
And rest.
Bring your awareness gently toward the heart.
From this quiet place,
Invite a simple intention to arise.
Perhaps something like,
I release with grace.
I am enough just as I am.
Or perhaps your own words emerge,
Reflecting something your heart is ready to embrace.
Allow your intention to be simple,
Present.
And true.
Silently repeat your Sankalpa three times like a small seed resting within the autumn earth.
Trusting that everything unfolds in its own time.
I release with grace or I am enough just as I am.
We begin our rotation of awareness within the lungs.
Bring your attention to the right lung,
Deep within the chest.
.
.
The upper portion of the right lung.
The middle.
The lower portion.
Now the left lung.
The upper portion.
The middle.
The lower portion.
And both lungs together.
Imagine a soft luminous white light resting within the lungs.
The colour of morning mist,
Of moonlight,
Of clouds drifting across an autumn sky.
In the symbolism of Chinese medicine,
White is the color of metal.
Feel this gentle light spreading through the chest.
The right side of the ribcage,
The left side.
The space beneath the collarbones,
The diaphragm.
The whole chest.
And now allow your awareness to travel through the body.
Right shoulder.
Right upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Right thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The whole right hand.
Return to the lungs,
Left shoulder.
Left upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm,
Wrist.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
The whole left hand.
Awareness returns to the center of the chest.
The breastbone,
The heart.
The upper abdomen.
The navel.
The lower belly.
The pelvis.
Now awareness travels through the right leg.
Right hip Bye.
Me.
Shim.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Forth.
Little toe.
The whole right leg.
Left hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Little toe.
The whole left leg.
And now the back of the body.
Tailbone.
Sacrum.
Lower back.
Middle back upper back.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The entire spine.
Awareness travels upward to the throat.
Back of the neck.
Good job.
You.
Upper lip.
Lower lip Bridge of the nose.
Nostril flares.
Right cheek.
Left cheek right ear.
Left ear.
Right eye.
Behind the eye.
Left eye.
Behind the eye.
Space between the eyebrows.
Forehead.
Crown of the head down.
And now sense the entire body.
From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet.
One complete field of awareness.
Quiet.
Spacious.
Luminous.
Like a pale autumn sky stretching endlessly above the earth.
Bring your awareness once more to the lungs.
Notice the natural movement of breath.
The gentle expansion of the ribs as you inhale.
And their soft return as you exhale.
Breathing in,
Receiving.
Breathing out,
Releasing.
In the six healing sounds tradition of Qigong,
The lungs are associated with a gentle exhalation sound.
Taught in various forms across different lineages.
For this practice,
We will use the sound.
See ya.
Allow this sound to be whispered silently within the mind.
No need to make any sound aloud.
As you inhale,
Imagine the lungs receiving fresh,
Clear autumn air.
And as you exhale,
Mentally whispering.
See ya.
Again,
Breathing in freshness,
Clarity,
Space.
And breathing out.
See ya.
Allow the sound to accompany the natural length of your exhalation.
There's no need to push the breath.
No need to empty the lungs completely.
Just simply allow the breath and the sound to flow together.
Inhale,
Receiving.
Exhale,
Releasing.
Perhaps you imagine a gentle silver-white mist surrounding your lungs.
With every inhale,
This luminous mist expands.
And with every exhale it softens.
Creating a feeling of openness throughout the chest.
Continue now in your own rhythm,
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Silently whispering the healing sound.
Now allow the sound to dissolve.
Release the practice of guiding the breath and simply rest.
Breathing naturally.
Receiving what arrives.
Releasing what leaves.
Now turn your awareness towards the quieter landscape of feeling.
In Chinese medicine,
The metal element is traditionally associated with grief and sorrow.
Grief is not something that needs to be hurried.
It is a natural expression of having loved.
Of having care.
Of having experienced change.
Perhaps there is sadness within you.
Perhaps anxiety,
Uncertainty.
Or the quiet pressure of trying to do everything just right.
Perhaps there's nothing particular to notice.
Allow whatever is present to be here without judgment,
Without needing to change it.
Imagine an autumn tree.
Its leaves observe their purpose.
They have gathered sunlight.
Offered shade.
And nourish the life of the tree.
And now as the season changes,
The tree begins to release them.
Not because they were imperfect,
Not because they're unwanted.
Simply because the time has come.
Perhaps there are expectations that you have carried.
