Welcome,
My name is Nola Bloom and I am so grateful to be sharing this space with you.
This is Yoga Nidra,
Embracing light and shadow.
So tonight's journey is an invitation into deep rest and into meeting self fully.
In yoga we often speak of light,
Clarity,
Expansion,
Ease.
Yet the shadow carries its own quiet wisdom.
It is a part of us that has been felt,
Lived and shaped and is still unfolding.
Here,
Nothing is left out.
Light and shadow are both welcome.
Lie down in a comfortable position,
Perhaps cushions underneath your knees,
Your head,
Maybe a blanket over your body,
Allow your arms to rest easy and close down your eyes.
Feel the ground beneath you receiving the entire weight of your body.
Let the breath soften into a natural rhythm.
Allow the sound of my voice to carry you gently inward.
In this quiet space,
Allow your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention to arise,
Gently guiding your journey tonight.
It may arise as a word,
A feeling or a sensation.
And if nothing arises,
Softly repeat inwardly,
I welcome the light within me and I honor the shadow that shapes me.
Let it settle into the heart,
Like a seed resting in fertile ground,
Quiet,
Steady and alive within you.
Now,
Imagine yourself walking along a quiet stone path at night.
The air is cool,
The sky open above you,
Moonlight reflecting softly beneath your feet.
Just ahead,
An ancient castle rises,
Calm and timeless,
A warm glow flickering from within.
You approach the castle,
The door opens and you step inside.
The air shifts,
Candlelight flickers along the stone walls of the castle as you move deeper.
You enter a circular chamber,
A fire burns gently to one side,
While moonlight streams through a tall arched window on the other,
And you lie down a soft rug between them.
The right side of your body is bathed in flickering warmth,
And the left side resting in cool,
Shadowed moonlight.
You are held by both,
Firelight and moonlight.
Bring awareness to the space between the eyebrows,
A gentle point of inner light,
And allow it to guide your attention through your body.
Feel the warmth of the fire beginning to awaken the right side of your body,
From the crown down the right side of the face,
Eye,
Cheek,
Jaw,
A soft heat igniting,
Loosening and softening.
It moves down the neck and shoulder,
Into the upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist and into the palm of the right hand,
Where warmth gathers like glowing embers,
Radiating softly into each and every finger.
The warmth spreads through the right ribs,
The right lung and into the right chamber of the heart.
You feel a steady,
Living warmth pulsing gently.
It moves through the right side of the belly,
Warming the liver and deep tissues,
Then moves through the deep bowl of the pelvis,
Where it begins to spiral slowly and steadily,
From the pelvis down the right hip,
Calf and into the sole of the right foot,
Filling each and every toe with grounded heat.
Now feel the whole right side of the body,
Warm,
Alive,
Gently illuminated from within.
And from here,
Awareness rises back to the crown.
Now feel the cool moonlight moving down the left side of your body,
From the crown down the left side of the face,
Eye,
Cheek,
Jaw,
A cool softness settling like night air brushing through the skin,
Moves down the neck,
Shoulder,
Into the upper arm,
Elbow,
Wrist and into the palm of the left hand,
Where coolness rests like silver light,
Flowing into each and every finger.
The cool current moves through the left ribs,
The left lung and into the left chambers of the heart,
Soothing the stomach and the spleen,
And into the deep bowl of the pelvis,
Where coolness meets warmth already waiting,
The two currents circulating and softening into a shared rhythm,
From the pelvis moves down the left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf and into the sole of the left foot,
Filling each and every toe with quiet stillness.
Now feel the whole left side of the body,
Cool,
Spacious,
Held in moonlit shadow,
Right side gently igniting,
Left side softly receiving,
Right side warm,
Left side cool,
Both present,
Side by side.
Feel the two currents meeting at the heart,
Warmth and shadow,
Merging together into oneness,
Notice the heart as a living space,
A gentle pulse,
A quiet warmth,
A subtle depth,
Warmth and shadow swirling together,
The heart is holding both,
Warmth and shadow with ease.
Rest here,
Bring awareness to the breath moving through the body within the castle,
As you inhale,
Feel a gentle current moving through the corridors of the castle,
Like a soft wind passing through open space,
Lifting through the body,
Expanding the chest,
Ribs and belly,
As you exhale,
Feel the same current softening and settling,
Like curtains drifting and swaying in the night air,
A quiet releasing moving through the body,
Inhale,
A subtle brightness lifting and opening through the body,
Exhale,
A soft heaviness settling,
Grounding like shadow resting into the earth,
Just witnessing the rise and fall,
The expansion and softening,
Inhale,
Space opening,
Lightness gently spreading,
Exhale,
Weight releasing,
The body settling deeper,
The breath becomes a living rhythm,
Moving through you,
Around you,
Within you,
The castle breathes and you are being breathed,
Rest in this rhythm,
Feeling the subtle dance of light and shadow moving with the breath,
Now imagine walking through the corridors of the castle,
As you enter a chamber filled with warm light,
Bring to mind a memory of joy,
Connection,
Or ease,
Let it become vivid,
Feel it in your body,
The warmth in the chest,
The openness,
The gentle lift of energy,
Let this feeling of joy move through your entire being,
And gently step back into the corridor,
And you enter another chamber within the castle,
Touched by shadow,
Bring to mind a memory of tenderness,
Sadness,
Or uncertainty,
Let it arise gently,
Feel where it lives in the body,
The weight,
The depth,
The texture,
And stay with it,
Breathing softly into the shadow,
Now sense both chambers within you,
Light and shadow,
Warmth and depth,
Both true,
Both part of your living experience,
And now walk back into the corridor of the castle,
Carrying both light and shadow with care,
You move upward through a quiet staircase within the castle,
And at the top,
There is an opening to the night sky,
Everything becomes still,
Here,
Something deeper is revealed,
You begin to sense that both light and shadow live in harmony within you,
Not as opposites,
But as part of a greater whole,
Light illuminating,
Shadow grounding,
Each shaping the other,
Together,
They create the fullness of who you are,
And within it all,
A quiet awareness remains,
Steady,
Open,
And at ease,
And let this quiet knowing soften you,
And gently open you into the space beyond,
Now rest in open awareness of the castle,
And you feel held here,
The quiet softness begins to spread through your entire being,
Like warmth and stillness blending into something seamless,
And the body surrenders,
The breath becomes subtle,
Awareness is open and effortless,
Light and shadow dissolve into a single quiet presence,
A gentle sense of peace,
Of completeness,
Of simply being,
Rest here,
Radiant soul,
For a few more breaths,
And gently turn your awareness back to the rhythm of the breath,
And the gentle rise and fall of the chest and belly,
And return now to your sankalpa,
Your heartfelt intention that guided your journey tonight,
And if nothing arises,
Simply repeat inwardly,
I welcome the light within me,
And I honor the shadow that shapes me,
Feel it once more in the heart,
Softer,
Deeper,
Like something remembered,
Something true,
Noticing the body,
The breath,
The space around you,
And gently wiggling the fingers and toes,
And perhaps a gentle stretch,
Drawing the knees up,
And rolling softly onto your side,
And when you're ready,
Flickering the eyes open,
Just taking a moment to notice how you feel,
Resting in the quiet integration of light and shadow,
And may you move forward with softness,
Clarity,
And compassion for every part of yourself.
Namaste
