Heart Space Yoga Nidra

This is a guided meditation including a body scan, visualization, and somatic embodiment for anyone looking to practice self love. It is designed to help you embody the feeling of loving-compassion and release stress in the body. You can use this practice daily, or anytime you’re feeling in need of more love in your life. Afterward, your heart space may feel more open and you will be more able to treat yourself with love and respect.

The meditation will guide you in and out of a classic yoga nidra. Background music is included and voice is female.

Transcript

Wherever you find yourself at the start of this meditation, Seated, Lying down, Maybe even walking, Begin to let out some final movements. Perhaps rolling your wrists or your ankles, Shaking your head yes or no, Maybe even a full body wiggle, Just letting it all out. Blink a few more times before closing your eyes. We'll start by bringing our attention to our big toes, How little we pay attention to our feet, How much love they deserve, Carrying us around. Move to our second toe, Our third toe, Our fourth, And then our pinky, Feeling the arches of our feet, Our heels, The balls of our feet, Sending our gratitude for all they do for us. We'll bring our attention up to our ankles, So we observe the sensation, No need to change or to label, Just observe. We'll feel our calves and our shins, What sensations are arriving, Move our attention up to our knees, The softness behind the knee, The bone on the front. Do these spaces feel different or similar? Bring our attention to our strong thighs, How much they hold us up, Our quads, Our hamstrings, Our glutes, Such strong muscles. What does our attention linger on as we observe our thighs? We'll slowly glide our attention up to our hips, Our pelvic bone. We often hold tension around this area. Can we breathe ease into that area with our attention? Moving up to our core, Our lower abdomen, Belly button, The bottom of our rib cage. So much happens here, Our digestion, Our processing. Can we send our love and our gratitude to the area of our body? We'll slowly move our attention to our back, Our lower back, Mid-back, The spine running from tailbone all the way up to our neck. We might want to bring our shoulders into this observation, Our full back body. Can we breathe ease through our spine from our lower back up to our shoulders? Gently and slowly, We'll bring our attention from our shoulders down our arms, Our biceps and our triceps. Releasing what we don't need to hold right now. Move to our elbow, Similar to our knees, Feeling the soft pocket on one side, Our bone on the other, Observing if they feel similar or different. We'll gently drag our attention from our elbows down our forearms, Finding space there. We'll move to our wrists, The back of our hands, The palm of our hands, Our thumbs to our thumbnail, Our pointer finger to fingernail, Our middle finger and fingernail, Our ring finger and fingernail, Our pinky finger and pinky nail. Just releasing all the miniature tiny muscles inside of our hands and fingers now. When you're ready, Bring your attention back from your fingers, Your hands, Your wrists, Back up your forearms, Elbows, Upper arms, Shoulders, And into your neck. Our neck holds our head up all day, It's always full of knots and tension. Can we imagine ease taking over? Every drop of tension releasing out of us. We'll bring our attention through our scalp now. How much can we release our scalp? Our ears? Bring our attention down to our forehead and our eyebrows, Seeing how much we can just let them fall. Can we feel our eyes and their sockets? Just releasing, Relaxing the tension around our eyes, Our cheeks, Our eyebrows, The whole occipital lobe. Bring our attention down the face or the nose, The cheeks, The lips. Slide down to our jaw, Our chin. Letting the muscles completely relax. Feeling the whole face relax. When you feel ready, We'll bring our attention from our face down through the front of our neck, Through our collarbones, And into our chest. Letting everything fall back, Fall off. Feeling our heart open. And the ease that we have created. Feel the openness in our heart center. The way the rest of the body just relaxes, Falls away from our conscious mind. So we can focus on our heart. Can we feel the breath gently moving our heart space? With the inhale, And down with the exhale. Feeling our natural rhythm, Our body at ease. And we imagine our heart space as a small room of ours. A safe space for all of our dreams, Our hopes, Our truths. What room do you see? What color are the walls inside of you? What art or decorations, Trinkets, Have you placed about to surround yourself with what feels good? What feels true? What else is in this room? A desk, A couch, Your pets. In this space of your heart that you filled with love, With experience. When you look around, How does it feel? Can you feel your chest expanding? Is it open? Can you feel it closing? In need of protection? There's no right answer. In this room of your heart, Imagine you are holding something you love dearly. Cradling it in your arms. Perhaps a child, A pet, A partner. How does it feel to be looking at something you love so dearly? How does your body feel from head to toe? To be so close to something you love? Can you imagine in your arms now you are holding yourself? Maintaining that feeling of deep love and appreciation. Perhaps you see yourself as you were when you were a child. Perhaps it's you now. Can you feel that feeling of love that you so freely give to others towards yourself? Imagine now giving yourself a tight hug. Embrace fully and deeply. Can you ask yourself in this heart space, What is it that you need right now? More self-care? More love? More healing? No need to judge, Just trust your instinct. Before we go, Take another look around this room. Feel the serenity that this space has provided you. Know that you can return anytime. It's always within you. Even in the chaotic moments, It's there for you to access. Begin by taking a deeper inhale and a longer exhale. One more deep inhale. Bring your attention to your fingers and your toes. See if any of them call for movement yet. Perhaps your wrists and your ankles. Your head wants to move back and forth. How do these movements feel different from when we started? Is your body calling for any other movement? A sway? A wiggle? As your body begins to move and your breath gets deeper, You can slowly blink open your eyes and return to your day.