Yoga Nidra - Starlight & Moons

A deeply restful yoga nidra using imagery of waxing/waning moons, starlights, and cosmos. Inviting the body to surrender to the earth and allow gratitude, acceptance, and forgiveness. This is a recording of a live nidra session at the time of the waning moon. The Sankalpa used, if you like, is "I support and nourish myself wholeheartedly and with compassion".

Transcript

Come to settle down, Do whatever it is now that you need to do to get yourself warm and comfortable. And then when you get warm and comfortable, Ask yourself, Is there anything I can do now to make myself 10% more comfortable? Is there anything I can do to make myself 10% more comfortable? And you may, You know, Put a pillow under your head, Something under your knees, An extra blanket, If you feel comfortable, Something over your eyes, Your eyes can be open otherwise. So if you're feeling maybe a little bit depressed, Or if you're feeling that you might fall asleep and you want to stay awake for the practice, You can keep your eyes open. Hands can rest onto the belly, The palms can be up or down, Totally up to you. This is your practice. So as you begin to settle down, Welcome yourself into this space now that you have created for yourself, Giving yourself permission for the next 15 or 20 minutes to nourish and to invite a sense of deep rest and calm into your whole being. You're giving yourself permission to do this now. So settling down even more, Can you become aware of the form that your body takes on the earth? Can you notice where the body is being supported by the earth? And that strong, Steady, Stable earth underneath you, Grounding you. So as the body takes this form of support from the earth, Perhaps it may allow us to surrender a little bit more into the earth, So that the next time that you breathe out, And perhaps every breath exhale after that, There's a little sense of letting go a little bit more, Trusting that the earth is underneath you, Giving you that support. And then with that breath, Noticing the ebb and flow or that waxing and waning of the breath. If it's not comfortable to breathe in and out through the nose, Of course you may breathe in and out through the mouth or in through the nose, Out through the mouth. But each breath in invites a sense of relief. So as you breathe out, Slowly moving down, Letting go that waning breath. So staying with that breath, Waxing breath, The full breath, Expansion on the inhale, And then that waning breath moving out on the exhale. And as you continue to use this breath, Perhaps it is noticeable after every inhale, After every exhale, There's a slightly more sense of relief. So as you continue to use this breath, Perhaps it is noticeable after every inhale, After every exhale, Perhaps it is noticeable after every inhale, After every exhale, There's a slight little pause, There's a little switch over as the next breath begins. Can you notice that pause? And if you like, You may visualize at the top of your inhale, Your waxing breath, That full moon, That full, Bright full moon, And then on the exhale, As you're breathing out, As it's waning, As the breath, The moon is waning down to the dark or the new moon in that space, And then continuing with that cycle, And the breath reminding us and the moon reminding us of this cycle of life, This cycle of breath. So as you continue to breathe, Just know that from time to time, There may be a little silence, A space for silence, And particularly at the end, I'll leave a little space for silence. And that is to allow our inner wisdom or any guidance or more deep rest to happen. And know that I am here, I've got everything plugged in, A super duper internet. And that from time to time, There will be a silence, But I will still be here. So as you continue to have that waxing and waning breath, And as you continue to surrender the body to the earth, Noticing in the body, Is there any areas of holding, Any areas of tension? Any areas of resistance? And if there is an area of resistance or tension or a niggle, Can you offer the body some love and compassion? Can you be present and notice what is happening without judgment, Without judgment, Without criticism? And if you like, If you have a Sankalpa, An intention, A positive statement and affirmation, You may repeat that mentally three times. Or you may like the one that I have offered for the waning moon, Which is I support and nourish myself, And I offer the body some love and compassion. I support and nourish myself wholeheartedly and with compassion. I support and nourish myself wholeheartedly and with compassion. So Yoga Nidra is a form of awareness. And this form of awareness now we're going to take around the body. And as each body part is mentioned, If you like, You may place a twinkling star on each part. Or you may like to just sense, Feel or imagine that area. But beginning with the right hand thumb. So all the focus, All the attention centered on the right hand thumb. And if you like, Placing a star, A twinkling star on the thumb. And then the awareness moving over to the index finger and perhaps a star landing there. Then the middle finger, The fourth finger, The fifth finger, The little finger. And then at the back of the hand awareness or the twinkling star to the back of the hand, The palm of the