Garden Yoga Nidra

This is a Yoga Nidra that guides you through setting an intention, body scan, breathing, dualities, visualization, and a special garden and flower journey to enhance a sense of growth and wellness.
- Recorded in class

Transcript

Come into a relaxing position,

Reclining on the floor or bed.

Place bolsters or pillows under your knees and a support under the head if needed.

Notice how your body feels draped along the ground and feel if there are any places that are tense or unwilling to relax.

If you find any,

Direct your breath into those areas so they soften and release.

Inhale into the tense areas and as you exhale,

Imagine them sinking into the support of the floor.

The practice of yoga nidra connects you to your deepest ability to rest and rejuvenate yourself.

You will be guided to the space that lies between being asleep and awake,

Where you can most easily connect to your witness consciousness.

The witness is that part of your awareness that observes what happens in the body,

In the mind,

And in the emotional state.

If you have pain in your body,

The witness observes how it affects the body without holding.

If you have mental stress,

The witness watches how it ties you up in mental knots and circular thoughts.

If you have intense emotions,

The witness watches them arise and fall without judgment or blame.

Think of accessing the witness as a way to release pain,

Untie the knots,

And stop the chattering of the mind,

Even if only temporarily.

Try to stay awake during the practice by listening to the instructions.

Follow them as well as you can,

And if you do drift off to sleep,

Do not worry.

Simply return to the instructions and stay relaxed.

Take a few more moments to deepen your level of relaxation.

Sink into the sensations of the body as you rest on the floor.

Feel the body being supported by the floor,

And notice where the body is touching the floor.

Then begin to feel the breath flow in and out of your nostrils.

Slowly breathe in and slowly breathe out.

Can you feel the flow of your breath throughout your entire body?

Listen for the subtle sounds around you as you are resting.

You may hear noises from the areas that surround you.

These sounds will not disturb your relaxation.

Allow your sense of hearing to take in any sounds that are present and focus here for a few more moments.

Allow your intention or resolve to bubble up from your deepest wish for transformation and healing.

Be sure that the statement is positively stated and in the present tense and something that you will remember.

State it silently three times.

Also say to yourself,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra,

I am awake and relaxed.

You will now begin the rotation of consciousness.

Move your awareness throughout different parts of your body as soon as you hear the name.

The awareness will jump from place to place.

Say the name of the part to yourself after you hear it and at the same time become aware of only that part.

Stay alert without too much concentration.

The practice will begin with the feet.

Feel the soles of both feet.

Your heels.

Your arches.

And all ten toes.

Move awareness up to your ankles.

Your calves.

Shins.

Front of your knee.

Back of your knee.

Insides of the knees.

Outside of the knees.

Fronts of your thighs.

Inner thighs.

Backs of the thighs.

Outer thighs.

Feel your hips.

Buttocks.

Groins.

Your pelvic floor.

Notice your lower belly.

Sacrum.

Middle back.

Insides of the waist.

And upper abdomen.

Feel your rib cage,

Noticing how much space it takes up in your torso.

Feel the right side of your rib cage.

And the left side.

Feel the sternum.

Your entire spine.

The sides of your chest.

Armpits.

Joints of your shoulders.

Upper arms.

The inside of the upper arms.

Inner elbows.

Inner forearms.

Insides of the wrists.

Palms of your hands.

Thumbs.

Index fingers.

Middle fingers.

Ring fingers.

And little fingers.

Feel the backs of your hands.

Backs of the wrists.

Outside of your forearms.

Points of the elbows.

Outside of your upper arms.

Tops of the shoulders.

Lower bones.

Right side of the neck.

Left side of the neck.

Front of the neck.

Jaw.

Chin.

Lower lip.

Upper lip.

Space between the lips.

Lower teeth.

Tongue.

Upper teeth.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Entire nose.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Inner ears.

Ear lobes.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Space between the eyebrows.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Forehead.

Crown of the head.

Feel now the whole right side of your body.

The whole left side of your body.

The front of your body.

The back of your body.

Your whole body.

Feel your entire body all at once.

Feel your entire body.

Remember that you are practicing yoga nidra and draw your attention to the outgoing breath.

Draw your attention to the natural,

Ingoing and outgoing breath.

Feel the breath going in and out of your lungs.

Do not try to change the rhythm.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

There is no effort.

Maintain awareness of your breath.

Create awareness of your breath.

Notice in your torso where does the breath seem to originate from.

Perhaps in the abdomen or in the chest.

Feel the expanding inhale and the releasing exhale.

Imagine a beautiful flower here in the body.

And as you inhale,

The flower blooms open,

Expanding.

As you exhale,

The flower softly closes.

Exhale blossom open.

Exhale softly release.

Continuing to breathe in and breathe out.

Allow your breath to continue but do not concentrate on it.

Imagine the feeling of heaviness in the body,

The feeling of heaviness.

