Hello,
My name is Mark Rowland and thank you for joining me tonight for this Yoga Nidra meditation,
Resting with the Earth.
Take a moment now to settle into your resting position,
Lying down warm,
Supported and comfortable enough to remain still,
Allow your eyes to close gently,
Feel the places where your body meets the surface beneath you,
There is nothing you need to do from here,
No effort is required of you,
Just gentle listening.
If sleep comes,
That is completely welcome,
If you remain awake,
Simply rest,
For the next while I will be guiding you.
And your only invitation is to let the body rest,
Imagine yourself resting outdoors,
Somewhere safe and peaceful.
Perhaps you are lying on a soft ground of grass,
Warm sand or forest earth,
The temperature is just right.
The air is calm,
Above you the sky is wide open,
Around you nature is quiet and steady,
Nothing here is rushing you at all,
You are safe.
Begin by bringing attention to the crown of the head,
No need to move,
Simply notice.
Now bring your attention to your forehead,
Your eyes,
Cheeks,
Notice now your jaw,
Let your tongue rest in your mouth,
Your awareness is now flowing down through the neck,
Into the shoulders,
Arms heavy,
Elbows resting,
Hands soft,
Fingers naturally curled,
Your attention now going to your chest and upper back,
The steady rise and fall of breath,
Belly gently releasing,
Lower back fully supported,
Hips and pelvis resting into the chair,
Notice now your thighs,
The knees,
Calves,
Down to your feet and your toes.
The whole body now lying in one field of sensation,
Held safely,
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath,
There is no need to change it,
As you breathe in,
Feel the body subtly expanding,
And as you breathe out,
Feel the body sink down.
Imagine the earth beneath you receiving your weight effortlessly,
Nothing collapses,
Nothing resists,
Each breath out a little more settling,
You sense the sounds of nature around you,
Perhaps distant wind through trees,
A gentle stirring that comes and goes in its own time,
You might notice the distant flow of water,
Not close enough to demand attention,
Just a steady presence,
Moving as it always has,
You relax listening to the quiet hum of the night,
A background stillness,
Wide and comforting,
Let yourself be here with this landscape,
Not observing it from the outside,
But resting inside of it,
At one with the nature around you,
Your body belongs here,
It has a deep knowing of this environment instinctively,
There is nothing in nature that asks you to hurry,
Nothing here now is asking you to be alert,
Feel how the ground beneath you offers comforting steady support,
It does not shift or question your weight,
It simply holds,
The earth has been doing this for a very long time,
You belong here,
You do not need to assist it,
Let go,
You are safe,
Above you sense the vast openness of the sky,
Even if you cannot picture it clearly,
Feel into its spaciousness,
The sky does not press down,
It creates space and your breath moves within the same openness,
Notice how your body responds to this sense of being held without judgement,
Muscles soften a little more,
The face seizes,
The jaw rests,
If thoughts appear they can just drift through like passing temporary weather,
They don't need to be followed,
You are a part of this landscape,
You are not separate,
Just another natural form at rest here,
Just as the trees rest between movements of wind,
Just as water pauses in quiet pools,
The earth supports you without question,
The sky holds you without effort,
Your nervous system can take a cue from this steadiness,
For there is nothing here to solve,
You do not need to stay alert,
You do not need to listen closely,
You do not need to remember any of this,
The body already understands how to rest,
Allow yourself to sink a little further into the ground beneath you,
As if the earth is gently receiving you,
Let the sounds of nature fade into the background,
They are still present but no longer important,
Rest here,
Held by the land,
Surrounded by the comfort of the night,
Now allowing all guidance to fade into the background,
Rest as sensation,
Rest as breath,
Rest as presence,
If thoughts arise,
Let them pass like clouds,
If sleep arrives,
Allow it fully,
Nothing is required of you,
You are safe,
You are held,
You are allowed to rest now,
If you are still awake,
Begin to sense the body again,
The weight of your legs,
The support beneath your back,
The steadiness of the breath,
No need to move,
Just noticing,
You may remain here,
Drifting peacefully towards sleep,
Or if rest is complete for you,
Slowly return when ready,
Take one final easy gentle breath,
Whatever state you are in now,
Is perfect,
Just right,
May rest continue long after the sound of my voice fades,
Good night friend,
Dream happy,
Namaste.
