Welcome to your yoga nidra for deep winter rest.
The mysterious season of winter offers the perfect time to allow ourselves to deeply rest,
To slow down and to reflect on the year that's about to pass,
But also on your aspirations For the next one,
We'll invite the tranquility of the winter season to lull our body into a deeply nourishing restorative state,
State between wakefulness and sleep.
When our thoughts spin in circle,
They can deplete us,
Drain us and make us feel tense especially in the body and that in turn can hinder our ability to feel good,
To feel like ourselves.
May this practice support you in your desire to deeply rest and relax so you can be fully present with yourself,
With your loved ones,
To cherish what is and to release what is not meant to be.
So I hope this practice can be your little portal to hear the whispers of the winter's wisdom.
And so,
As you slowly settle into a restorative pose,
Finding a most supportive one for you,
Using your props,
Folded blanket or a pillow under your knees,
An eye cover to block out if you're practicing during the day,
Make sure you are warm,
Lying down or leaning back with your feet apart and your palms facing the ceiling,
Noticing if there's anything else that you can adjust to make your cozy nest even more comfortable,
Gradually arriving into your body and then bringing your awareness to your breath,
Becoming aware that you are breathing.
How miraculous we can live for days and weeks without food and water but only minutes without air.
And you might take a moment here to give a little thanks for the fact that you are effortlessly breathing.
And then taking a deep,
Buoyant breath in through your nose,
Through the mouth,
Steady,
Slow exhale once more,
Inhale in,
Slow,
Deliberate exhale in through the nose,
Lengthen the exhale in your own tempo in breath,
Maximally slowing down that exhale and one last time in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Now I invite you to create your sankalpa intention that feels supportive for this moment,
For this practice of deep rest.
Trust and take what pops up first in your mind or body,
Otherwise you can state I am creating space for and fill in the blank,
Letting your attention flow from the top of your head,
Spreading in all directions,
Feeling your forehead,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Center between the eyebrows,
Right ear,
Inside of the ear,
Left ear,
Going all the way into the inner ear,
Bridge of the nose,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Inside of your right cheek,
Inside of the left cheek,
Tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
Teeth and gums,
The sensations inside your whole mouth,
Whole jaw,
Radiant with sensations,
Upper lip,
Sensing the whole face and head,
Neck,
Throat,
Pit of the throat,
Center of your chest,
Right side of the chest,
Right shoulder blade,
Right shoulder,
Armpit,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist and take all of your awareness to your right thumb,
Index,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Feel the radiance of your right palm and back of your right hand,
Sensing the contact with the surface it is resting on and sense your whole right arm moving towards the left side,
Left side of the chest,
Sensing the left shoulder blade,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Left thumb,
Index,
Middle,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
What kind of sensations can you perceive in your left palm and then the back of your hand,
And the point of contact with the surface,
Include your whole left arm into your awareness,
Staying present and then let's go to the back of your neck,
Guide your attention slowly down the spine,
All the way down to the tailbone,
Sense your right hip and thigh bone,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Shin,
Right ankle,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe,
Exploring the sensations in the sole of your right foot,
Sense the heel and its contact with the surface and proceed to sense your whole right leg,
Let your attention now slowly gravitate into your left hip,
Left calf muscle,
Shin,
Left ankle,
Top of your left foot,
Left big toe,
Second,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe and sense your whole left sole,
Left heel,
The place of contact with the surface,
Enveloping your whole left leg with your awareness,
Whole left leg,
Sensing both feet simultaneously,
Lower legs,
Right and left simultaneously,
Thighs,
Right and left at the same time,
And your whole pelvis,
Mighty orb of radiance,
Navel,
Your whole belly,
Sensing your whole torso,
Both arms simultaneously,
Whole neck,
Whole face,
Whole head,
And your entire,
The whole left side of your body together with the right hemisphere of the brain,
Mirror the awareness and sense right side of the body and the left hemisphere of the brain and I'm going to suggest images and sensations,
Try to visualize them as I name them and if you cannot find a certain image,
Simply notice how it acts on your body and keep moving your mind without concentrating too much on one image,
The crisp winter air on your face,
Houses with blankets of snow on their rooftops,
Sound of snow under the feet,
Scent of roasted chestnuts,
Full moon,
Flickering candle,
Circle of trusted friends,
Crackling of the wood in the fireplace,
Children laughing,
Snow-covered fields,
Starlit night,
Scent of a pine tree,
Horses galloping,
Rising sun,
Golden spider web,
Willow tree on the wind,
Sunset,
A hut in the forest,
Temple bell ringing,
And can you sense yourself as the awareness welcoming all the sensations that arose in your mind and body through these images?
In yoga nidra,
The practice of visualization is relaxing the mind of mental tension and bring back your intention.
In this meditation,
I am creating space for noticing your body being deeply relaxed,
Letting your body melt into the surface it is resting on,
Sensing your natural breath flowing in and out effortlessly,
And enjoy this rejuvenating state,
A soothing balm for our bodies and minds,
For a few more moments lingering in this deeply restorative state and we'll gently begin to awaken the body,
Taking a deep inhale through your nose and exhaling out,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Stretch yourself with your arms above your head,
Take your time,
There's no hurry,
And when you're ready,
Find a seated position,
Thank yourself,
Opening the eyes in your own tempo,
Thank you for sharing this deep winter rest with me,
Bring the peace of this practice with you as you go about your day or the rest of your evening.
Namaste.
