Yoga Nidra For The Winter Solstice (27 Mins)

Inspired by the December winter solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, this slower-paced, 27-minute, voice-only relaxation practice includes breath awareness, a body scan, and soothing winter imagery. This is a lovely introduction to Yoga Nidra, helping you quickly melt stress and sink into a softer state of being.

Transcript

Welcome,

I'm Emily and this is a yoga nidra practice for the deep rest of winter and the magic of the winter solstice.

The winter solstice marks the moment when the earth's northern hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun.

It is the day of the year with the shortest daylight hours and the longest night.

This moment in time each December can connect us to something ancient,

Wild and deeply healing.

It is a time to slow down,

To settle in,

To wrap the darkness around us like a velvet cloak,

Allowing ourselves to dream.

When you're ready,

Let's begin by taking a moment or two to create a deep rest nest.

You can pause this recording while you cover up with a blanket,

Place pillows behind the head and under the knees,

Or maybe a pillow between the knees if you're lying on your side,

Making sure that you feel warm and supported.

Closing down the eyes now,

You might even place a covering over the eyelids,

Like an eye pillow or a piece of soft fabric to let yourself further rest back in the dark.

Now take one breath here,

Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

Now take a moment to ask yourself,

Is there anything I could do to get even 1% more comfortable here?

Adjusting your feet or your hands,

Snuggling in a little deeper,

Letting yourself feel supremely cozy here,

Like a soft,

Sweet animal settling in for their winter slumber.

Feeling into the support beneath you,

The earth,

Solid and still,

Holding you here.

Can you soften the mind,

Sensing into the deep quiet of winter,

Relaxing back into the dark solstice dream time.

Letting go of all effort as you lie back here in your cozy cocoon,

Releasing all sense of needing to do anything,

Instead just allowing yourself to listen,

Receive and unfurl like stars spangling the midnight sky,

Allowing a hush to wash over the body,

Soft as snowfall.

Relaxing the temples and the scalp,

The eyes resting back,

The tongue falling away from the roof of the mouth,

Welcoming the collarbones to spread,

The shoulders and hips growing heavy,

The legs and the arms melting into the earth,

Allowing the chest and belly to be soft and easeful as they rise and fall with the breath,

The breath steady and effortless,

The body releasing just a little more on each exhale,

Letting the whole body welcome a sense of deep and nourishing stillness,

And welcoming an intention now into this sacred,

Silent space,

Something you might carry within you like a touchstone into this dream time.

You might have an intention or a sankalpa of your own,

Or for today you might use the phrase,

I am nourished in stillness and deep healing rest,

Silently repeating your intention three times,

Letting it melt into the core of your being,

Expanding attention now to the entire body,

Welcoming the sensation of the entire body supported by the steady earth,

Resting back as we begin to move a soft focus around the body,

Letting the attention be as subtle and serene as lantern light,

Drifting gently,

Welcoming a deep sense of calm and quiet,

Beginning by turning the attention to sensation inside the mouth,

All the tissues inside the mouth,

The tongue,

From the tip of the tongue all the way to the root of the tongue,

The roof of the mouth,

The teeth and the gums,

The inner right cheek,

The inner left cheek,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The right cheekbone,

The right ear,

From the folds and earlobe of the outside of the ear all the way to the deep listening inner ear,

The left cheekbone,

The left ear,

And the folds and earlobe of the outside of the ear,

All the way to the deep listening inner ear,

Noticing the ears as they listen.

Attention drifting now to the space between the eyebrows,

The left eye and the right eye,

The left temple,

The right temple,

Awareness washing across the forehead from left to right,

Moving up over the scalp,

Down the back of the head,

Landing at the center of the throat,

The base of the throat,

The center of the heart,

The right shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Back of the hand,

Palm of the hand,

The right thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Feeling into the space between each finger and the tips of each finger on the right hand.

Attention drifting gently back to the palm,

The wrist,

Shoulder,

Right chest,

Heart center,

Left chest,

Left shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Back of the left hand,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Feeling into the space between each finger and the tips of each finger on the left hand.

Moving attention back to the palm,

The wrist,

Shoulder,

The center of the chest,

Welcoming the rise and fall of the chest with the breath,

The rise and fall of the belly,

Awareness of the navel,

The right hip,

Right upper leg,

Right knee,

Right shin and calf,

The ankle.

The top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

The space between the toes and the tips of all the toes,

The ankle,

The knee,

The right hip.

