Welcome to this yoga nidra session inspired by the serene beauty of the stars and the moon.
Welcome home to yourself and welcome to your body at rest.
Take a moment to adjust your body to get as comfortable as possible.
As you settle down,
Become aware of the connection between your body and where it rests.
How does it feel for the back of your head,
Your shoulders,
Back of the pelvis,
Your legs,
Your heels to rest on the surface beneath you?
What form are you taking?
How does it feel to lie here?
Are there any final adjustments you can make to feel completely at ease?
Allow your eyes to gently close.
Let the outside world fade away as you bring your attention inwards.
Allow your attention to turn away from sounds far and near.
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale,
Encourage your body to release any physical tension or tightness you may be feeling.
Take another deep breath,
Filling your lungs completely and as you exhale,
Allow yourself to let go of thoughts,
Worries or mental burdens that may be lingering in your mind.
Take any final movements here,
Then come to find stillness.
As you enter this state of deep relaxation,
Take a moment to set your Sankalpa,
Your positive,
Life-affirming intention.
Choose a positive affirmation or a heartfelt desire that aligns with your truest self.
Silently repeat this to yourself three times,
Letting it resonate within you.
If you don't have a Sankalpa,
You can use this time to see if anything naturally arises.
You can rest here in silence.
Or you may wish to use the Sankalpa,
I Embody Serenity.
We'll begin with the rotation of awareness around the body.
And as you do this,
I invite you to place a small twinkling star on each part of the body I name.
Feel a warm luminous energy spreading through your body as your awareness moves.
Start by bringing your attention to the crown of your head.
Imagine a radiant star hovering just above it.
Feel its warm luminous energy descending slowly to your forehead,
Relaxing your eyebrows.
Allow this celestial light to melt away any tension or worry.
Place a star on your forehead.
Moving your awareness down,
Placing a star on each eyelid,
One left,
One right.
Allow the starlight to release any strain or fatigue in your eyes.
Let your eye muscles relax completely,
Surrendering to the deep peace within.
Place a star now on each cheek,
Left and right,
Releasing any tension or tightness.
Feel the soothing rays of light caress your jaw.
Allow your mouth to soften and maybe open slightly.
Allow the warm energy of the starlight to flow down further,
Embracing your neck and your throat.
Placing a star at the base of your throat,
Moving your awareness to your right shoulder,
Right elbow,
Right wrist,
Tip of your right thumb,
Tip of your right index finger,
Right middle finger,
Right ring finger,
And the tip of the little finger.
Moving back to your right wrist,
Right elbow,
Right shoulder,
And back to the throat.
Moving across to the left shoulder,
The left elbow,
The tip of the left thumb,
The tip of the left index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
And the tip of the little finger.
The left wrist,
The left elbow,
The left shoulder,
And back to the throat.
Placing a star at your heart center,
Allow it to expand your heart center with a soft loving glow.
Allow any tension or emotional residue to dissolve in the embrace of this celestial energy.
Moving your awareness and placing a star on the right side of the chest,
Back to the heart center,
The left side of the chest,
The heart center,
Your navel,
Your lower abdomen,
The right hip,
The right knee,
The right ankle,
The tip of the right big toe,
The tip of the second toe,
The middle toe,
The fourth toe,
And the tip of the right little toe.
The right ankle,
The right knee,
The right hip,
The lower abdomen,
Feeling a warm,
Gentle celestial light on your lower abdomen.
Moving to the left hip,
The left knee,
The left ankle,
The tip of the left big toe,
The left second toe,
The middle toe,
The fourth toe,
And the tip of the little toe.
The left ankle,
The left knee,
The left hip,
The lower abdomen,
The navel,
The heart center,
The throat,
And back to the star you placed on your forehead.
Experiencing here a sense of profound relaxation and connection as your whole body becomes enveloped in the serene energy of the cosmic night sky.
Aware of your whole body,
Your whole body.
