Dragon Sleep Journey

In this Yoga Nidra, we journey with a dragon friend to meet our highest self. This is the perfect track to send you off to sleepy time and to inspire creativity. This track is played with a live harp, thanks to my sister Alexis for joining me on this track.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.

My name is Ariel Ashford and I am so happy that you have found this recording in this moment of time.

Yoga nidra is a very ancient relaxation technique that has been used for centuries and generations as a way to connect with the higher self or perhaps source or any other higher being that you like to be in tune with or perhaps be more in tune with.

In this practice of yoga nidra we are offered an invitation to become still and quiet.

And it is in these moments of stillness and quietness that many things are revealed to us.

And maybe sometimes the revelation is sleep.

In this practice you are so welcome to move at any time.

You are so welcome to practice from shavasana or from a seat or perhaps on your side if anyone is pregnant.

And in this practice,

Feel free to not hold on to all of the instructions.

Perhaps you find yourself slipping in and out of different levels of consciousness or different levels of sleep and awake and all of that is so perfect and so fine.

Maybe your consciousness has another journey in store for you today or tonight,

Wherever you find yourself.

Before we begin checking in with your position of choice this evening or today and making sure that you are so comfortable and all the pillows and blankets are just so the eye pillow is just right.

Maybe checking in with the elbows and the knees and noticing if there's any more padding that needs to be secured around these areas.

And before we officially get started,

Take a moment to let your eyes sort of drift and gaze around the room with indifference.

Just noticing the different objects and shapes and textures.

And as we let the eyes become heavier and heavier to close down for this practice,

Perhaps cultivating a feeling of safety and security.

This space is safe.

And you are safe.

Welcome home to yourself.

Feeling into the backside of the body and noticing all the different points of contact between the body and the earth.

The heels and the calves,

The backs of the thighs and the buttocks,

The shoulder blades and the back of the head.

And feeling all of these points and perhaps allowing the tension that we carry from day to day begin to slowly melt away.

As we feel into the body and begin to notice the breath and how the breath changes and alters as we experience different levels of relaxation.

And perhaps you notice the chest rising and falling or the belly rising and falling.

Taking a moment to notice and appreciate this automatic process that happens every day.

This wonderful,

Sweet,

Life-giving breath.

The miraculous exchange of molecules and oxygen that happens between the inhales and the exhales.

The inhales doing its duty of delivering fresh oxygen to oxygenate the blood.

The internal organs,

The lungs doing their duty,

The diaphragm doing its duty.

All these different systems coming together.

And the exhale,

The exhale of releasing the molecules,

The used up energy on our side.

But this exhale is also a gift to the trees and the plants as they need this gas to perform their duties.

And perhaps we begin to notice that this is a cycle.

A cycle between the inhales and the exhales.

A cycle between humans and plant life.

Each one doing their duty.

Each one being so true to themselves.

Following this cyclical breath.

The inhales and the exhales.

The inhales from the trees and the exhales to the trees.

As we are in relationship.

And from this breath and this transference of energy,

Oxygen,

Carbon dioxide,

Gas.

Wherever the consciousness may have gone,

Can you draw it into the heart center?

And perhaps it's a fiery heart center.

Or maybe it's more of a molten lava hot center.

Or maybe a blue flame heart center.

Or a golden heart center.

Locating this internal fire.

And wherever your imagination takes you on this journey is perfect and beautiful and whole.

And then could you take the consciousness outside of the body and locate a fire element on the outside?

Perhaps it's a candle or a fire.

Or maybe it is lava or magma.

And then going back into the body and searching out the fluid filled spaces.

Maybe located in the fascia that surrounds and binds the muscles.

These soft feminine fluid filled spaces that do their duty of providing structure.

And turn back outwards and find a water element.

And then going back into the body locating the earth.

An earth element.

Maybe it's in the pelvic bowl.

Maybe it's just feeling into the body as the body is our earth element in this walk.

And then coming back out to find the earth element.

And coming back in to discover the element of space.

Oh where is there space in the body?

Maybe it's peeking through and actually seeing outer space.

Maybe it's just feeling this little,

Even if it's an itty bitty piece of space between the lungs and the heart or in the joints.

The space between the vertebrae.

And finding the space outside of the body.

And coming back to this beautiful fiery heart center.

Finding this space,

Perhaps physical or energetic,

This space of the heart.

And pausing for just the slightest moment of gratitude.

And this gratitude can be for whatever sparks interest at this moment.

Anything that needs some gratitude at this moment.

And let the consciousness float down to the tips of the toes.

To the right big toe and the left big toe.

The right second toe and the left second toe.

The right third toe and the left third toe.

The right fourth toe and the left fourth toe.

The right pinky toe.

The left pinky toe.

The tops of the feet,

The soles of the feet and the ankles,

The heels,

The shins and the calves.

The right knee and the left knee.

The right thigh and the left thigh and the right side of the hip and the left side of the hip.

The sacrum,

The back of the pelvis,

The front of the pelvis.

