Welcome,
My name is Leah and this is a yoga nidra practice to help you connect to the ether element within the body.
Explore the spaciousness of your inner landscape as we gently lower into deeper brainwave states.
Lie down comfortably,
Supported and at ease,
Either laying on the earth,
The couch or even in your bed.
Let the body feel open and expansive as if resting beneath a vast night sky.
Eyes gently close and you might even consider an eye covering to block out any light.
Arms rest beside you,
Palms facing upward in a gesture of openness if that feels comfortable to you.
Bring awareness to the breath,
Soft,
Quiet,
Subtle.
Each inhale draws in spaciousness.
Each exhale releases into infinity.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Feel yourself suspended between earth and sky.
Weightless,
Peaceful,
Luminous.
You are safe.
You are supported.
You are ready to enter the stillness of ether.
Let the whole body release into the surface beneath you.
Soften the forehead,
Eyes and cheeks.
Let the tongue rest quietly in the mouth.
Feel the shoulders dissolve towards the ground,
Arms heavy,
Hands soft,
Hips,
Thighs,
Calves and feet relaxed.
The breath is effortless.
The mind spacious.
You are resting in stillness,
Suspended in the gentle vastness of space.
Listen to the sounds around you,
Near and far,
Subtle and clear.
All sounds floating through the space of awareness.
Now bring your sankalpa to mind,
Your heart's intention.
Let it arise softly and trust that it will unfold naturally,
Carried in the ether of your awareness.
You may be working with your own sankalpa,
Or it may be something like,
I am spacious and free.
Or I rest in infinite peace.
Silently repeat your sankalpa three times,
Letting it echo in the space within.
We begin the rotation of awareness at the crown of the head.
Crown of the head,
Scalp,
Forehead,
Temples,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the brows,
Right eye,
Behind the eye,
Eyelashes,
Left eye,
Behind the eye,
Eyelashes,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Bridge of the nose,
Nostrils,
Cheeks,
Upper lip,
Teeth and gums,
The whole tongue,
Center of the throat,
Right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Little finger.
Now awareness in the spine,
From the crown of the head to the tailbone.
Feel all the muscles lining the spine,
Relaxing,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades,
Middle back,
Low back,
Sacrum,
Return to the throat,
Chest,
Heart center,
Solar plexus,
Belly,
Navel,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Shin,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe,
Sole of the foot,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe,
Sole of the foot,
And now feel the entire body as one field of awareness,
Spacious,
Open,
Radiant.
Bring awareness to your breath.
Now imagine the subtle flow of breath moving through the nostrils,
Gentle,
Effortless,
Luminous.
Inhale through the left nostril with awareness,
Cool breath rising.
Exhale through the right nostril,
Warm breath descending.
Inhale through the right nostril,
Luminous,
Cool air ascending.
Exhale through the left nostril,
Soft,
Warm air descending.
Continue this subtle,
Psychic,
Alternate nostril breathing without using the hands.
Awareness alone guides the breath.
Left in,
Right out.
Right in,
Left out.
Let this rhythm carry you.
Smooth,
Balanced,
Serene.
The inner channels clear and bright.
Noticing the space between the breaths,
Vast and silent.
Releasing the breath pattern,
And now sense the subtle textures of feeling and perception within.
Notice sensations,
Images,
Emotions,
All rising and dissolving like clouds in a boundless sky.
There is nothing to hold,
Nothing to push away.
Every feeling,
Every sound,
Every image drifts freely in this space of awareness.
You are vast and open.
Awareness itself.
Now imagine yourself lying beneath a great night sky.
The stars shimmer above you,
Bright,
Infinite points of light.
The air is still,
Cool and clear.
You feel the pulse of the universe,
Quiet and alive.
As you gaze upward,
The stars seem to draw closer until you feel yourself floating among them.
Each inhale expanding you into starlight.
Each exhale softening into pure spaciousness.
You drift weightlessly in the ether,
One with the cosmic expanse.
You are the witness,
Pure radiant awareness.
Resting in the heart of silence,
All boundaries dissolve.
Only a spacious contentment remains.
You are the stillness of space,
The light of stars,
The song of creation.
Here there is no separation,
No form,
Only peace.
Now return to your Sankalpa.
Feel it.
Let it resonate like a star's light shining steadily across space.
Trust in its truth.
You may have planted your own Sankalpa,
Or it may have been,
I am spacious and free.
Or,
I rest in infinite peace.
Repeat it silently to yourself three times as though whispering it into the great expanse.
Now begin to return,
Passing gently back through the Koshas,
From bliss to witnessing,
From awareness to sensation,
From breath to body.
Feel the breath moving again through the nostrils.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of the chest.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Become aware of the physical body resting upon the earth.
You are here,
Grounded and luminous.
Begin to deepen the breath.
Let it move easily through you.
Gently awaken the fingers and toes.
Give them a little wiggle.
Rotate your wrists and ankles one way and the other.
Stretch softly,
As if reaching towards the stars.
And only if you're ready and willing,
Roll to one side,
Resting for a few breaths,
Spacious and serene.
Notice how you're feeling after your practice.
And give space,
During the span of one more breath,
To anything that wants to arise from within,
To be seen,
Witnessed,
Acknowledged.
And when you're ready,
Rise slowly to a seated position,
Palms together at the heart.
Thank you so much for sharing your yoga nidra practice with me today.
It is always such an honour to guide you through your inner landscape.
And I look forward to practicing with you again.
And may you carry this spacious,
Etheric peace within you and into your day or evening.
Om 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.
