Earth Rests For Autumn

A 20 minute yoga nidra inspired by autumn with a focus on appreciating the inner sunshine or 'bio photons' held within each cell of the body. Beginning with an observation of the autumnal phase of the breath - the fullness after inhaling and continuing with a guided journey around the body giving thanks for the abundance of life.

Transcript

Hmm,

Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness.

Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,

Inspired by this autumn equinox and harvest season.

This point of balance in the year,

An equinox where the days and nights are of equal length,

A place of equilibrium and a chance to pause.

Take stock and prepare for the change of season.

So prepare yourself now for a smaller inner change of season.

As you transition from a cognitive and practical frequency to tune in to a different channel,

Tuning in to a channel of peace.

Peace and quietening down,

Slowing down now and lying down,

Settling down and making yourself incredibly comfortable.

Creating a nest with cushions and blankets,

Warmth,

Silence.

Taking care to create your sanctuary now.

And if you need a little time to go and get something else or to readjust,

You have time while I read the first verse of John Keats famous poem.

Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

Close bosom friend of the maturing sun,

Conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit the vines that round the thatch eaves run.

To bend with apples the most cottage trees and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core.

To swell the gourd and plump the hazel shells with a sweet kernel.

To set budding more and still more later on the flowers for the bees until they think warm days will never cease for summer hath overrimmed their clammy cells.

Autumn equinox and an abundant harvest season where the earth gives everything for free.

The blackberry bushes and the elder trees are laden,

Heavy with edible earth,

Air,

Water and sunlight from a summer that's now drawing to a close.

Breathe it in.

You can almost smell the sweet scent of ripening in the air as all around you life bursts with juice and flavour.

Breathe in the season slowing to pause and notice the space in between your breaths.

After you inhale the fullness of all you need in that fresh air.

After you exhale noticing the quiet,

Still emptiness of satisfaction.

The in-breath and the out-breath,

Such a pleasure.

Breathing into the fullness of air harvested and enlivening the body.

Breathing out and letting go to a space of cleansing peace.

Noticing these four parts of the breath.

In,

A full pause.

Out,

An empty pause.

Noticing which is longer.

The pause after the in or the out-breath.

Noticing the stillness of the pause in between.

As we find ourselves at this ripe autumn pause in between summer and winter.

So at this point where the light in this cycle of the year begins to fade,

We celebrate the inner sunshine within ourselves.

The actual real light that we've ingested and absorbed all summer.

Did you know that just like bioluminescent jellyfish or fireflies,

Humans emit light?

Just we can't always see it with our vision,

Although somehow we know it.

We say she lights up the room when she walks in.

Or I see a twinkle in his eyes.

Or you're glowing.

Scientists are now researching bio-photons.

Light produced by a biological system.

And they've discovered that it increases with intention.

The same goes,

Energy flows where attention goes.

And scientists are slowly once again validating and proving what our elders knew needed no validation or proof.

So in our rest today we give thanks to all the elements that alchemize together in our bodies and all the other beings that give us life.

And in particular we give thanks to this autumnal sun.

Not too bright and hot,

Not too dark and cold,

Just right.

And in balance now as it gives up its dominance to winter.

And just like falling leaves,

We too can begin to let go.

And in the spirit of this harvest festival time when long days of busyness are done,

There's nothing here to be done.

But your invitation is simply to thank each part of your body as it's mentioned.

And as you undo a little more you might think I am thankful.

I am thankful.

I am thankful for the store of sunlight in the right thumb,

The index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Even the roots of the fingers of the right hand where they join the palm,

And the back of the hand and the wrist and the lower right arm and the elbow.

Glowing light in the upper arm and the right shoulder.

And the left thumb and the index finger and the middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Glowing where the roots of the fingers join the palm of the left hand.

And the back of the left hand and the wrist and the lower arm,

Left elbow.

Upper arm and left shoulder.

Glowing the store of light in every cell of the right big toe and the second toe and the third and the fourth and the little toe.

Even the roots of the toes where they join the sole of the foot.

