Yoga Nidra — Becoming The Witness

This is a yoga nidra meditation to support non-judgement, self-awareness, compassion, and unconditional love by becoming the witness of your own inner landscape. Sankalpa, body scan, chakra cleansing, pairs of opposites and visualization are all included. Rest gently and allow this meditation to guide you into stillness as you discover yourself more fully with each listen.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra on becoming the witness.

If you have not already done so,

Begin by making yourself comfortable.

Gather pillows,

Blankets,

Bolsters,

Whatever you need to feel most comfortable.

It can be helpful to have a soft surface beneath your body,

Perhaps a pillow behind the knees or the head,

A blanket covering the body,

Allowing you to feel deeply held and safe,

Protected.

Turning off any extra sounds in the room,

Closing the door,

Making sure you won't be disturbed.

You may want to add an eye pillow,

Scarf,

Or even a hoodie pulled up over the eyes is an easy way to block out light,

Allowing you to drop deeper into your inner world.

Either way,

Bringing your eyes to close or softening your gaze,

Beginning to tune in to your inner world,

Bringing attention to the breath,

Inhaling through the nose,

Exhaling out the mouth.

Allow yourself to make it audible.

In this way,

We call the body to release excess tension and drop into this practice,

This now moment.

We'll do it three more times with intention,

Inhaling through the nose,

Imagining beautiful,

Crystalline,

Clean energy filling the bones.

As you exhale,

Imagine letting go of any excess busy energy,

Allowing yourself to arrive here now.

Two more times,

Inhaling through the nose,

Exhaling out the mouth.

One last time,

Inhaling through the nose,

Exhaling out the mouth.

Just letting that focus go,

Coming into sync with your breath,

Following it gently as it travels up the spine.

When you inhale,

It drops back down to the root.

When you exhale,

Staying with your breath as it makes this journey again and again.

Careful not to effort with your breath,

But rather imagine that you are watching yourself being breathed the way you would watch a sleeping child,

Noticing,

Observing,

Witnessing without intervention.

This practice allows us to practice stepping out of reaction and into witness with more kindness,

Generosity,

And ease.

In this way,

We strengthen our internal and external muscles of tolerance,

Allowing what is to be present long enough for it to be witnessed,

Seen,

Celebrated,

And then transformed.

As you come to rest in gentleness with the soft animal of your body,

Imagine casting a wide circle around you,

Separating yourself from anything you were doing before or anything you have to do after.

Just allow yourself to take up space,

To occupy this now moment,

To be selfish with this time just for you,

Just for this practice,

Nothing more,

Nothing extra.

Relaxing the eyes now,

The cheeks,

The jaw,

Softening the front of the throat,

Back of the neck,

Relaxing the tops of the shoulders,

Letting them drop down.

Our body does so much for us,

Softening the arms,

The chest,

The belly,

The legs,

Feeling yourself become heavy,

Dropping into the surface beneath you as if you were weighing against a hammock,

And the hammock against you,

Creating a beautiful exchange of support.

Every part of you held safe,

Protected,

Nothing left that needs doing.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now,

Bringing your attention to your heart,

The sacred space within.

Notice the rhythm of your own heartbeat,

The song that resides there,

The signature that is uniquely you.

This practice is a sacred act of remembering.

It opens doors for us to more deeply understand ourselves,

What we are doing here,

To notice where our deepest longings reside,

And to discover if we can live into those more fully.

Now is the time to call forward an intention,

A Sankalpa.

If you've been working with one for some time,

Allow that to rise,

But also allow the fluidity of a new one to surprise you.

It may arise on its own to greet you,

To offer its presence.

It may be time to change your Sankalpa in a way you hadn't been consciously aware of,

But that spirit brings you organically.

Either way,

Seeding that intention here allows you to heighten your awareness of it,

To understand it more fully,

To become it even.

In the form of a positive statement,

Beginning with I,

Examples include I am listening,

I am healing,

I am free.

Allow yours to arrive now,

And when it does,

Stating it three times,

Listening,

I am listening,

Listening,

Allowing yourself to be in that state of listening,

Allowing yourself to feel this expression as if it is already done,

As if it is already truth.

Even imagine merging into it,

Becoming one with this intention.

You are it,

It is you.

There is no separation.

Releasing any judgment about how this arises,

There is no wrong way to expand.

You are the witness of your own experience here.

No expectations,

No rules,

No judgments.

Take only what you need and leave the rest.

This practice is for you.

Imagining now the flow of a river of light and awareness moving through you,

Rotating between locations in your body as I call them out.

Letting this beautiful river open wide outstretched in front of you,

Becoming longer and longer,

Including it all,

Including the whole of you.

Bringing your attention,

All of your awareness now,

Down into the right thumb,

Feeling the river flow into the right index finger,

Finger,

Pinky,

The palm of your right hand,

The back of your right hand,

The right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Underarm,

Right side of the ribs,

The right waist,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot,

The big toe of the right foot,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Whole right side now,

Whole right side with your awareness.

Shift your awareness now into your left hand,

Beginning with your left thumb.

