Cosmic Ocean Yoga Nidra

This Yoga Nidra invites you to dive into your inner world and reconnect with the spaciousness within. As you surrender and soften your edges, you are guided into the great expanse of your cosmic ocean — a place of deep rest and potentiality, where your true nature can be remembered.

The featured artwork is my original piece, "Where Does the Water Flow," made in communion with the Pacific Ocean. It is a reflection on grief and love, and the ways these waters shape us. If you're curious, you can explore more offerings, art and writing on my website.

Thank you for being here.

Transcript

Welcome to the space of Yoga Nidra. Thank you for being here. It is an honor to guide you through this journey of remembering yourself home. Take a few moments now to prepare yourself for the practice of Yoga Nidra. Whether you're laying in bed, On the couch, Or on your mat today, You're invited to make yourself super comfortable, Giving your body whatever it needs so you can stay completely still and relaxed for the duration of this practice. As you begin to settle here, Keep your eyes open and draw your hands up towards your face. Invite your eyes to peer into the lines of your hands. Notice the rivers carved into your palms and the cosmic imprints of your fingertips. These tiny maps that mirror the patterns of stars, Tree rings, And water. Find a few soft breaths here as you take in this wondrous mirror of your cosmic nature. As the sacred remembrance washes over you, Gently release your hands back to the earth as you remember that your body is made of the same stardust, Elements, And minerals that make up the earth and cosmos. Slowly begin to close down the gates of your eyes and invite the muscles around your eyelids to soften and relax their reach. Resting in this dark, Infinite space behind your eyelids, Begin to move your awareness to your back body, Becoming aware of your back body resting in the arms of the earth. Feel your body held and supported here by the sacred presence of the earth. As you rest upon the earth and offer yourself to this journey, Call upon the goddess Yoganidra to lay down beside you now, Knowing that she is here to offer you the gift of her ever-loving presence so you may sleep while awake. Silently affirm to yourself now, I am awake, I am aware, And I am practicing Yoganidra. I am awake, I am aware, And I am practicing Yoganidra. The practice of Yoganidra begins now. As your body continues to relax and grow heavier, Find a nice slow inhale in through your nose, And on your exhale letting it go through your mouth. Follow your next in-breath in through the nose and up into the center between your eyebrows. As you exhale, Send your breath down into your heart, Letting go through your mouth. Continue to weave your breath between your third eye and your heart space, Connecting and massaging these sacred centers with each wave of breath. On your next exhale, Release the breath and land in the portal of your heart. Allow my words to wash over you here like a gentle ocean tide. Remain curious, Relaxed, And receptive, Listening to what rises from beneath the surface. It is within the heart that we plant our Sankalpa. Sankalpa is a short, Positive statement that is encoded with the remembrance of our true nature. Rooted in the present moment, It begins with the essence of I am. Trust that it does not need to feel true in order to be. What state of being do you long to embody? What do you desire to feel and know within yourself? Perhaps you deeply desire to feel safe, And so your Sankalpa may be, I am safe. Perhaps you long to know that you are enough, And so your Sankalpa may be, I am enough, Or I am unconditionally loved. Relaxing the mind, Listen to what arises from within the heart, And trust what comes. What is my deepest, Driving desire in this lifetime? What do I want to feel and know within myself? If you are uncertain about your Sankalpa, You may use, I am connected to my true nature. Breathing into the portal of your heart, Silently repeat your Sankalpa three times to yourself now, Stating it clearly and with feeling. As you continue to awaken this remembrance within you, Begin to imagine your Sankalpa as a point of light. Your Sankalpa is a point of light floating within the vast cosmic ocean of your heart. From this expansive ocean, A river begins to flow. Invite the light of your Sankalpa to glide along this channel, Floating across your chest, To your right shoulder, And all the way down your right arm into the palm of your hand. A point of light, Your Sankalpa in the palm of your right hand. Become aware of any sensations here as you feel the living current of your Sankalpa held in your hand. As I continue to guide you through the inner channels of the body, Invite this light to fill each point I call upon, Moving the light with your awareness into each point of the body I call upon. From the palm of your right hand to the tip of your right hand thumb. A point of light in the tip of your right hand thumb. Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger. The top of your hand, The palm of your hand, Your whole right hand. The center of your right wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Right shoulder, Armpit, Right side chest, Your whole right arm, Your whole right arm illuminated by the light of your Sankalpa. Following this river through the ocean of your heart and flowing down the channel of your left arm, Inviting the point of light, Your Sankalpa into the palm of your left hand. Feel your Sankalpa awake and alive held in the palm of your left hand. Left hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger. The top of your hand, The palm of your hand, Your whole left hand. Traveling up the channel of the left arm now from the center of the wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Left shoulder, Left armpit, Left side chest, Your whole left arm. Your whole left arm and your whole right arm. Feel both arms at once. Feel both arms at once. Feel both arms meeting in the center of your heart. And from the center of your heart traveling down to your navel center. Your Sankalpa pulsing in the center of your navel, Pelvic center, Pelvic center. Traveling over to the right side, Right hip bone, Top of your right thigh, Right kneecap, Shin, Ankle, Right big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe. The top of your foot, The sole of your foot, Your whole right foot. Traveling up the river of the right leg from the heel, Calf, Back of the right knee, Back of the right thigh, Back of the right hip, Pelvic center. Traveling over to the left side of the body, Following the current from the left hip bone, Top of your left thigh, Kneecap, Shin, Ankle, Left big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe. The top of your foot, The sole of your foot, Your whole left foot. Traveling up the left leg from the heel, Calf, Back of the knee, Back of the thigh, Back of the hip, Your whole left leg, Your whole left leg and your whole right leg illuminated by the light of your Sankalpa. Feel both currents together, Your whole left leg and your whole right leg together at once. Feel both arms and both legs together at once. Traveling up the back side of the body now, From the back of your hips all the way up your spine, Inviting the light of your Sankalpa to illuminate the central channel of your spine. Feel your whole spine, Your whole spine, Your whole spine awake and alive. Your whole spine illuminated by the light of your Sankalpa. From the back of the head, Crown of the head, The center of your head, Invite the light of your Sankalpa to move to your right ear and to your left ear. Your right eye, Left eye, Right nostril, Left nostril, Upper lip, Lower lip, The space between your lips, The inside of your right cheek, The inside of your left cheek, Your whole tongue, Your whole tongue, Your whole tongue. Sliding the point of light down your throat, Your Sankalpa radiating in the center of your throat and traveling back to the middle of your heart. Meeting in the middle of your heart, Feel your whole head and your whole body together at once. Your whole right side and your whole left side together at once. Your upper body, Lower body, Together at once, Front body, Back body, Together. Your whole body at once, Feel your whole body at once, Whole body awareness, Whole body awareness. As you rest in spacious awareness, Sense the subtle energy flowing through the channels of your body, Your inner rivers. Each of these rivers carries your Sankalpa, The sacred remembrance of your true nature. Without changing anything, Become aware of your body breathing itself. Nothing to do. Simply witnessing the tides of your breath as they flow in and out of your body. Watching as your breath breathes you. Continue following this wave of breath with each inhale awakening the rivers within you and with each exhale meeting in the cosmic ocean of your heart. Continue to follow the sound of my voice as we slip beneath the breath now. Diving deeper into the waters of the emotional body. As waves of opposite experiences rise up to meet you, Give yourself permission to surrender to each wave with your whole body. Sorrow. Sorrow. Sorrow. Inviting sorrow to swell from beneath the surface. A deep well. A deep well of sorrow. Giving yourself full body permission to feel sorrow. Now invite yourself to feel awe. Feel awe for this experience you are having. You are in awe of this full human experience. Feeling awe for where this journey of life has taken you. The awe of this moment. Full bodied awe. Now begin to pendulate back into the experience of sorrow. Allowing the tides of sorrow to wash back into shore. Surrender to the experience of sorrow as the waves wash over you and through you. Sorrow. Now allow the sorrow to wash away as awe comes in with the tide. Exploring the experience of awe for a few moments longer. This wondrous full bodied awe. Full bodied awe and wonder. Continue to oscillate between sorrow and awe on your own time. Exploring the temporary experience of sorrow and awe