Fire Element Yoga Nidra

Ailsa will guide you through intention, an inner resource practice, body sensing, breathwork, joy and awareness. The Fire Element in yogic philosophy is linked to the Manipura Chakra.  This element is associated with your confidence, enthusiasm for life, the ‘fire in your belly’, your passion, inner strength, heat, power and transformation.  The Fire Element is also associated with digestion both physically but also how you process and digest your life.  When this element is unbalanced, we can become depressed, lazy, withdrawn, lacking motivation, irritable, angry and aggressive.  The Fire Element can be an energising and uplifting element to explore, and therefore, this Yoga Nidra has been designed with the qualities of Fire in mind’ uplifting and inspiring, but with space to slow down, reflect and turn inwards.

Transcript

Lying down on your back in shavasana,

Either on a yoga mat,

On your bed or any other comfortable surface where you are safe to enter a deep state of rest.

You might place a rolled up blanket,

Cushion or yoga bolster underneath your knees.

This is especially beneficial if you have a sensitive lower back.

Bring your legs together so they are touching and let the feet fall open.

Let go of any holding in the legs.

You might lift your shoulder blades off the earth and then place them back down to allow them to lie flat.

Soften the whole body.

Allow yourself to sink back into the earth.

Release any expression from your face.

Let your eyes become heavy.

Feel the eyes resting back into your skull.

And relax the jaw,

The tongue and the throat.

With each exhalation feel yourself sinking in a little deeper,

Letting go a little more.

Feel your whole body become completely relaxed.

Feel the points of contact of the body on the surface beneath you,

And imagine deep roots growing into the earth from those points of contact.

Invite in your intention,

Your sankalpa,

A positive change that you would like to see in your life.

It may have to do with your spiritual practice,

Your yoga practice,

A behaviour,

Or you might work with the sankalpa I offer you.

I take action with passion,

Purpose and boldness.

I take action with passion,

Purpose and boldness.

Now that you have made your resolution,

Repeat it slowly and clearly three times to yourself.

And throughout today's practice,

Stoking the fuel for your motivation,

Confidence,

Inner strength,

Passion and enthusiasm for life,

The literal fire in your belly.

Noticing where the body makes contact with the earth underneath you.

Feeling the earth rising up to support the entire body,

Allowing the body to let go of any tension it might be holding onto.

Bring your attention to your inner resource,

Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.

Today inviting you to explore the theme of the fire element.

Fire,

Warmth or heat,

Or a memory or visualization that cultivates feelings of passion or purpose or empowerment,

A memory or visualization that creates feelings of being secure and at ease.

Resting back and being absorbed into the image that arises in your mind.

Without judgment or the need for perfection,

Wherever you land is absolutely perfect.

The felt sense of well-being throughout your body.

What are the sensations within your body?

What are the sights around you?

What are the smells around you?

What are the sounds around you?

What can you reach out and touch?

Images that create feelings of being secure,

Peaceful and at ease.

The felt sense of well-being throughout your body.

You can return to this inner resource at any time,

Day or night and throughout your practice of yoga nidra.

Whenever you feel the need to be totally secure and at ease.

Begin to listen to sounds around you.

First begin to notice far away sounds.

Do not try to figure out what is causing the sound.

Simply listen.

Do not label it.

Focus intently to begin to hear very far away sounds.

Now put your awareness on sounds that are very near.

Perhaps within the room or just outside of it.

Again without interpretation.

Just listening.

Begin to sense warmth at the centre of your body.

And as you hold onto this feeling of warmth.

Radiating warmth at the centre of your belly.

As I name each part of your body.

As I name each part of your body.

Allow your awareness to jump lightly from one part of the body to the other.

As you hear me name each part of your body.

Put all of your attention there and follow my voice.

Warmth in the tongue.

Tingling in the lips.

Warmth and tingling in the tongue.

Gentle heat at the back of the throat.

Tingling and sensation of warmth.

Warmth in the walls of the mouth.

The entire mouth and jaw.

The entire mouth and jaw as warm tingling sensation.

Give up being involved with thinking.

Instead feeling warmth.

Left ear.

Right ear.

Both ears together.

Left nostril.

Right nostril.

The flow of warm unheated air.

Inside both nostrils.

Left eye.

Right eye.

Both eyes together.

Relaxing the muscles around the eyes.

Allowing both eyes to rest back into your skull.

Your eyes growing heavy.

Letting go of any expression in the eyebrows.

Letting go of any expression in the face.

Consciously softening the muscles around the ears.

Softening the muscles of the scalp.

Without analysing,

Sensing your way.

Warmth radiating throughout your entire head and face.

Warmth growing from the inside.

White hot heat.

Left shoulder.

Left upper arm.

Elbow.

Forearm.

Left hand and fingers.

The entire left hand.

Right shoulder.

Right upper arm.

Elbow.

Forearm.

Right hand and fingers.

The entire right hand.

The front of the torso.

The back of the torso.

The entire torso warmth radiating.

Left hip.

Left upper leg.

Knee.

Lower leg.

Ankle,

Foot and toes.

The entire left leg.

Right hip.

Right upper leg.

Knee.

Lower leg.

Ankle,

Foot and toes.

