Hi,
This is Chris Muska.
I'm here with a Yoga Need Your Practice for the winter season.
I hope this practice can help you honour that need for rest and introspection the winter season offers us,
That then can nurture us and help us feel more empowered.
For this practice,
You just need an open space,
Floor space,
You can have a yoga mat down,
But you don't need one.
A pillow for your head,
Maybe support for under your knees,
Especially if your low back is tight,
And a blanket.
That blanket you can set up nearby or have it partially or fully over your body.
It is winter after all,
So allow yourself to get as cozy as you need to be.
I'll leave just a few moments for you to set up into your space and your pose.
If you have an eye pillow as well,
That is a nice tool to have to help relax,
Help calm the eyes and the thoughts.
Once you are lying down,
Just getting comfortable,
Just getting comfortable.
Now we are set up and we are ready for our Yoga Need Your Practice to begin.
This won't be a long practice,
Just about a half hour.
So give yourself a bit of thanks right at the beginning for setting this time for you.
As you start to relax,
Letting the breath deepen.
If you need any exhales or expressions to release some tension,
Please do that.
Feeling that floor beneath your body.
And at the same time,
Feel the space above your body.
Know that you are that place in between the earth and the sky.
And letting the breath now start to equalize.
The inhale and the exhale last the same amount of time.
If it helps,
You can just count a few rounds.
Inhale to a count of 4,
Exhale down to a count of 4.
You can also just work with that intuitive sensation of your equal breath.
As we come to our Yoga Need Your Practice,
It offers us a deep sense of relaxation.
And we do want to stay awake and aware while we're in this practice.
So let's remind ourselves that we won't fall asleep during this practice.
You can whisper that out loud to yourself.
I will not fall asleep.
I will not fall asleep.
I will not fall asleep.
Sending that signal into you.
And as you are beginning to relax within yourself,
Within your inner mind,
Your inner visual,
Your imagination,
Visualize seeing yourself in the room you're in.
Resting on the floor.
Resting with the 4 walls of the room around you and the ceiling above you.
Anything that's quite unique to the room that you're in,
You can imagine.
And this is your safe space that you brought yourself in to practice.
To allow yourself to feel safe here.
Honoring your breath.
Honoring yourself.
Honoring the great wisdom of the Yoga Practice,
The Yoga Nidra technique,
The great teachers past and present.
And gratitude for the land that the room that you are safely practicing in is on.
And then just notice if there are any sounds you can hear.
Anything that's going on outside of that room that may be coming in.
Maybe there's a clock that's ticking or a sound that's humming.
Just notice if there are layers of sound.
So this practice draws us in once.
And it does ask for you to keep the sense of hearing active above all other senses.
But acknowledging the layers of sound you need to listen to and the sounds that need to just appear and pass by.
So in this room that you are resting on,
There is a blanket of snow that rests on the floor.
There is a blanket of snow that rests around it.
There is snow falling down and you're listening and reflecting the light.
You are inside in this wintery landscape in this safe room practicing and breathing.
And we'll set a high intention,
A resolve,
A sankalpa in Sanskrit.
This affirmative intention that is a seed that we set deep within ourselves so that it may be planted in more of the depth of our consciousness and grow so that it affects that surface level self that deals with the internal-external exchange and interactions.
So for this practice our sankalpa is,
This winter I am relaxed and honoring my need for rest.
This winter I am relaxed and honoring my need for rest.
This winter I am relaxed and honoring my need for rest.
As that settles in,
We'll now move to our body consciousness awareness.
So I will call out body parts for you to pay attention to that body part through an extension of ease and relaxation so that as the parts are labeled and called out,
They become further relaxed.
Breathe in steadily and equally as you do that.
You'll notice that clearing of that mind space that's still a bit tense.
Starting at our right hand.
The right hand relaxing.
Right thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
All five of the fingertips on the tip.
The whole right hand relaxes to the right wrist.
Right forearm,
Right back and forearm.
Right elbow,
Inner elbow,
Outer elbow,
Upper arm,
Bicep,
Tricep.
Right shoulder and right armpit,
Full right arm relax.
Down the right side body to the right,
Down the right thigh to the outer right knee,
Down the right shin,
Down the right ankle to the outer edge of the right foot to the fifth toe,
That pinky toe,
And then the third toe,
The second toe,
The big toe,
The first toe,
All five toes,
The right relax.
Down the arch of the arch side of the right foot,
Full right side body relax.
Come to the left hand now,
That left hand relaxing.
Left thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
All left hand relax.
To the left wrist,
Left forearm,
Inner forearm,
Outer forearm,
Left elbow,
Inner elbow,
Outer elbow,
Left bicep,
Tricep,
Left shoulder,
Left arm,
Full left arm.
