Yoga Nidra For New Beginnings

A beautiful practice for the start of a new year or any time of transition to connect to your truest guide, your heart's wisdom. This is a gently guided meditation of body awareness, balancing breath and visualisation, that will help you to become attuned to a sankalpa, a heartfelt intention.

Music: "Cleanse Your Soul (432Hz)" by Narek Mirzaei, Meditation Music Library

Transcript

Welcome to this yoga nidra for new beginnings.

I'm Emma and I'll be guiding you through this meditation of yogic sleep with an intention to sense,

Receive and affirm the whispers of your heart's desires,

Creating a quiet resolve or what's called in yoga nidra a sankalpa.

The practice will take around 20 minutes and I'll let you know when it comes to an end.

So for now just attending to the space around you to make sure that it feels really comfortable.

So that you're attending to any distractions or minor irritations,

Doing what you need to do so that the external space around you feels really comforting,

Safe,

Undisturbed and allows your body to fully rest.

Settle down in a way that feels soft and cozy.

Choosing any shape or posture that you'd like to be in for the practice.

Again attuning to your body's needs,

Attending to any want to fidget,

Wriggle,

To smooth clothing or adjust the support around you.

A practice of taking really good care of yourself here.

And then begin to settle so that you feel cocooned and heavy.

Particularly supporting the head,

Spine.

Following the body down to the legs,

Rotating them in and out and then finding a place somewhere in the middle where you can feel settled,

Where the legs can feel settled.

And noticing the feet too.

Maybe you need to make some soft circles before allowing the feet to flop.

Feet flop.

Legs flop.

The bones of the legs are heavy.

The weight of gravity drawing them down.

There's a heaviness in the hips.

The spine.

And the back of the head.

And then there's also a softness too.

Across the belly.

The face.

The mouth.

The forehead.

And the scalp.

They're all softening and releasing any tension.

If your eyes are still open,

Let them dance and wander around the space.

So just the eyes moving and fully present to the space around you.

When you feel ready and not a moment before,

Simply let the eyelids lower or close down now.

The muscles around the eyes,

Between the eyes and across the forehead relaxes.

Letting go of outer sight and turning towards inner awareness.

Notice the ears and how they can pick up distant sounds as well as those a little closer.

The ears open and attuned to the space around you.

Perhaps they notice a gentle hum at the distance.

And maybe those sounds a little closer.

Maybe you hear a sleepy yawn.

Or simply the rhythmic pattern of your breath.

There might even be sounds you can notice on the inside.

Such as a swallow or the beat of your own heart.

Follow the ear canals towards the centre of the head.

Allowing this to be a time of deep inner listening.

And then bringing awareness to the boundary of your body,

The skin.

As you notice it too relaxes.

The muscles soften.

The bones supported.

And each cell of the body vibrant.

There may be a cue in the body that says that you're ready to relax.

If there is,

Just notice what that is for you.

It could be a gurgle in the belly.

A softening in the shoulders as they melt down towards the floor.

Or maybe a soft soothing sigh out.

Follow the breath through nostrils.

Into the soft hollow of your throat.

Noticing the soft subtle sensations of the body breathing.

The wisdom of the body alive as vibrant sensation.

And here there's no need to make any effort.

To use any force or will.

Simply noticing the intelligence of the body at ease.

Inviting in more ease.

More relaxation.

You may like to set an intention for this practice.

Perhaps that's to experience deep rest in the body.

Or connect to its innate wisdom.

So your affirmation might be.

I experience deep rest.

Or I trust the divine intelligence of my body.

Or maybe there's another thing that arises for you.

Internally affirm your intention.

Three times silently now.

As we begin to rotate awareness around the body now.

You might like to mentally whisper each part as I name it.

Or simply offer that part permission to relax even more.

Bringing your awareness to the forehead.

Throat.

The right shoulder.

The right elbow.

The right wrist.

The tip of the right thumb.

Tip of right index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And tip of the right little finger.

The right wrist.

Forehead.

Right elbow.

Right shoulder.

The throat.

Moving awareness to the left shoulder.

Left elbow.