And the top of the right foot and the heel and the ankle.

Glowing with light.

The lower leg and the right knee and the upper leg and the hip.

Thankful for the stored sunlight in the big toe of the left foot and the second toe and the third and the fourth and the little toe.

Even the roots of the toes where they join the sole of the foot and the top of the foot and the heel and the left ankle.

The glow of light in the lower leg and the left knee and the upper leg and the hip.

Every cell within the bowl of the pelvis glowing with its own store of summer sunlight.

Into the tip of the tailbone and all the way through the torso up the spine to the place where the back of the neck joins the skull.

A sense of lightness and letting go in that place where the back of the neck joins the skull and the jaw and the scalp.

The tongue and the gums and the lips and the corners of the mouth.

And the nose,

The eyes,

Corners of the eye sockets,

Eyebrows,

Space between the eyebrows.

All of the head and all of the body aglow with light.

And this sense of light can be known as the effects of gravity and sunshine.

We can feel light and heavy or light and dark and the heavy darkness can feel so very restful.

In your right leg and left arm.

Right arm and left leg.

Right hip and left shoulder.

Left hip,

Right shoulder.

The point with the back of your head touches the ground.

All of you aglow with peaceful darkness.

Heavy with lightness.

Light and dark.

Heavy and light.

All at once.

Can you feel how still and solid the heavy body feels containing all this light?

Stillness of the solid body glowing with soft autumnal sunshine in the back of your head.

Heavy and light in the left heel.

Right shoulder.

Right heel.

Left shoulder.

Right arm.

Left hip.

Left arm.

Right hip.

And into the sacrum.

All the way up the spine to the back of the head.

The breath of life.

The breath of light.

Coming in and up to the top of your head.

And out and down to the tips of your toes.

And now breathing into and out of your glowing centre.

Your solar plexus.

Your inner sunshine.

How would it be to see your inner store of summer's energy?

All the sunshine in the fruit and veg you've eaten this year and the light absorbed through your skin.

Like a powerhouse of some kind that might not even be a house at all.

Almost as if you find yourself here and now in a beautiful place somewhere inside your outside.

Somewhere with a store of sunshine or inner fire at the centre.

What might that look like to you?

Perhaps a container of some kind that allows more or less life giving energy out when you need it.

That dials it up or down so you have just enough of the energy that scientists call bio-photons.

But that yogis call prana and Buddhists call chi.

A safe place where you control and direct your vital life force.

Do you need a little more or a little less?

Too much heat and light is like a destructive fire that burns angrily out of control.

Not enough heat and light is like a dying fire that's lethargic and depressed.

But just enough heat and light is an energetic,

Motivating inspiration that's just right.

Adjust away.

And know that you don't need to know how this works and you don't have to see it for this to be real.

Golden solar plexus shining as you like.

Breathing in and inflating the belly of the solar plexus.

Breathing out and deflating the belly.

And it may be enough to be here now with this golden breath.

Or you might notice how a sense of thankfulness feels a lot like an inner glow all over your body.

As if each place was saying,

I am thankful.

I am thankful.

I am thankful.

Where in you still needs to hear this?

Send the words there.

I am thankful for this abundant harvest of life inside and out.

And knowing you can return to this place inside to make any adjustments at any time,

Now is the time to return in your own time with gentle care to an awareness of your body lying here in this place where we started fully supported with that sense of glowing solidity once more as you breathe in more deeply and feel the weight in your heels and calves,

In your hips and hands,

Arms,

Shoulders and head.

Still here resting and coming back to full waking consciousness.

Breathing yourself fully awake when you're ready.

Taking your time returning and now beginning to make small movements in the fingers and toes.

And you might like to bring one knee up and then the other towards your chest.

Rocking gently side to side.

Bringing the palms of the hands together with eyes closed to rub the hands vigorously creating heat.

Cupping your hands over your eyes feeling that warm energy.

Slowly opening your eyes to readjust to the light of this autumnal sun.

And when you feel ready roll to one side and come back to a seated position.

Thank you for the rest you just gave to the earth.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.