Yoga Nidra For Summer

The summer months bring us the gifts of sunshine, pleasure, playfulness and freedom. When we relax and rest effectively we create energy and space within us to expand. This yoga nidra is slow and soothing. It has the elements of grounding, sankalpa, a long rotation, breath awareness and a summer's day journey in nature visualisation.

Transcript

Welcome your body to this summer yoga nidra by softening your muscles and joints into the surface beneath you.

Take a few moments to leisurely enjoy the feeling of support for your body.

Have your hands on your body,

Wherever you can easily reach,

Perhaps on your pelvis or abdomen,

Or if you prefer,

Place your arms at a small distance from the sides of your waist,

With palms facing upwards and fingers slightly curled,

In the traditional shivasana pose.

Take a slightly deeper breath and as you breathe out,

Let your body release and sink even further into the surface beneath you.

Feel all the places of contact,

At your heels,

Backs of your legs,

Backs of your thighs,

Buttocks,

Lower back,

Middle back.

Backs of your shoulders and back of your head.

Let your shoulders sink and release.

Let the back of your head be heavy and your neck sink into the pillow.

Let the surface of your face be smooth.

Enjoy the heaviness in your eyelids.

Relax your jaw.

Let the front of your throat be soft.

Turn your gaze inwards and rest inside your inner energy body.

Be aware of the solid ground beneath you and the earth beneath that,

Pulling your body downwards towards rest,

Like a magnet.

Now place your attention at your third eye,

In between your two eyebrows.

Imagine breathing in and out through your third eye.

Become aware of the observing part of your mind that watches everything you experience with serenity.

Now we will open a space,

The sankalpa or heartfelt desire.

Tune into your heart centre in the middle of your chest.

Let the muscles in your chest soften all the way through to your back.

Sense the pure love that is the nature of your heart.

You might invite an inner smile that gently reaches your lips to engage your heart.

To evoke gratitude,

The most fertile soil in which to plant your sankalpa.

Bring to mind simple things you feel grateful for in your life right now.

People you love.

Your home.

The ways nature is expressing the summer in the trees,

Flowers and plant life.

Feel your gratitude amplifying the love radiating from your heart.

If you already have a sankalpa,

You can say it to yourself three times in a simple present tense statement.

If you would like a special sankalpa for the summer months.

Ask your heart,

What is my soul's desire at this time?

Stay relaxed and open to whatever flows to the surface.

Or just peacefully rest in the warm glow of your heart centre.

Now we begin the rotation of consciousness at each place that is visited in your body.

Imagine a glow of sunshine there.

The crown of your head.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Right eye socket.

Left eye socket.

Right cheekbone.

Left cheekbone.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Bridge of nose.

Whole nose.

The whole surface of your face glowing with sunlight.

Top lip,

Fleshy and sensual.

Bottom lip,

Soft and alive with sensations.

Inside mouth,

Anticipating the taste of the day.

Tongue and taste buds.

Roof of mouth.

Teeth.

Gums.

Back of throat.

Chin.

Tip of chin.

Front of throat,

Soft and relaxed.

Right shoulder.

To your right elbow.

Right wrist bone on the outside.

Back of hand,

Soft and warm.

Middle of right palm in a pool of sunlight.

Right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Fourth finger.

Little finger.

Warmth like honey spreading to the delicate skin on your right wrist.

Moving up to the inside crease of your right elbow.

Over your right bicep,

Smooth and warm into the cave of your right armpit.

Over your right collarbone to the front of your throat.

Honid warmth radiating over to your left shoulder.

Caressing your left elbow.

Left wrist bone on the outside.

Back of your left hand.

Middle of your left palm in a pool of sunlight.

Left thumb.

Left index finger.

Middle finger.

Fourth finger.

Little finger.

Warmth sliding up to the delicate skin in the middle of your left wrist.

Inside crease of left elbow.

Gliding over your left bicep into your left armpit.

Over your left collarbone to the front of your throat.

Soft and peaceful.

Upper chest.

Heart centre like a giant sunflower with its face turned to the sun.

Receiving light and warmth.

Stomach soft and warmed through.

Navel centre.

Abdomen.

Pelvis nourished with warmth and light.

Light and warmth penetrating deep into your right hip.

Smoothly gliding back over your right thigh.

Right knee.

Shin.

Right ankle joint on the outside.

Warmth wrapping around the smooth skin on the top of your right foot.

Spreading into all your right toes together.

Spreading through the sole of your right foot.

Right heel.

Calf soft and comfortable.

Back of right knee.

Back of thigh.

Right buttock.

Face of your back.

Warmed through and rested.

Glowing heat penetrating deep inside your left hip joint.

