The Universe Supports You - Yoga Nidra

Dissolve into a galaxy of connection. This Nidra brings in the feeling of support from loving ancestors, anyone that's ever believed in you, and the whole entire cosmos.

Inspiration and a quote used in this Nidra were from the song "Across the Universe" by the Beatles

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra.

My name is Anna Borchardt.

Begin to set yourself up for practice.

Let's explore the space within.

As you settle in and lie yourself down,

Take a moment to tend to your comfort.

Place a cover over your eyes.

Lay your arms by your side,

Palms up.

Legs about hip width apart,

Perhaps a pillow under your knees.

Allow your feet to relax out to either side.

As you begin to find stillness,

Notice all the points of contact your body makes to the surface beneath you.

Feel your body's weight on the earth,

And soften into that weight just a little more.

With each breath you take,

Allow your inhale to bring lightness to your front body,

And each exhale to lull your back body closer to the ground.

Inhale,

Lighter,

Exhale,

Heavier.

And as you do,

Start to become aware of the space in between.

The more you surrender your body to the earth,

Imagine that what you're lying on begins to feel like warm,

Shallow water.

With a rippled sandy bottom,

Cushioning your bones.

It's as if you're relaxing like a starfish in the shallows of a bay,

Completely sheltered.

Notice that the more you relax,

The better it feels.

And the better it feels,

The more you relax.

You are completely supported and held here.

Open a box with a lid in front of you.

It's a beautifully crafted box.

Into this box,

Place any thoughts of anticipation or hesitations you may have about the practice.

Close the lid and allow the box to gently float away in the soft breeze of your exhale.

Some of your thoughts are important,

And you can have them back at any time you choose.

But for now,

Allow the thoughts you place in the box to be sent away.

We will take a few breaths together.

Let me describe it first.

You will begin by breathing in through the nose for a count of five.

Filling up completely,

Beginning with your belly,

Then your ribs,

And then your shoulders.

Hold the breath for another count of five.

An option here while holding the breath to send a squeeze from the pelvic floor up your spine to the crown of your head.

And then release through your mouth all at once,

Squeezing it out for a count of ten.

I will guide you through it.

First,

Exhale and empty as much as you can.

Within 1 2 3 4 5 Hold 1 2 3 4 5 Out 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 In 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Hold 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8,

9,

10.

In 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Hold 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8,

9,

10.

In 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Out 1,

2,

3,

4,

5.

Now allow your breath to become effortless,

Completely effortless.

Begin to observe your body breathing as if you're watching the sweet rise and fall of a sleeping child.

That child who only recently was active and awake,

Now lying completely still,

Like an angel,

So innocent and so loved.

And you marvel at how they can do both so beautifully.

Bring awareness towards your heart,

This trusted drum that's been keeping you alive since before your birth.

Its rhythms and intelligent design brings blood to the lungs,

Then pumps this oxygen-rich blood throughout the whole entire body,

Feeding you with life.

Take a moment to feel appreciation for your heart and for all it does.

This is where we begin the practice of Yoga Nidra.

Allow this gratitude to emanate from your heart and fill your whole chest.

Let it now swell outward in the space beyond your chest and beyond your skin,

And out to the right side of your body,

The whole right side of your body,

And out to your left,

The whole left side of your body,

Out in front of you,

And out behind you,

Out from your crown and outward from your feet.

As it all joins together,

Your whole body rests in a cocoon of loving heart energy.

If you have a sankalpa,

Begin to repeat it to yourself three times.

A sankalpa brings forth the seed of your heart's desire to step into your own power.

This seed comes from within you,

Waiting to be released and for you to believe it.

The words are simple and direct,

Set in present tense,

As if it's already true.

For example,

I am loved,

I am whole,

Or it may be an intention to stay aware,

I am aware,

Whichever feels the most needed.

And with awareness directed towards your heart,

Allow the presence here to take the form of a little golden star.

The star alights and begins to move in slow motion around your heart,

Creating a tail of light behind it.

This slow motion shooting star begins to move in a clear path from your heart,

Through your chest,

Through the center of your throat,

Through the roof of your mouth and the pituitary gland,

Then passing through the midbrain and lands at your brow center.

Then float the star back to the midbrain,

Where we find the pineal gland.

A few orbits of its golden tail bathes the pineal gland in light,

Asking it to activate.

Move the star back to the brow center,

You leave it there,

And let it create space.

Move your awareness to the center of the throat,

Drop another star,

And drop a little star at all the points that follow.

Right shoulder joint,

Right elbow joint,

Right wrist joint,

And drop a star at the tip of the right thumb,

Tip of the right index finger,

Tip of the right middle finger,

Tip of the right ring finger,

And tip of the right pinky finger.

A new star at the center of the right wrist,

Center of the right elbow,

Center of the right shoulder,

And center of the throat.

Left shoulder joint,

Left elbow joint,

And left wrist joint.

Star at the tip of the left thumb,

Tip of the left index finger,

Tip of the left middle finger,

Tip of the left ring finger,

And tip of the left pinky finger.

