River Flow Yoga Nidra

This yoga nidra supports you in connecting to your heart’s message and practicing connecting to the river's wisdom of flow. Yoga Nidra helps to support healthy sleep and plants healing images in your subconscious mind that may support your healing and rest in profound ways.

Music: "River Flute" Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Transcript

Now is the time to prepare for yoga nidra.

I invite you to lay down,

Find a comfortable seat,

Or bring yourself into any position that allows you to experience relaxation and that allows for stillness in your body.

Support yourself with bolsters or blocks.

Allow yourself to have warmth and darkness by covering yourself with a blanket and using an eye pillow or cloth to cover your eyes.

In this practice,

You may go in and out of consciousness.

Invite the intention,

I am awake,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

In your mind say,

I am aware,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

Invite tenderness to your body as you transition from the outer world to your inner world.

As if the earth is inviting you to be held,

See if you can melt and soften into the floor.

Imagine your blanket is a layer of soil that you are being planted in.

Notice the rise and fall of your breath.

Notice the way your breath inflates your body.

Inhale to your heart space,

Exhale through your feet.

Inhale through your feet,

Exhale through your heart space.

Inhale for as long as feels good.

Exhale for as long as feels good.

Bring awareness to your thoughts and emotions.

Acknowledge them and thank them for all that they do for you.

Now invite them to be free and imagine letting them float away like bubbles blown on a hot summer day.

Watch as they disappear through the layers of the sky.

Allow yourself to be fully present in this experience and know there is nothing you need to do or accomplish.

Notice all the parts of you,

The parts you identify with,

The parts that you are aware of,

And the parts that you are not aware of.

Call on your observer part to and let them come and be a witness to this experience.

Sense into the cosmic web an immortal essence that pervades the larger universe.

See yourself as part of this cosmic web and the way that all beings possess qualities of wisdom and wholeness.

Allow yourself to receive now the reality of this kinship,

Belonging,

Wisdom,

And wholeness.

Tune into a place of nourishment and calm.

It could be a real or imagined place.

It could be a place in nature.

Allow yourself to imagine this place fully.

Know that you can return to this place at any time in this practice.

This place of nourishment and calm is here to support you and hold you in this practice.

It is now time for you to make your sankalpa or intention.

Bring attention and awareness to your heart space.

Tune into your heart space.

See if you can take time to receive a simple message here.

Say to yourself a short positive statement,

Whatever your heart wishes for you.

Spiritual health,

Spiritual life,

Self-realization,

Samadhi.

Whatever you want from your future.

Sow the seed,

Say your sankalpa,

Your intention,

And repeat three times to yourself in the present tense as if it is already happening.

Now we begin the rotation of consciousness.

As you are guided to various points throughout your body,

There is nothing to do except settle your attention on each body part with an intention to soften or bring a light of healing.

You may even use the word soften,

Light,

Silently on each part of your body to help you relax,

Feel this.

Remember where attention goes,

Energy follows.

Bring your awareness to the space in between your eyebrows.

Soften healing light.

The center of your throat,

Soften.

Make an intention for your right shoulder to soften and let your attention run down your upper arm to your right elbow,

Down your forearm and into the right wrist,

Tip of the right thumb,

The tip of the right index finger,

Tip of the right middle finger,

Tip of the right ring finger,

Tip of the right little finger.

Let the whole hand soften in healing light.

Attention in the right wrist,

Right elbow,

Right shoulder.

Let the whole right arm soften.

Move your attention to your throat.

Commit to soften.

Awareness in the left shoulder.

Let your attention run down the upper arm to the left elbow,

Left wrist,

Tip of the left thumb,

Tip of the left index finger,

Tip of the left middle finger,

Tip of the left ring finger,

Tip of the left little finger.

Let the whole hand soften.

Left wrist,

Left elbow,

Left shoulder.

Let the whole left arm soften.

Bring your attention back to the throat.

Soften.

The center of the chest,

The right side of the chest,

Center of the chest,

The left side of the chest,

The navel,

The space in between the pubic bones,

The pelvis.

Let the whole abdomen and torso soften.

Center of the right hip.

Let your attention run down the thigh to the right knee,

Through the shin to the right ankle,

Tip of the right big toe,

Tip of the right second toe,

Tip of the right middle toe,

Tip of the right fourth toe,

Tip of the right little toe,

Right ankle,

Right knee,

Deep in the right hip.

Let the whole right leg soften.

Space in between the pubic bones,

The pelvis,

The center of the left hip.

Let your attention run down the thigh into the left knee,

Through the shin to the left ankle,

Tip of the left big toe,

Tip of the left second toe,

Tip of the left middle toe,

Tip of the left fourth toe,

Tip of the left little toe,

Left ankle,

Left knee,

Deep in the left hip.

Let the whole left leg soften in healing light.

Space in between the pubic bones,

The pelvis,

Attention rising to the navel.

Let the whole abdomen soften,

Center of the chest.

Let the walls of the throat relax.