Become aware of heaviness in every single part of your body,

The arms heavy,

The legs heavy,

The head heavy.

You are feeling so heavy that you seem to sink into the floor like a dense heavy stone.

The body is heavy.

The whole body heavy as stone.

Then awaken the feeling of lightness in the body,

The feeling of lightness.

Create the sensation of lightness and weightlessness in all parts of your body.

Your body feels so light that it seems to be floating away from the floor like a cloud.

The body is light.

The whole body is as light as a cloud rising toward the ceiling.

You turn to the feeling of the body resting in peace and safety as you practice yoga nidra.

Then remember a time when you felt struggle.

Perhaps it was a physical struggle to lift a heavy object or a mental struggle to analyze a problem.

You might also visualize a plant that is struggling to survive.

Imagine a fallow garden in winter.

Does struggle feel like difficulty or an opportunity for growth and change?

Then change the feeling of struggle to one of strength and ease.

Remember a time when you felt strong in your body and capable in your mind.

Visualize a thriving garden where all the plants are healthy,

Green,

And bearing fruit or flowers.

Visualize the feeling of vitality in life.

Does thriving feel like success or is it your birthright?

Make sure you are not sleeping.

Say to yourself,

I am resting and practicing yoga nidra.

Lift your mind into the space in front of your closed eyes.

Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.

A space that extends as far as the eyes can see,

As low or as high and as wide as you can see.

Watch the darkness.

Very carefully.

Be totally aware but not involved.

Rest your mind in this warm and friendly darkness.

Become aware of any images that manifest within the dark space,

As if you were watching a movie.

If you see colors or patterns,

Simply notice these and continue with your awareness.

Whatever you see is the manifestation of your subconscious mind.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space.

There is no effort,

Simply awareness.

Staying detached and relaxed.

Now begin to visualize the following on your mental screen.

Imagine a flickering candle.

A blooming cactus.

A cat sleeping.

An empty pot.

A monk in saffron robes with a shaved head.

An evergreen tree.

A shooting star.

A cold winter.

A field of grass.

A fire burning in the fireplace.

Chimney smoke rising from an old house.

The dawn of a new day.

A feeling of compassion.

The deep blue ocean.

An old man.

A temple bell ringing.

A fallow field.

A purple mountain.

A beautiful thriving garden.

Your body resting in yoga nidra.

Intensify your awareness and visualize a beautiful garden.

You are sitting in a garden with flowers all around you.

You can feel the warm sun on your skin and hear the sounds of nature in the garden.

Listen to the sounds and smell the lovely fragrance of fresh flowers.

You get up and begin to walk down a stone path.

Along the path you see butterflies,

Hummingbirds,

And bumblebees.

You see every color of the rainbow.

There are red poppies,

Orange lilies,

Yellow sunflowers,

Green leaves,

Blue irises,

And purple lotus flowers growing all around you.

You see the clear blue sky above and feel the stones underneath your feet.

A feeling of gratitude overcomes you and you take in the beauty of the scene.

Continue to meander on the stone pathways of your garden.

If there is a flower you wish to visit,

Move toward it.

Take in the color,

Shape of the petals,

Leaves,

And other parts of the plant.

Is there a fragrance?

Can you name the type of flower?

Perhaps it is a flower that is very familiar to you or something that only your imagination could dream up.

Notice the various stages of blooming flowers on the plant you are observing.

Some are fully open and others are just the barest of buds.

Find one of the closed flower buds and meditate upon the potential for life contained within the bud.

As you watch,

You notice gentle movement as the bud begins to open before you.

The outer leaves swirl open to reveal the closely packed colorful petals inside.

As you continue to watch,

The petals begin to loosen and spiral open.

How many layers of petals are there?

How big does your flower grow?

As the petals fully bloom open,

You notice a small object revealed inside the flower.

Do you recognize the object?

Take it gently into your hand.

Perhaps there is some special significance to you.

Hold the object that your flower has revealed and receive any intuitive messages from it.

Does it represent a situation in your life or a quality you are hoping to manifest?

Sit on the object for a few moments longer.

Allow your intention to bubble up again from the depths of your mind and repeat it silently three times.

Bring your attention to the natural breath that flows in and out of your nostrils.

Help awareness of your physical body.

Feel your body sinking down into the floor.

Remember that you are practicing yoga nidra and begin to imagine the surrounding room.

Are there other people or objects present?

Notice any sounds that you might be able to hear which will bring you more into the present moment.

Start moving your body very slowly.

Move your fingers and toes slowly.

Move your hands and feet slowly.

Turn your head slowly from side to side.

Take your time.

There is no hurry.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

Open your eyes and allow the action of seeing to happen without focusing on anything.

Then rolling over to your side,

Staying on your side for a few moments.

Open your hands to press yourself up from the floor,

Allowing your head to come up last.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Reviews

Very nice thank you 🙏