Old worries.
Unnecessary responsibilities.
Or the belief that you must always be doing more.
You don't need to let everything go in this moment.
Just simply notice what feels ready to soften.
The tree doesn't grieve its leaves by refusing to release them.
It honors their place in the cycle of life,
And so can you.
Allow the breath to create a little bit more space around whatever you're feeling.
There's room for tenderness.
Room for uncertainty.
Room for being beautifully,
Imperfectly human.
And now imagine yourself walking slowly along a quiet woodland path.
It's a beautiful autumn morning.
A mist hangs between the trees.
The air is cool and wonderfully fresh.
With every breath you notice the earthy fragrance of fallen leaves,
Damp moss,
And the richness of the forest floor.
Sunlight filters through branches of amber.
Copper and gold.
The world feels quiet,
Refined.
As though nature has gently removed everything unnecessary.
Revealing the simple beauty of what remains.
You walk slowly.
Feeling the earth beneath your feet.
Listening to the soft rustling of leaves overhead.
A single leaf releases from a branch and you watch it drift.
Turning gently in the air until it comes to rest upon the earth.
Than another.
And another.
Each leaf finding its own way down.
You begin to notice that the trees are not diminished by their surrender.
Their branches become more visible.
Their beautiful structure is revealed.
There is a quiet elegance in their simplicity.
And perhaps you recognize something of yourself in these trees.
Beneath the many roles you play.
The expectations you carry.
The endless things you think you should be doing.
There is something essential.
Something steady.
Something beautifully uncomplicated.
Your own true nature.
You continue along the path until you reach a small clearing.
Here the mist has lifted.
Above you stretches a vast,
Pale blue sky.
Clear.
Open.
Endless.
You pause and take in the spaciousness.
Perhaps you realize that clarity does not always come from thinking harder.
Sometimes it comes from allowing the unnecessary to fall away.
From trusting what remains from remembering that you do not have to be perfect to be whole.
You stand quietly beneath the open sky,
Breathing.
Receiving.
Releasing.
And somewhere within you a simple knowing arises,
I am enough.
Just as I am.
Now allow the woodland path to gently fade.
The trees,
The leaves.
The open sky.
All dissolving into quiet awareness.
Rest in this spaciousness.
The peaceful stillness beneath thought.
The quiet contentment that asks nothing of you like the open sky.
You have for home.
For everything.
And now gently return to your Sankalpa.
The intention you planted earlier in this practice.
Perhaps you used,
I release with grace.
Or.
.
.
I am enough just as I am.
Allow your intention to arise once more.
Repeat it silently three times,
With sincerity,
With softness,
With trust.
Let it settle deeply within your awareness like an autumn leaf,
Coming quietly to rest upon the earth.
I release with grace.
I am enough just as I am.
And now begin the gentle journey outward.
From the stillness of the blessed body.
Back through the quiet wisdom of your inner landscape.
Become aware of the thoughts and feelings that may be present,
And allow them to arise without disturbing your peace.
Return to the breath.
The natural rhythm of receiving and releasing.
Feel the lungs expanding.
And softening.
Now sense the physical body,
The arms,
The legs,
The back of the body resting upon the earth.
Feel the support beneath you.
You are here.
Rested.
Present.
Cool.
Begin to invite a little more movement into the breath.
Gently awaken the fingers,
The toes,
Perhaps the wrists and ankles.
Allow a soft stretch to move through the body if it feels welcome.
Taking your time.
And when you're ready,
Roll gently onto one side and just resting here for another breath or two.
And then gently returning to a comfortable seated position.
And notice the space that you've created.
The quiet clarity of your mind and the softness of your breath.
The steadiness of your body.
And as we close receiving this autumn blessing.
May you find beauty in simplicity.
May you honour all that has been without needing to carry it forever.
May your heart have room for tenderness,
Your mind for clarity,
And your breath for ease.
And may you release what is ready to fall away,
Trusting that nothing essential is ever lost.
And may every exhale remind you that making space is also a form of love.
Thank you so much for sharing your yoga nidra practice with me today.
It's always my honor to help guide you into deeper meditative states.
And I always look forward to practicing with you again.
May you carry this autumn practice with you into your day or evening.
Aum Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
May you have peace in your mind,
Peace in your heart,
And peace in your life.
And may this practice serve to bring peace to all beings,
And may we be free.
Namaste.