Pelvic floor and all the reproductive organs,

The small intestines and the large intestines.

The right side of the abdomen and the left side of the abdomen and the navel center.

The upper abdomen and the diaphragm.

The whole rib case.

The front and the back and the sides of the ribs.

The right lung and the left lung.

The heart center.

Up to the collar bones,

The armpits,

To the tips of the shoulders,

The upper arms,

The right elbow and left elbow.

The right forearm and the left forearm.

Right wrist and left wrist.

The palms of the hands.

The right thumb and left thumb.

The right index finger and left index finger.

Right middle finger,

Left middle finger.

Right ring finger,

Left ring finger.

Right pinky finger,

Left pinky finger and all ten fingers.

And could you breathe into all ten fingers?

Coming back to the palms of the hands and the wrists,

Forearms,

Elbows,

Upper arms,

Shoulders,

Collar bones,

The right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade.

And from the tip of the tailbone all the way up to the midbrain,

The spinal column.

Feeling into the neck,

The front sides and back of the neck.

Up to the back of the head and the crown of the head.

The forehead.

Right eyebrow and the left eyebrow and the center of the eyebrows.

Right temple and the left temple.

The right ear and the left ear and the space between the ears.

The right eye and the left eye.

The tip of the nose.

The right nostril and the left nostril.

Down into the mouth,

The tongue,

Teeth,

Gums.

The whole mouth.

The upper lip and the lower lip.

The right side of the jaw and the left side of the jaw.

The chin.

The whole face.

The whole head.

The torso,

Neck and head.

The arms and the torso,

Neck and head.

The legs and the torso,

Neck and head.

Let your consciousness fill the entire body.

The entire body lit up like a city as you're flying in an airplane.

All these different points lit up with prana.

Life force.

And come and settle in the roof of the mouth.

Anywhere in the roof of the mouth is just fine.

Just feeling into this cavernous space.

Could you imagine?

Could you imagine there was a channel running from the roof of the mouth through the center line of the body,

But in front,

All the way down to the pelvic floor?

Could you imagine another channel running from the pelvic floor up the backside of the body back to the roof of the mouth?

And as you exhale,

Could you exhale down this front channel?

And as you inhale,

Could you inhale up the back channel?

A cycle of breath through a channel of the body.

Breathing in cycles and awareness.

Exhaling down the front.

Inhaling up the back.

Exhaling down the back.

Releasing this breath now.

And settling into the third eye.

A space between the eyebrows.

And coming from this space,

We'll go on a little cosmic journey.

You are so free and so welcome to let your imagination and consciousness,

Spirit of the universe,

Take you in whatever direction.

Imagine yourself flying on a dragon.

This is the most fantastic,

Beautiful,

Graceful dragon.

You can feel this dragon as it flaps its wings and feel as the dragon breathes as you ride upon its back.

This dragon begins its ascension.

You and the dragon begin to soar through the most beautiful cosmos,

Full of nebulas and barn spiral galaxies and stars being born and black holes.

All the wonders of the cosmos are yours to behold in this moment.

The dragon takes you to a beautiful planet.

A planet as if you've never could have imagined.

This planet is beautiful and peaceful.

Notice all of the beautiful textures and smells,

Aromas,

Perhaps other beings or animals who are there with you.

Notice how you feel in this space.

The dragon seems as though it wants to show you something.

So you begin to follow the dragon.

You arrive at a beautiful temple.

This temple could be made of any sort of fantastical,

Mystical,

Mythical elements,

Perhaps jewels or cast iron or stone.

Maybe something completely different.

As you arrive at this temple,

Sitting in a auspicious space,

There's a golden egg and you are gently nudged or maybe intuitively you know you must go look and behold this golden egg.

And as you behold this egg,

It morphs into your highest self.

You and your highest self have a moment to commune.

And in this space,

You commune.

And in this space,

You commune.

The dragon calls you back.

And you see your higher self return back to this egg.

But you know deep inside,

There will always be a connection.

And somehow you know that you can always return to this space and have this communion.

You and your dragon friend begin to journey back through the cosmos,

Noticing and taking in all of the wondrous sights.

And as you return back hearing the call,

Of the manifest world beckoning you to reengage.

Know that you can always return to this space,

This communion and receive the medicine that is needed in this moment.

Perhaps you begin feeling into the body,

Noticing the breath,

This breath that has been with you the entire time.

This still quiet breath,

Perhaps you take a bigger inhale,

A bigger exhale.

Noticing any sounds that are around you,

Labeling them,

Calling them,

Ushering them into the senses.

And remembering the room that you are laying in,

The position of the body.

Perhaps wiggling fingers and toes.

Maybe it would feel nice to roll over on one side and pause for a few moments.

Or maybe you'd just like to enjoy this in-between time,

This liminal space.

Moving so slowly and only when you are ready.

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

And I hope to see you again soon.

Reviews

Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻The dragon flight through the cosmos was amazing🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