hand, The wrist, The elbow, The top of the arm, The shoulder, The armpit, Right side of the chest, Right side of the waist, The right hip, The thigh front and back, The knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Top of the foot, Sole of the foot, Instep of the right foot, The right big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, And the fifth toe, All the toes of the right foot. And the whole right side of the body is twinkling with little stars. Or perhaps you have the awareness in the whole of the right side of the body. And then we let that awareness come over to the left hand thumb. And then the index finger, Middle finger, Fourth finger, Little finger, And maybe the stars are twinkling on the fingers. And then at the back of the hand, The palm of the hand, The wrist, The elbow, Top of the arm, The shoulder, The armpit, The left side of the chest, Left side of the waist, The left hip, The thigh front and back, The knee, The shin, The calf, The ankle, The top of the foot, Sole of the foot, Instep of the left foot, The left big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe, All the toes on the left foot. In fact, The whole of the left side of the body, The whole of the left side of the body twinkling, Stars twinkling. And then both heels, The backs of the knees, The back of the pelvis or the sacrum, The lower back, All up along the spine, The right shoulder blade, Left shoulder blade, Back of the left foot, Left shoulder blade, Back of the head, And then the crown of the head. So now the whole body twinkling with these stars. And if you like, At the crown of the head, Sense, Feel or imagine the dark or the new moon, So the moon that doesn't show itself to us, That dark moon. And then in between the eyebrows, A crescent moon. And then at the throat area, A half moon. And then at the heart center, The center of the chest, Sense, Feel or imagine a full bright shining moon. And then a crescent moon as this moon begins to wane, A crescent moon, A half moon at the navel as this moon begins to wane, A half moon at the navel, And then a crescent moon at the sacrum, And then the dark moon again at the tailbone. So the whole body now twinkling like a constellation of stars and the different moons shining at the different parts of the body. And the whole body is resting in stillness, In deep rest. The whole body resting, The whole body resting and twinkling. And the next time that you breathe out, Letting go, Releasing these stars, Releasing these moons and see them float above you, Floating up into the dark velvet sky above. And as they land in the sky, The sky begins to shine brightly on these stars and this constellation of your body and these moons all shining brightly above you in the sky. And at the same time, Sense, Feel or imagine the weight of the body onto the earth, The earth holding you, Protecting you, Strong, Stable, Solid, And above you then that expansive cosmos, That far-reaching sky with the constellation of different stars twinkling and the different lunar cycles, The different moons across the sky, And that expansive freedom all around you. And then how would it be again, Bringing the awareness to the body resting on the earth? Sense, Feel or imagine the earth grounded, Heavy, Solid, Surrendering a little bit more into that trusting of the earth, That heaviness of the earth. And then the next time you breathe out, You feel that heaviness of the earth. And then the awareness again back, Back into that opposite sensation of freedom, Expansion and open sky and light and twinkling. And then see how it is for you to go from one, From that heavy holding, From that grounded earthiness to that open expansive sky. How would it be to go from one to the other and then hold both sensations at the same time, Holding both sensations of that connection to the earth and of that connection to the cosmos, Both at the same time? How would that be? How would that be? And then we let our focus, Our awareness come to the Chitticash, The mind's eye, Leaving a little bit of silence here now for any of that inner wisdom, That deep healing, That guidance, That rest. And I'll mind the time. DCM Beginning to welcome yourself back. And if this is the practice you're using to help you to rest a little bit more and to sleep, Know that as we bring our yoga nidra practice to its completion that you have this chance to roll over, Change position and continue with your night's rest. And if you're anywhere else in the world and you have time to rest on a little bit more, You are of course welcome to do this too. If you're feeling that you need to welcome in a little bit more of sounds that you can hear around you. Welcome in a sense of smell the next time that you breathe in. A sense of taste as you swallow. And then welcome in a little bit of movement into fingers and toes and hands and feet. When you feel ready, Come and roll over onto your side, Whatever side is comfortable. Thanks Karen, Thanks there Marie. And if you like repeating to yourself again, I support and nourish myself wholeheartedly and with compassion. I support and nourish myself wholeheartedly and with compassion. This is exactly what you've been doing by taking this time out to do the practice of yoga nidra. For it is at this time that we move inwards, That we come to rest before