Allow your whole awareness to fill your left thumb,

Moving to the left index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Underarm,

Right side of the ribs,

Left waist,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Baby toe.

Hold the entire left side of the body with your awareness.

Whole left side.

Feel the entire left side of the body now,

Exploring the back of the body,

Moving from right to left fairly quickly,

And then bringing both sides of awareness at the same time.

Feel the sole of the right foot,

The sole of the left foot,

The soles of both feet,

The back of your right heel,

Back of the left heel,

Both heels together,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Both calves,

The back of your rack of your left knee,

The back of both knees,

Right hamstring,

Left hamstring,

Both hamstrings together,

Right glute,

Left glute,

The whole seat together,

Back of your pelvis,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back.

Feel your right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Both shoulder blades,

Right arm,

Left arm,

Both arms.

Feel the back of your neck,

Back of your head.

Now feel the crown of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Eyebrows.

Bring your attention to the brow center,

Right eyelid,

Eyelids together,

Right eyeball,

Left eyeball,

Both eyeballs.

Feel your right nostril,

Left nostril,

Both nostrils,

The bridge of your nose,

Tip of the nose,

Whole entire nose.

Feel the upper lip,

Lower lip,

Feel your chin,

Right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Both sides of the jaw.

Feel the whole entire face.

Feel the right side of the head,

Left side of the head,

Both sides of the head together.

Feel the right side of the throat,

Left side of the throat,

The whole neck and throat.

Feel the right collarbone,

Both collarbones.

Feel the right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Both sides of the chest.

Feel your whole feel the area of the abdomen from the ribs to the belly button,

This root of the pelvic floor,

Both thighs,

Both knees,

Both shins,

Both ankles,

Tops of the thighs,

Both ankles,

Tops of both of the feet,

Soles of both of the feet.

Feel your right leg from your toes to your hip,

Feel your left toes to your hip,

Feel the entirety of both legs.

Feel the right arm from the fingertips to the shoulder,

Left arm from fingertips to shoulder,

Feel both arms.

Keep the river of your arms and legs in your awareness,

Entire torso.

Do your feeling experience now.

Feel and sense the river of your whole body,

Whole body awareness now.

Feel your whole body.

Now bringing your attention to your root chakra at the base of the spine,

Bringing all your attention into this area.

See if you can notice even a pulsing,

Simply energy.

Then moving your attention to the area surrounding your root,

Extending that awareness to the outside edges of the room.

Notice the space surrounding that space,

Extending your awareness out as far as it can go,

And releasing that.

Moving attention into the sacral chakra now,

Two inches below the belly button,

Tension into this energy.

Moving your attention to the space surrounding your sacral chakra,

As far out as the room,

And then noticing the space surrounding that space,

Letting your mind go as far as it can go.

Releasing that now,

Bringing your attention to the solar plexus,

Just below the rib cage at the diaphragm.

Bringing all your attention into this area,

Then noticing the area surrounding the solar plexus,

Extending out to the outside edges of the room,

And then notice the space beyond that space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

Moving now to the heart chakra in the middle of the chest,

Bringing all your this area.

Notice the energy,

Notice the pulsing of the heart chakra,

Noticing the rhythm that is you,

Noticing the space around the heart chakra,

Extending out to the edges of the room,

Noticing the space around that space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

Dropping that throat chakra,

Notice the quality of energy,

Then moving your attention to the space surrounding your throat,

Out to the edges of the room,

And then bringing your attention to the space beyond that space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

Then moving your energy to the heart chakra,

Beyond that space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

Then moving your energy to the third eye,

The brow center,

Bringing all your attention into this area,

Notice the energy,

Then moving your attention to the area surrounding the third eye,

Extending that awareness to the outside edges of the room,

Moving awareness to the space outside of that space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

Then bringing your attention to the crown of the head,

To the space surrounding the crown,

Attention to the space beyond that space,

In space,

As far out as your awareness can extend.

And then moving your attention to the moon or bindu chakra,

About eight inches above the head.

Some say it also exists at the cowlick,

At the back of the head,

Bringing all your attention into this area,

Notice the energy,

Attention to the space outside,

Awareness to the space even around that space,

Extending out as far as you can extend.

Letting that go and then finally resting your attention on the area surrounding the whole body,

Just spending a moment here with the whole body.

As we become the witness of our internal states,

We loosen the grip on judgment,

We become more tolerant,

All states are valid and allowed,

Resting in the center of the compassionate heart.

Bringing attention to the heart space now,

Breathing in the air,

Breathing out the air,

Breathing into the heart,

Feeling the neutrality that exists there.

We will begin playing with pairs of opposites.

I will call out an emotion,

You will feel it to the fullest capacity without adding story.

If a memory comes,

You can let that go,

Just focusing on the feeling of the emotion,

Witnessing yourself being the whole of emotion.

And then we will let that go and come into the opposite of that energy,

Balancing it all out before we are finished.

First calling in the experience of anger.

What does the energy of anger feel like without a story or narrative?

Just feeling anger,

Allowing anger to rise up into its fullest expression as you are merely watching anger.

What does anger look like?

Letting that go now,

Feeling it release,

Letting that go now,

Feeling it release.