Awareness washing across the pelvis,

Moving to the left hip,

The left knee,

The left shin and calf,

The ankle,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feeling into the space between the toes and the tips of all the toes.

Back to the ankle,

The knee.

Awareness washing over the bowl of the pelvis,

Moving to the tailbone,

The low belly,

The upper belly,

The center of the chest,

The center of the throat,

The space between the eyebrows,

The crown of the head.

Feeling the whole body now.

The whole body cocooned in the gentle light of awareness.

Resting here as though you were lying back in a pillowy soft snowdrift under a starry night sky.

Sensing the abundance of fresh air around you.

The limitless air and the effortless breath within the body.

Just witnessing the inhale and the exhale.

Noticing the body expanding and softening with each breath.

Each inhale increasing a sense of expansion.

Each exhale softening deeper and deeper.

Easy,

Unaltered breath.

Gentle inhale.

Gentle exhale.

Allowing the body to simply breathe itself.

Welcoming now a gentle rotation of imagery.

Invoking winter's calming beauty.

Basking in visuals and the experience of peacefulness and soothing quiet in this season of nature's deep rest.

Beginning with a pine forest on a winter's night.

A pine forest on a winter's night.

The light of a full moon reflecting on a frozen lake.

The light of a full moon reflecting on a frozen lake.

The silent flight of a snowy owl.

The silent flight of a snowy owl.

Stars shining in a velvet black night.

Stars shining in a velvet black night.

Candlelight flickering in a cabin window.

Candlelight flickering in a cabin window.

A crackling fire in a stone fireplace.

A crackling fire in a stone fireplace.

Curls of frost on a windowpane.

Curls of frost on a windowpane.

The warming aromas of cinnamon sugar and vanilla spice.

The warming aromas of cinnamon sugar and vanilla spice.

A steaming cup of your favorite tea.

A steaming cup of your favorite tea.

The rosy glow of a winter sunrise.

The rosy glow of a winter sunrise.

A sparkling field of snow under a crisp blue morning sky.

A sparkling field of snow under a crisp blue morning sky.

Resting here now with this final image.

A vast snowy field.

A vast blue sky.

Everything still.

Everything peaceful.

Every molecule of air bright and sparkling.

Every snowflake soft and shining.

Witnessing the self here.

Welcoming this bright,

Peaceful feeling to wash over the body.

Infusing every cell.

Stillness.

Sparkling.

Peaceful.

Breathing it in.

Breathing it out.

Dissolving back into this limitless,

Sparkling light.

Resting here in the sensation of abiding peace.

Welcoming your intention back into this space.

Silently repeating it one more time.

I am nourished in stillness and deep healing rest.

Allowing yourself now to simply drift in this space of serenity.

Slowly bringing attention back to the body now.

Sensing the edges of the body and the support beneath you.

Noticing the ears listening to the landscape of sounds present in your space.

Perhaps noticing any light at the edges of the closed eyelids.

Inviting in some gentle movement now.

Maybe twinkling the fingers.

Wiggling the toes.

Gently rocking the head side to side.

Perhaps taking a good morning stretch.

Reaching the arms and legs long.

Pointing and flexing the feet.

Opening and closing the fists.

Allow yourself to be heavy here for a moment.

And when you're ready,

You can softly gaze at your surroundings.

Letting your eyes land on an object in front of you.

Taking your time to become more present in the room.

Taking a big breath in.

Sighing it out the mouth.

And just noticing how you feel in body and in mind.

You might wish to take a few minutes here to write down how you feel or any thoughts that are present with you now.

Allowing yourself to ease back into your day with grace and intention.

Thank you for practicing with me today.

Thank you for making the time to refill your cup.

Thank you to the Yoga Nidra wisdom keepers who've given us this incredible tool for tapping into the body's innate healing abilities.

You can bookmark this recording to return to any time this winter or any other season if it feels resonant.

I hope to practice with you again soon.

Until then,

And always,

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be free.

Thank you.

Reviews

Thank you for creating this beautiful, warming nidra session

Wow!!! What a g e n t l e and original yoga nidra. I immediately relaxed and enjoyed all of it, even the visualization part which I usually don’t. Just a stunning offering. Thank you. I’ll be back!

So restful, rooted and soft. A perfect Winter Solstice nidra for my Yule practice. Namaste 🙏🏻🕯️✨🌲🌑