Winter Solstice Yoga Nidra

This Yoga Nidra for the Winter Solstice is meant to take you deep into the state of rest and regeneration. If we look to nature during this time of year, plants go dormant, animals hibernate, everything slows down and goes into deeper states of quietude and rest. This Yoga Nidra with grounding binaural beats is meant to take you into those deeper states of restoration, just like the wisdom of nature herself.

Music by Higher State of Self

Transcript

Namaste.

This is Allie and this is a yoga nidra for deep winter rest,

For the winter solstice.

As we approach this darkest moment in the northern hemisphere,

It's a really great time to allow yourself to rest deeply.

A time to slow down and reflect on this whole past year.

So taking a moment to get comfortable in your yoga nidra nest,

Be sure that you're warm and cozy,

Bringing your blankets,

A pillow behind the head,

Perhaps behind the knees.

Ensure that your whole body feels completely supported.

As you close down the eyes,

You might place a covering over top of the eyes to really embrace this darkness,

This healing darkness.

And as you continue to settle here,

Is there anything you could do to get even more comfortable,

Knowing that it's worth the extra effort to make those adjustments now?

When we embrace the natural rhythms,

All there really is to do is look to the natural wisdom.

If we look to the natural world,

This is a time of hibernation,

Of deep rest as the plants begin to go into their dormancy,

As animals cozy up for their deep,

Long rest.

A deep slumber,

Allowing yourself to be cocooned and cozy as you begin to embrace this state of deep,

Deep rest,

Feeling the support of the ground and sensing deep down into the earth,

Feeling the curving gentleness,

The rolling landscape around you.

Feeling the curving gentleness,

The rolling landscape around you,

And tapping in,

Tuning into that rhythm of nature that's becoming so slow,

Plants drying their energy deep into the root systems,

The animals deeply resting in their winter slumber,

Their hibernation,

Allowing the body to embrace this stillness,

This deep state of rest in the healing darkness of the longest night,

Allowing your mind to soften from the world of effort and planning to doing,

Just relaxing back into the state of listening,

Receptive listening,

Feeling,

Sensing and resting deeply,

Allowing your whole self,

All of the layers of you to arrive here,

Embracing this state of restorative restfulness.

Embracing this state of restorative restfulness,

And feel your whole being embracing that state of rest,

Allowing the jaw and the tongue to soften,

Letting go of all effort in the jaw,

The face,

The eyes,

The whole scalp,

Feeling the weight of the head heavy,

Releasing all expression in the muscles of the face,

Each exhale more and more effort releasing from the body,

The nervous system just inviting it to rest as you become more and more effortless,

Allowing a wave of effortless relaxation to cascade down through the whole body,

The tension gently scanning and migrating through the whole body,

Letting the whole body rest,

Trillions of cells,

You might welcome the intention now,

I am resting deeply in peace beyond words,

Or you might have a Senkalpa that you're working with,

Just calling that in now three times,

As you welcome attention to scan through the body,

Welcome a feeling now of being held and cradled by the earth beneath you,

Could you welcome the energy of slumber as if each area of the body could be embraced by the energy of slumber,

Bringing attention to all of the sensations inside of the mouth,

The whole jaw and tongue,

Sensing the teeth and the gums,

The roof of the mouth,

The inside of the right cheek,

The inside of the left cheek,

From the tip of the tongue all the way down to the root of the tongue,

The right ear,

The inner ear,

All the way out towards the folds of the ear and the earlobe and the whole outer architecture of the ear,

Noticing the right ear listening,

And then the left ear,

Towards the outer ear and the folds of the ear,

The earlobe,

The whole outer architecture of the left ear,

The ear,

Noticing the sounds,

Noticing the ear receptive to each sound,

And then the space that exists in between the ears,

Noticing the distance or the space that exists in between the ears,

Would you imagine that space as effortless,

Deeply resting,

Inviting the energy of slumber,

Both ears,

Receptive and listening,

And the space between the ears,

The center of the forehead,

From the center of the forehead,

Presence spreading in all directions towards the temples and the hairline,

Relaxing each temple,

Sensing the right eyebrow and the left eyebrow,

The right eye itself and the left eye,

The cheekbones right and left,

The bridge of the nose and the nasal flares,

The sensation of air at the tip of the nostrils,

The flow of air inside the nose,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The chin,

The throat center,

Pit of the throat,

Center of the heart,

The right shoulder,

The upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Center of the palm,

Back of the hand,

The thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third,

Little finger,

All five fingertips of the right hand,

And the space in between the fingers,

The fingertips and the space in between the fingertips,

The fingers,

Could you notice where the space within the fingertips ends and the space outside of the fingertips begins?

Just simply noticing if the space within the fingers and around the fingers begin to merge in the field of awareness and then bringing attention back to the palm,

The wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Heart center,

Left side of the chest,

Left shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third,

Middle finger,

All five fingertips of the left hand,

And the space between the fingertips,

The space between the fingers,

The left hand,

And the space between the fingertips,

All five fingertips and the space around the fingers,

Noticing if you can sense where the fingers end and the space around the fingers begins,

Or does it dissolve into a field-like quality of energy,

Space,

And radiance?