The entire right leg.

The front of the body.

Warmth emanating.

The back of the body.

Warmth radiating.

Internal heat building.

Glowing from the inside.

The entire left side of the body.

The entire right side of the body.

Warmth emitting from deep inside the body.

Threading to the surface.

Warmth expanding,

Beaming and illuminating the entire body.

The entire body a vibrant field of heat.

Lighting up,

Shining,

Gleaming and beaming in all directions.

Spreading,

Pouring and distributing heat.

The entire body a vibrant field of energy.

Alive.

Lighting up.

Shining,

Gleaming and beaming in all directions.

Spreading,

Pouring and distributing heat.

The entire body a vibrant field of radiant sensation.

And if helpful,

Return to your inner resource.

Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.

Feeling secure and at ease.

Welcome all the various sensations that are present throughout the body.

Sensing and welcoming.

Without thinking.

Body at rest and at ease.

Welcoming every experience that is present.

Noting sensations that are present.

Without thinking or judging.

Sensations,

Thoughts,

Emotions,

Images.

Coming and going.

All movements unfolding within your awareness.

Feeling back into being awareness.

Spacious,

Unchanging awareness.

In which all of the changing perceptions are arising and unfolding.

And passing away.

Changing perceptions.

Revealing unchanging awareness.

Begin to notice the belly as it rises and falls with the breath.

Draw your attention to the natural ingoing and outgoing breath.

Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the throat.

On the inhalation the breath rises from the navel to the throat.

On the exhalation the breath descends from the throat to the navel.

Be completely aware of the breath.

Navel to throat.

Throat to navel.

Let go of any forcing of the breath.

Just awareness.

Follow the rise and fall of your breath.

From navel to throat.

And back again.

Following your own body's natural breathing rhythm.

Letting go of forcing.

Just awareness.

Now allow the attention to the breath to fall away.

The body at rest and at ease.

Become aware of the space between your eyebrows.

Putting all of your attention there.

Begin to focus on the dark,

Empty space between the forehead and peer into it.

Begin to visualize the flame of a candle at the center of your eyebrows,

In your mind's eye.

Focus intently on this candle.

Studying any colors or shapes that form.

Completely relax and watch this candle.

Letting go of thinking.

And simply watching with interest and curiosity.

As the forms and colors of the candle come and go.

Welcome every experience that is now present.

Whilst interweaving your inner resource.

Feeling secure and at ease.

Note how all of these sensations.

As well as passing thoughts,

Emotions and images.

Are constantly changing.

Coming and going.

The entire body a constantly changing field of radiant sensation.

Sense all that you are now aware of.

Sensing yourself as spacious,

Unchanging awareness.

In which all of the changing sensations are arising and unfolding.

Changing sensation revealing unchanging awareness.

Feel a great sense of joy filling you.

Feel deep bliss rising from within you.

Ask yourself who is experiencing this joy.

Penetrate with your awareness to the source of your feelings.

Ask yourself who am I?

Spend a few moments contemplating this question.

Begin to let go of any sense of separateness.

Witness your experience and allow all boundaries between yourself.

And what you have mistakenly perceived to be outside of yourself.

To dissolve.

Set aside the thinking mind.

Welcome the felt sense of being and wellbeing.

Notice how being is arising in the unchanging spacious field of awareness.

Now let go and dissolve into being awareness.

Notice how awareness contains everything.

Pervades everywhere.

As awareness inquire where is my centre?

Where is my periphery?

Feeling rather than thinking your way.

Awareness in which all perceptions are unfolding and passing away.

Without form,

Without centre,

Without periphery.

Everywhere and nowhere specific.

Yet an undeniable presence.

Everything to be just as it is.

Without trying to understand or change anything.

Simply being just as you are.

And everything just as it is.

Being spacious,

Unchanging awareness.

As changing experiences come and go.

Take a moment and reflect back on the journey that you have just taken.

Sensing the qualities that are or have been present.

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Sensations and awareness.

In which everything is arising,

Unfolding and passing away.

Cast your mind back to the qualities of the fire element.

Stoking the fuel for your motivation,

Your confidence,

Inner strength,

Passion,

Enthusiasm for life.

The fire in your belly.

Your ability to digest and process life.

This time to reflect and celebrate.

Become aware of yourself lying down on the surface supporting you.

As if you were looking down on yourself from the ceiling.

Notice what you are wearing and what you are lying on.

Notice the peaceful and relaxed expression of your body and your face.

Look around in your mind's eye at the room.

Visualising the space with your full attention.

Now consciously slip back into your physical body.

Become aware of your gentle breath as the belly rises and falls.

Repeat your sankalpa three times with feeling and intention.

If helpful,

Interweave your inner resource.

Feeling secure and at ease.

Become aware of the boundaries of your body.

Bring your awareness back to the physical.

Begin to move your fingers and toes.

Perhaps reaching out behind you to take a full body stretch.

Roll over to your side,

Pausing for a moment.

And then gradually sit up.

Take a moment to be intentional about transitioning from this part of your day and into the rest of your day.

Perhaps quietly sing to yourself,

This is the close of my yoga nidra practice and this end is the beginning of the rest of my day.