Yoga Nidra To Return To Mother Earth

A guided Yoga Nidra, 'yogic sleep' practice led entirely in first person point of view (I am... ) with words from an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh's “Love Letter to the Earth”. You'll feel safe, rooted, held, and loved by Mother Earth. This version is without music. If you prefer this with music, look for the title of the same name with 'music)

Transcript

Dear Mother Earth, I was born from you and you are always present, Offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, My father, And all my ancestors are also your children. You are the mother of all beings. I call you by the human name Mother and yet I know your mothering nature is more vast and ancient than all of humankind. We are just one young species of your many children. All the millions of other species who live or have lived on the earth are also your children. Each species has its own language yet as our mother you can understand us all. That is why you can hear me today as I open my heart to you and offer you my prayer. Dear Mother, Wherever there is soil, Water, Rock, Or air, You are there nourishing me and giving me life. You are present in every cell of my body. My physical body is your physical body and just as the Sun and the stars are present in you, They are also present within me. Sometimes I forget, Lost in the confusions and worries of daily life, I forget that my body is your body and sometimes I even forget that I have a body at all. Unaware of the presence of my body and the beautiful planet around and within me, I'm unable to cherish and celebrate the precious gift of life you have gifted me. My deep wish is to wake up to the miracle of life. I promise to train myself to be present for myself, My life, And for you in every moment. I know that my true presence is the best gift I can offer to you, The one I love. Through my practice of Yuga Nidra, Here, Now, I remind myself that my body is your body and that you are all around and inside of me. I remember the true nature of my being, That is you. I lay down to rest to prepare for the practice of Yuga Nidra. I close my eyes and guide my awareness to my breath. Without changing my breath, I notice it. I notice the rise and fall of my breath at my belly. I notice the sacred, Natural, Effortless rhythm. Unhurried, Unrestricted, I stay with the rise and fall of my breath. I witness its ebb and flow. My inhale releases into my exhale and my exhale surrenders into my inhale. With each exhale, I allow myself to yield, To release the weight of my worries, To let go of any unfinished tasks, Responsibilities, And obligations to be fulfilled. I temporarily set aside the roles I am playing, The responsibilities I have for others, And I allow myself to be me. And with each inhale, I feel your support, Your embrace. I feel you holding me. I allow it to surface in the center of my being. My Sankalpa. My Sankalpa is a positive I am statement that is true at the core of who I am. As it forms, I repeat it quietly and internally to myself three times. My practice of Yoga Nidra begins now. My awareness goes to my breath, My breath as it is. I follow its natural rhythm without altering it. I experience the rhythm of my breath as if my whole body is breathing, As if my whole body is being breathed. Bright sparkling prana. This vital life force flowing in and out with each cycle of my breath. This renewed energy saturates my consciousness with each inhale and gently subsides with each exhale. Each inhale radiating and reaching fullness and then giving away to the exhale the expansion and contraction of my breath. Like your beating heart, The earth, I become aware of my breath as a dear friend. This dear friend I've known for so long. This dear friend I've known since the moment I was born. Each time I inhale, I welcome this dear friend and each time I exhale, I bid this dear friend goodbye with no formality, Leaving and entering effortlessly. For the next nine breaths, I count each of my exhales from nine to zero. If I lose track of the counting, It doesn't matter. What matters is I let my mind rest with each exhale. I will now begin. I begin now to guide my mental awareness around my physical body. My body which is the fertile soil and land of the earth. I observe the quality of earth throughout my body. Earth gives me the feeling of heaviness, Stability, Structure, And rootedness. My feet. I see and sense my feet. I observe the element of earth in my feet. I'm aware of the element of earth in the various tissues of my feet, The skin, The bones, And the toenails. I feel the heaviness of the earth element within my feet. My lower legs. I see and sense the shape and position of my lower legs and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth in the various tissues of my lower legs and I feel the heaviness of the earth element. My knees. I see and sense the shape and position of my knees and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth in the various tissues and bones and ligaments around my knees and I feel the heaviness of the earth element. My thighs. I see and sense the shape and position of my upper legs and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth in the various tissues of my thighs and I feel the heaviness of the earth element. My pelvis. I see and sense the shape and position of my pelvis and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth in the various tissues around and inside of my pelvis and I feel the element the heaviness of the pelvis. My lower back. I see and sense the shape and position of my lower back and observe the element of earth. I am aware of the element of earth in the various tissues and feel the heaviness of the earth element. I feel the weight of my vertebrae. My belly. I see and sense the shape and position of my belly and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth within my organs and observe the heaviness of the element of earth. My spine. I see and sense the shape and position of my spine and observe the element of earth and observe the element of earth. I am aware of the element of earth within the curves and vertebrae of my spine and I observe the heaviness of the earth element. My chest. I see and sense the shape and position of my spine and observe the element of earth. I observe the element of earth in my chest as I become aware of the shape and weight of my ribcage. My hands. I see and sense the shape and position of my hands and my fingers and observe the element of earth. I observe the element of earth in my hands and fingers as I become aware of the shape, Texture and weight of my hands. My arms. I see and sense the shape and position of my arms and observe the element of earth. I observe the element of earth in my arms and observe the heaviness of the earth element. My shoulders and neck. I see and sense the shape and position of my shoulders and neck and observe the element of earth. I'm aware of the element of earth within the contours of my shoulders and neck and I observe the heaviness of the earth element. My head and face. I see and sense the shape and position of my head and my face and observe the element of earth. I am aware of the element of earth within the curves of my head and face and observe the heaviness of the earth element. From head to toe. From toes to head. I feel my body perfectly steady and still. My whole body is solid and compact. Steady and still. I sense and see my entire body filled with the element of earth. I feel the earth underneath the earthen body that is mine and I see and sense my earthen limbs and my body melting and merging. Earth upon earth. Earth within earth. Earth in earth. Joining. Merging. Returning. And becoming one. I now allow images to come to mind and experience them without attachment. Letting them wash over me. Winding roads of asphalt and concrete. Tall towering granite mountains. Rocks grazed by the desert wind. Tiny pebbles that line the shore of the ocean. The contours, Weights and shapes of the bodies of other beings. A row of cypress trees. Towering, Lean and limitless. A tiny terrarium. Living, Breathing and saturated with moisture and life. A horizon of gold, Shimmering wheat. I allow myself to stay. I stay with this awareness of oneness. I let myself move deeper, Deeper and deeper. I lose all sensations of my body. I let go of all ideas that my body is separate from the world around me. I am my own witness. I am not this physical body. I am not these senses. I am not this mind. I am not this breath. I am not these thoughts. I am not these feelings. I am not heaviness. I am not pain. I am not cold. I am not this mind. All of these are changeable. But I am unchangeable. I am of the A. I am the A. I am the A. I am the A. Now I repeat my sankalpa internally to myself three times. I allow my sankalpa to permeate the deepest layers of my being that is the A. My practice of yoga nidra is now complete. My breath becomes more audible. My body gently moves with my breath. I awaken gently to a more everyday state of consciousness. I gently rise and bring this with me into the rest of my day.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this, especially the homage to Mother Earth at the beginning. 😍