Elemental Yoga Nidra Journey

Yoga Nidra, or Non-Sleep Deep Rest, is a relaxing somatic meditative journey. This practice is trauma-informed, and includes the cultivation of of an Inner Sanctuary for resourcing, as well as a detailed body scan, alternate nostril breath, and an elemental somatic experience.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,

Also known as non-sleep deep rest.

In this practice,

We explore the space between all things.

We'll exchange thinking for feeling and move and expand beyond the limits of the thinking mind and gain access to the deepest part of ourselves,

Way beyond our perceived identity,

Down into the limitless awareness that quietly resides underneath it all.

A place where all effort is surrendered,

Where there is no doing,

Just being.

So let's prepare the body for our practice by just taking a moment and noticing how you're feeling in your body right now.

Are you holding or carrying any residual tension or stress from your day?

And if so,

Gently shake that off,

Really physically just shake it off in any way that feels good,

Stretching or moving the body in some way.

And then settling down into the breath and just bringing some awareness into the breath.

Let's just deepen it a little,

Just extending the inhalation and extending the exhalations.

Just deepening the breath,

A few deep breaths just like that in and out through the nose.

Can you start to feel the body shift or release its gentle grip or hold?

And when you're ready,

You can settle into a supported resting position,

Whether that's seated or laying down.

Make sure that you're supporting your body with pillows and blankets to make yourself comfortable for an extended resting practice.

Securing the doors,

Putting your phone on silent and allowing yourself permission to take this intentional resting time.

And as you lie back and rest here in this space,

Just for a moment,

Take a look around the space that you're in.

Letting the eyes roam around,

Looking into all the corners,

Noticing the shadows,

The textures and the shapes in the room.

And then when you're ready,

You can soften the gaze or completely close the eyes and feel the spheres of the eyeballs sink deep down inside their sockets,

Surrendering them now to rest.

Just start to notice all of the sounds that you can hear right now.

Reaching out for the sounds in the far distance,

Sounds inside the space,

Layered with the sounds of your own body,

All mixed together.

All of the sounds.

And let your attention roam around feeling into the temperature of the air as it touches your skin.

The smell of the space,

Allowing all aromas to come to you.

Feeling the support of the chair or floor beneath you,

Sinking into those points of contact.

Feeling into the shape of the mouth,

Releasing the musculature,

Allowing the tongue to gently rest on the roof with the tip just behind the two front teeth.

And then allow the body to rest here and feel the body breathe.

Can you let go a little more?

Sinking down into the embrace of gravity here as if you're being held by Mother Earth herself.

Feel the body sink down into that embrace as it exhales.

You may find in this practice that your attention roams and drifts,

Which is a perfectly natural part of the process.

You can allow yourself to roam freely or come back to the anchor of my voice.

This is your rest practice.

And we'll begin here by bringing to mind now a holy or sacred place.

Calling to mind a place that you consider holy or sacred in some way.

This could be a place that you've been before,

A place you'd like to go,

Or a place that you imagine all of your own.

Just allow yourself to travel there.

And as you plant yourself inside this holy place,

Begin to look around at all of the details.

What is the weather like here now?

What time of day is it?

Do you notice moonlight or candle glow?

What are the sounds that you can hear?

Maybe water or music?

Sounds of nature?

What does it smell like here?

Now,

Sink down deeper inside the body and notice how the body feels inside this sacred place.

How does the body experience this holy place?

Physically,

What do you feel?

Where do you feel it?

What does it feel like?

Now if you'd like,

Invite in anyone or anything you'd like to join you here in this inner sanctuary you've created.

A guide,

A loved one,

An animal,

A sacred object.

And as you invite in their presence,

See if you can feel physically the supportive presence.

And then reach into the space at the base of the heart and feel around the edges,

Feeling the bottom of the heart here.

And here at this altar of the heart,

Inside your inner sanctuary,

We'll find our intention,

Our Sankalpa for our practice today.

We do that by asking this space here,

What is it that my heart truly desires in this lifetime?

If my heart could make a wish,

What would that wish be?

Right now?

Just allow whatever comes to rise to the surface,

No criticisms,

No judgment.

Allowing this desire to fully saturate the body,

Marinating in this sensation of heart's desire.

And then allow yourself to feel what could it feel like if this wish were to come true right now in this next moment?

What could that feel like?

Let yourself go there.

What could it feel like to have this wish fulfilled?

Breathing into all the sensations here.

And when you're ready,

Finding your intention,

Your Sankalpa,

By affirming this as truth,

I am supported and loved.

I am rested and move with ease.

Or I trust myself.

Whatever this is for you.

Affirm this heart's desire three times.

And then let it go.

Feeling now the lips gently curl up with appreciation and gratitude.

Knowing that you can always return to this inner sanctuary at any time in the practice,

Or any circumstance or location.

This is your inner sanctuary.

Now feel the shape of the body resting in its supports.

Just start to reach down into the soles of the feet.

Feeling the shape of the feet,

The heels,

The arches,

The balls,

And the big toes,

The second toes,

The third toes,

The fourth toes,

And the pinky toes.

Feeling all the sensation on the tops of the feet.

And all the sensation inside the ankles.

Just feeling all that's there.

Can you pick up on any subtle vibration?

Or buzz?