we reach the new moon, Ready to go again. As you gently bring yourself back up to seated know that this practice of yoga nidra is now complete. This practice of yoga nidra is now complete. So I encourage you to close your practice if you like joining me on the palms together or hands resting over the heart center. May all be well, May all be happy, May all be free from suffering. May all be well, May all be happy, May all be free from suffering. Thank you so much. Great Nils, Fantastic. Lovely, Great Mark, Brilliant, I love it. You're welcome, Patricia. So fantastic to connect with you. So good. So if anyone's hanging around, Hi Anita, Thank you. If anyone's hanging around, I have a card that I take from the Wildwood at the end of the practice. So I can hang around and see what that is. It was an interesting one. And if anyone feels like they want to make a little donation, It is always, Always very much appreciated. It allows me to come here and share this practice with you and it allows Insight Timer to keep sharing all this wonderful free stuff and access for anyone who may not be in a position, I'm just turning on my heater here, In a position to pay for anything. So if you feel like making a donation, It is always, Always very, Very welcome. Thanks, Alison. Great. I love the stars. I love them. So if you're hanging around for the card, If you're not, I'm here again next week. If you're hanging around for the card, This is quite a nice one. It's not the Spring Equinox yet. Thanks, Michelle. Thanks, Patricia. It's not the Spring Equinox yet. That's the 21st of March. But the card that I pulled was the Archer. Hi, Evelyn, Was the Archer. So you can see her there. She's actually got two fabulous wolfhounds to the each side of her there as well. So the Archer stands at the Spring Equinox on March 21st. And it's interesting that I pulled this one because I'm doing a little bit of study into this as I'm doing a workshop at some stage with a friend of mine. So this is where this lovely card comes from, The Wildwood Tarot. She holds a broad long bow poised in the act of release. Thanks, Gail. The bow is made of Mere Heath design. Now, If anyone knows their bows, I haven't a clue. The fletchings are of goose feather taken from the right wing and the arrowhead is flint. The gazer's gaze is focused and steady as she looks beyond the arrow into the sky, Holding the tension between the bow and the sinew bow string with controlled and relaxed intent. She wears a simple amulet and appears serene and confident, Yet full of purpose. By her side wait two great hunting dogs, Messengers of the power she holds within herself. I think they look like wolfhounds. So the bow's importance for most of early mankind, Both as a tool for survival and for defense, Cannot be underestimated. It is for this reason, Perhaps, That it has also become a spiritual symbol and that the drawing and releasing of an arrow is sometimes seen as a ritualistic practice in its own right. For many, The bow is a powerful link to our past and the patience required to master it connects the archer with the ancient life or death experience. Now what else? Reading points. The dawn of a new adventure, Folded in the web of universal potential, Waits for you to string the bow of your imagination and lose the arrows of creativity. This is a time to be bold and commit to the hunting of new life and a better relationship with the world, As well as the fulfillment of wholesome ambition. Take a moment to gather your tools and steady your state of mind. Take careful stock of what you want to achieve, Why and how you will go about it. Then harness your potential by filling your quiver with all the talents, Knowledge and cunning you possess and string the bow of burning gold with the arrows of desire. Take a deep breath and be calm. It's time to let your soul take flight. So I hope that's resonated with somebody out there. And it's, It's interesting because this this waning moon before we come up to the dark moon, The new moon is that time where you kind of, You do draw back, You draw back a little. So that once we get over the dark moon, Once we get into the full moon, You're like, Ready to go again. You start feeling fuller again. So it is quite imperative at this time to rest if that is feeling, If that is a feeling that you're thinking you need to do. Thanks, Mary. You're very, Very kind. So my lovelies, I shall leave you here and hopefully see you next week. I hope everyone who your first time for was your first time you doing yoga need that it won't be your last time doing yoga needra. Great, Allison. Yes. Do you know it's such a lovely, But it's such a lovely book as well. That connection with nature, I think, For a lot of us at this time, We're finding that nature can be of a great solace and inspiration as well. So even if it is, Even if you don't, If you don't have access to a garden, But to even plant something on your windowsill and to create that little bit of connection with that nature, With that life, With that thing that happens that we have no control over. But the wondrousness of all of that as well. It is such a nice thing to be connected with. Thank you so much, Everybody.

Reviews

Not for sleeping but very relaxing. Silence and chimes before ending. Live event Archer tarot card reading. 4/30/24