And then calling in joy.

What does joy feel like?

What does joy look like?

Let it extend out to the farthest reaches of your experience,

Coming back to the neutrality of the heart.

And then calling in the experience of judgment.

What does the energy of judgment feel like in the body?

Feel judgment in its fullest expression.

What does it look like?

Have a shape,

Color,

A texture.

Calling in gratitude.

What does gratitude feel like?

Letting it extend out to the farthest reaches of your awareness,

Noticing if gratitude has a shape or color or texture,

Letting that go now,

Coming back to the neutrality of the heart.

Full compassion for all experiences without organizing them into good or bad,

Right or wrong.

Just experiencing yourself as whole,

This vessel that experiences emotion.

We will now do a visualization as I guide you through this practice of witnessing yourself,

Discovering more and more.

Begin by finding yourself in a place in nature.

Maybe it's familiar to you,

Maybe it's brand new,

Maybe it's a combination of both.

Looking down at your feet,

Noticing the surface beneath you,

Noticing the air on your skin,

The time of day,

The smells,

Just taking in this place in nature,

Walking aloft in this space in nature.

And you notice out in front of you a crystalline temple.

As you walk through the temple,

As you walk through the door,

You find a beautiful altar in the center of this temple.

And as you come closer,

You notice the altar filled with things that represent you,

As if this temple,

This altar was created for you,

With you in mind.

A place of sacred reverence that spirit has carved out just for you.

Notice what's on the altar,

Perhaps photos,

Crystals,

Feathers,

All representing some part of your spirit,

As if you are so deeply known all of it already exists here.

Looking above the altar,

You notice a mirror hanging in space waiting for you.

Place your gaze in the mirror and begin to notice the many faces of you,

Perhaps a younger version,

An older version,

A completely different version.

The one you are as you gaze at these different faces,

Calling up the question,

Who were you before your parents were born?

Feeling the essence of that soul,

The one who has been present through all of it,

The one who has witnessed every single action,

Every single thought,

Every single moment that is you.

A kaleidoscope of you holding all aspects at once.

Is there a version of you that has a message,

Something that desires to be known at this time?

I'll give you a moment now to be with that part of you.

This version or many versions that arose to be with you today.

Perhaps placing something on the altar in gratitude,

This part of you.

And as you do so considering that perhaps all of these objects on the altar are gifts from previous times you have visited this space.

Knowing yourself more deeply each time.

You bow in reverence to this altar,

Noticing a cozy rug on the floor near the altar,

Decide to lie down here and take a rest.

Just bathing in this awareness of you,

All of the beauty held in this temple,

All the compassion and generosity,

All of this built by you,

This whole space just for you.

Feeling fully held by Mother Earth,

No separation between you,

Completely held,

Completely tended to,

Completely known.

And allowing your sankalpa to arrive again,

Gently flowing like a river through your mind's eye,

And just stating it again three times.

Seeding this awareness that is already true,

Just begin bringing your attention back to your breath.

As you prepare to come back now,

Noticing the sounds in the room,

The surface beneath you or behind you,

Feeling your spirit stepping back into your body,

Returning home.

Begin bringing movement to your feet,

Making subtle movements,

Calling yourself back fully,

Your breath pushing on the outside edges of the awareness of your body,

Taking a full stretch,

Yourself to completely arrive.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Bringing yourself to one side,

Curling up in the fetal position if that feels right,

And just allowing yourself to snuggle here,

Giving yourself space to transition,

To be with your experience,

To integrate.

Feeling gratitude for this practice,

Gratitude for the time that you've taken to witness yourself today.

Thank you for practicing with me.

Sat Nam.

Reviews

This meditation helped me love myself in a new way. Thank you!

Thank you for this powerful and moving yoga nidra. 🙏🏻

Thank you Heidi. I have used this practice to sleep before so this is my first time hearing it in full, very calming and grounding. 🙏🏼

Thank you, Heidi🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻for this wonderful, very expansive yoga nidra practice, that brought me to a new “real-i-zation”🙏🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏🏻

Loved this practice! The background music is perfect and your voice is so soothing. Feeling very relaxed 🙏💕

What a wonderfully well rounded and gentle practice. I love practicing first thing in the morning, especially if I haven’t slept well. This helped me to feel fully rested and held. Namaste.

Absolutely beautiful, intimate and revealing. Thank you!

Slept very well and had vivid dreams! Thank you! 🕊

I love all your yoga nidras, they really call out to things deep in me and help me start to see things I didn't before. Thank you 🪷

Excellent. Pacing, annunciation, clarity, instruction just right. I felt the release of much tension I had been holding for far too long. Grounding.
Grateful - 🙏🧡🪷

I used this on the train to work & feel great. I can’t wait to use at home in complete peace. Thank you.

One of the most beautiful nidras I’ve ever experienced. Thank you so much and I look forward to returning. Love & blessings.💜🙏

I am living, broths everywhere... and I understand. A stuffed doll I gifted myself to hug, a toering to dance, and broths 🌿

So amazing! Heidi, you have such a wonderful gift. Thank you so much for sharing it.