Yoga Nidra For Surrender

A guided yoga nidra journey to honor the yogic principle and practice of surrender, or ishvara pranidhana, including relaxation, body scan, shamanic drumming, breathing, visualization, and deep release.
This track contains ambient sounds in the background

Transcript

Let's find a comfy,

Cozy place to begin.

So the couch,

The bed,

The earth.

But allow yourself to be warm,

Warm and supported.

Think about a pillow under your head or under your knees.

I recommend an eye covering to block out the light and support the melatonin production.

A blanket or anything that will allow you to let go.

Our practice of yoga nidra today is aligned with the quality of surrender.

And in yoga philosophy,

We explore surrender through the lens of the niyamas,

The observances of yoga.

And one of the translations for surrender in English comes from the Sanskrit,

Ishvara pranidana,

Which essentially means surrender to source.

So yoga is a practice that is about experience,

Personal experience,

The experience you share with your teacher,

With the practice,

With the lineage.

And it's very much about learning over time that we can come back to this practice,

That it will be here for us.

And when we think about surrender,

A lot of times it's really scary because many of us have grown up in a culture where surrender is like negative,

Like it means you lost the war.

But in the practice of yoga nidra and in a lot of spiritual traditions,

Surrender is an important and high vibration quality because it implies trust in letting go.

And in the Kriya yoga,

The yoga of action,

We take action,

We reflect on our action,

And then we might choose to take more action.

And we go back and forth between action and reflection,

But at some point,

It's time to let go.

And yoga and nidra is a practice that teaches us this letting go because most of us don't learn that.

You know,

It's one thing to be holding an object in your hand and then you can physically release it,

But then how to walk away without picking it back up or thinking about it.

So place yourself in a way that will support letting go,

Letting go of your body,

Of your breath,

Of your day,

Of the roles and responsibilities,

The actions and reflections.

At some point in the day,

In our cycles of action,

It's time to let go.

Imagine putting together a challenging email,

Maybe you're applying for a job or having a hard conversation or reaching out to an estranged friend and you write the email and you reflect on the email and you edit the email and you have someone else send that you read the email.

And then at some point you either hit send or delete.

And this is the same energy when we finally get to surrender in yoga is that we've really done all we can do and now we trust the universe.

So can you trust the universe for a half an hour to hold you,

To allow you to let go of everything you've been carrying and trust that what you need to pick up,

Trust that the next indicated actions will be there after the practice.

And the magical thing about surrender is that the more we surrender,

The more clear we are on the actions to take moving forward because we're not surrendering to nothing,

We're surrendering to the support and the source.

And so when we drop into yoga nidra,

We are trusting the earth to hold us,

The props to support us.

We are trusting the space we were in to hold us through this journey.

And so make any final adjustments to surrender,

To release.

And when you feel like you're as comfortable as you possibly can be,

Take a big breath in.

And as you fill up,

I want you to squeeze your face,

Squeeze your hands,

Squeeze your feet,

Squeeze and hold and hold and hold on as much as you can.

And then as you exhale,

Let every drop of that tension release.

And we'll do that a couple more times as you inhale,

Squeeze and hold and sip in more breath and hold and hold a little more and then exhale,

Let it go.

And then one more time,

Take a big breath in,

Hold,

Tighten,

Squeeze as much as you can.

This time,

Hold as long as you can,

Squeeze as tight as you can,

All the things we hold on to.

And then when it's time to let go,

Let it all go.

And this is where the practice of yoga nidra for surrender begins.

Feel the body on the earth.

Feel the sensations on your skin.

Maybe the cooler temperatures.

Maybe you feel the texture of your blankets or clothing.

Notice the sounds,

Sounds of your body,

Sounds in the room,

Any sounds around you.

Let your eyes close if they haven't already.

Give yourself permission to awaken inner vision.

Being aware of where the body is placed in the room,

The room you're in.

Relax your mouth,

Your jaw,

Swallow.

Feel the breath at the nostrils.

Noticing any scent or aroma in the space.

We move through the senses to begin the practice because the senses allow us to surrender and turn in.

We shift our focus from the outer senses,

The outer world,

To the inner experience,

The inner journey.

For this practice,

We can surrender.

Any smell,

Sight,

Taste.

We release sound other than the sound of my voice that you gently follow through the practice.

As the senses curl inward,

Become aware of an effortless exhale.

The exhale is the part of the breath that signals letting go.

Biologically,

Psychologically,

Emotionally,

The exhale gives us permission to release.

So as you feel into the exhale at the nostrils or the belly,

Give yourself that permission to let go.

And as we set a sankalpa,

An intention or affirmation for the practice,

A resolve,

It may simply be,

I let go.

I'm letting go.

Or perhaps the language of I surrender,

I release,

I trust.

Or perhaps something bubbles up from your heart that more accurately depicts your relationship right now with letting go.

And it might arrive as a short,

Positive statement beginning with I.

But without effort,

Allow yourself to create this intent of release.