Down the left side to the left hip,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin,
Outer left foot,
Left fifth toe,
Pinky toe,
Left fourth toe,
Third toe,
Second toe,
Big toe,
First toe,
All five of the left toe relax.
Down the arch of the left side of the foot,
Full left side body relax.
The heel,
The right heel,
The left heel,
The back side of the body,
The right calf,
The left calf,
The back of the knee,
The back of the thigh,
The left thigh,
Right thigh,
Right bum cheek,
Left bum cheek,
The flesh of the bum relax.
Low back relaxing,
The spine relaxing,
Moving to the mid back relaxing,
The back of the rib,
Mid upper back,
The back of the heart,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder blade relaxing,
Face of neck,
Back of neck,
Back of head,
The whole back side body relax.
From the top of the head,
The crown of the head,
The hairline,
The scalp of the head,
To the face,
The forehead,
The brow line relaxing,
The eyes,
The eyelids,
The temple,
The tip of the nose,
The cheek bone,
The muscles,
The drawing of the jaw,
The flesh of the cheek,
The tips of the lips,
The tips of the chin.
The front of the neck relaxing,
Right collar bone,
Left collar bone,
Flesh of the chest,
The eel,
The flesh of the belly relaxing.
The lower groin,
The front of the hips,
Right hip,
Left hip relaxing.
Front of the thigh,
Left thigh,
Right thigh relax.
The tops of the knee,
Right knee,
Left knee,
Tops of the shin,
Left shin,
Right shin,
Tops of the ankle,
Tops of the foot,
Right foot,
Left foot.
Whole front body relax.
Whole back body relax.
Whole front body relax.
Whole body,
Right side,
Right side,
Whole body,
Whole body,
Whole body.
As you're deeply relaxed in your body,
Breathing deeply.
As you count,
As you breathe,
Just start to count down your breath.
Start at 18,
Inhaling and exhaling.
At 17,
Inhaling and exhaling.
16,
Inhaling and exhaling.
15,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Continue this.
And if the breathing gets,
The counting gets interrupted,
Start back at 18.
If you make your way all the way to zero,
Start back at 18.
J It And releasing the count,
Notice the open mind space.
Winter brings the season of introspection.
It brings in a quieter season,
A season that allows us to go with it,
To rest with it.
Our body needs more rest,
Our mind needs more rest,
And we're often willing to admit in wintertime.
Resting can often be a challenge in this season of breath,
Because we have been so defaulted into being in motion,
Being in agitation,
In movement.
That when something challenging comes,
Rather than taking a rest,
We then tense up and enmuse in that agitation.
So here you are,
In practice,
In rest.
And as we are deeper in ourselves now from the practice,
Let's state our resolve,
Or send the cult of three times again into our self,
And say that mentally within,
For you can whisper it out loud.
This winter I am relaxed,
And honoring my need for rest.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Visualizing yourself in your room,
Cozy and warm,
With yourself resting.
As winter is on the exterior,
A blanket of snow,
Shimmering in the light,
Snow gently falling down,
Resting on the tree,
Covering all the gems.
The cold breeze is blowing around us,
Like feeling that warmth and nurture of our self.
For when we rest deeply within our self,
Especially through these winter months,
We nurture that sacred spark of life inside of our heart.
So that sacred spark that is a flame doesn't dampen the cold winter breezes,
Because within you,
You're looking after yourself,
Resting and nurturing yourself.
So you're taking in that breeze as the breath,
And using it to help make that fire within warm.
So in this room that you are resting in,
Through winter all around,
It is not only warm within the room,
But it is warm within you.
So be here now,
Resting deeply in this practice.
It's okay for the mind to still be active.
And for you to be noticing the mind being active.
Let's you be conscious.
Take advantage of these next few moments near the end of practice,
To really just rest in the resting you can't just observe,
Just watch.
Which allows you to relax deeply into that connective thread that we are all a part of.
That our sacred flame within is but a flame that is connected to all flames of living beings.
Where each flame is a unique expression,
But coming from that same foundation,
That being,
An entity of source energy,
The universe,
The divine.
.
And then bring your mind within your breath,
To deepen.
And then bring yourself within your mind's eye,
Just back to the room.
And then back on the floor,
Your mat,
Under the blanket.
And giving some movement to your body,
The toes,
The fingers,
The back of the head,
Little smile on the face,
A full body stretch might feel really good.
Move over to one side,
And thank yourself for your practice.
For the time that you set for this rest for you during winter.
Tuning into the magic of winter,
Which is rest,
Which brings renewal.
And then bring your mind and your way up to a seat.
Bring our palms in front of our hearts.
Bowing down to that heart center,
To that spark of that life force within us,
Which then connects us to all other living beings.
The love that nourishes us and supports us.
Grateful for the great teachings and wisdoms of yoga and yoga nidra practice.
I give you great thanks and respect for joining me for this practice.
And I wish you much peace as you go through winter.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti He.