Left wrist.

The tip of the left thumb.

The tip of the left index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And tip of the left little finger.

Left wrist.

Left elbow.

Left shoulder.

The throat.

The heart space at the centre of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

Heart space.

Left side of the chest.

Heart space.

Heart space.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

Moving awareness to the right hip.

Right knee.

Right ankle.

Tip of the right big toe.

Tip of the second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And tip of the right little toe.

Right ankle.

Right knee.

Right hip.

The lower abdomen.

Moving awareness to the left hip.

Left knee.

Left ankle.

Tip of the left big toe.

Tip of the second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And tip of the left little toe.

Left ankle.

Left knee.

Left hip.

The lower abdomen.

Lower abdomen.

Navel.

Upper abdomen.

And heart space.

The throat.

The forehead.

The crown of the head.

Bring awareness to the whole body.

The subtle vibrant hum of the whole body alive with sensation.

Sense the body breathing itself.

Just the natural flow of sensation.

As breath enters and leaves the body.

Just the natural flow of sensation.

I invite you now to imagine that the next inhale flows up your right arm as a soft sensation.

Imagining the inhale travelling up the right arm all the way to the heart space.

And then as you breathe out,

The breath flows down the left arm.

Exhaling down the left arm.

Noticing the felt sensation.

The next inhale,

The breath flows up the left arm to the heart space.

And then the exhale flows down the right.

And again.

Inhale,

Imagining the sensation of breath flowing up the right arm to the heart space.

And flowing down the left.

Inhale left arm to heart space.

Exhale right arm.

Continue like this for the next minutes until you hear my voice again.

Let the breath return to its natural rhythm and sensation.

Easy,

Effortless breath.

Allow yourself to observe a felt sensation of a solid.

Just like a mountain.

Grounded.

Strong.

Steady.

Immovable.

And now observing the felt sensations of spaciousness.

Just like air that's light.

Free.

Flexible.

Fluid.

Adaptable.

Noticing strong,

Solid groundedness as a felt sense.

Noticing light.

Free.

Airy spaciousness as a felt sense.

Solid.

Grounded.

Spacious.

Strong like a mountain.

Light as air.

And then noticing both at once.

A picture of the solid strong mountainous alongside the light free airy spaciousness.

Both true in this now moment.

Can you now imagine the cool inky darkness of the night sky just before dawn.

Rich purples and blues fill the deep quiet of the night sky.

A ribbon of lilac lazily threads the skies before the imminent dawn.

And then a stirring as the first light of the sunrise appears on the horizon.

A warm glint of sunlight promising the first light of the day.

Vibrant.

New.

Possibility.

A palette of pink and crimson paints the sky with colour and kisses your skin with the soft glow of daylight.

Your ears sing with the joyful melody of birdsong.

Golden colour now fills the sky and warms every fibre and every cell of your being.

Trillions of cells basking in the glow of a new day.

Wrapped in the glow of sunrise.

A deep knowing arises in your heart.

Like birdsong,

Your heart sings with promise.

From this space of deep rest allow your heart's desires to be known for its song to be heard.

Listen.

Who am I?

What is my heart's deepest desire for this new beginning?

Affirm this desire now as a gentle resolve.

A sankalpa.

Repeat your resolve three times internally now as if true in this present moment.

Allow any images now to blur while you continue to bask in the sensations of warm sunlight.

It's safe to rest here now.

Sense all that you're now aware of.

The sounds around you.

Sensations of your body.

The floor beneath.

The room around.

The body breathing.

Keeping your eyes closed a moment longer,

Begin to deepen the breath.

You may like to breathe in through the nose and exhale with a sigh.

And sigh as you exhale.

Exhale.

Gently wiggle your fingers and toes and then when you're ready,

Bend in your knees and rolling over onto one side.

Resting on your side.

Slowly begin to open your eyes adjusting to the light.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Take your time here taking good care to ease back into the present.

You may like to take time to journal and note down the gentle resolve that arose from your heart's desire.

Go gently.

With deepest gratitude for sharing this practice of yoga nidra with me.

Thank you.