And repeat it inwardly at least three times on your exhale.

And then release that too.

Trusting the intention will be planted in the fertile soil of the unconscious.

There's nothing else we need to do.

There's nowhere to go.

There's nothing to do.

This is a practice of release.

And as we begin to move through the body,

The rotation of consciousness,

I simply want you to observe the body part as I call it and give it permission to release.

Give it permission to surrender any effort.

Feel into the space between the eyebrows.

And allow this space to soften and let go.

Feel down into your throat.

Allow your throat to soften and let go.

Feel into the right shoulder.

Allowing the right shoulder to release and let go.

The right elbow releases.

The right wrist releases.

Release the tip of your right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Feel the right hand release.

The right arm release.

And again,

Allow your throat to release.

Releasing the left shoulder.

Left elbow.

Left wrist.

Releasing the tip of the left thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

The whole left hand releases.

The left arm releases.

Feel your throat soften and release.

Then feel into the center of your heart.

Give your heart permission to release.

Feel that release radiate to the right side of the chest.

And the left side of the chest.

And your whole chest,

Your whole heart.

Permission to surrender.

Release your solar plexus.

Release your navel center below the belly button.

Feel that low belly start to soften and surrender.

Release your right hip.

Your right knee.

Your right ankle.

Release the tip of the right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And pinky toe.

The whole right foot releases.

The whole right leg surrenders.

Feel into your low belly.

Let the low belly relax a little more.

And then release the left hip.

The left knee.

The left ankle.

Release the tip of the left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And pinky toe.

Release the whole left foot.

The whole left leg.

And then release the base of your spine.

Feel the base of your spine completely relax.

And then feel up the spine from the base of the spine to the base of the skull.

Feel the whole spine release.

Feel the right side of the back body release.

And the left side of the back body release.

Allow your skull to release.

And then release the crown of the head.

Feel the crown of the head completely release.

Your forehead release.

Your right eye and left eye release.

Your mouth release.

Your whole face releases.

Your whole face,

Your whole head release.

Your right arm release.

Your left arm release.

The right leg release.

The left leg release.

Feel both arms,

Both legs,

Your whole head and face.

And then feel your whole body,

Your torso,

Your arms,

Your legs,

Your head.

From the crown of the head down to the tips of the toes,

The body releases.

As though you were standing under a warm shower,

Gently washing away,

Letting go any tension,

Any holding.

Your whole body sigh with the exhale as the whole body surrenders into the earth.

And as the whole body continues to surrender,

Again,

Observe your effortless exhale.

Observe the exhale in your heart or in your belly or at your nostrils,

Wherever it's easiest to observe the exhale.

And as we allow the body to continue to release,

We bring our attention to the breath,

To the energetic layer,

And allow the inhale to happen naturally.

And allow the exhale to occur naturally.

But with every exhale,

I would like you to hear letting go.

So we're counting back the exhale with the language letting go.

So just stay with the exhale.

And every time you exhale,

Quietly hear letting go.

And if you get lost,

Just come back to exhaling,

Letting go.

If you start to fall asleep,

Just come back to watching the exhale and hear letting go.

Just follow the exhale out,

Letting go.

With every exhale dropping a layer deeper in this journey of surrender.

Exhaling,

Letting go.

Just continue exhaling,

Letting go.

And then let go of the letting go with the exhale.

Feel the breath release,

The body release.

Gather your attention back to the space between the eyebrows,

The Chitakash,

The home of unlimited potential and possibility.

Feel this area soft and spacious.

As we move into the mental and emotional realms through the experience of opposites.

So I'm going to call out opposite sensations.

And you're invited to just feel them with the most authentic awareness you can without attaching to a story or a judgment.

Feel into this soft,

Spacious third eye point.

And call in the sensation of heavy.

What happens when we feel so heavy,

Heavy like stone.

The bones and the body are heavy.

And weighing down into the earth,

Experience the quality of heavy.

And then experience the quality of lightness.

A lightness through your skin,

Through your breath,

The front of the body,

Light.

Allow yourself to be totally light.

Experience lightness.

And then let that go.

Let go of heavy and let go of light.

Flow to the spacious awareness of the third eye point.

And call in that quality of holding on.

And let that go.

And let that go.

And let that go.

And let that go.

And let that go.

And let that quality of holding on.

Without attaching to a story,

What is it like in your body when you are desperately holding on to something?

Whether physical,

Mental,

Emotional,

Spiritual,

Holding on to an idea,

Holding on to a person,

A role,

A job.

Holding on.

What is it like to hold on with all your might?

And then what happens when we let go?

We just let go of the thoughts,

The person,

The place,

The idea,

The responsibility.

We take our hands off.

We take our mind off.

We let go.

What is the experience in your body when you let go of something you were holding on to?

Let all of that wash over you,

The experience of letting go of something we were holding on to.

And then let that be released.

The quality of holding on,

The quality of letting go.

Return to spacious awareness at the third eye point.

