Welcome.
My name is Leah.
And this is a yoga nidra practice that is supportive for the warm season of summer.
This practice is inspired by the fire element in traditional Chinese medicine.
The season of summer.
The heart and the small intestine.
And the healing sound we will be working with is ha.
H-U-H-H-H-H.
Ha,
Like a sigh.
And as you settle into stillness,
Allow yourself to arrive in the gentle abundance of summer.
This is the season of warmth.
Of long days and lingering evenings.
Of gardens in bloom and fields alive with color.
Bees move patiently from flower to flower.
Birds greet the dawn with effortless songs.
The Earth offers its beauty freely,
Asking nothing in return.
Nature reminds us that life unfolds in its own time.
It doesn't hurry.
It simply opens.
The heart is said to house the Shen,
Our spirit,
Our capacity for joy,
Love,
Connection,
And presence.
When the heart is balanced,
There is a quiet sparkle behind the eyes.
And ease in our laughter and a warmth that naturally extends towards others.
The small intestine offers another quiet wisdom.
It reminds us that not everything we encounter is meant to be carried.
With gentle discernment,
It helps us receive what nourishes us.
And release what does not.
In this moment,
You can soften and release.
There's nothing to perfect.
Nothing to become.
Simply allow yourself to rest.
And perhaps in the quiet that follows.
You'll remember something your heart has always known.
Find the position that feels most comfortable for your body.
Lying down.
Perhaps you adjust the pillows around you.
Placing a cushion beneath the knees.
Or simply allow yourself to soften a little more deeply into the support beneath you.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Gently close the eyes.
Allow the muscles around the eyes to soften.
Smooth out the forehead.
Relax the cheeks.
The tongue rests quietly inside the mouth.
Feel the shoulders becoming heavy the arms resting effortlessly.
The palms open.
A simple gesture of receiving.
Notice where your body meets the earth.
The back of the head.
The shoulders.
The spine.
Hips.
Calves.
Heels Feel the quiet support beneath you.
You are being held without effort.
Without expectation.
Simply held.
Bring your awareness now to your natural breath.
No need to change it.
Simply observe.
The inhale arriving.
The exhale,
Leaving.
Like a warm summer breeze moving gently through an open meadow.
Notice the sounds around you.
Near far.
Inside.
Outside.
In this recording.
And rather than pulling you away,
Allow every sound to remind you that you are here.
Present.
Safe.
At rest Allow the body to become wonderfully still.
Feel the weight of your bones settling.
The muscles softening.
The skin resting.
There is nothing for the body to hold on to now.
Imagine yourself lying upon warm earth at the end of a summer afternoon.
The ground beneath you still holds the warmth of the sun.
The air is soft.
A gentle breeze brushes across your skin.
Somewhere nearby you hear bees making their final visits among the wildflowers.
Everything is unhurried.
Everything belongs.
Take a slow breath in.
And allow a longer,
Softer breath out.
Again,
Breathing in,
Receiving.
Ew.
And breathing out,
Releasing.
And with every exhale,
Feel yourself settling more deeply into stillness.
As though the earth is quietly breathing with you.
Now bring your awareness gently towards the center of your chest.
The space of the heart.
Not the physical heart alone,
But the place where warmth,
Kindness,
And quiet joy reside.
Allow an intention to arise naturally.
Simple.
True.
Perhaps your sankalpa or your heartfelt intention could be,
My heart is open.
Or I receive joy with ease.
Or perhaps another intention quietly presents itself.
There's no need to search.
Simply notice with gentleness,
With sincerity.
As though placing a small lantern inside the heart.
And then allowing it to rest there.
Its light continues to glow even when you're no longer thinking about it.
And now repeat your sankalpa silently three times.
My heart is open.
Or I receive joy with ease.
We begin our journey through the body,
Beginning in the heart.
Bring your awareness into the center of your chest.
Imagine here a small ember.
Warm,
Steady.
Glowing with a gentle ruby gold light.
Not a blazing fire.
A peaceful one.
One that has quietly been burning all along.
With each breath.
This warmth spreads across the heart.
Into the lungs.
Through the ribs.
Across the collarbones.
The right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest.
Palm of the hand.
First finger.
Second.
Third.
.
.
Fourth.
Whole right hand.
Return to the heart.
Left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest palm.
Thumb.
First finger.
Second.
Third,
Four,
Whole left hand.
Back to the centre of the chest.
Upper back.
Shoulder blades.
Middle back.
Lower back.
Solar plexus.
Upper abdomen.
Navel lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
Right hip.
Bye!
Me.
Cap.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second.
Fourth.
Little toe.
Return again to the glowing heart.
Left hip.
Bye knee.
Calf.
And go.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second Third.
Little toe.
The whole back of the body.
The whole front of the body.
Throat.
Jaw.
Lips.
Tongue.
Nose.
Cheeks.
Eyes.
Both eyes and behind the eyes.
The eyebrows.
Space between the eyebrows.
Forehead crown of the head.
Now sense the whole body bathed in this warm golden light as though every cell has become softly illuminated from within.
There is nowhere this light does not reach.
Simply rest here.
Bring awareness once more to the heart and imagine the breath moving directly through this space.
With each inhale,
The heart gently expands.
With each exhale,
The body softens.
Now as you breathe out.
Silently whisper the heart healing sound.
Huh.
Long gentle and effortless.
Again inhale receiving the breath And exhale.
As though a warm breeze were moving through an open window.
Continue at your own pace,
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Allowing the sound to dissolve any restlessness.
Any pressure.
Any hurriedness you may have been carrying.
The exhale becomes a doorway into ease.
The heart grows more spacious.
Soft.
Like the last golden light of the day.
