Thank you for joining me today for this special meditation.
Yoga Nidra is the practice of yogic sleep,
A state of conscious rest in which the body becomes completely still and the mind remains gently awake.
You generally will not fall asleep,
Though you may drift close to that edge.
You will likely hear my voice throughout.
Simply listen.
You do not need to concentrate.
You do not need to try.
Just let things be as they are in every single moment.
The practice includes three elements,
A body awareness scan,
A focus on the breath,
And a guided visualization.
To begin,
Find a comfortable position lying down on your back if possible,
With your arms resting a little bit away from your body,
Palms facing upward.
Allow your feet to fall naturally open.
If you need a blanket or pillow beneath your knees or head,
Take a moment to arrange yourself now.
Now gently close your eyes and let this be a time that belongs entirely to you.
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
Nothing to fix or figure out.
Feel the surface beneath you receiving your full weight.
Notice how that surface meets your heels,
Your calves,
The backs of your thighs,
Your lower back,
Your shoulders,
The back of your head.
Let yourself be held and supported.
Allow any sounds around you inside or outside to simply pass through your awareness like clouds crossing a wide open sky.
We will now move awareness through the body.
As I name each part,
Simply bring your attention there.
No need to move or tense anything.
Just touch each place with your awareness like a soft beam of light and move on to the next.
As we begin,
Bring your awareness first to your right thumb.
And then the index finger.
And the middle finger.
And the ring finger.
And then the pinky finger.
Now move up to the palm of your right hand.
And then the back of the hand.
The wrist.
Up to the right forearm.
And then the elbow.
The upper arm.
The right shoulder.
And then around to the crux of the right armpit.
And then downward to the right side of the chest.
And moving to the right side of the waist.
And the right shoulder.
And the right hip.
The right thigh.
Continuing down the leg to the right kneecap.
And then the right calf and shin.
Downward to the right ankle.
And then the right heel.
And then on to the sole and the arch of the right foot.
Continuing to the right big toe.
And then the second toe.
The third.
The fourth.
And then the fifth,
Or pinky toe.
And now the same for the left side,
Beginning at the left thumb.
And then the index finger.
The middle finger.
The ring finger.
And then the little finger,
Or pinky.
And then up gently to the palm of the left hand.
Then the back of the hand.
Then the wrist.
And up to the forearm.
The elbow.
The left upper arm.
The left shoulder.
And circle gently around to the crux of the left armpit.
Moving down the left side of the chest.
To the left side of the waist.
The left thigh.
And down the left leg to the kneecap.
On to the calf and shin.
Down to the left ankle.
The left heel.
The arch and sole of the left foot.
The left big toe.
And then the second toe.
And the third.
And the fourth.
And the fifth,
Pinky toe.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the right shoulder blade.
And then move across the back,
Over to the left shoulder blade.
And now the entire upper back.
And then down to the middle back.
Then the left shoulder blade.
Lower back.
And in the right and left buttocks.
We move upward to the very top of the head.
Moving gently down to the forehead.
And in the right temple.
Over to the left temple.
The right eyebrow and then the left eyebrow.
Bring awareness to that important space between the eyebrows.
And then down to the right eyelid.
And then the left eyelid.
The right cheek.
And then the left cheek.
Bring awareness to the right nostril and then the left nostril.
And then the upper lip.
And the lower lip.
The chin.
The tongue and the jaw.
The right ear.
And then the left ear.
And then down the throat and neck.
Over to the right collarbone.
And then the left collarbone.
And then the right collarbone.
And then the fullness of the chest.
The heart center.
The upper abdomen.
And then the navel.
And then on to the lower abdomen.
And finally now.
Scan and bring your awareness to the entire body at once.
Your entire physical body.
Acknowledged and completely at rest.
And ready to turn our attention to the breath.
I ask that you do not change your breathing in any way.
Simply observe it as you might observe a river flowing past your view.
Curious,
Unhurried,
Unattached.
Just notice how the breath arrives at the nostrils.
Perhaps feel the coolness of the air as it enters.