Resting here for a few moments in gentle awareness of your whole body glowing with a soft celestial light.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Feel the gentle rhythm of your inhale and exhale,
Flowing naturally like the ebb and flow of the tides guided by the moon.
Imagine a stream of soft moonlight descending from the sky above you,
Cascading down upon your body.
As you inhale,
Invite this serene light to flow through you,
Starting from the crown of the head,
Soothing each part of you it touches.
As you exhale,
Feel the body soften and release.
Inhaling serene light,
Exhaling as you soften and release.
Bring your awareness to your belly,
Noticing how it rises and falls with each breath,
Harmonizing with the rhythm of the universe.
Breathing in the universe,
Breathing out the universe.
Rest here in gentle awareness of your breath for a few more moments.
Can you invite a feeling of heaviness into your arms,
As if you couldn't lift them even if you tried.
The arms sinking down into the floor to the bed with each exhale,
Heavy,
Unmoving,
Still.
Now imagine your arms becoming lighter with every inhale,
So light they begin to float up beside you.
Light,
Weightless,
Floating and free.
Can you sense now the arms feeling heavy and light together?
Releasing your awareness from your arms,
Connecting now with your legs.
Can you invite that feeling of heaviness into the legs,
So heavy you couldn't lift them even if you tried.
Legs sinking down into the floor to the bed with every exhale,
Heavy,
Unmoving,
Still.
Imagining now your legs becoming lighter with every inhale,
So light they begin to float up.
Light,
Weightless,
Floating and free.
Can you explore the sensation of the legs being heavy and light together?
And now the whole body.
Can you invite a feeling of heaviness into the whole of the body?
Your whole body sinking down into the floor of the bed beneath you,
Unable to move,
Completely still.
Imagining your body becoming lighter with every inhale,
So light it begins to float.
Light,
Weightless,
Floating,
Free.
Can you invite the sensation of the whole body being heavy and light at the same time?
Grounded,
Yet weightless,
Still,
Yet floating.
Imagine yourself lying on a soft blanket under a vast night sky filled with shimmering stars.
The air is crisp and cool and you feel a gentle breeze caressing your skin.
Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the celestial canvas that's above you,
The infinite expanse of the universe.
Look at the stars,
Shimmering,
Glowing,
Filling the expanse of the universe with their radiant light.
Do you see constellations?
Or maybe the swirls of far off galaxies?
Maybe there are shooting stars,
Comets or asteroids,
All leaving glittering trails across the night sky.
As you observe the stars,
Notice now the moon,
Radiant and serene,
Bathing everything in a soft and soothing glow.
Visualise her gentle light shining down upon you,
Enveloping your entire body in a soft,
Calm glow.
Feel the gentle energy of the moon seeping into your skin,
Bringing a sense of peace and tranquillity to every cell of your being.
As you continue to relax here,
You may want to imagine yourself floating weightlessly among the stars.
Allow yourself to surrender to the vastness of space.
Feel supported and held by the celestial forces around you.
Rest here in this deep state of relaxation,
Embraced by the stars and the moon.
Feel the beating heart of the universe.
It's within you and around you.
Let your imagination drift.
Allow yourself to be in the moment.
Allow images and thoughts to arise and then fall away.
Welcome everything.
Resist nothing.
Resting here for a couple of minutes in gentle awareness of the images and thoughts that drift into your awareness and then drift away.
Welcoming everything.
Resisting nothing.
Returning your awareness to the star you placed in your heart centre.
And as you become aware of its soft,
Loving glow,
Bring back to mind your sankalpa.
Silently repeat it three times.
As we conclude this practice,
Slowly bring your awareness back to your physical body.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
Begin to engage with your senses.
Inviting movement.
Feeling the touch of your clothes on your skin or your body on the floor or bed.
Inviting sounds near and far back into your consciousness.
Taking your time to transition back to the present moment.
When you feel ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Carrying with you the calm and the centeredness you've cultivated during this yoga nidra practice.
Remember that the serenity of the stars and the moon is always accessible within you,
Providing a guiding light during both your waking and your dreaming hours.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Until next time,
Goodbye.