And come into the experience of doubt.

What is it like when you just doubt?

You doubt that things are going to go well.

You doubt you'll be taken care of.

You doubt a positive outcome.

You doubt yourself.

What is that quality of doubt?

How does that quality manifest in you when you just fully doubt?

When you just fully doubt.

And then let that move into a quality of trust.

What would it be like?

What is that like when you trust that you are taken care of?

You trust that you are OK.

You trust that things are in some kind of divine order.

You trust you will be able to respond.

You trust that you are deeply loved and supported.

What would it be like?

How would it feel to have this trust?

What is it like to have this deep,

Unwavering trust?

And let all of that go.

Feel into the spacious awareness between your eyebrows.

As you feel the exhale,

Let it release the mental,

Emotional experience.

Let it release the breath experience,

The body experience.

Give yourself permission to let go even more,

Even more than you think you can.

Right here,

Right now,

Feel into the quality of surrender.

When I say that word,

What awakens?

Where do you feel it in your body?

Without attaching to story,

Again,

Notice.

If there are qualities of surrender that feel uncomfortable or scary,

Are there qualities that feel safe or comforting?

Let yourself drop into the experience of surrender.

Is there a texture?

Is there a color?

What is it like to fully be in the experience of surrender?

What is it like to fully surrender?

And as you call this quality in,

As you feel into the spaciousness between the eyebrows,

As we call in surrender,

It manifests as a scene.

It manifests as a place in the wild,

A place in the wild that to you represents surrender.

And it might be something you recognize.

It might be something you've never seen.

But in the space between the eyebrows,

The intuitive,

Wise,

Visual mind allows surrender to embody a space in nature.

And you see yourself in this space,

And you notice the feelings,

The fears,

The doubts,

And you look around you,

And you become present with this land,

With this land of surrender.

What can you learn here?

What does this land have to teach you about surrendering in your life right now?

Perhaps there are animals or other beings around,

Perhaps the specific time of day or season.

Notice the elements that arise.

Is there fire,

Water,

Air,

Earth?

Ask the land what it wants you to do,

Because it wants you to sit,

To lie down,

To swim,

To float.

Allow every aspect of your being to drop into the water.

Allow every aspect of your being to drop into this space,

To allow surrender to be a living,

Breathing experience for you right now,

For every cell in your body and your being to experience this deep surrender,

This deep release,

Letting yourself crawl or rest or sleep into this land,

This land that knows how to show you,

Teach you,

Heal you what it's like to surrender right now.

And as you allow yourself to surrender,

The embodiment of surrender,

You let it all wash over you.

There is nowhere to go.

There is nothing to do.

You are held and breathed in this space of surrender.

And you can let go.

Let everything go.

You are so deeply loved and supported and cared for.

And you can come back into this space time and time again when you need to let go,

When you want to let go.

Let yourself be held and breathed,

Surrendering even more deeply.

And as you drop deeper into relaxation and release,

You again hear your intention,

Your intention your sankalpa,

That simple statement from the beginning of practice,

Perhaps something like,

I let go.

I'm letting go.

I surrender.

I release.

I trust.

And allow it to reverberate through your being,

Through this land,

Sealing in this yoga nidra for Ishvara pranidhana,

Surrendering.

Surrendering to source as this practice is now complete.

And you can continue to rest here as long as you want.

But when you're ready,

Feel into your exhalation.

Still effortless.

Hear that letting go,

Letting go with every exhale.

Hear that letting go,

Letting go with every exhale.

And then you can begin to consciously deepen the breath.

Maybe sighing out the mouth for a couple of those exhales,

Just letting go of any residual stagnancy or tension or tiredness.

That's the blessing of surrender is that once we let it all go,

We get to consciously bring it back.

It's cyclical.

It's not linear.

We're always in a state of action,

Reflection,

Surrender,

Action,

Reflection,

Surrender.

And we need all of these qualities.

We need all of these aspects of being,

Creation,

Sustenance,

Dissolution.

It's the holy trinity of being alive on this planet.

And sometimes we need to let go,

Whether for a moment,

A day,

A week,

A year,

And allow that transformation.

Start to bring movement back,

Wiggling,

Stretching.

You can curl to one side,

Or perhaps the body wants to start to stretch and take bigger movements.

And when you're ready,

You can integrate in fetal pose,

Perhaps in a few breaths,

Making your way to sit.

You can place your hands to your heart or rest on a hand on heart,

Hand on belly.

Take another big breath together.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale it all out.

Bow to yourself,

Your heart,

Your practice.

And again,

Surrender is not something we do blindly in yoga.

We do it within the practice,

Within the support of the practice.

And it's based on our experience that we've let go before,

And we're okay.

We've taken time to rest before,

And we're okay.

So honor yourself for this reminder,

This remembering to release.

And if you'd like to close the practice with the sound of OM,

You can take a deep breath in,

Or you can just listen to the sound.

Inhale.

OM.