without attachment. Now begin to invite the waves of sorrow and awe to merge and meet. Holding the duality of this human experience. Holding sorrow and awe together at once. Holding both together at once. Let go of the tides now. Letting that all go. And returning to a state of equanimity. In this open space begin to sense, Feel, Or imagine a child gathering seashells on the beach. A child gathering seashells on the beach. A bunch of snow beneath your feet. A big horned sheep. Crescent moon at dusk. Cat stretching in the afternoon sun. Walking alongside your shadow. Walking alongside your shadow. Low tide. High ocean tide. The sound of Aum reverberating through the ocean of time. A well. A portal. A portal. A portal. Now begin to imagine yourself gliding down a water slide. Feel the warm current beneath you, Gently pulling you downstream. Your body is completely relaxed and caressed by the waters. As you surrender to its flow, The water slide begins to give way and delivers you to a river full of stars. Feel yourself floating down this river of light as you drift under the dark night sky. As you continue down this channel, Stars begin to emerge overhead, Radiating and twinkling in the black velvet sky. Feel your body held by the river. You feel held as you rush down this river of stars. Pulling you downstream. Pulling you downstream until they release you into the Milky Way. You are floating in the great expanse of the cosmic ocean. Feel yourself completely relaxed as you drift through this vast, Open space. Infinite stars surrounding you. Infinite stars surrounding you. As you swim through these celestial waters, You see a cluster of stars begin to sweep past you. Together they dance across the silky sky, Swirling and whirling around one another. You watch in wonder as the stars begin to take shape before you, Constellating in the form of a brilliant blue whale. A brilliant blue whale twinkling with starlight. Hear her whale song calling out to you, Beckoning you to swim closer. As you swim towards her, You see a puff of stardust blow into the sky, And her star-speckled fin gestures you to come play as she invites you on a journey. Together the two of you swim through the vast cosmic ocean of the Milky Way. You feel weightless, Boundless, And free. Weightless, Boundless, Free. As you continue to follow the blue whale, The two of you travel through the starry expanse and arrive at the Big Dipper. You watch in awe as the whale dives inside the constellation and begins to transform, Shape-shifting and re-emerging as a great bear. See the great bear before you now, Turning his lustrous head as he looks over at you, Motioning to carry onward. You follow him as you begin to traverse a starlit mountain range, Following a thin silver thread that connects each peak and valley of Cassiopeia. As the two of you arrive at the top of the final peak, The great bear stands on his hind legs and reaches for the northern star. Touching Polaris with his paws, His form begins to change and he reconfigures into a raven. A raven shines before you now, Her eyes meeting yours. The all-seeing eye. The all-seeing eye. See the all-seeing eye of the raven. Watch as her luminous black feathers of the night begin to spread as she takes flight. You take off and fly with her, Soaring through endless space, Deeper and deeper, Deeper and deeper into the galaxy of the Milky Way. As you fly through this cosmic portal, You take in the wonders of the universe, Seeing all, Seeing all, Seeing all the wonders of the universe. As you continue to travel through the vast cosmic ocean, One of the raven's feathers begins to grow loose. Falling away from her form, The feather floats quietly through the starry abyss, Sinking deeper into the vastness below. The feather moves in the shape of infinity before dissolving, Dissolving, Dissolving. See the feather dissolving into pure potentiality. Feel your breath. Feel yourself as pure potentiality. Feel yourself as pure potentiality. In this dark, Infinite space, Begin to invite in the feeling of your Sankalpa, Your sacred I AM. Not as a wish, But as a deep remembering, A deep remembering of what has always been and what remains true. Sankalpa. Sankalpa. Sankalpa. Silently repeat your Sankalpa three times to yourself now, And feel the reverberation ripple through your inner universe. As you rest here, Feel your Sankalpa wrapping you in a hug full of stars. Your body is held and supported. Your body remembering. Slowly begin to become aware of your body resting on the earth beneath you. Gently arriving back into your form with each inhale. And remembering with each exhale. When you are ready, Gently rolling onto one side and staying here for as long as it feels good for you. Giving yourself as much time as you need, As you invite all parts of you to land back in this space. The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete. Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat. The seen and the unseen are one. Thank you for this journey. It was an honor to be with you.