Yoga Nidra - Align with PEACE

In this offering I will guide you on a journey that assists with aligning you with your true nature-which is peace. Through this systematic, effortless meditation you will experience breathing practices, setting an intention for peace, a body scan, visualization, and time to bask in the stillness and peace created within your entire being.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.

My name is Kumari and I'll be your guide today.

Take a moment now to get as comfortable as possible.

You might choose to lie on your bed,

On the floor,

Or recline in a comfortable chair.

The most important thing is to be so comfortable that all of your muscles are able to relax.

Consider placing a soft cloth over your eyes or an eye pillow.

And of course,

Be sure to turn off your phone or let anyone in your space know that you're taking some time to meditate.

I'll give you another moment here to really get comfortable.

So the practice of Yoga Nidra is a wonderful way to regulate your nervous system.

We're directly working with the brainwaves and intentionally slowing them down.

Down to the level that is akin with deep relaxation and sleep.

And by doing so,

We cause a healing and balancing effect in our whole body,

Not just the nervous system,

But all the tissues,

The mind,

The nervous system.

Your whole being is affected in a very profound way.

This practice can really assist you with sleeping better,

With catching up on sleep.

So it's a great option for a little power nap.

But it also can really help with things like stress,

Tension,

Anxiety,

And so much more.

So now that you have found your most comfortable position,

We'll begin.

Gently bring your awareness to the back of your head.

Feel the back of your head resting upon the surface.

And begin to tune in to the weight of your head.

And now all the muscles in your face.

Maybe a feeling of releasing all expression from your face.

Feel the arms and hands heavy,

Perhaps just laying at your side.

Feel your whole back being held and sinking down into the surface beneath you.

And now the hips,

Buttocks,

Legs,

Feet.

Legs,

Feet.

Releasing downward.

A sense that your whole body is safe.

You're safe to completely let go here.

Notice any sounds in your space.

And even sounds beyond your space.

And just move from sound to sound without attachment.

Really noticing how your ears are receptive.

And listening.

Continue to follow the sound of my voice as I take you on a journey into a deeper state of peace.

Could you begin to imagine that your body is a piece of chocolate?

And with every exhale,

The chocolate becomes softer and softer.

To the point where it's almost melted.

As if you left a piece of chocolate in your vehicle.

Softening with each exhale.

The sweetness of you.

Releasing.

Melting with each exhale.

Maybe even a sense of feeling heavy now.

Body soft and melty.

Begin to place a little more awareness on the breath by following your inhales as well as your exhales.

As if your breath was your sole focus in your life.

You have to watch the inhale and the exhale.

Feeling your breath and how it resides and moves within your body.

And let's begin to add a count to the breath.

I'll guide you for a few rounds and then I'm going to invite you to just practice on your own for a moment.

We'll be breathing in to the count of four.

Pausing.

And then breathing out for the count of four.

Ready?

Inhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Pause.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Again.

Inhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Pause.

Exhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Now continue at your own pace for just a few more breaths.

Now with this next exhale,

Allow the focus on the breath to dissolve.

And just coming back again to a sense of the body.

And a sense of the alignment between the relaxed body,

The calm breath,

And the mind.

In yoga nidra,

We practice sankalpa or intention.

In this relaxed state of being,

We have access to the subconscious.

As we drop down into deeper states of relaxation,

The thinking mind softens.

And this sankalpa or intention is like planting a seed where it can grow and flourish and align you with the intention.

I'd like to offer an intention for this practice today.

But know if you are working with a sankalpa already,

That you are more than welcome to bring it in here.

Repeat after me in your mind.

I am at peace with myself and the world.

Next on this journey of deep relaxation and peace is the rotation of consciousness.

Bring your awareness to each area of your body that I mention,

As if you could pour your attention into the area like you were pouring yourself a glass of water.

We'll begin at the very center of the forehead.

Place all of your awareness at the point at the center of the forehead.

And now move down slightly to the space right between the eyebrows.

Imagine you could see this space from the inside out.

And now do go deep inside your skull to your brain.

Sense the brain,

The right hemisphere,

The left hemisphere,

Your brain within the skull.

And now move from the inside back out to sense your right eye.

Sense your right eye.

And now your left eye.

The left eye.

Both eyes simultaneously.

The right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Both ears receptive and listening.

Now come back to the tip of the nose.

And then to the nostrils.

Connect with your breath moving in and out of the nostrils.

And imagine how your breath flows deep into the sinus cavities.

Attention moving to the top lip,

The lower lip,

Both lips.

And then to the inside of the mouth.

Could you sense your tongue?

Your tongue filled with tiny taste buds.

Your tongue tingling with subtle sensation.

Come to sense the roof of the mouth.

The gums and the teeth.

The entire inside of your mouth now.

Move your attention to the inside of your throat.

And then again come outside the body to the point just between the collarbones.

Sense the right collarbone.

And the left.

The right shoulder.

The left shoulder.

And now both shoulders at the same time.

Move your attention now to the crease of the right elbow.

And now the crease of the left elbow.

Sense both elbow creases simultaneously.

And then the bones of both elbows.

To the right wrist.

The left wrist.

Both wrists at the same time.

And now shift your awareness into the right palm.

The right palm.

And now all five fingers on the right hand.

And the top of the right hand.

And might you sense your palm as warm.

The whole right hand lit up.

And slowly take your attention over to the left palm.

Pour your awareness into your left palm.

And now all five fingers.

And the top of the hand.

And sensing your whole left hand.

Again perhaps sensing this subtle warmth happening in the palm.

Your whole left hand lit up.

And now combine both hands.

Both hands.

Sense and feel both of your hands.

Tingling with subtle sensation.

And now both arms.

Both arms and hands.

And then change your awareness into the center of the chest.

The very center of the chest.

