Yoga Nidra: Embodying The Inner Wisdom Of The Tree

This short, accessible guided Yoga Nidrā (Yogic Sleep) practice, allows you to embody the sacred and ancient wisdom of the tree. Inviting you to root, ground, and feel held and supported as you grow and expand, allowing yourself to be nourished by the sunlight as you bloom.

Recorded organically without a script, or editing. Inspired by my trainings with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Jeremy Wolf. Koshi Chimes played by live, by me.

Transcript

Welcome, Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra, Welcome home to yourself. You're free to do anything you like, As long as you are comfortable and supported. You can disregard anything that I say, Simply rest and be. You're free to move, To wiggle, To cough or sneeze, All of you is welcome here. Perhaps you feel the body on the floor and the spaces in between the body, The places where the body meets the floor and the space surrounding the body. Perhaps you notice your breath, No need to change, Simply noticing, Noticing how the air flowing in may be slightly cooler and the air flowing out has a slightly warmer quality to it. Taking awareness of all you can smell, All smells are welcome here. Perhaps bringing awareness to the sounds, The sound of my voice, The sound of the chime, The sound of your breath, The closest sounds to you and the furthest sounds, All sounds are welcome here. Perhaps you notice light coming through closed lids. Perhaps you notice water or taste in the mouth. Perhaps you notice the touch of clothes or covers, All sensations are welcome here. What would it feel like if you brought awareness deep within the heart space, The Anahata Chakra? What would it feel like to tune in to this beautiful space? Perhaps your heart has been longing to tell you something. Perhaps your heart has a message for you. Maybe it will appear as a sensation, A feeling, An inner knowing, An image. However it arises, Know that it is perfect for you in this moment. I will be silent for a moment as we tune in to listen to the inner heart space. Taking this wisdom with us, I invite you to imagine your body as a tree, Receiving the warmth of sunlight, Nourishing the whole body, Feeling that radiant sunlight, Bringing life, Nourishment, Refreshment from the crown of the head to the scalp, It flows from forehead to these brows, Between the brows through resting eyes, The eyelids right and left, Between the eyes the sunlight is here and all they see is welcomed in, Within the ears, Behind the ears, These places now can rest, The nostrils welcome every breath and both the lips and tongue are nourished now by restfulness, Are nurtured now by rest, The teeth and throat and uvula, The arched roof of the mouth, All receiving sunlight in every space of the body, The chin and back of the neck, The whole of the spine, Sunlight across the shoulders, Down both arms, Into the hands this sunlight flows, The sunlight is here to nourish and restore, The palms of hands and fingertips and all the spaces in between, The thumb and index fingers on the left and the right, From hand to hand nourished in sunlight, The middle fingers and the fourth, Both little fingers too, Sunlight on all the webbing in between, The fingertips and cuticles and nails of both these hands, On the right and left, On the left and right, The whole body nourished in sunlight, Both palms and belly, From belly up to chest, A flow of bright sunlight, Within the heart, The stomach, The navel and both hips, The pelvis and all throughout the pelvic floor, The sunlight is nurturing, These hips and knees, These shanks and calves, The ankles and both feet bathed in sunlight, The tops of the feet, The soles of the feet and each and every toe, The right foot and the left, All places in between the toes are settled into rest, Whole right side of the body is nourished by sunlight, Whole left side of the body is nourished by sunlight, All the limbs, Head, Neck and spine, From the tips of the toes to the crown of the head, Bathed in brilliant sunlight, The whole body nourished by sunlight, Perhaps you continue to imagine your body as a tree, Full of nourishment and vitality provided by the sun, What would it feel like to extend your roots deep down into the earth, Feeling the roots in the darkness underground, Traveling their way through the earth, Rooting you in structure and support, What would it feel like to expand your branches up towards the sunlight, Reaching up into the sky, Feeling the space around you, Maybe you're growing little leaves or flowers or berries, What would it feel like to extend your branches up into the world, What would it feel like to be extending your roots and your branches at the same time, Your roots providing structure and your branches providing expansion, While the trunk of the tree that is you holds you stable as you both root and ground, And grow and expand, As you stand, As you exist here as a tree, I invite you to inhale nourishment into the body, Into your roots, Your trunk, Your bark, Your branches and leaves, And exhale that nourishment out into the world, Inhaling nourishment into the body, And exhaling that nourishment into the world, Inhaling nourishment into all the roots, The trunk, The bark, The branches, The leaves, Perhaps flowers or berries, And exhaling the abundance of what you have received out into the world around you, Perhaps the surrounding trees or plants or animals, Continuing to inhale nourishment in and exhale the abundance of nourishment out, From this place of nourishment and abundance and expansion, Perhaps we tune back in to the space of the heart, The anahata chakra, Perhaps your heart has a new message for you, Now that you have entered this sacred grove of trees, Now that you have participated in a sacred act of reciprocity, Of breathing in nourishment, And exhaling it back out, Perhaps I invite you to listen inward into the heart, Into this space, And see what the heart has to say, Again that may arise as an image or a thought, A feeling or a sensation, A deep inner knowing, Whatever arises is perfect for you in this moment, As we complete our journey together, Our journey of becoming one in the sacred forest, Begin to notice all you can hear, Perhaps starting with listening to your own breath, Any internal body sensations, Maybe it's the sound of my voice or the chime, Noticing the furthest sounds and the closest sounds, As you begin your journey to full wakeful awareness, Perhaps bringing awareness to the body, And the space around the body, Perhaps inviting a deepening of the breath, Inviting in more space and wakefulness into this rested body, Perhaps taking a wriggle or a squiggle, Inviting tiny movements into the fingers and the toes, Maybe a yawn or a full body stretch, You're welcome to stay resting, To roll on to your side and continue to receive the nourishment, Of this practice of yoga nidra, Moving slowly at your own pace, Maybe giving yourself a hug and taking the time to thank yourself, For participating in this beautiful act of self-care and love, Welcome back to awareness, This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.