Just simply noticing.

Back to the palm of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Heart center,

Diaphragm,

Sensing the subtle rise and fall of the diaphragm as sensation,

Sensation,

Subtle rise and fall of the diaphragm,

The navel center,

The low belly,

The right side hip,

The whole thigh,

Front and back,

The knee,

The shin and the calf,

The ankle,

Heel of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And the little toe,

All five toes and the space that exists in between the toes,

Sensing the tips of the toes and sensing or imagining the space around the toes.

Could you sense where the toes end and the space around the toes begins?

Notice if you can sense where the toes end,

The boundary of the toes ends and the space around the toes begins.

Or do the toes begin to dissolve into the space around and within the toes?

Simply noticing.

And attention back to the top of the foot,

The sole of the foot,

The heel,

The heel,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Thigh,

Hip,

Low belly,

And pelvic bowl,

The whole pelvic bowl,

The left hip,

The whole left thigh,

Front and back,

The knee,

The shin and the calf,

The ankle,

Heel of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

The left heel of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And the little toe,

All five toes of the left foot simultaneously.

All five toes,

Feeling the space around the toes.

All five toes and the space around the toes.

Noticing if you can sense where the toes,

The outer most boundary of the toes ends and the space around the toes begins.

Or do they begin to merge into a field-like quality of awareness,

Tingling sensation?

Energy and space.

And attention back to the top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Heel,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

The whole thigh,

The hip,

The pelvic bowl,

The hip,

The hip,

The hip,

The hip,

The pelvic bowl,

The pelvic bowl.

Welcoming the whole body,

The whole body now,

The whole body resting deeply held by the earth,

Feeling the effortless rhythm of breath,

The whole body resting,

Feeling the inhalation,

Exhalation,

And the quiet moment at the end of the exhalation.

Feeling the inhale,

The exhale,

The wakeful resting presence,

The wakeful presence,

Feeling the exhale,

The whole body resting deeply in the state of sleep.

Feeling and sensing spacious awareness on the inhalation,

And the breath,

Exhaling deeper and deeper relaxed.

Welcoming the emptiness,

The fertile void at the end of the exhalation.

Inhaling to welcome that wakeful spacious awareness,

Exhaling deeply resting.

Feeling and sensing that sacred pause,

Welcoming the effortless state of deep rest on the deepest,

Darkest night.

Welcoming the medicine of presence itself that's already here,

That's already happening.

Could you feel or imagine yourself now,

Now completely enveloped in a cocoon of pure awareness,

Pure presence,

Body deeply resting,

Mind dissolving into that spacious awareness,

Medicine of presence.

And could you call back in your Senkalpa here,

Allowing it to be everywhere.

And sensing the earth beneath you,

The edges of your body,

Feeling the rhythm of your breath,

Already happening breath.

And as you welcome that breath,

Could you deep in the inhale,

Lengthen the exhale,

And then taking two sips in through the nose,

Letting it go through the mouth,

Two sips in,

Letting it go,

And again.

And then slowly begin to awaken your body,

Bringing small movements and gestures to the fingers and the toes,

Giving yourself as much space and time as you need to transition back to wakefulness.

You might come onto your side and simply take another moment or two feeling the earth,

The support beneath your body,

Taking a couple of deep nourishing breaths,

And allowing yourself to sort of bask in the state that you've created here within your nervous system,

Within your body.

Notice what has shifted from the beginning of this practice to this moment,

And really invite those benefits in,

Acknowledging and feeling the shifts that have occurred.

Thank you for joining me today.

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you be peaceful,

May you be free.

Namaste.

Thank you.

Reviews

I listen to this one during any season whenever I need a powernap. Works every time 😊

That was very calming, slow and soft. It helped me relax and slow down the spinning in my head. Thank you Ally ❤️

So wonderful Ally. Thank you for this gift of sacred pause.

Beautiful . 🙏

Very wonderful and nourishing! Thank u 💜🙏🏻💜 Greetings from Hamburg, Germany

Another beautiful practice. Thank you, Ally and looking forward to seeing you in January 🙏💗

So beautiful, Restorative and Healing! Thank you 😊 💚🙏

I always miss the middle of your guided meditations because I am asleep! Your voice and instructions are so gentle and calming. Thank you 🙏

Beautiful and peace filled practice. Thank you and Blessings 💖🕊

So calming, I loved feeling cocooned in pure presence. Thank you.

Thank you for this gentle glide into awareness dissolving into the oneness of being.

I’m in wintery Australia a lovely cocoon Nidra for internal rest. ❄️

Lovely again. I do wish they would en by letting us deft off…

Wonderful rest 🙏

Amazing

Very beautiful thank you Ally ❤️

Ready (or not) for a long cold winter. Thank you for this gentle practice. ☮💖🙏

Delicious, my whole being felt deeply rested and calm 💞

So relaxing 🙏🏻

Ah I feel renewed and refreshed, wonderful super duper as always!💚