And repeating our sankalpa here.

I am at peace with myself and the world.

Move down the body to the solar plexus.

And down a little further to the space just below the navel.

Become aware of the right hip joint deep in its socket.

And now the right kneecap.

The right ankle.

And the top of the right foot.

And can you sense all five toes simultaneously?

All five toes.

And now feel the sole of your right foot in your mind.

Can you sense the ball?

The arch?

The base of the heel?

The whole right foot.

The whole right foot.

Now the whole right leg.

The whole right foot and leg as one.

And then slide your attention over to the left hip.

Sense the joint deep in its socket.

And the left kneecap.

The left ankle.

The top of the left foot.

And all five toes.

Send your awareness into all five toes of the left foot.

And now feel the sole of the left foot.

The ball.

Arch.

Base of the heel.

And awareness of your entire left foot.

And now the entire left leg.

The left foot and left leg as one.

And now combined awarenesses of both legs and both feet.

Both legs and both feet.

And now see if you could sense your tailbone.

Sense your tailbone.

The base of your spine.

And slowly move your attention up your spine.

All the way to the point between the shoulder blades.

Rest your awareness into the right shoulder blade.

And now the left.

And the entire upper back.

Your whole back now.

Follow your spine all the way to the base of your skull.

And let that awareness move into perceiving your entire skull and scalp.

Maybe even sensing the hair follicles.

Sensing your whole face and head now.

And allow that awareness to melt down into your entire body.

Sensing your entire body as one.

Each pore alive,

Open,

Active.

Your skin radiating energy.

All the inner workings of your body radiating life force energy.

Your whole body.

Your whole body as one.

Your whole body resting in this place of deep peace.

And start to connect with and feel your breath as life force energy within this radiant body.

The movement of your breath expanding and contracting.

Imagine your body as a vessel of light.

Whatever color comes to mind.

And that with each inhale,

Your whole body becomes a little brighter.

And with each exhale,

That light softens a bit.

Inhaling,

The light expands and gets brighter.

Exhaling,

The light softens.

Imagine breathing with your whole body.

Awareness of the brilliance of your own breath.

The animating force within you.

And now begin to let that breath visualization dissolve.

Moving now into an even more subtle layer of your beingness.

Come to sense heat in the palms.

Heat in the fingers.

The wrists.

Imagine this heat traveling up the arms to the shoulders.

Sense both hands and arms as warm.

And then send your attention all the way down to the soles of the feet.

Can you sense the soles of the feet as warm?

Imagine they're heating up.

And that heat spreads into all ten toes.

And the tops of the feet.

And the ankles.

The energy of heat spreading up to the shins and calves.

The knees.

The thighs.

The hips and buttocks.

The abdomen.

And this heat spreads into the entire chest.

And wraps around to spread into the backside of your body.

Moving up your neck and into the head.

Can you feel your whole body as warm?

Melty warm like the chocolate.

Your whole body warm.

Your whole body warm.

Even the bones inside your body have become very warm.

This radiating heat from the inside out.

Sensing your whole body as warm moving into hot.

Move your awareness back to your palms and fingers.

Imagine that you're holding ice cubes in your hands.

And that your palms and fingers are becoming cold.

Very cold.

And this chill spreads into the tops of the hands.

And the wrists.

Moves up the arms into the shoulders.

As if you were dunking your hands and arms into an ice cold stream.

And now imagine dunking your feet into this stream.

Feel the chill of the rushing stream on your feet.

And dip your legs a little farther.

Feel that coolness into the calves and shins.

The knees.

The upper legs.

The hips.

Buttocks.

Abdomen.

Burr.

Feeling really cold now.

But take the plunge.

Go all the way into the stream.

Feel your body so cold.

So cool.

Even your head.

And then imagine that you pop out of the stream onto the bank.

And lay on the warm grass.

Allowing the sun to shine down on you.

Now resting in this perfect temperature.

And the body feels very soothed by the experience of heat and cool.

And as you rest here,

Could you imagine that you're just softly swaying from side to side.

And you might even visualize or pretend that you're in a hammock.

Softly swaying from side to side.

Feeling the sweet,

Perfect warmth of the day.

And you look up and see the leaves gently fluttering in the soft breeze.

And a few clouds leisurely passing by.

All the while,

Softly and effortlessly swaying.

Surrendering into this feeling of being held.

Surrendering into this feeling of total peace.

As if you were pure peace itself.

You are pure peace.

Peace is your true nature.

Swaying back and forth in pure awareness of this peace.

One with your divine true nature.

Deep,

Deep peace.

Allow yourself to bask here for a few more minutes until you hear my voice again.

Your sankalpa rests here with you.

The intention of peace with the self and the whole world is right here.

You are that peace.

And in this space,

Perhaps you'll choose to affirm the intention one more time.

I am at peace with myself and the world.

I am peace.

Trust and know that this inner knowing,

The feeling of peace is always available to you.

Because it is you.

Come back to the awareness of your breath.

Feeling your breath as life force energy.

Now can you gently encourage some deeper breath as we slowly transition back to the waking state.

Deepen your breath.

And start to become aware of your physical body.

Your toes.

Your fingers.

Feel how your deeper breaths make your body move.

Now welcome some movement into your body.

The toes and the fingers.

The ankles and wrists.

Maybe even nodding your head from side to side.

Really just welcoming any intuitive movement.

And when you feel ready,

If you're lying down,

Just roll to one side.

Noticing the peace and harmony that's radiating within your body.

Honoring and acknowledging your pure radiance.

Now in your own time,

When you feel ready,

Returning to a seated position.

Or perhaps you'll just be turning off the recording and drifting into a deep sleep.

Whatever happens next for you.

I want to thank you for joining me.

And I'm wishing you all the best.

Namaste.