Invocation Through Imagination Yoga Nidra

This Yoga Nidra practice guides you into the creative power of visualization. You are invited to imagine a place in nature, engaging the senses as the landscape becomes vivid—what you see, hear, and feel—before discovering a place of rest within it. As you settle into this inner environment, you observe the effect it has on your body and inner state. The practice concludes with a heart-centered invocation, calling to mind someone or a being you deeply love and breathing into the feeling they evoke, allowing connection, warmth, and presence to permeate your awareness.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position. It's recommended for yoga nidra to lie down. But feel free to do this seated. The only recommendation is for you to be able to relax so you don't have to hold your head up or your arms so rest them either on your body or by your sides rest your head on something. Once you find your own comfortable position. Take a couple of deep breaths, Allowing yourself to arrive into this position into this practice of yoga nidra. Nidra translates as sleep. And the idea of this practice is conscious rest. Your mind stays as alert as it can be listening to my voice while your body relaxes. Nidra is so important to help regulate our nervous system. But it's an also an opportunity for reflection. An opportunity to connect to what I like to call your internal landscape, That vast landscape within you. Take a couple more deep breaths right here. Today's practice is going to really call upon your imagination. I'm going to ask you to visualize different places that you've either been to or create in your mind's eye. And the offering is to not overthink it. The first image that shows up is perfect. Go with that. Trust your instincts. I'd like you to imagine yourself in a place in nature. And this could be somewhere that you have visited or have been to often, One that you've seen in a picture, Or again, One that your imagination makes up. Visualize yourself somewhere in nature. Take a look around and what do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What's the temperature like? Allow all your senses to give you this information. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What temperature do you feel on your skin? Take in this place through your senses. Now begin to make your way through this place, Either by foot, Or on hands and knees, Or if you're by a river, Maybe going into the water. Just begin to make your way through this place. Continue to use your senses to take in this place. Up ahead, There's a clearing, A place where you can lie down. Make your way to that place. Once you get there, Lie down. Feel the earth underneath you. Once you're laying down, Look up. What do you see? What's the quality of light if there is any? Being low to the ground, Observe what you hear. What do you smell? What's the temperature like? Now close your eyes, No longer seeing this place. And observe the effect that this visualization had on you. Breathe into the effect. Now right where you are, Imagine your body just moving along just getting a little bit heavier into the shape that it's in. Whether it's lying down or seated, Just get heavier. I want you to remember a time when you felt very warm in your body. And see if you can invoke that sensation of being very warm. Feel the heat. Feel your whole body becoming warm. Recall a time now when you were really cold. What was that sensation of cold like on your skin? How did you feel? How did your body feel? Remember that cold. Invoke it in your body, In your imagination. Now let go of that sensation and allow your body to get a little bit heavier. Right where it is. Feeling more relaxed. Now recall the last time you felt happy. Let go of the story around what made you happy and instead just remember the feeling itself. What does it feel like in your body when you're happy? Invoke that feeling. Breathe into this sense of happiness. The sensation itself in your body. Now soften around that sensation and take a deep breath in. And just exhale. Allow your body again to get heavy, More relaxed in its position. Last invocation is I'd love you to think of someone you really love or some being that you really love. And again, The first one that shows up is perfect. And breathe into the feeling that you have for them. How does that feel in your body? How does your body feel about this being? Breathe into that feeling. How does love feel in your body? Now let go of that image. Let go of that feeling. Take a deep breath in and allow your body to get heavier into the position it's in. Whole body relaxing into its position. Take a deep breath in your nose. Exhale it out your mouth. Slowly bringing your awareness back into your physical body. Calling yourself back into your physical body. If you're lying down, Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground. If you're seated, Just begin to wiggle your fingers and toes. We're just bringing a little bit of movement into our bodies. If you can keep your eyes closed for right now, But bring your awareness into the back of your eyelids and observe if there's any light. And slowly flutter your eyes back into your physical body. Keep your eyes open. Right where you are, Take one hand to your belly and one hand to your chest. Observe how you feel first on a physical level. Observe how you feel mentally and emotionally. And my hope for you is that you feel calm, That you feel rested. If you're making your way back into your life, Come on up to sit. If you're making your way to bed, Sleep well. Namaste.