The Cailleach’s Winter Embrace Yoga Nidra

Journey through the ancient wisdom of the Cailleach, the Celtic crone goddess of winter. In this Yoga Nidra (live recording), you’ll be guided into her frosty realm, where her strength, wisdom, and cycles of renewal invite you to embrace rest and introspection. With imagery of snow-covered mountains, wild winds, and her transformative power, you’ll reconnect with the beauty of surrendering to the season of stillness and regeneration. Please note this is a live recording from a Wintering Workshop.

Transcript

So,

In this comfort,

In this position of comfort and ease,

Supported and warm,

Eyes can be open or closed,

The body settling a little bit more,

Letting the ground beneath you hold you,

Cradle you,

As if the earth was coming up to meet you,

Can you find these places in the body where you meet the earth and where the earth meets you?

Invite a wave of breath to come in and exhale,

Releasing any tension,

Any unnecessary holding.

Begin to soften into stillness,

Into quiet.

Knowing that you are held by the earth,

That you are safe,

Connected and grounded here.

In this practice of yoga nidra,

We set an intention as sankalpa,

It could be for this practice,

Maybe there is something on your mind you need a little bit of guidance with,

Maybe there's an idea that you are wanting to bring fruition to and need a little nudge in the way of creativity,

Maybe it's deeper rest or healing,

To receive or just to be open to wisdom.

If you have an intention,

Mentally repeat it here three times and if not,

You might like,

I honour the wisdom of my cycles and the power within me to transform.

I honour the wisdom of my cycles and the power within me to transform.

And trust that it will unfold,

The sankalpa,

In its own time.

Turn the attention now again to the breath,

Noticing each breath in and each breath out.

Expansion on the inhale and a grounding or even more earthing on the exhale.

A fullness on the inhale and an emptying on the exhale.

Breathing in,

I know I am breathing in,

Breathing out,

I know I am breathing out.

Now we take our awareness on a journey around the body as each part is named,

Letting your focus,

Your attention come to each part or you might like to repeat each part mentally to yourself.

Bringing the awareness now to the right hand,

Sensing the thumb,

The index finger,

Middle finger,

The fourth finger and the little finger,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The entire hand and then the wrist,

The right forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

The shoulder,

The space between the collarbones.

And then focus some attention down to the left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Fourth finger and the little finger.

Feel the palm of your left hand,

The back of the hand,

The entire hand,

The left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder and then back to that space between the collarbones.

Let the awareness move to the right side of the chest and then to a space at the centre of the chest,

To the left side of the chest and to a space back at the centre of the chest.

Then over to the right waist,

Come back to the navel,

To the left waist and then back to the navel.

Let the awareness now move to the right hip,

The knee,

The ankle,

The top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

The right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and the little toe.

Then over and across to the left hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Ankle,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

The left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and then the little toe.

Let the awareness now move to the backs of the heels,

Backs of the knees,

The back of the pelvis,

Along the spine,

The lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

The back of the neck,

The back of the head,

Top of the head,

The forehead,

The right eyebrow and the left eyebrow,

The right eyelid and the left eyelid,

The right ear and the left ear,

Right cheekbone,

Left cheekbone,

Right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Tip of the nose,

Top lip,

Bottom lip,

Tip of the chin,

The space between the collarbones,

The space at the centre of the chest,

The space at the navel,

The space behind the pubic bones.

Let that awareness then travel back to the space at the centre of the chest,

The heart centre,

Allow it to rest here,

Feel or sense or imagine that gentle rise and fall of the breath with each inhale and exhale.

Imagine the breath as a soft winter wind moving in and out,

Weaving around you like a comforting blanket of air.

Let this breath guide you deeper into relaxation.

Picture yourself if you like standing on a quiet snow-dusted hillside,

The landscape is vast and still,

The air crisp and clear.

You see frost shimmering on the ground,

Reflecting the soft light of a full winter moon above.

Ahead of you,

A path winds up towards an ancient cairn,

A mound of stones nestled at the summit.

This is the realm of the Cagliac,

The wise woman of winter.

You begin to walk towards the cairn,

Each step steady,

Your breath synchronised with the rhythm of your movement.

The land whispers to you,

Memories of ancient times,

The wisdom of the earth,

And you feel deeply connected to this sacred place.

As you reach the cairn,

You see the wise woman,

The Cagliac,

She stands tall,

Cloaked in a robe of midnight blue,

Her hair wild like winter winds,

Her skin tinged with frost.

Her presence is both powerful and tender,

An invitation to step closer.

She gazes at you,

Her eyes like deep wells of wisdom and gestures for you to sit beside her on a stone.

You feel her warmth despite the chill of the air,

A reminder of the hidden life within the stillness of winter.

She begins to speak,

Her voice like the sound of snow falling,

Soft yet resonant.

She tells you that winter is a time for rest,

For gathering strength,

For honouring the cycles of life.

She reminds you that just as the earth rests beneath the frost,

You too need to rest to prepare for the seasons ahead.

You watch her now as she reaches into her cloak and offers you a small object,

A gift just for you.

What is it?

A stone,

A seed,

A piece of wisdom?

Receive your gift from the Cagliac with gratitude,

Feel its weight in your hands,

Its meaning in your heart.

This gift is a symbol of what you need to carry forward from this moment,

A reminder of your own resilience and connection to the cycles of life.

The Cagliac rises and as she does,

The frost around her begins to sparkle as though the land itself is alive with her energy.

She places a hand on your shoulder,

A gesture of blessing,

And then she slowly fades into the snowy landscape,

Leaving you filled with a sense of peace and clarity.

You turn and begin to walk back down the path,

Feeling the gift you carry and the wisdom she shared.

Each step takes you closer to your waking self but her presence remains with you,

A guide for the days ahead.

So you now bring your awareness back to your breath,

Noticing each breath in and each breath out,

Feeling the gentle rise and fall of the belly and chest,

The support of the earth underneath you,

And we leave a few moments of silence to welcome in the deeper rest,

Healing,

Wisdom,

Insight.

I'll mind the time and then you'll hear my voice welcoming you back,

Signaling that our yoga has come to its end.

But for the moment,

Rest,

Rest deeply.

I'll mind the time.

I honor the wisdom of my cycles and the power within me to transform.

I honor the wisdom of my cycles and the power within me to transform.

As we begin to bring this practice of yoga nidra to its completion,

Bring the awareness back to the breath,

The rise and fall,

Each inhale bringing a sense of wakefulness back to the whole body and mind,

The earth steady and solid underneath,

Welcoming movements into fingers and toes,

Returning to this space around you,

Carrying the kalyaks wisdom with you.

Take a moment to honor this experience and thank yourself for this gift of rest and connection.

This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.