Smoothly gliding over your left thigh.

Caressing your left kneecap.

Gliding down your left shin.

Deep into your left ankle joint on the outside.

Warmth caressing the smooth skin on the top of your left foot.

All the toes of your left foot.

Warmth and light spreading slowly through the sole of your foot.

Left heel.

Up into your calf.

Back of left knee.

Back of thigh.

Into your left buttock.

Warm glow in the small of your back.

Middle of your back.

Right waist.

Left waist.

Your whole spine.

From your tailbone to the top of your head.

Bathed in warmth and radiant light.

The right side of your body.

Soft and relaxed.

The left side of your body.

Soft and at ease.

The right and left sides of your body together.

The front of your body bathed in glowing light.

The back of your body.

Comfortable and warm.

The front and back body together.

The whole of the body together.

The whole of the body together.

The whole of your body together.

With your observer engaged,

Feel the rhythm of your natural breath move in and out of your body.

Feel your stomach rise and fall as you breathe.

As you breathe in and out evenly,

Notice where you can sense your breath coming into your body most vividly.

Now see yourself standing in an open meadow,

Surrounded by tall grasses and your favourite summer wildflowers.

See beside you an oak tree in full leaf.

Imagine the roots of the oak as if they are also yours.

Underneath the soles of your bare feet,

The roots reach down into the soil in all directions.

They form an extensive root system that connects you to the powerful support of Mother Earth holding you stable.

Like the trunk of the oak tree beside you,

You feel as though you have a column of strength from the top of your head to your feet.

Feel the energy of the earth rise back up through your roots,

Through the soles of your feet and into this column of strength,

Filling your entire body with vitality.

Feel the hum of happiness in every cell of your body,

Like the bees and insects going about their business all around you.

Your summer body feels vibrant and ready for adventure.

On your head is a wreath of your favourite wildflowers and oak leaves.

At a little distance,

You see a path stretching away in front of you.

It feels right for you to follow it.

A few steps along,

You notice a river is flowing beside you and your path.

Its water is clear and provides you with a welcome feeling of coolness in the heat.

After a while,

You get an intuition to enter the river and wash away the days and months that have gone before this moment.

You immerse your body in the river,

Just as much of it as you feel comfortable with.

You feel yourself become part of the whole river.

Dragonflies and mayflies skim the surface of the river and land on lily pads.

Suddenly,

On a flat rock just a few feet in front of you,

Close to the riverbank,

An otter's head appears out of the water.

It rests its chin on the smooth rock and looks into your eyes.

They are friendly and amber-coloured.

You recall that otter wisdom is all about sensual pleasure and playfulness.

Their bodies are lithe and flexible so that they can move through the water,

Twisting and turning effortlessly.

It soothes your soul to have the otter here with you.

Any worries you have release and flow downstream.

As quick as the otter came,

It disappears and you give thanks in your heart for its visitation.

A welcome messenger,

A reminder from your ancestors to stay light and carefree through the rest of your summer days.

You emerge from the river,

Wet and tingling,

Onto a small sandy beach and lie down to dry off in the sun.

The sand is warm and grainy beneath you.

The sky above you is a brilliant blue between clouds.

You gaze up at the clouds watching them move slowly apart.

You let the slowness of them moving across the sky become part of your own feeling of ease.

A small breeze keeps you cool and comfortable as you drift and daydream.

When you get up and start walking again,

You discover your path heads away from the river and up the hillside.

It snakes,

Curves and undulates making it easy to climb.

When you reach the top of the hill,

The vista in front of you is wide and open.

You are overlooking a gleaming sea.

You feel expansive and free.

The sun is low in the sky almost touching the horizon.

You realise you are looking at the Simmer Dim,

Which happens far north in Scotland on islands like Orkney and Shetland.

At midsummer and during the long days of summer,

The sun barely dips below the horizon.

The stillness is palpable and the light ethereal.

As you sit on the hillside,

You connect to the earth beneath you and your heart centre.

You revisit Sankalpa again and feel it resonating wordlessly in your heart.

Now with your eyes still closed,

Take a few minutes to become aware of the room you are in.

The objects in it and your physical body.

As you let your mind come back up to the surface and begin to very slowly connect with waking life.

When you feel ready,

Gently move your fingers and toes and stretch in whatever way you need to.

Remain on your back or roll onto your side for a few minutes before getting up.

With the sun on my face and the wind in my hair,

I'll sing my heart out with the soul laid bare.

Reviews

Beautiful feeling of warm summer days…thank you Debra 🙏🏻🧡

Very enjoyable and mostly music-free. Listening in the wee hours was startled by singing at the end. But altogether enjoyed the summer imagery and glowing body rotation. 5/14/24