Hello,
My name is Annie and welcome to this yoga nidra created in honour of Samhain.
The final harvest festival of the year.
Where the wheel begins to turn into the darker half of the year.
In this rest ritual we'll gently connect with the energy of the season.
Journeying through the cycle where everything starts to slow,
Surrender and transition from the external energy into internal magic.
The animals and their land prepare for rest.
The leaves shed.
Wildlife gather and hide their food for winter while creating cosy nests and others burrow deep into the soil.
Some begin to eat heavily to create extra layers for the winter to come.
So we'll pause here at the turning point in the air.
Taking a moment to realign ourselves with the rhythms of nature and allowing ourselves to be held by the changing season.
For some of us,
The arrival of the darker months can bring resistance.
But nature is always there to remind us that the darkness is not an ending.
That we don't always need to be achieving and growing and blooming.
There are seasons for that and there are also seasons for resting,
Turning inward and nourishing ourselves,
For letting go and shedding the old.
And Samhain is a powerful time for this.
To finding a comfortable place to lie down on a bed or the sofa or your yoga mat.
You might like to use an eye mask to reduce any light and gather some blankets around you to create a cozy yoga nidra space.
And once you've settled,
Allow your body to become as comfortable as possible.
Just surrendering into the surface.
As you begin to settle into this practice.
Start to notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
There's nothing you need to change or force.
Just allowing each inhale and exhale.
To arrive exactly as it is.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
Continuing here for a few rounds.
Seeing if with the exhale you can really embrace that release.
Sinking farther into the surface.
And letting your body relax.
Releasing any lingering tension so checking in with the jaw maybe giving it a little wiggle and allowing it to soften tuning in to the muscles across the forehead.
The eyebrows.
The eyes.
And then bringing some awareness to the space behind the eyes.
Letting go of holding in the body and the mind.
And now just tracing down where the body meets the earth.
Noticing those contact points.
So from the top of the head.
Following back down the spine.
Down to the legs.
Feeding where the legs meet the surface,
All the way down to the heels.
Just feeling beneath you and grounding into it.
Feeling that surface holding you through this practice today.
And as the body begins to soften.
Like to tell you a little bit about the season that we're resting in today.
And as I do.
You can simply maintain a gentle awareness of your breath.
You don't need to listen closely to every word,
Just allowing the words to wash over you.
Guiding you in to the energy of the season.
The Samhain is an ancient Gaelic and Celtic festival.
It marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.
A turning of the wheel.
When one year gives way to the next.
And the world begins its long descent into darkness.
And this is believed to be a liminal time.
When the veil between the living and the spirit world is set to grow thin.
A time to remember those who came before us.
To honour our ancestors and to feel our connection to all that exists beyond what we can see.
Traditionally,
Communities gathered around the great bonfires,
Sharing food and stories as the nights grew longer.
Keeping warmth and light alive as the earth settled into the cold winter.
This is also the season of the Kaliak,
The ancient figure of Gaelic folklore and mythology who brings winter to the land.
The archetype of the Crone,
She represents the cycles of death and rebirth,
Embodies creation,
Sovereignty and transformation.
She strips the trees bare,
Brings in frost and stillness,
And clears the way for life that will eventually emerge when spring returns.
Samhain invites us to turn towards the things that we so often try to avoid.
Endings,
Uncertainty,
Change and the quiet spaces in between.
And this energy brings us wisdom and reminders to remember that death and decay are not separate from life.
But part of its ongoing cycle.
And we do not have to be constantly growing or becoming.
We're allowed our own winters.
We're allowed to shed what no longer serves us.
To turn inward and to rest in the knowledge that stillness has its own purpose.
And so in this practice you can allow yourselves to just be here held in the quiet of this moment as the wheel turns and the earth rests beneath the dark.
So as we move into this yoga nidra practice,
We'll start by setting a sankalpa.
That Sankalpa is a positive intention for your practice.
