Yoga Nidra For Hope

This yoga nidra focuses on actively cultivating hope as a practice. It is for anyone who may be feeling the weight of the world and may be especially helpful for those struggling with eco-anxiety. We begin with a brief overview of Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone's work on active hope. We consider the elements of earth, air, fire and water while developing our own "calm place" in an embodied relaxation exercise. We close the practice with an excerpt from Emily Dickinson on hope.

Transcript

Welcome.

Take some time to arrive in the here and now.

Letting your awareness move throughout your space,

Allowing your eyes to lead and gently taking in anything that piques a sense of curiosity.

Colors,

Textures,

Shapes,

Certain objects.

Almost like you are seeing your space with new eyes.

When you find something of interest,

Just notice what it is like for you to observe it.

Almost as if you are seeing it for the very first time.

Now I invite you to find a position that is comfortable and accessible for your body.

Taking time to set yourself up and find support for the entire body using any props available like blankets,

Pillows,

Bolster or eye mask.

Whatever helps you to find your own sense of comfort and ease.

Please know that your practice is deeply personal.

Feel free to make choices throughout this practice or any other meditation practice that supports your own unique needs.

You may follow my guidance if it feels in alignment for you or at any point you may follow your own inner guidance.

You are your own greatest teacher.

This may include exploring options such as eyes closed or open with a soft gaze and finding your own position that allows for comfort.

If at any point you feel discomfort throughout your practice or any meditation practice,

You may open your eyes and use your five senses to connect with the external space around you in order to help settle the nervous system.

Just like how we use mindfulness to help arrive to our practice.

This helps your brain and nervous system know that you are grounded in the here and now.

That you are safe.

If you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed by the state of the world,

It makes perfect sense to feel this way given the high degree of injustice,

Suffering and uncertainty we are going through as a collective.

It is not a personal failing if you feel this way.

Please know that there is nothing wrong with you but rather it means that you are paying attention.

It means that you are connected with your heart.

It means that you are alive and in touch with your humanity.

As you continue to wiggle and settle in,

Finding complete ease and support in your body,

I will briefly discuss Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone's work on Active Hope and then we will begin with the relaxation practice.

When the world and news is full of doom and gloom,

It can feel like too much for our nervous systems.

We may want to disconnect and shut down,

Or we may feel anxious,

Enraged or even completely overwhelmed by it all at times.

It may feel like the problems are too big and too complex to properly confront,

Let alone solve.

How then do we cope with our hopes,

Dreams and desires?

According to Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone,

Cultivating Active Hope allows us to strengthen our resilience,

Open our thinking and communication and even deepen our sense of aliveness.

Active Hope is a practice,

Much like yoga or gardening.

It is something we do rather than something we have.

Active Hope is something we can apply regardless of whether we think our desired outcomes are likely or not.

It involves three key steps.

First,

We need to take in a view of reality.

If you are here today,

It is because you already completed step one,

You are seeing with clear eyes.

Second,

We identify what we hope for in terms of the direction we would like to see our reality move in or the values we would like to see expressed in our lives.

Third,

We take steps to move ourselves in that direction and live in alignment with our values.

The most important point here is that Active Hope does not require our optimism,

So we can practice even in the face of hopelessness.

Today we are focusing on anchoring the second and third steps of Active Hope into our practice.

Now I invite you to draw your awareness from your external world into your internal world,

Observing any sensation you may feel on your skin,

Where your outer and inner worlds meet,

Noticing how the air feels on your skin,

The temperature,

Sensations.

You may now call to mind a place in nature in which you feel calm.

Consider the elements in which you feel most at peace.

Is it the element of water,

Like being on a beach looking out at the ocean or swimming in a lake?

Is it the element of earth,

Like being immersed in a forest of old trees or gardening with your hands directly in the earth's soil?

Is it the element of air,

Like being in a wide open space or surrounded by cool mountain peaks?

Or is it the element of fire,

Like hearing the crackling of a campfire or watching the flame of a single candle dance in the wind?

Take some time to find this place that feels peaceful for you.

Maybe it is a place you know and are familiar with,

Or maybe it is a place you've never been but feel connected to.

I invite you to step into this place now.

What is it like to be here?

What do you see?

Notice how you feel being in this place and any sensations in the body that may arise.

Perhaps there is more softness or a release,

Or a deeper,

Easier breath comes.

Observe what else you may see here in this place.

Is anyone with you?

Are you alone?

What are your eyes drawn to?

What sounds do you hear nearby?

Are there any sounds in the distance?

How does the air feel against your skin?

Is there anything nearby you want to reach out and touch?

Notice the sensation of how it feels in your hand.

Are there any smells,

Like the scent of a rich soil or a salty ocean breeze?

Where does your attention gravitate?

What is your favorite part of this place?

I invite you to notice this now and how that may impact your body.

Maybe there is a subtle shift,

Like shoulders dropping away from ears,

The release of the jaw.

Perhaps the breath slows.

If it feels okay for you,

See if you can allow that sensation to expand.

That sense of relaxation expands throughout the whole body,

Beyond the body,

Connecting with the space around you,

Feeling the peace and support of this place,

And noticing that the elements support you.

Feeling the groundedness and support of the earth under your feet,

Energetically at the base of your spine.

The fluidity and creativity of water that flows through you,

Energetically in the pelvis.

The power of our inner fire burning brightly within,

Energetically in the solar plexus.

The air that breathes life through you,

Energetically at the heart.

Feeling the support of these elements from within and without.

Having the felt sense that you are not separate from this place,

From these elements,

You are one in the same.

Please know that you may return here whenever you wish.

I now invite you to bring awareness to your heart space,

Noticing what is the quiet yearning of your heart.

Is there an experience,

A feeling or state that you are seeking?