Feeling now the lower legs and the calves.

The space inside the knees.

Feeling the thighs and the backs of the thighs,

The buttocks,

And the hips,

The belly,

And the pelvis,

The whole bowl of the pelvis,

The navel,

And the low back.

Feeling sensations saturate the whole back,

Middle back,

Both shoulder blades,

The tops of the shoulders.

Sensation wrapping around the shape of the rib cage,

The center of the chest.

Feeling both collarbones and all the space inside the shoulder joints,

The upper arms.

Sensation in the elbows,

The forearms,

The wrists,

The palms,

The thumbs,

And the index fingers,

Middle fingers.

Ring fingers and pinky fingers.

Feeling into the knuckles of all 10 fingers and both hands together,

Radiant with sensation.

Both arms together.

Flowing back up the back of the neck.

All the sensation where the back of the skull meets its support.

The crown of the head,

The left outer ear,

The left inner ear,

The right outer ear,

And the right inner ear.

Feeling into all the space between the ears and reaching out through the space between the eyebrows.

Spaciousness between the eyebrows.

The left eyelid,

The right eyelid,

The left eyeball,

The right eyeball,

The left cheek,

The right cheek,

The left nostril,

The right nostril,

The upper lip,

Lower lip,

Corners of the mouth,

The chin,

And jaw.

The teeth,

The gums,

The tip of the tongue,

The back of the throat,

The center of the throat.

Back down into the center of the heart space.

Feeling the breath flowing in and out through the center of the heart.

Now,

Can you feel the whole front side of the body as one long unit of sensation?

Breathing down into the back side of the body.

All of the sensation in the back side of the body.

Feeling what's present in the left side of the body and all that's there on the right side of the body.

Feeling all of the sensation inside the body and on the outside of the body.

All at once.

The whole body glowing with sensation.

Radiant.

Whole body full of sensation.

Just feeling how the body can effortlessly breathe.

Receiving as the body inhales.

Releasing as the body exhales.

Beautiful,

Effortless waves of breath washing in and out.

Just starting to notice the sensations at the left nostril.

Feeling how the breath moves here at the entrance to the left nostril.

Feeling the breath expanding out into the left side of the body and just feeling how the breath comes alive in the left side of the body.

Crossing over the midline now to the right nostril.

Just sensing how the breath moves here at the entrance of the right nostril.

Can you feel the breath moving through the whole right side of the body?

In and out.

Right side.

Now at the top of the next inhalation,

Notice how the breath can just slide over the midline and exhale out the left nostril.

Inhaling back in through the left side.

At the top of the inhalation,

The breath crosses the midline to release out the opposite side.

Inhaling through right side.

Crossing over and exhaling out the left side.

Feeling the breath crossing over the midline at the top of each inhalation.

Inhaling and exhaling side to side.

Breathing back and forth.

Inhaling right.

Exhaling left.

Inhaling left.

Exhaling right.

And so on.

One minute on your own.

Back and forth.

And when you're ready,

Releasing all effort now and just falling back and down into this practice.

Noticing all that's present.

Any thoughts,

Emotions,

Or beliefs,

Allowing them and welcoming them just as they are.

Just feeling how heavy the body is now.

Body heavy and dense like earth.

Every breath,

The body sinks a little deeper into the earth.

Body full of earth.

Solid and stable.

And starting to feel into all of the liquid sensations inside the body.

Can you feel open waterways,

Arteries and veins,

Places where liquid pools.

Feeling into the tides of the inner ocean.

Liquid sensations.

Can you feel that gentle warmth in the belly?

Just sensing into this internal fire.

And all of the heat that radiates from the belly.

Feeling the glow of sensation radiate out.

Expanding throughout the entire body.

Sensations of heat and warmth.

Basking in this gentle fire in the belly.

Can you feel which direction the breezes are blowing inside the body?

Can you feel the subtle shifting of the winds?

Blowing through the inner landscape.

Winds blowing around inside all of this space.

Open spaciousness.

Space between every layer.

Body open and vast like space.

Body surrounded by space.

Open,

Boundless,

Endless spaciousness.

Now hear the echo of your heart's wish.

Your sankalpa three more times.

Let it echo out into the space.

And then invite yourself back into the body.

Collecting all of the pieces and settling back inside the center of the heart.

Feeling the whole body breathing in this restful yoga nidra practice.

If you'd like,

You may reach out to someone or perhaps a whole community of people in this moment to share a slice of this practice with them.

Just taking a moment to do that here.

Sharing a fruit of your practice.

And then gathering all of your energy back inside your body as you begin to invite some small movements.

Maybe in the fingers or toes.

Stretching the skin of the face.

Squinting the eyes.

Maybe rolling over to one side or inviting a big stretch.

Just starting to shift the body and invite it back into its waking state.

Deepening the breath here.

Taking a few big,

Deep breaths to welcome your body and every part of you back into your waking world.

Maybe taking one last moment just to place the hands over the heart or palms touching at heart center.

And taking a deep bow into that deep space of inner knowing that resides within you.

That little flame,

May it guide us always.

And may you shine your light out into your community for all to see.

Thank you so much for joining me in this practice of Yoga Nidra.

I'm so grateful for your presence here with me.

I'm so grateful for your presence here with me.

I wish you a beautiful day.

Om Tat Sat.