So if you have one already,
Then you can go ahead and say that three times.
And if you don't,
Maybe this season of Samhain can inspire it.
So using the phrase,
I step into the mystery of the quiet season and release what no longer serves me.
And repeating that to yourself silently three times.
I step into the mystery of the quiet season.
Release what no longer serves me.
We'll now begin the rotation of consciousness part of the Nidra.
So just resting your awareness and attention at each body part that I name and inviting relaxation wherever needs it.
You might like to imagine a soft flicker of light resting in that space if it feels good for you,
Representing that inner light that's always within you that you can carry through the season.
Or you can just simply notice the physical sensation of each body part.
To beginning in the mouth.
Eating,
The tongue resting in the mouth.
The tip of the tongue.
The root of the tongue.
The teeth.
Gums.
The inner cheeks together.
Up a little bit.
And I love her lips.
And the whole of the mouth together.
Feeding into the jaw.
Hinge of the jaw.
Allowing some space between the teeth.
She's inviting some softening here.
Both ears together.
The outer years.
And the NAAs.
Noticing any sound that you can hear in this moment.
The nose.
The bridge of the nose.
A flow of breath at the nostrils.
The warmth of the inhalation.
And the cooling exhalation.
In both of the eyes.
New Orleans.
The space behind the eyes.
The forehead.
And space between the brows.
The temples.
And feeding into the whole of the scalp.
In the back of the head.
Down to the throat.
The jazz.
Feeling the gentle rise and fall.
Moving to the right upper arm.
The elbow.
And the forearm.
There is.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
The thumb.
Purse finger.
Second finger.
Third finger.
And the little finger.
And then feeding all of the fingers and the hand together.
Bringing in the whole of the arm,
So feeling all of the right arm and the hand and the fingers together.
And feeding the right side of the chest.
Ribcage.
The waste.
And the whole of the right thigh.
The knee.
The lower leg.
I'm cold.
Heal.
And sole of the foot.
The top of the foot.
The big toe.
And fast home.
Third toe.
The fourth toe.
And the little toe.
Expanding into the whole of the right leg and the foot and the toes together.
And now feeling into the whole of the right side.
Taking in all of the sensations in the right side of the body.
Moving over to the left arm.
The upper arm.
Elbow.
The forearm.
The rest.
Form of the hand.
The back of the hand.
Them.
Sphinx Second finger.
Third finger.
And the little finger.
And then feeding.
The fingers and the hand together.
And expanding into the whole of the left arm.
And then feeling to the left side of the chest.
In the rib cage.
A waste.
The whole of the left thigh.
Me.
Lower legs My ankle.
Heal.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
First home.
Second toe.
Third toe.
And the little toe.
Feeding.
All of the toes and the foot.
And the left leg together.
And then feeding into the whole of the left side.
Feeding both of the arms together.
And feeling both of the legs together.
All of the back and the torso.
Feeling into the whole of the head and the face.
And now feeding into the centre of the chest,
Your heart centre.
Emotional and spiritual centre.
Sensing the energy here for a moment.
And expanding that awareness to feel the whole of the body together.
Sensing the body as one.
Not separate parts,
But one field of energy.
Now noticing the body breathing.
Not the idea of the breath,
But feel the movement in the body.
The subtle rising of the belly.
Allowing this movement to happen on its own.
And now further expanding awareness to notice the space around your body.
The space just beyond the outline of your body.
Perhaps even sensing your energy field.
Allowing the edges of the body to soften a little into the space around you.
The boundary between the body and space becoming less distinct.
We'll now move into the visualisation part of the practice as I guide you on a gentle journey through Samhain.
And of course,
As always.
.
.
These prompts are just optional.
You can do whatever you like within this journey or you can just keep resting and breathing.
You find yourself in an ancient woodland.
On a cool,
Crisp evening.
And the sun is gently slipping below the horizon.
And the darkness is arriving.
The darker months can be difficult for people.