Follow it as it moves down the back of the throat.
Into the chest.
And lungs feel the ribcage gently expand and the belly rise.
And now the breath returns.
Like a slow tide at its peak.
A tiny still point.
Between inhale and exhale.
And then the breath releases.
Notice the warmth of the air as it leaves the nostrils.
Feel the chest soften.
And the belly fall.
And again,
A gentle pause at the bottom of the exhale.
A moment of perfect emptiness.
Breathe in.
And out.
And now we will breathe together.
And with each breath,
We will deepen the rest of the body.
I will keep count and we will breathe in for a count of four.
Then hold for a count of three.
Then breathe out for a count of six.
The exhale will be just slightly longer than the inhale.
Let's begin.
Breathe in slowly.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Hold.
Two.
Three.
And out slowly.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Again,
Breathe in.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Hold.
Two.
Three.
And out.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
And once more.
Breathe in.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Hold.
Two.
Three.
And release.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Now allow the breath to return to its own natural rhythm.
You have nothing more to do.
Just allow it to do what it does best.
Imagine the breath as a gentle wave and you are resting on the surface of a warm,
Still ocean.
Rising slightly with each inhale and settling again with each exhale.
Cradled by the buoyancy of the water.
Held by the world beneath you.
Each exhalation carries any remaining tension out of the body.
And each inhalation brings in the beauty of soft,
Golden,
Healing light.
You are safe.
You are held.
And you are exactly what you are.
You are where you need to be.
Now I will ask you to begin to allow images to form behind your closed eyes as naturally as dreams form in sleep.
You need not force anything.
Simply receive what comes as I guide the imagery.
No pressure.
No expectations.
Just allow things to be as they are.
I ask that you imagine that you are standing at the edge of a forest.
It is morning and the air is cool and carries the clean,
Deep scent of earth and rain.
Before you,
A narrow path winds between ancient trees,
Tall,
Mossy,
Draped in green.
The light filters through the canopy above in long,
Liquid shafts,
Dabbling the ground in gold and jade.
You step onto the path,
And beneath your feet the earth is soft.
You notice a thick carpet of moss,
Emerald and silver green,
Covering every surface.
The stones,
The roots,
The fallen logs beside the trail.
It cushions each step,
Like walking on something vibrant and breathing.
You walk slowly,
Respectfully,
Without hurry.
The trees grow taller and closer as you move deeper into the forest.
Their roots twist out of the earth like ancient hands.
You see ferns unfurl in the shadows.
Tiny drops of water cling to leaves and catch the light like scattered diamonds.
You can hear birdsong,
High,
Clear,
Unhurried,
Somewhere far above the canopy.
You hear the soft babble of a stream nearby.
And with every step,
You feel more relaxed,
More at home,
More at peace.
And as you walk,
The path opens into a small clearing.
At the center of the clearing,
A stream runs over smooth,
Gray stones.
The water is as clear as glass.
You kneel beside it and dip your fingertips in.
It is cool and clean,
And the touch of it moves through your whole body like a sigh of relief.
You sit beside the stream for a moment,
Just listening.
Listening to the sounds,
Or the silence,
Around you.
You notice something stir at the far edge of the clearing.
You look up and see that a horse has stepped out from between the trees.
She is entirely white.
Not the white of snow,
But something warmer.
The white of moonlight on still water.
Her coat shimmers gently as she moves,
As though light lives just beneath the surface of her skin.
You somehow know that she is magical.
And then you see that she has wings.
Vast,
Feathered wings,
Folded now against her sides,
Soft as a cloud.
She is calm.
She knows this forest well.
And she is not startled by your presence.
In fact,
She looks at you with large,
Dark,
Gentle eyes.
As though she has been expecting you.
She moves toward you slowly and deliberately.
And as she does,
You feel no fear,
Only a deep,
Spreading warmth.
A sense of being recognized,
Of being known.
She stops beside you and bows her great,
Majestic head.
You reach out and place your hand gently on her nose.
It is warm and soft,
Like velvet.