Bye!
You Woo!
Releasing the healing sound now and as you continue breathing.
Imagine the warm glow in your heart becoming steadier.
Gentler,
More peaceful.
Not asking anything of you.
Simply reminding you.
That warmth,
Kindness,
And joy have always lived here.
Now allow your awareness to drift gently inward toward the landscape of the heart.
The fire element is the element of warmth,
Of joy,
Of connection.
Of love freely given and received.
Yet even the warmest heart sometimes becomes tired.
Sometimes it protects itself.
Sometimes it forgets how naturally it shines.
Notice what is present.
Perhaps there is lightness.
Perhaps there is tenderness.
Perhaps there is joy quietly waiting beneath the surface.
Perhaps there is sadness.
Fatigue.
Anxiety.
Longing.
Or uncertainty.
Whatever is here,
Allow it to be welcomed.
Like every flower in a summer meadow,
Each one belongs.
The heart does not judge what it holds.
It simply continues beating moment after moment.
With extraordinary devotion.
Imagine every exhale creating a little more room inside the chest.
A little more space.
A little more softness.
The places that have felt guarded begin to relax.
Places that have carried too much begin to rest You are safe here.
Held by the quiet rhythm of your own heart.
And now imagine yourself walking along a quiet path.
It is the end of a warm summer day.
The golden hour has arrived.
The sunlight has softened into honey.
Long grasses sway gently in the breeze.
Wild flowers nod quietly beside the trail.
Lavender scents the air.
You walk slowly.
There is only this moment.
You hear the gentle hum of bees finishing their work for the day.
Everything moves with quiet purpose,
Without hurry.
Very important.
You continue until you come upon a great old oak tree.
Its branches stretch wide above you.
Its roots disappear deeply into the earth.
You settle beneath its canopy.
The earth is still warm from the afternoon sun,
And you place one hand over your heart.
The other rests softly upon your belly and you breathe.
Nothing extraordinary happens,
There is no great revelation.
Only stillness.
Only works.
Only presence.
The bees gradually grow quiet.
The sky begins to deepen into shades of amber.
Then rose,
Then violet.
The first evening star appears.
Then.
.
.
Off in the meadow.
A tiny light.
A single firefly.
Than another.
And another.
Without effort,
The meadow begins to sparkle.
These lanterns drifting through the grasses.
You watch them without needing to understand.
Without needing to hold on to the moment.
Simply receive the beauty before you.
Then,
Very gently,
You notice something.
The warmth beneath your hand,
Resting over your heart.
Feels remarkably familiar.
As though the same quiet light dancing across the meadow has always been glowing inside you.
It was never absent.
Only waiting to be noticed.
Rest here.
Allow this knowing to settle.
Like warm evening light soaking into the earth.
Your heart already knows the way.
You Now allow the meadow to soften.
The oak tree,
The fireflies,
The evening sky.
Everything gradually dissolves into spacious awareness.
Only warmth remains.
Only peace.
No effort.
Simply resting.
The ancient yogis called this Ananda Maya.
The sheath of quiet contentment.
Not excitement,
Not pleasure,
Something deeper.
The simple happiness of being fully present.
The joy that asks for nothing.
Remain here for a few moments.
Resting in this gentle glow.
Now return once more to your intention,
Your Sankalpa.
Perhaps it was,
My heart is open.
I receive joy with ease.
Or perhaps your own words have accompanied you through this journey.
Whatever they may be.
Allow each repetition to settle more deeply.
Like sunlight absorbed into the petals of a flower.
With quiet trust,
Repeat them softly now three times.
My heart is open.
Or I receive joy with ease.
Now begin to notice the gentle rhythm of your breath once again.
The rise,
The fall.
The quiet movement of life within you.
Feel the weight of your body resting upon the earth.
Back of the head.
The shoulders.
The arms.
The spine.
Perhaps.
Legs,
Heels.
And notice the sounds around you once more near.
In this recording.
Far.
Inside.
Outside.
Without disturbing your peace.
Simply reminding you that this moment belongs to the larger rhythm of life.
Take a slightly deeper inhale a longer exhale.
Again,
Breathing in receiving.
Breathing out,
Softening.
The warmth of the heart remains with you.
It travels with you quietly,
Faithfully.
Begin inviting small movements into the body.
Perhaps the fingers begin to stir.
The toes awaken.
A gentle movement of the wrists,
The ankles.
Perhaps a stretch arrives naturally.
And when it feels right,
Roll slowly onto one side.
Resting there for a few quiet breaths and notice how the earth continues to support you.
Just as it has throughout this entire practice.
And when you're ready,
Gently press yourself up to a comfortable seated position.
Allow the head to be the last thing to rise.
And bring one hand to your heart,
The other to your belly.
And pause.
Feel the warmth beneath your palm steady rhythm.
Quiet intelligence of your own heart.
And take another unhurried breath.
I want to leave you here with a summer blessing.
May your heart remain open to wonder.
May you find joy in ordinary moments.
The warmth of the morning sun.
The laughter of a friend.
The fragrance of flowers after rain.
The song of birds greeting a new day.
May you trust the quiet wisdom that lives within you.
May you receive what truly nourishes your spirit.
And gently release what no longer asks to be carried.
May your inner light continue to shine because it is your true nature.
And whenever life begins to feel like that furnace of anxiety.
Where your heart forgets its own quiet rhythm.
May you remember to pause,
To breathe.
To soften.
For your heart has always known the way.
Thank you so much for sharing your yoga nidra practice with me today.
It's been an honour to help guide you into deeper meditative states.
And I always look forward to practicing with you again.
May you carry this summer light with you throughout the season ahead.
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.
Bye guys.