We often wish for the light to return.
That the darkness can have its own gifts.
And tonight we can practice approaching it with curiosity,
Embracing its wisdom and sensing into nature's teachings.
That the dark is equally as important as the light.
And now as the moon is full in the deep purple sky.
Bathing the forest in its silvery glow.
Your eyes start adjusting to the darkness and you find some warm flickering lights towards a gap in the trees.
A little pathway winds its way into the woodlands.
Illuminated by glowing lanterns and fairy lights hanging from the branches.
Walking towards their warm fiery glow.
The scent of cinnamon,
Bonfire and apples drift towards you.
Leading you along the path to a great crackling bonfire.
People are gathering,
Laughing and feasting around the dancing flames.
There are long wooden tables that are dressed with autumn leaves,
Late wildflowers,
Apples,
Berries and colourful squashes.
Candles flicker in shades of amber,
Gold,
Burnt orange and deep red.
Their flames dancing gently in the air.
The space feels like a reinvention of the daylight.
But laced with this new softness,
Magic and wisdom.
A light that is made to guide you in the darkness.
Perhaps now taking a moment to imagine who you would like to join you around the bonfire celebration.
This could be loved ones,
Ancestors to celebrate with in the forest,
Spirit guides or animals,
Perhaps mythological creatures or the woodland nymphs.
Whoever makes you feel most safe and at home.
This is a time when the veil thins,
So whoever you would like here can come and join you.
Together you feast on your favourite foods.
You laugh and you dance around the fire together.
You feel comforted,
Connected and warm in the celebration of another turning of the wheel.
And perhaps just spending a moment enjoying the energy of this celebration.
As everyone communes in this forest gathering,
You are given a lantern,
Decorated with beautiful patterned,
Colourful paper.
As you all gather together,
Each holding your own lantern.
They become your symbol of the light that you can carry into the darker months.
Sometimes you don't need a bright beaming light to illuminate your path.
But gentle,
Soft light that you can carry with you a few steps at a time.
And so perhaps thinking about what this lantern might represent for you.
What is something that you would like to carry with you into this coming season?
Attention,
A reminder,
Or a dream.
Perhaps more rest.
Compassion or courage.
And just imagining.
Feeling that intention being held in this place.
And now considering something you would like to let go of.
Something that as the Kaliakh brings the winter upon us,
Can freeze without a starve.
Ceasing its energy.
So it is no longer tied to you.
And now as you look around the woodland,
There is a sea of lanterns glittering.
Held by the people at this gathering.
Each one will hold a different intention.
And each person has released something different.
But together,
All of these lights illuminate in the darkness.
As you take a final moment to look around you.
Just repeating your sankalpa that we used at the start of the practice three times.
Step into the mystery of the quiet season and release what no longer serves me.
And knowing that when you leave this place in this celebration,
You can carry a piece of it with you.
And just begin to start noticing the body resting here.
Healing.
The surface beneath you.
The weight of your body.
The air against your skin.
Temperature of the room.
Start noticing the natural rhythm of your breath.
Perhaps beginning to deepen the breath.
Is bringing a little more awareness back into the physical body.
Maybe gently moving the fingers and the toes,
Rolling the shoulders,
Or stretching if that feels good.
There's no need to rush.
You can take your time.
And if you want to,
You can always spend some more time at the forest celebration.
If you're ready to wake.
And just gently opening your eyes.
At it in the light around you.
And returning slowly from this place of rest.
Perhaps carrying with you the wisdom of this season.
That the darkness is not something that we need to fear.
But to gently embrace.
Thank you so much for sharing this practice with me today.
I like to think of these practices as rest rituals,
A way of connecting with the seasons and their traditions through imagination,
Intention and deep rest.
If you feel drawn towards sharing your experience,
I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
What does this season bring up for you?
What are your hopes and dreams for the coming season and what are you choosing to release as we move into the winter?
Thank you so much.
