Welcome,
This Yoga Nidra is a practice of grounding,
Of deep rest and restoration,
A return to wholeness through stillness,
Presence and the medicine of nature.
So when you're ready,
Finding a comfortable place lying down on the earth,
Closing down the eyes and going in,
Taking a few moments to adjust so that you're able to truly rest in the stillness.
Notice if there's one more small shift that you can make to feel even more supported.
Allow the shoulders to sink into the ground,
The skull to get heavy,
Feel the weight of the back of your head resting on the earth,
Let the weight of your body drop to hold you,
Feel the ground rise up to meet you,
Allowing you to truly let go and be held,
Starting to tune in to the breath,
Not trying to change it but witness it as it moves through you,
A quiet tide rising and falling without effort,
As if the breath knew what to do without you controlling anything,
Allow it to breathe you,
Can you feel where the breath touches you,
The subtle movements in the belly,
The chest,
The nose and now inviting three sighing exhales to release what's been held,
To soften the edges of doing,
Allowing yourself to rest effortlessly,
Taking an inhale through the nose,
Exhale with a gentle sigh through the mouth,
Again breathing in through the nose,
Softening on that exhale sigh,
Last one,
Let your breath drop back into it's natural rhythm,
Effortless,
Beginning to tune in to the senses,
Listen to the sounds that surround you,
The sounds of this recording,
The subtle song of the forest,
Birds calling,
Notice the sounds beyond the forest,
Perhaps the faint hum of the world around you,
Beginning to listen not just with your ears but with your whole body,
Feel the air around you,
The earth beneath you,
Allow your body to listen,
To feel as if every cell in your body had ears,
As if they were open to receive,
What sensations are alive within you,
What do you feel,
Allow the body to speak in whispers,
The warmth or coolness of the skin,
The pressure of the earth beneath you,
The rise and fall of the breath,
Not needing to name,
Label anything,
Just a sensing,
A feeling,
Can you feel the aliveness within,
The pulsing,
The deep quiet,
Staying here,
Resting in sensation,
As you rotate your awareness through the body,
You may imagine the deep energetic resonance of the earth rising up through you,
Like moisture drawn from rich soil,
Feeding the roots of your being,
Each part of the body touched by your attention receiving this quiet earthly medicine,
Begin by bringing your attention to the soles of the feet,
Feeling the connection to the ground,
The heel,
The arch of the foot,
The toes,
Each toe one by one,
Bathed in presence,
The tops of the feet,
The ankles,
Travelling up the lower legs,
The hips,
Shin and calves,
Soaking in earth's steadiness,
Drawing your awareness to the knees,
The space within and around them,
The thighs,
Front and back,
Heavy,
Soft,
Sinking into the ground,
Can you feel the weight of the bones,
Coming to the pelvis,
The hips,
The lower belly,
Can you feel it breathing you,
Letting go of any holding,
A fluid movement,
Allowing the energy to travel up the lower back,
As it melts into the earth,
The sides of the body,
The gentle rise and fall of the ribcage,
Can you feel the movement of your lowest rib,
Allowing the energy to rise up the chest,
Feel into the heartbeat,
Steady,
Subtle,
Perhaps catching a glimpse of the profound stillness that resides in the heart space,
Undisturbed,
Grounded,
Can you feel it,
Coming up to the upper back,
Between the shoulder blades,
A place that often holds so much,
Let it loosen,
Fall open,
Allow the shoulders to sink,
As if the weight you carry has permission to slide off,
Allow the earth to compost that weight,
Coming to the upper arms,
The elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists,
Palms,
Each finger,
Sensing the life that lives in even your smallest fingertip,
Can you feel that subtle pulsing in the palm of your hand,
Drawing awareness up to the throat,
Perhaps taking a gentle sigh here as we soften the area,
Coming to the jaw,
The cheeks,
The lips,
The ears,
The eyes resting deep in their sockets,
The forehead,
The scalp,
The crown of the head,
Feel your whole body as one,
In this light,
In this presence,
Rooted in the earth's energetic resonance,
Resting in the living web,
Let yourself settle into the wholeness of your form,
Listening and feeling,
No effort needed,
Just feeling life breathing through you,
Each inhale receiving the breath of the forest,
The oxygen of the green life all around,
Feel it enter your body,
With each exhale offer your breath back to the forest,
A quiet thank you given into the wind,
This connection with the earth that can't be broken,
Not just your breath,
But the breath of the world moving in and through you,
Rest into this shared rhythm,
Let it hold you,
Let it remind you of your place in this great circle,
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to be,
But simply be,
Resting with awareness itself,
As you breathe,
Begin to sense the world around you once more,
The subtle pull of gravity,
Just noticing,
Still held,
You might begin to deepen the breath,
Inhaling gently through the nose,
Exhaling softly out through the mouth,
Letting the breath guide you into the next moment,
Perhaps inviting some gentle movements into the toes,
The fingertips,
The soft roll of the head from side to side,
Whatever supports your return,
And when you're ready,
Only when you are ready,
Letting the eyes open and coming back into the room,
Thank you for being here,
For allowing me to guide you in today's practice,
May the space always be one that you can return to,
Whenever you need to plug back into the earth,
Thank you and namaste.