Space in between the eyebrows.

Let your attention soften in between your eyebrows.

Let your whole body rest.

Your whole body rests and softens in healing light.

Without changing anything,

Witness the rhythm of your breath.

Rest in the changing sensations of inhalation and exhalation.

Rest in the changing sensations of your breath.

As you move into a mental version of alternate nostril breathing,

Invite ease and stillness in the breath.

Begin to visualize the breath moving in through the right nostril and out through the left nostril.

In through the left nostril and out through the right.

Allow the breath to be easy and as soothing as possible.

Imagine that the breath moves in from below the nostril and travels all the way up past the center of the eyebrows and into the middle of your brain.

Watch the breath fall,

Exhaling from the center of your brain all the way down beyond the tip of the nostril.

See the breath move from nostril to the brain.

From the brain to the nostril with ease.

In through the right nostril and out through the left nostril.

In through the left nostril and out through the right.

Now bring attention to sensations that are present throughout the body,

Such as warmth or coolness,

Happiness or lightness,

Comfort or discomfort,

Allowing them to blossom fully into your body.

If no feelings are present,

As may happen,

Simply welcome whatever is present.

If it's helpful,

Locate the opposite of what you're feeling.

If you are feeling warmth,

Find coolness.

Happiness,

Find lightness.

Comfort,

Find discomfort.

Welcome an opposite of sensation fully into the body.

Now welcome both opposites of sensation into the body at the same time.

Both warmth and coolness at the same time.

Both heaviness and lightness at the same time.

Both comfort and discomfort at the same time.

Now we come to visualizations.

I will say a number of different images and I invite you to visualize them on the level of feeling,

Awareness,

Emotion,

Imagination,

As best as you can.

Just listen and follow.

Allow yourself to move from image to image.

Now I will say the image.

Waves against a shore.

Sunlit path.

Alpenglow.

A crescent moon.

A clay pot.

A slender grass.

Ancestral home.

Black seeds.

A twisted tree.

A cup of hot tea.

Birds flying across a sunset.

White clouds.

Blue sky.

Stars at night.

Full moon.

A Buddha smiling.

Sea breeze.

A deserted beach.

Green grass.

The color red.

Clear river.

Imagine yourself standing by the side of a serene river.

You see the clear water flowing gently,

Reflecting the sunlight.

Peaceful energy rises from the river and notice how it represents the natural flow of life.

You decide to step into the river.

The water feels cool and refreshing.

It embraces your feet and ankles in a loving way.

As you continue walking into the river,

You sense how the water supports your body.

Gently carrying you along its course and caressing your skin.

In this peaceful experience,

See if you can feel your body release any tension and stress it can release.

Surrender to the gentle current of the river.

Your full body is immersed in these medicinal waters now.

See if you can allow the flow to guide you effortlessly,

Knowing that it will take you exactly where you need to be.

The water is inviting you to tune in to the sensations in your body as you flow with this gentle current floating.

See if you can notice the natural movements,

Rhythms,

And the freedoms being with the water bring.

See if you can feel the energy of the flow infusing you with a sense of vitality,

Peace,

And harmony.

This river now invites you to expand your awareness beyond the river and connect the flow to your daily life.

Reflect on areas where you can let go,

Trust,

And allow the natural flow to guide your actions and decisions.

Now repeat your sankalpa intention as an offering and commitment for the medicine or messages you've received from the river.

Repeat your sankalpa three times with focus,

Clarity,

And determination.

Visualize your sankalpa taking shape.

Feel yourself living your sankalpa.

Allow yourself to receive now the reality of this kinship,

Belonging,

Wisdom,

And wholeness as you rest with the earth.

Allow yourself to retain any wisdom from this experience.

Allow your thoughts and feelings to return to you and allow them to be touched by this experience.

Gradually come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Invite tenderness to your body as you transition from this experience.

Maintaining your awareness of breath,

Become aware of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.

Feel the different parts of your body lying on the floor and take your awareness into all points that are touching the floor.

The back of your heels,

Thighs,

Back,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands,

And head.

Shift your attention to sounds within this room.

The sound of your breath,

Sounds around your mat,

Sound of my voice.

Move your awareness back to the room.

Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.

Take your time.

There is no hurry.

When you're ready,

Bend your knees and roll over to the right side.

Spend a few minutes here.

Use your left hand to press your right knee to the floor.

Use your left hand to press yourself up from the floor and slowly sit up in any comfortable posture.

Take a deep inhalation and exhale out completely.

Bring your palms to your heart center and rub your palms.

Transfer the warmth of your palms to your eyes.

Rub your palms one more time,

Generating heat.

Place your palms on any part of the body that may need extra comfort,

Healing,

And tenderness.

Bring your palms in front of your eyes and open your eyes and look into your palms and blink your eyes open.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Thank you for joining me in this practice.

You can now further integrate this experience with journaling,

Making art,

Or taking a walk.

Doing all three would be a treat for yourself.