Perhaps there is a creation that wants to be born through you,

A purpose that you feel called to fulfill.

You don't have to figure out the how or why,

You just need to listen for the yes.

Using active hope as a foundation,

What direction would you like to move your reality or how would you like to align to and express your values?

Visualizing this as if it has already happened and simply observing and listening to whatever may arise without judgment.

Allowing yourself to connect to your heart.

Once you have found this,

You may use this as an intention for your practice today.

You may phrase your intention in a simple present tense statement as if it is already true.

You may choose your own statement or you can use a general intention such as I am at ease and open to insight or I create the light that I wish to see in the world.

Choose an intention that resonates with you.

Create your intention to yourself three times now.

True desire is a seed of life.

This seed has already been planted in the rich soil of your consciousness.

Now bringing awareness to the body.

The right thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Thumb pit,

Right side of the chest,

Right side of the abdomen,

Waist,

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The entire right side of the body,

Left thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Arm pit,

Left side of the chest,

Left side of the abdomen,

Waist,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The entire left side of the body,

Back of the right leg,

Back of the left leg,

Both sides of the buttocks,

Base of the spine,

Bowl of the pelvis,

Low back,

Solar plexus,

Mid back,

Heart space,

Upper back,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

The brain,

The heart,

Visualizing the heart,

The location,

Inside the ribcage,

Under the chest,

The shape of the heart,

The rhythm of the heart,

The entire heart space,

Feeling the energy of the heart space expand throughout the entire body,

The heart space expands throughout the entire body,

The entire body,

The entire body.

Now,

Bringing awareness to the breath,

Just noticing how the breath is without trying to change it.

Simply observing the rhythm of the breath with each inhale and with each exhale.

Feeling the breath to move through with ease.

The element of air effortlessly breathing you.

Connecting you to yourself and that which is greater than you.

You may stay here and simply let the breath breathe you or if it feels right for you,

You may start to slow the breath down.

Lengthening the exhales.

Allowing the exhales to be longer than the inhales.

Like a soft breeze.

Slowing down the nervous system.

Whatever you choose here is okay.

Just finding ease for your body and your breath.

Your awareness follows the breath from the beginning of the inhale all the way through the end of the exhale.

Inhaling through the nose.

And exhaling,

Seeing if you can slow the exhale.

Now letting the breath move freely,

Simply allowing it to be as it is.

Allowing yourself to be as you are.

I invite you to bring to mind the dominant emotion you are working with right now in your life.

There may be several,

But see what stands out to you the most.

Perhaps anger,

Hopelessness,

Sadness,

Or anxiety.

What emotion seems to be the most present for you?

Notice this without any judgment.

Observe this emotion with a sense of curiosity and compassion.

Does this emotion have a location in the body?

Feel and sense into this.

Is there a size or a shape?

Perhaps a color or texture?

See if you can allow this feeling to move through like a wave rising,

Peaking,

And then falling.

Allowing it to move through however it may need to.

Now cultivate the feeling of the opposite emotion to this.

What would the opposite of this emotion be for you?

Is there a location in the body for this emotion?

What qualities or sensations arise?

See if you can allow this feeling to expand in your body,

Moving through like soft ocean waves.

Now moving back into the first emotion,

Notice the sensations present,

And moving into its opposite and notice the sensations here.

Now allow yourself to hold awareness of both of these emotions at the same time,

Holding awareness of the body,

The emotions,

All with a sense of compassion.

Feeling them both together in the container of your body.

There is enough space for all of your emotions.

There is enough space for all parts of you.

Now feel and sense into the following.

White dove,

Flame of a single candle,

Holding hands,

Roots of an old tree,

Sound of gentle rain,

Warm embrace,

Open meadow,

Crackling fire,

Birds chirping in a forest,

Thousand pedaled white lotus,

Swiftly moving river,

Praying,

The first light of day,

The first light of day,

The first light of day.

Pressing.

Now observing the first light of day fading and in its place,

A vast space of empty darkness arises.

This is the inner space of your consciousness,

Or Chidakasha.

It's as vast and infinite as the cosmos.

In this space,

We are not in a mode of doing,

Rather we're in the mode of simply being.

We are witness to this vast space that is at once both our own unique space and that which connects us to the larger collective consciousness,

Our shared humanity.

There is nothing to do here,

Simply observe.

Letting yourself be,

You may see certain colors,

Patterns,

Or you may hear words or sounds.

Perhaps there's nothing at all.

Do not seek anything,

Rather allow yourself to be open to witnessing what is.

I will now give you a few minutes of unguided time here.

There is nothing to do here.

Allow yourself to be as you are.

The you you you you from this depth of stillness bringing your awareness back to your heart space Please recall once again your intention your heartfelt desire State your intention three times to yourself now The practice of yoga nidra is like preparing the garden of your consciousness for a meaningful yield It is deeply healing for the mind body and soul.

Please know that the seeds of your heartfelt desire have been planted recognized and nurtured Without moving I invite you to gently bring your awareness back to the here and now Without opening your eyes,

Just expanding your awareness out into your space Back into your body,

Feeling the weight of your body being supported by the earth Allowing your breath to deepen if that feels comfortable for you Maybe starting to wiggle the fingers and toes Noticing any sounds around you Staying here for as long as you'd like Inviting any small movements or stretches that may feel good,

Perhaps hugging the knees into the chest and gently rocking or stretching the arms overhead Notice what may feel good for you in closing your practice today Movement or stillness,

A different position Moving at your own pace and closing the practice in your own time We will end today's practice with an excerpt from Emily Dickinson on hope Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all Thank you for practicing with me today

Reviews

Really wonderful, deeply touching, connecting and relaxing.
Thank you.
🪷🕊️

Thank you, that was really nice.