And she breathes slowly,
Steadily.
And her breath becomes your breath.
Deep and even.
And calm.
She turns and you understand,
Without words,
That she is offering to take you somewhere.
You rise and step up onto her back and she is steady and sure beneath you.
You feel completely safe.
Held as if by the very earth itself.
She spreads her wings and with one soft,
Sweeping movement,
She lifts from the ground.
In seconds,
You rise above the clearing,
Above the tops of the mossy trees,
Above the forest canopy,
And you are flying.
The air around you is warm and still.
Below,
The forest stretches in every direction.
A great,
Breathing sea of green.
Rivers glitter like silver thread.
And in the distance,
A mountain range rises into soft,
Violet mist.
You are weightless.
You feel the gentle rise and fall of her wings,
Steady as breathing,
Steady as a heartbeat.
And with each stroke,
You rise a little farther,
Drift a little deeper into peace.
She carries you over the mountain and beyond the mountain,
There is a valley bathed in golden evening light.
You see a vast meadow full of wildflowers,
Every color.
A still lake perfectly reflecting the sky.
And you feel,
Perhaps for the first time in a long while,
Completely at ease.
A sense of utter tranquility.
There is no weight to carry here,
There is nothing to decide.
The horse soars gently in wide,
Slow circles.
And below you,
The world is achingly beautiful and perfectly quiet.
Stay and pause here for a moment and enjoy the sensations until my voice returns.
Now,
Slowly and gently,
The horse turns back toward the forest.
She descends in long,
Unhurried spirals.
The trees rising up to meet you,
The cool green scent of the forest returning.
The sound of the stream threading back into your awareness.
And she lands safely in the clearing,
Smooth and soft as a feather settling.
You slide from her back and turn to face her.
She looks at you with those vast,
Still,
Thoughtful eyes.
You place your hand on her cheek and you feel woven through that touch.
A knowing.
A knowing that this peace is yours.
That it lives inside you.
That whenever you need it,
It is here.
And she holds your gaze for one long,
Quiet,
Peaceful moment.
Then she turns and walks slowly back between the trees,
Her white coat flickering between the trunks like moonlight,
Until she is gone.
You stand alone in the clearing,
Breathing naturally and comfortably.
The stream continues to flow over its stones.
The birds continue their song.
The moss continues its slow,
Patient life.
And you are exactly here.
Exactly yourself.
Exactly enough.
And exactly as you are intended.
Be.
Now,
As your breath continues naturally,
Begin to let the images of the forest gently soften and fade.
As you do,
Allow your awareness to return to the surface of your physical body.
Notice the weight of your body where it meets the floor or the bed.
Feel the points of contact of your heels and your hands and your head.
Become aware of the temperature of the air on your skin.
And begin to deepen the breath slowly,
Gently,
A long inhale through the nose and a slow exhale through the mouth.
And allow a soft movement to arise in your fingers,
Perhaps a gentle curl or a wiggle.
And then the same in the toes.
A quiet awakening.
Begin to move your hands and feet more freely and let some life return to your limbs.
Bring your arms overhead in a long,
Slow stretch.
Reach all the way through the fingertips,
Through the heels,
Lengthening the entire body.
Let out a sound or a sigh if one wants to come.
Now release the stretch and let the arms fall.
And when you're ready,
If you've been lying down,
Roll gently onto your right side and rest there for a moment,
Your knees drawn up.
There's no rush.
Take your time.
And when it feels right,
Use your hands to press yourself up to a seated position.
And again,
Sit quietly for a moment.
Notice how you feel and carry that feeling with you,
The steadiness of the forest,
The freedom and liberation of the sky,
The warmth,
Compassion of the horse's breath.
Know that these things are yours.
They are not borrowed.
They are not found somewhere else.
They were always inside you,
Waiting to be acknowledged or remembered.
And finally,
Bring your hands together at your heart as in a prayer position.
Bow your head gently and give thanks to the highest and the greatest good for this experience.
The practice is complete until the next time.
Take good care.