Drop a star at the center of the left wrist,

Center of the left elbow,

Center of the left shoulder,

And center of the throat,

And center of the chest,

Right nipple,

Center of the chest,

Left nipple,

And center of the chest.

Connect your awareness to your solar plexus,

A space between your ribs and belly button.

Drop a star there.

Now navel center,

Two inches below your belly button,

Drop a star.

Right hip joint,

Right knee joint,

Right ankle joint,

Tip of the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

A star at the center of the right ankle,

Center of the right knee,

Center of the right hip.

Navel center,

Two inches below your belly button,

Left hip joint,

Left knee joint,

Left ankle joint,

Tip of the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

Star at the center of the left ankle,

Center of the left knee,

Center of the left hip,

Navel center,

Solar plexus,

Heart center,

Center of your throat,

And back to brow center.

Feel your whole body light up with all the stars placed throughout you,

Like a constellation coming alive in the shape of you.

The constellation begins to lift and widen,

Floating out into the space above your body.

Now begin to bring this constellation back inside your body and make it smaller than yourself,

And smaller still.

Can you bring it in so small that it fits inside a cell?

Just laid out in the shape of you on a cellular level.

Begin expanding it again.

Make it larger than your body and bring it way out and above you.

Stay here for a moment and feel into this opened,

Lit up space.

Now here we will explore pairs of opposites.

Looking down to where your body lies,

Imagine that in the space between your front and back body,

What you see there is an expanse of deep,

Still water.

The quiet surface is calm and at peace.

Imagine that you can let a drop of water fall whenever you want,

And that drop contains a feeling.

And in that first drop is the sensation of feeling stagnant.

Let the feeling of stagnation,

However that feels to you,

Spread from where the drop fell.

The waters of emotion stand still,

Where any trickle of water in gets swallowed up by the swamp.

Notice what all life in this stagnant water longs for.

Release stagnation and let a new drop fall that carries the sensation of free flowing energy.

What does it feel like to flow freely?

Let this feeling wash over you.

Feel and sense free flowing energy throughout your body,

As if there's no beginning and there is no end.

Feel your whole body come alive with abundant flowing.

Release and return to stillness and feel grounded in your whole body.

Let a drop fall into these waters within.

This drop contains sorrow.

Feel fully into the deep,

Pure pool of sorrow within you.

Release sorrow now.

You will bring harmony by diving into its opposite.

Now let a drop fall that's filled to the brim with joy.

And when that drop hits the water,

Waves of joy begin to swell throughout your opened mind and body.

Let each wave reverberate through all of you as deeply rooted joy touches every hidden corner and every cell.

Open yourself fully to overflowing joy as if it were the most natural thing ever felt.

Now let the surface find stillness,

A neutral and glass-like surface,

And feel your whole body.

Your whole body is felt now.

Direct your awareness to all your stars still twinkling above the water surface.

Look down and see that the whole star system is reflected on the peaceful surface beneath you.

And not only are your stars reflected,

But the stars begin to multiply,

To include the stars of all your loving ancestors down the line,

Throughout all ages,

To the beginning of it all.

Ancestors whose names and faces you may have never known,

Whose bones have long been returned to the elements.

Can you open yourself to receive the tenderness with which they marvel at you?

Limitless undying love shines around you like a million suns.

It calls you on and on across the universe.

And the stars continue to multiply,

To include every benevolent being that's ever touched your life.

There are more of them than you could have ever imagined.

You become filled with the knowing that you are completely loved and supported here.

Your inner world is as infinite as the night sky,

Reflected in the glassy mirror of the ocean.

I float here in this illuminated galaxy of connection.

And the stars continue to multiply,

To include every benevolent being that's ever touched Begin now to repeat the same Samkalpa from the beginning of practice,

Three times.

Let it bring you back and anchor you into your body.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Invite stronger inhales and let your breath compel you to move and stretch.

Stretch along and big.

Place your hands on your body.

Take your time and when you're ready,

Roll over to one side.

Rise into a sitting position and gently bow your head.

Take a moment to remember this experience and how you feel.

Use it to set an intention for your day.

Hariyom Tatsant.

Reviews

Thank you very much for sharing this with the community

How this nidra has touched my soul is profound.

Really enjoyed it!

Wow! I loved this. Thank you! I’ll be returning often here 🙏🏼🙏🏼

💫🪷💫 bookmarked and recommended! Keep shining 💫

Thank you

Just beautiful-thank you so much.🙏💜🌟

So emotional and creative ✨⭐️

Loved this!

Such a beautiful experience. Thank you. ✨💖✨

Limitless undying love shines around you like a million suns ….thank you 💖

So sweet

Namaste

Beautiful, unusual yoga nidra. I love the imaginary, the dropping of the stars and the water drops, also the constellation expanding and condensing. Nourishing, calming practice and lovely voice. Thank you

Anna, thank you so very much. Beautiful nidra

Fantastic!!!

Brilliant imagery.... a wonderful nidra experience. I will return and hope for more.