Welcome,
Dear friend.
My name is Mark Rowland.
And tonight,
You return to the forest within you.
Feel the mattress or surface beneath you like rich earth,
Steady,
Supportive and safe.
Allow gravity to hold you the way the roots hold a tree.
There is nothing to manage now,
Nothing to improve.
You are safe,
And this night belongs entirely to rest.
Let the breath come and go.
Notice how every exhale softens the body just a little more.
Notice how the space between breaths opens like moonlight between tree branches.
In yoga nidra,
We plant an intention,
A quiet seed called a sankalpa.
Set an intention for yourself now.
Choose something gentle and something true.
I rest in harmony with nature.
I am held by life itself.
Peace breathes me.
Whatever you choose for yourself,
Whisper it inwardly three times and imagine tucking it beneath the forest floor,
Where it will germinate and groan as you sleep.
Now,
Let awareness travel through your body,
Like sunlight from a sunset filtering through the leaves.
Bring your attention to your right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger and your right hand little finger.
Now bring your attention to your right hand palm,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Your right forearm,
Your elbow and your shoulder.
The awareness moves like a beam of golden light,
Warming every cell it touches.
Continue to bring attention now to your right chest,
Your waist,
The right hip,
Thigh,
Your right ankle,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot and your toes.
Now move into the left hand side of your body.
Bring your attention to your left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth and your left hand little finger,
The palm of your hand,
Back of the hand,
Your wrist,
Elbow and your left shoulder,
Notice your left side of the chest,
Waist,
Left thigh,
Knee calf and left ankle,
Top of your foot,
Sole of your foot and your toes.
Now,
To the back of your body,
Heels,
Calves,
The back of your thighs,
Your buttocks,
Your lower back,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades and the back of your head.
Now the front,
Forehead,
Your eyes,
Cheeks,
Your chest,
Belly,
Your nose,
Your mouth,
And your pelvis.
Your body glows softly,
It's like a living forest of awareness,
Roots,
Trunk and canopy,
Resting as one.
Turn your attention to the breath,
Feel it move through you like wind through tall pine trees,
A slow hush in and a deeper hush out.
Each inhale,
Cool air glides in,
Carrying the sweet scent of moss and the night.
Each exhale,
Warm breath leaves the body,
Carrying away all of the day's noise.
Visualise the breath as a silver mist rising between trees,
Then settling again upon ferns and leaves,
This mist is life itself,
Appearing,
Vanishing and returning,
Forever effortless.
Sense that the forest is breathing with you,
The ground expands with your inhale,
Some branches fall with your exhale,
You are the forest,
You share one rhythm,
One awareness.
Now imagine you are standing beneath the tall ancient oaks,
Moonlight drips through the canopy like liquid pearl,
You begin to walk slowly along a soft earthen path,
Each step sinks slightly into moss,
It feels springy and cool.
Somewhere nearby an owl calls once,
Then silence again,
Fireflies drift between the trunks,
Small bright lanterns of gold,
You come across a stream,
Silver under starlight,
Its sound is the quietest whisper,
And a reminder that movement and rest can live together.
You kneel down and touch the water,
It feels cool and kind,
You feel as though the forest itself is blessing your hands.
You continue walking,
And the deeper you go,
The quieter it becomes,
Even your thoughts begin to hush.
Each one a leaf that settles gently floating to the ground,
You reach a clearing,
In its centre lies a bed of soft moss glowing faintly,
Woven with wildflowers that only open at night.
Lie down here now,
In your imagination,
And feel the earth cradling you,
Exactly as you lie in your bed now.
Roots of light extend from your body down into the soil,
Drawing nourishment,
Peace and an ancient knowing.
Above,
Branches form a cathedral of green shadow and moonlight,
You are in the heartbeat of the world.
Now let awareness expand beyond the body,
Sense the hum beneath the earth,
The steady vibration of all living things resting as one together.
You are not separate from that hum,
You are the hum,
You are the breath of the forest itself.
Let that realisation soften you even more,
Your identity begins to loosen,
Like bark giving way to the tree beneath.
There is no you who must fall asleep,
Because sleep is already happening,
The forest breathing you into itself.
Now deep within this silence,
The seed you planted earlier,
The one of your intention,
Begins to open.
See its roots weaving into the soil of your being,
It's a small green shoot reaching upward through your heart.
Whatever words you planted,
Rest in harmony with nature,
Let them shimmer softly through your entire body.
Every cell repeats the mantra,
Peace breathes me,
Peace breathes me,
Peace breathes me.
Let everything dissolve now,
The forest,
The moonlight,
Even the breath,
Only stillness remains.
If you wish,
Stay here and let sleep take you naturally,
My voice will fade and the forest will keep watch and keep you safe.
Good night dear soul,
May your dreams be gentle leaves falling through silver moonlight.
May you awaken,
Renewed,
Rooted and whole,
Sleep well.
